Chapter 474
No.1
Now, even returning was a battle.
A dark, cold smirk touched her lips. Soon. Very soon, they would all be on their knees, begging for her return.
She tossed the phone back to the guard and turned on her heel.
Saving Benjamin was the priority. As for Grandfather…
She slid into her car and quickly typed a message to Theodore Montgomery. [I don’t know what lies Victoria has told you, but trust nothing from her mouth. I will explain everything when I return.]
She powered off her phone and sped toward the private airfield. None of them had any idea. The adopted daughter they despised was their true heir.
At the private airport…
As Isabella’s car screeched to a halt, Maxwell was already waiting, flanked by ten of his most elite agents. They stood at rigid attention, bowing in unison as she stepped out. “Ms. Montgomery!”
Their respect was absolute. Their orders had come from the very top: protect this woman at all costs. Maxwell had told them only she could get to Takashi Yamamoto’s mountain stronghold. Where they would fail, she would succeed. Her capability was beyond question.
No.2
Isabella’s brow furrowed slightly at the sight of the large contingent. Too many.
“Why bring such a large team? Send them back to rest.”
“You’re heading to Westhaven. We have no operations there. Extra manpower ensures safety,” Maxwell explained.
Isabella countered sharply. “I’m going directly to Takashi Yamamoto’s mountain. I’ll retrieve Benjamin and return immediately. They can’t even ascend the summit… unless they intend to become mosquito bait at the base?”
Maxwell fell silent at her logic.
“Return to base and rest,” Isabella ordered the ten men.
They hesitated, disappointed. Accompanying Isabella on missions was a rare honor, yet she dismissed them so effortlessly.
Her point stood: What purpose did they serve besides being insect food at the mountain’s foot?
The team reluctantly agreed.
No.3
Isabella boarded the plane with Maxwell. The jet headed straight for Westhaven. A sudden thought struck her. “Is Takashi Yamamoto home tonight?”
“No, he’s a night owl. Clubs every evening. Poor Mr. Kensington remains trapped in the basement, starving himself foolishly.” Maxwell sighed.
Isabella relaxed. Takashi’s absence simplified everything. She entered the dressing room, changing into her stealth mission suit. She checked all necessary equipment.
Ninety minutes later, the plane landed silently on a secluded Westhaven mountain peak. The spy-model aircraft attracted zero attention.
“Landing on Takashi’s mountain would alert his guards. Driving there takes approximately one hour.”
“Understood.” Isabella exited the plane, entering a waiting vehicle. They sped toward the mountain.
The driver suddenly warned, “Maxwell, Boss Montgomery, we have a tail.”
Isabella glanced back, her sharp eyes instantly recognizing Dominic Sterling behind the wheel.
Had Nathaniel sent Dominic to monitor her?
No.4
“Ignore them. They’re with me,” Isabella stated calmly.
The driver relaxed while Maxwell frowned. With her? Was Boss Montgomery no longer cautious around Nathaniel?
What about Mr. Kensington?
The car reached the mountain base. Isabella stepped out, adjusting her custom sunglasses. She moved toward the slope.
“Exercise extreme caution, Boss Montgomery,” Maxwell called out anxiously. “If anything seems off, retreat immediately. Don’t take unnecessary risks.”
Scanning the mountain, she observed a dense network of infrared tripwires. Triggering any would set off alarms.
Heh. Did they really think this could stop her?
She advanced steadily, her black tactical suit emphasizing her lethal grace in the darkness. Isabella moved with cold, calculated precision.
Approaching the first infrared beam, she simply arched her back smoothly, clearing it effortlessly.
No.5
The driver watched from the car window. “Hey Maxwell, want to bet? I wager Boss Montgomery reaches the summit within an hour.”
“One hour?” Maxwell frowned. Even sprinting without obstacles took over an hour from base to peak. How could Isabella possibly achieve that?
The driver grinned widely. “If Boss Montgomery reaches the summit within an hour, I get ten days of paid vacation!”
“You’re on,” Maxwell replied.
Even though he was fully aware of Isabella’s capabilities, the mountain was treacherous. Scaling it in under sixty minutes while dodging every single infrared sensor seemed nearly impossible.
But up on the ridge, Isabella didn’t follow the main trail.
She moved with purpose, scanning her surroundings with sharp eyes.
She headed straight for the area with the highest concentration of infrared beams.
Places with heavy security usually hid the most valuable secrets.
No.6
Just as she anticipated, after maneuvering through an intricate web of lasers, a narrow passage came into view.
It was carved directly into the cliff face, resembling an ancient mountain pathway.
Only one person could pass through at a time.
The entire corridor was lined with overlapping infrared grids.
Isabella’s brow furrowed.
What was Takashi Yamamoto hiding? Was he really just a professional gamer?
This level of security felt excessive.
She took a deep breath and began her approach.
She dropped into a low crouch, then sprang forward with explosive speed.
No.7
Her movements were a fluid dance—leaping, twisting, scaling the rock wall, sometimes crawling flat against the ground.
Every muscle in her body was perfectly toned.
Under the pale moonlight, her silhouette moved with an almost supernatural grace.
It was like watching a panther stalk its prey.
Roughly forty minutes later, she stood at the mountain’s peak.
Down below, the driver had been dozing against the steering wheel.
A soft chime from the monitor woke him.
His eyes snapped open.
The screen displayed a system notification: [Target has reached destination.]