Chapter 230

Inside the car, Mia covered her ears, shaking with fear, while Jasper's face went white as a sheet. Even though they were hiding, the sounds of metal clashing and people screaming outside were terrifying.

"Are we gonna make it out alive today?" Mia asked, her voice trembling.

Jasper, suddenly struck by an idea, pulled out his phone to call the cops. Maybe with the police around, they'd be safe for a bit.

But Mike had already activated a signal jammer before getting out of the car. Jasper looked at the blocked signal on his phone and cursed under his breath.

"These damn bastards! We need to get out of the car and find a place with a signal to call for help," Jasper said through gritted teeth.

"Are you nuts? Going out there could get us killed!" Mia screamed, not willing to take the risk.

Jasper glared at her. "You idiot! They're too busy fighting each other to notice us. We should use this chance to escape!"

Mia hesitated, still thinking staying in the car was the safest bet.

Jasper, determined, reached for the door handle, ready to yank it open. Just then, a guy in a black suit ran up and tried to open Jasper's door. Scared the crap out of both of them.

"Damn it, the door's locked," the guy muttered angrily, then raised his club and smashed it against the window.

Jasper and Mia huddled together, trembling as the window shattered.

Just when they thought they were about to be attacked, they heard the guy outside shout, "Mr. Taylor, get out! We're Mr. Williams' people!"

Jasper and Mia were stunned, but before they could process what was happening, Mike swung his baton and struck the guy.

"Idiot, do you think we'd buy that crap? We're the ones Mr. Williams sent," Mike fumed.

Just as Mike finished speaking, he got kicked from behind, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"You're the fakes! I can call Mr. Williams right now!" The guy who had just kicked Mike down held up his phone, putting it on speaker. John's voice boomed out from the device.

"The men in black suits are my real subordinates. Mr. Taylor, don't be fooled!" John shouted angrily from the other end.

But Mike quickly scrambled to his feet and swung his baton, knocking the phone out of the guy's hand. "You morons! Do you really think Mr. Taylor would fall for your tricks? With AI tech so advanced now, voices can be faked, faces can be faked-everything can be faked!" Mike furiously leaped onto the guy in the black suit, punching him square in the nose.

Mia and Jasper were completely bewildered.

Mia clutched Jasper's hand, her voice shaky with urgency. "Honey, who do we trust? The driver was right-voices can be faked. We can't tell who are really John's men."

Suddenly, a thought hit Jasper. He glanced at his phone's screen, which showed no signal. His face went pale. "Wait a minute, if there's no signal, how did John's call come through?"

The guy in the black suit threw Mike off and shouted, "My phone is interference-proof! It's not affected by signal jammers! Mr. Taylor, you have to believe me!"

Jasper was thoroughly confused, his mind spinning. He couldn't decide whom to trust.

Desperate, Jasper jumped out of the car and shouted, "Everyone stop fighting now!"

Though he yelled as loudly as he could, the fighters were too engrossed to listen.

Frustrated, Jasper climbed onto the car roof, waving his arms and shouting, "Whoever stops first, I'll go with them!"

Instantly, the fighting ceased, and the scene fell silent.

"I don't know who are really John's men, so I can't trust any of you right now. But I have an idea: whoever brings John here within an hour, I'll believe them!" Jasper declared.

The fighters paused, considering Jasper's ultimatum.

Jasper didn't want John to come here; John was constantly followed by reporters who might show up. But Jasper had no choice. He needed to see John in person to sell his shares.

After making his announcement, Jasper jumped down and re-entered the car, ready to wait for John.

John's subordinates smirked. "You're done for. We're the ones who can bring Mr. Williams here!"

Mike and his men also smirked. "Keep dreaming! I'd like to see how you're gonna magic Mr. Williams here."

Mike pressed his earpiece, waiting for the armed men Michael mentioned to arrive.

Inside the car, Mia looked at Jasper with admiration. "Dear, you were amazing! They really stopped fighting. Now we just have to wait for John to arrive, and we'll be safe."

Jasper smiled smugly. "I didn't get where I am by being stupid! When John gets here, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind. How could he mess up something so simple and almost let impostors fool us? Unbelievable!"

Just as Jasper was about to continue boasting, a gunshot rang out, followed by the sound of shattering glass.

The bullet smashed through the front windshield of their car, embedding itself in the seat right between Jasper and Mia.

They stared at the bullet hole, cold sweat dripping from their foreheads.

Outside, upon hearing the gunshot, Mike signaled his men to retreat immediately.