Just then, a message popped in from the dark web contact. "Mr. Fredrick, Theodore Anderson's information has been messed with, no doubts."

Holden asked, "What about his past records?"

He waited eagerly for a response. The reply came after a while. “ALL wiped clean. We tried to dig, but it's like a black hole. This looks like Zayden's handiwork."

“Zayden," Holden muttered, narrowing his gaze and letting out a sardonic laugh.

Zayden and Sadie, huh? What was cooking between those two? Why hide stuff about Theodore from him?

Holden mulled over it, then sent orders to keep a close eye on Sadie and Zayden's recent activities.

The next day, Devin had a meeting lined up for the new energy project with Ariana, Holden reached the conference room early.

He tried to keep his cool, but his fingers were jittery. This project was small for BRD Group, but he felt a mix of nerves and excitement.

He was looking forward to finally meeting Ariana face-to-face.

A knock sounded on the door shortly after. Holden straightened up instinctively, fixing his clothes. "Come in."

The door swung open, but instead of Ariana, a man walked in.

Holden was taken aback, eyebrow raised as he looked at the newcomer.

"I thought Ariana Edwards was spearheading this. Who are you?"

With thin perspiration gathering on his brow, the assistant faced the intimidating figure in front of him as he entered the room. He clarified tensely, "Mr. Fredrick, hello. I'm Miss Edwards's assistant.

I'm handling this meeting on her behalf."

Meeting the Legendary Mr. Fredrick for the first time, the assistant was already on edge. The atmosphere in the room didn't help; it was thick with tension.

Holden frowned. "Her assistant? Why isn't Ariana here?"

The assistant hurriedly explained, "Miss Edwards had some urgent business in Melcorn. I'm taking care of all her Eleymond work, and I'm clued in on the details of this energy project. You can trust me, Mr. Fredrick."

"She went to Melcorn?" Holden's irritation spiked. He pressed, "Why the sudden trip to Melcorn?"

The assistant replied, “It's her personal matter. I didn't pry."