"Why have you been following Aquila and Everett for so long?" Max asked, looking confused.He thought that even though Aquila was tough, having Everett and Doretta with him should have made him slower. Plus, Charlie had a lot of people in his group."Aquila took Everett and Doretta to the mountains and then vanished. I bet he had a way out planned already," Charlie answered. He and his team had searched the mountains really well but couldn't find them anywhere."That explains it," Preston said, a slight smile on his face. Now it made sense why they hadn't been able to catch them, even with so many people."Then, Seth and I split up to look for them. We might have trapped them, and that's when Aquila appeared out of nowhere, surprising me and hurting two of my team," Charlie shared, sounding a bit upset."Good thing you sent the signal in time so we could find you fast," Max said, clearly relieved. Charlie and two of his team were hurt, and the other two couldn't stand up to Aquila

With no other option, Aquila continued with Doretta, cautioning her, "Behave. No funny business."Doretta huffed, "What funny business? If we're caught, I'm done too."Aquila said nothing, leading the way with Doretta slowing them down.Seeing their pursuers closing in, Aquila whispered to Everett, "They're close. If we keep her, we won't escape."Everett hesitated. 'We getting caught now meant failure, but leaving Doretta...'Seeing his indecision, Doretta sat down, feigning defeat. "Go on without me. I can't run anymore."Knowing it was up to Everett, Doretta chose to surrender, hoping to buy time.She wasn't actually exhausted; she was just stalling for their pursuers. She had to keep up the act, though, to avoid suspicion and maintain her cover.Everett frowned at Doretta. "Hang on a little longer, or we're all going to die.""Just leave me. If someone has to go down, let it be me," Doretta insisted, pretending to be drained.Aquila stared at Doretta, his expression harde

After finishing the cream soup, Ellar turned to Patricia and said, "I know you're worried about Charlie. You don't need to stay here with me; go and check on him.""Are you sure you'll be okay?" Patricia asked, concerned.She wanted to visit Charlie, but she also wanted to make sure Ellar was taken care of."I'll be fine. There are caregivers and nurses here if I need anything," Ellar reassured her. "Besides, Charlie's injuries might be serious even though he's not in critical condition. You'll feel better once you see him for yourself."Feeling touched by his concern, Patricia agreed, "Okay, I'll go see him and be back soon.""Be careful on your way there, and let the caregiver go with you. You're not fully recovered yet," Ellar reminded her."Don't worry, I'll be fine," Patricia assured him with a smile and left the hospital room.Ellar smiled faintly, watching Patricia's cheerful demeanor. Her happiness meant a lot to him.After leaving the hospital, Patricia went to visit C

"Let's wait and see what Zane finds," Nicole sighed, acknowledging the complexity of the current situation."Alright." Seeing the weariness on Nicole's face, Lulu said, "I won't pry further, then. I'll head out too."She thought to herself, 'It seems complicated, and since Nicole said to wait, we'll wait a bit longer.'After Lulu left, Nicole took a deep breath, gathered her spirits, and picked up the documents on her desk, immersing herself in work. She hoped that by focusing on her tasks, she could temporarily set aside her concerns, trusting that soon there might be a resolution.At the hospital, Patricia found Charlie's room."Are you okay?" She asked, her eyes getting red as if she might cry."I'm okay, look," Charlie said, trying to cheer her up. "Still in one piece."Patricia was upset. "Okay? Look at you!""It's good to be alive," Charlie said, smiling and patting her hand. "Why are you here and not resting?""I came to see you," Patricia said. "Maybe you should transf

"What does Lawrence want by helping Everett this time?" Max wondered, puzzled by Lawrence's continued support for Everett, especially when Everett seemed to lack significant power. It didn't fit with Lawrence's usual behavior."We're not sure, but Lawrence wouldn't act without expecting something in return," Nicole said, thinking about Lawrence's possible motives. He must have a reason for helping Everett.Max asked, "So, what should we do now?""Zane told Doretta to gather evidence secretly, and then we'll make arrests," Nicole explained. "But for now, we need to wait and let Doretta do her job.""Got it," Max agreed, understanding the importance of Doretta's mission."Daddy, Mommy, why aren't you getting out of the car?" Nolan and Lana approached, tapping on the car door.Nicole opened the door, smiling. "We were just about to.""Oh, we thought you might have to go out again," Lana said, visibly relieved.They had seen Jared's car arrive but noticed that Jared and Nicole hadn