CHAPTER 177: CHAPTER 177: WAYS TO RETURN A FAVOR

After hanging up the phone, I called a few friends in City A who are well-connected, asking them to help find Ryan Rhodes.

When I returned home, Crystal Dawson @ me in the group: Damn, Zoe, that so-called friend of Azure Vaughn is with Julian Jennings? And they even invited Silas Lockwood for dinner, what were they thinking?

I was quite calm: Well, let them be.

I was drowsy, allowing them to rant indignantly in the group, successfully drifting into a dream.

The next morning, I was jolted awake by Crystal Dawson’s persistent calls, her voice urgent, "Zoe, Henry Preston sent me a photo, Ryan Rhodes’s hand is broken, but he says he didn’t do it, his men found out!"

"Hmm? What’s he implying?" I was still a bit groggy.

"I don’t know, maybe he knows where Ryan is and is intentionally not telling us, waiting..." Crystal reluctantly pointed out, "waiting for you to find him."

I frowned, is Henry Preston really using this tactic on me now?

If given more time, I should be able to find Ryan’s whereabouts, provided Ryan can hold on, given his current miserable state, by the time we find him, he might be irreparably harmed.

"Alright, I’ll go see him!" I got up, considering it as repayment for Ryan’s past help.

"Great, Silas Lockwood is about to leave to meet Henry Preston for lunch, I’ll send you the address." Crystal replied.

After receiving the address, I drove straight to the location.

Pushing open the private room door, I saw Henry Preston sitting directly across from the entrance, with Silas Lockwood and Julian Jennings next to him, while Ivan Underwood was seated a couple of seats away.

The expressions on Azure Vaughn, Fern Tate, and Joy Lawson’s faces immediately darkened.

When Ivan Underwood saw me enter, his gaze subtly changed, especially with those gold-rimmed glasses, his scrutiny was intensely sharp.

I tried to ignore everyone’s gaze and went straight to sit next to Crystal Dawson, feeling Henry Preston’s gaze constantly on me.

I couldn’t help but glance at Henry Preston; his gaze carried more aggression than Ivan Underwood’s. He was never a reserved person, and when our eyes met, he didn’t shy away but instead curved his lips in a smile.

"Miss Hathaway, long time no see!" Julian Jennings spoke up, greeting me with a warm smile.

Sitting next to him, Joy Lawson immediately put on a long face, slamming her chopsticks down loudly.

I naturally didn’t care about her attitude, nodding in acknowledgment, "Yes, long time no see."

Julian Jennings and I never had much to talk about, so after the greeting, we fell silent. I pulled out my phone and sent Henry Preston a direct message: Do you know where Ryan Rhodes is?

Henry Preston’s phone, sitting on the table, suddenly beeped. He casually picked it up and glanced at it but didn’t reply, only giving me a deep look.

At this moment, Azure Vaughn, with a face full of curiosity, suddenly asked Joy Lawson, "Joy, when did you invite Miss Hathaway? How come I didn’t know?"

"Why would I invite her? We’re not even close." Joy Lawson, known for not thinking before speaking, responded irritably.

Unbeknownst to her, Azure was using her straightforwardness as a tool.

Jason Forrest heard the exchange and wasn’t pleased, rolling his eyes and retorting bluntly, "I’m not close to you either, why did you invite me?"

Currently, Jason viewed Azure, Joy, and Fern negatively and didn’t bother showing them any friendliness.

Joy Lawson could lash out at me but didn’t dare with Jason, her expression stiffened as she turned to Julian Jennings, her eyes full of grievance.

Julian Jennings sighed helplessly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders in consolation, "Alright, let’s enjoy the meal without any drama."

Joy Lawson’s face turned red upon hearing Julian didn’t immediately take her side, instead, saying she was causing a scene. Azure promptly, with "good intentions," added, "Jason, we’re all friends, Julian just came back and wanted to gather everyone, it wasn’t Joy’s sole decision to invite us all."

Jason stayed silent, his demeanor entirely exuding displeasure.

I paid no mind to this; my main reason for coming today was to find out Ryan’s whereabouts, so I sent another message to Henry Preston: Ryan previously helped me, if you’re willing to tell me where he is, consider it a favor owed.

Henry Preston glanced at the message again, finally tapping out a reply on his screen: There are many ways to repay a favor, are you sure?

I felt a slight unease, worried that Henry still harbored feelings for me and might make an unreasonable request. After a moment’s thought, I replied: Forget it, I can find him eventually even if it takes longer.

Henry Preston didn’t respond further, merely looked more displeased, tossing his phone onto the table with such force that it startled everyone else.

Azure Vaughn glanced between him and me, her eyes full of doubt.

I sensed another gaze on me, it was Ivan Underwood.

Ivan Underwood was discreet, his gaze occasionally lingering on me, his demeanor always cool and composed, with little emotion.

My exchange of messages with Henry Preston was obvious; he must have noticed we were conversing.

Upon realizing I had noticed, Ivan Underwood quietly withdrew his gaze, lowering his eyes in silence.