Chapter 1197

Chapter 1197:

“There’s definitely something off about Manley.”

Makenna’s POV:

Alice and I met eyes for a brief moment—unspoken agreement flickering between us.

Manley’s odd behavior had set off alarms for both of us, and the urgency to unearth the truth pressed heavily on our minds.

We headed straight for Dayton’s office, determined to bring our suspicions to light.

Inside the study, Dayton sat deep in thought, a document pinched between his fingers, his brow furrowed as if weighed down by a troubling thought.

The sound of our footsteps pulled him from his reverie. He glanced up with a half-smile. “Well, it’s Makenna and Alice. What brings you here?”

I walked up to him, while Alice quietly shut the door behind us. Wasting no time, I leveled my gaze and said, “Mr. Pierce, there’s something urgent we need to discuss.”

His smile faltered, confusion flickering across his features. “Did something happen? Why the serious face?”

I steadied myself and laid it bare. “Alice and I believe your butler, Manley, might be feeding information to our enemies.”

Dayton’s eyes widened before he shook his head, palms raised as if brushing the idea aside. “That’s absurd. Manley’s been by my side for years. Loyal to the bone. He’d never turn on me.”

My expression hardened. “Mr. Pierce, this isn’t just about loyalty. It’s about protecting Marehelm and the White Wolves. Past loyalty means nothing to me. We must investigate.”

Dayton’s face tightened, the silence stretching as he mulled it over. At last, he nodded. “Alright. If you’re that certain, I’ll have someone dig into it. In the meantime, make yourselves comfortable here.”

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Alice and I nodded and sank into the sofa, settling in for what we hoped wouldn’t be a long wait.

Not long after, a subordinate returned, his tone brisk but weighted.

“Mr. Pierce, Miss Dunn. From what I’ve found, Manley’s son had battled addiction for years—it had hollowed him out completely. But recently, he made an abrupt recovery, almost like he snapped back to full health overnight. Since then, he’s been making regular trips to some questionable locations.”

He handed over a report without another word.

Dayton’s eyes moved steadily across the pages, and with each line, the color drained from his face.

When he finally spoke, his voice was low and heavy. “I never thought Manley would… Damn it all.”

I leaned forward, tone sharp with urgency. “Mr. Pierce, now’s not the time to wallow. If we wait any longer, we’ll be too late.”

With a sigh and a hand scrubbing his temples, Dayton gave a tired nod.

“Alright. I’ll let you take charge of this.”

We stepped out into the hallway, where silence wrapped around us, broken only by the soft tap of our footsteps.

I leaned closer to Alice and murmured, “Manley bit the bait. Now let’s flip the script and drag the enemy into the open.”

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