All Chapters of Side Chick Era… Over: Chapter 1291 - Chapter 1300

Sharon paused, her hand still clutching the map."It's so late… he should be resting by now."Julliard's voice carried a faint reproach. "Resting? Theo was kidnapped because of him. How could he possibly sleep?"Carter, meanwhile, had long abandoned the thought of sending Thomas to check on Theo. His tone was flat and detached. "Let him be."Julliard caught the subtle shift in Carter's attitude, his expression tightening ever so slightly.Sharon and Carter turned their focus back to the map, leaving the issue of Thomas unspoken.By the time they had finalized every detail, the sky outside had begun to pale with the first light of dawn.Carter looked at Sharon, noting the fatigue etched into her features. "Sharon… you should get some rest. We leave at noon."They still had preparations to make—personnel, equipment—and rushing now would be reckless. Though both were burning with urgency, they knew that acting without full preparation would endanger, not save.Sharon didn't resis

Toni's sharp gaze locked on Thomas's face.Thomas stood there untouched—no injuries, not even a speck of dirt on his clothes. Immaculate. Calm. As if everything Toni had prepared outside had been nothing more than a joke.Thomas's eyes swept the room.Theo was tied to a chair, duct tape sealing his mouth.Aside from Toni and Theo, five men stood scattered through the room—broad-shouldered, steady, their movements sharp and disciplined. It was clear at a glance: they were trained, dangerous, the kind of men who could kill without hesitation.When Theo saw Thomas, his eyes lit up. The boy began to struggle against his restraints, making muffled sounds through the tape.Thomas gave him a small, easy smile. "Theo, don't be afraid. I will get you out of here."Tears spilled down Theo's face.Thomas turned his gaze away and looked at Toni. "All right. I'm here. What are your terms?"Toni snapped out of his momentary shock, a cruel smirk twisting his mouth. "You want to negotiate? Fi

"As for Chuggs…" Toni's voice grew heavy when he said his son's name, as if the weight of it tired him. "He was unlucky he died at the hands of a lunatic."Toni had wired the place with explosives and clearly expected a mutual ruin. But if there was a way to avenge himself and survive, he wasn't above taking it. All he needed was for Thomas to die here; everything else was a bonus.Thomas tore the tape from Theo's mouth. "You okay, Theo?""Thomas… I'm okay." Theo's eyes were red. He watched the blood dripping down Thomas's hand and whispered, "But your hand—"Thomas pulled back Theo's coat and found the device: a bomb strapped to Theo's chest. The timer wasn't set for five minutes as Toni had said—it read three. Now there were only two minutes and thirty seconds left.He slipped an earpiece into his ear. "How's the perimeter?" he asked.Doug's voice came brittle over the feed. "Too many charges. It'll take at least half an hour. There are snipers concealed nearby, slowing us—"T

Thomas was a bad shape. He'd lost too much blood to bother with neat bandaging; the wounds had to wait. Even the most practiced hands grow slow when the lungs are full of poison, and the smoke had already stolen the sharp edge from him. The flames were eating the place faster than sense; he knew, with a clarity that had nothing to do with hope, that if they didn't move now, they would die here.About five meters from the exit, a storage rack—two meters tall and laden with supplies—collapsed in a sheet of flame. It came down like an angry, burning animal. Thomas had Theo clutched to his chest; he took the impact as if taking a punch to the ribs. The rack was heavy and searing hot; singed odor braided with the smoke. He tasted metal on his lip and spat a little blood. There was no time to feel the burn; he shoved the wreckage aside with the same stubborn force that had carried him this far.Just as he was about to cross the threshold, something shifted in the air—a taut, wrong

Julliard spoke again, "Sharon, Theo's condition is serious. You take him to the hospital first. I'll stay here and wait for Thomas.""You're injured," Sharon said. "You should go with Theo instead."She hesitated. Letting two wounded people head off alone didn't sit right with her. After a brief pause, she sighed. "Forget it. Let's not wait for Carter anymore. I'll go with you."A faint curve appeared at the corner of Julliard's lips."Alright," he said, stepping forward. "Let's go."They had only gone a few steps when Sharon suddenly stopped."Julliard… where's Thomas?"His stride faltered—barely noticeable, but there."I didn't see him," Julliard said after a moment's hesitation. Then, feigning confusion, he added, "Are you sure he came here? Maybe he went somewhere else?"The implication was clear: maybe Thomas hadn't come to rescue Theo at all—maybe he'd just run.Sharon's reply was firm. "No. Thomas would never run. He's here. I know he is."Julliard's hand curled tight