Surrounded by Five Beast Lords novel Chapter 157

alt

21

Chapter 157

Chapter 157

20 vouchers

Mindy and Felix were standing together, somehow found themselves side by side, whispering quietly to each other.

Mindy’s cheeks were slightly flushed, and Felix’s eyes never left her, completely captivated.

Dora blinked.

She cleared her throat softly.

Both of them looked up at the same time.

Mindy’s face turned even redder.

Felix, on the other hand, stayed calm, though his ears were burning a little.

“Felix,” Dora said, “keep Mindy company for me. I’ll leave you two for a bit.”

Felix nodded, giving his considerate sister a wink. “Don’t worry.”

Clive still looked uneasy and reminded her, “Dora, make sure you send a signal the second anything feels off.”

“I promise,” Dora replied with a bright smile. “Trust me, I’m not about to risk my life.”

With their roles set, Dora stood up, holding Lioren in her arms. “Alright, that’s settled.

“No matter what happens during the investigation, we’ll all meet back in the hall in an hour.”

Dora didn’t act right away. Instead, with Lioren in her arms, she pretended she just needed to use the bathroom.

As soon as Dora opened the bathroom door, she knew someone was watching her.

A Shawn family attendant smiled as she handed Dora a warm towel.

“Ms. Southwell, would you like to touch up your makeup? There’s a private dressing room inside,” the attendant offered.

“No, thanks,” Dora replied, taking the towel. “I prefer to use my own stuff.”

She turned and stepped into the stall, locked the door, but didn’t sit down.

Lioren shifted in her arms, his amber cat eyes glinting faintly in the dim light.

“Two people,” his voice spoke directly in her mind. “One outside the door, and another in the left vent

“Got it,” Dora mouthed back.

She’d seen this coming.

115

alt

9:15 Mon, Jul 27

Chapter 157

Regina would never let her roam the hall on her own.

19:30 vout here

The secret behind that fake tree, the smuggling routes of the Frostveil Planet elders, and the military’s shady deals, any one of these could spell disaster for the Shawn family.

She was part of the Southwell family, Rafe’s female mate, and, most importantly, Commander Golding’s female mate.

They feared her, so they kept her under close watch.

Dora pressed the flush, letting the sound of water mask what she was doing.

The attendant lingered outside, her expression shifting from puzzled to alert.

“Ms. Southwell,” the attendant called through the door, “you’ve been in there for a long time now.”

“Has it really been that long?” Dora said, opening the door with a smile that made the attendant step back. “T was just… taking a moment to calm down.

“After all, what Madam Shawn said earlier kind of got me down.”

She purposely mentioned Regina, acting weak on purpose, making the attendant think she was just a fragile female, still troubled by old drama.

The attendant’s expression softened. “Would you like me to escort you back to the hall?”

“No, that’s alright,” Dora said. “I just need a breath of fresh air.

“The third balcony on the left, that leads to the garden, right?”

The attendant’s pupils contracted slightly.

The Shawn family kept a close watch on that balcony and the passage leading to it.

“The balcony… it’s locked,” the attendant said. “It’s the wet season, and it’s dangerous out there.”

“Oh, really?” Dora sighed. “I suppose I’ll have to let it go.

“Could you bring me a cup of hot water? I’m feeling a bit chilly.”

“Certainly, please wait here,” the attendant replied.

The moment the attendant turned away, Dora made her move.

Instead of heading for the balcony, she made her way toward the spiral staircase at the end of the corridor

That staircase led down to the basement, and from there, to the Shawn family’s secret study.

She knew the Shawn family’s layout like the back of her hand; she’d been coming here since she was a kid, She stopped in her tracks at the entrance to the spiral staircase.

215

alt

9:15 Mon, Jul 27

Chapter 157

Regina’s voice came through the half-open study door, loud and unmistakable.

130

“We’ve already made thirty percent of the crystal ore look legit through the Blackflame Trading Guild. For the rest, we’ll need Boss Clive to help us fake it tonight…”

Dora’s heart tightened in her chest.

She held her breath and inched closer to the door.

In the dimly lit room, she spotted Regina standing with her back to the entrance.

An elder from the Frostveil Planet was seated across from her.

And in the shadows, the imposter wearing the Boss Clive’s mask was busy adjusting a communicator.

“Once we pin this on him, the real Boss Clive won’t have a leg to stand on,” the elder rasped, his voice rough as sandpaper. “Even the queen of Frostveil Planet won’t be able to trace it back to us.”

“That fake tree won’t hold up much longer,” Regina said to the imposter Boss Clive. “We need to track down the real owner of the mutated blueberry tree as soon as possible.

“All the distinguished guests from the Core Planet are here today just for the mutated blueberry tree.

“If we could actually get our hands on it, it’d be the cherry on top for our future ambitions.”

“The real owner…” the elder sneered. “Didn’t your Shawn family already haul her in?”

“We’ve questioned her for a long time, but got nothing out of her. It’s probably not her,” Regina said, her tone icy.

Dora held Lioren close in her arms and crept a bit nearer, careful not to make a sound.

“The real Master of the Blackflame Trading Guild,” the imposter Boss Clive suddenly spoke up, his voice warped by the mask.

“Rumor has it he was spotted in Zone 32 recently….

“Could it be that the mutated blueberry tree…?”

“It’s not him,” Regina cut in. “We’ve checked. The real Boss Clive was spotted on the Planet Ashen-III three months ago. There’s no way he could’ve made it back so soon.

“The one in Zone 32 is probably just one of his men.

“Just stick to your act and make sure everyone believes the Blackflame Trading Guild is working with the Frostveil Planet”

The imposter Boss Clive sounded uneasy. “What about Shine from the Dragon Abyss clan..F

“Shine’s only here looking for Dragon Clan bloodline, the Frostvell Planet elder said with a sneer. “He doesn’t care about anything else…

3/5

shift

end

alt

9:15 Mon, Jul 27

Chapter 157

20

Dora figured she’d heard enough. Not wanting to spook them, she hugged Lioren tight and snuck out as fast as she could.

Dora whispered to Lioren, “Crystal ore, framing the Blackflame Trading Guild, and… they’re even grabbing random females just to snatch the real mutated blueberry tree. That’s just crazy.

“No doubt Kael’s military connections are giving them cover.”

Lioren tensed up. The word “military” hit him like a punch to the gut.

The coup on the Frostveil Planet, his own ‘death’, the rogue faction in the Core Planet military was behind it all.

Dora, still holding Lioren, found the side door that led out to the garden.

“Lioren,” she whispered, “where do you think Kael is right now?”

Lioren’s cat ears twitched, a glint of sharpness flashing in his amber eyes.

“I saw him head east a moment ago,” he murmured, his voice so soft only Dora could hear.

“He’s probably off to another study or something.”

“East… the study?” Dora glanced toward the corridor. “I know the place. Let’s go take a look.”

*****

The corridor was lit up like daylight, with Shawn family guards posted every few feet.

She slipped from shadow to shadow, using every corner and ornament to stay hidden.

Lioren in her arms had his ears pinned back, his amber eyes darting around, alert for any danger. His tail wrapped tight around her arm, silent as a shadow.

At the end of the corridor, they spotted another study coming into view.

She crept closer, edging along the wall and sliding under the window.

She held her breath, pressing her ear to the wall, listening intently for any sound from inside.

alt

9:15 Mon, Jul 27