Ch. 1171..1180: Chapter 1171-1180

Chapter 1171

Everything Toby said matched Bonnie's character and how she handled things. Hence, he was able to rid Ivor of his suspicions.

"Tell me about it, Mr. Ivor." Toby played along. "I understand Ms. Bonnie's good intentions, too, so I plan to complete my thesis before participating in her research. I don't want to botch my work and her research."Chapter

"Mhm," Ivor faintly responded before he thought of something and asked, "Does that mean even you don't know if Bonnie's at the research institute?"

Toby thought he had bluffed his way through. However, his heart leaped to his throat when he heard Ivor's question.

"Since Ms. Bonnie hasn't answered your calls, she must be focused on her research. Where else would she be, considering her character?" Then, Toby sprung a question on Ivor, "That said, you also asked us about her whereabouts last time, right?

"Do you think she'd be up to no good because she's in Pyralis, and you're on an overseas work trip? Rest assured, Ms. Bonnie would never do something like that."

Ivor was stumped. After some thought, he told Toby why he called, "I'm more worried about her safety than unfaithfulness. After all, Bonnie has put herself in danger countless times and kept them from me. I can't help but worry about her, especially since I'm overseas."

Toby said understandingly, "So, that's why you called. If you're that concerned for her safety, I'll see if she's at the new research institute. I can check on her for you."

Ivor did not want to trouble him but

was also worried about Bonnie. Ultimately, Ivor agreed, "I'd

appreciate it if it's not too much

trouble. I hope you can tell her to call

me when you arrive."

'I don't even know where Ms. Bonnie is. How can I get her to call you? Still, I must avoid rousing Mr. Ivor's suspicions. I should agree.'

"Of course, Mr. Ivor. However, Ms.

Bonnie has been focused on her

research and might be unable to make calls. I only dare to stand outside and check on her from afar.

I wouldn't want to disturb her."

Ivor did not want to make things difficult for Toby. The former said, "Just do your best and don't push it. What matters is that you can confirm she's safe."

Toby feared Ivor would force him to

make Bonnie call Ivor back.

However, Ivor did not do that. Toby sighed in relief and said, "I

understand, Mr. Ivor. I'll hang up and call you again once I'm there."

"Okay, thanks." Ivor hung up and tapped his desk.

Floyd could not help but ask, "What's on your mind, Mr. Ivor?"

Ivor turned and looked at Floyd. The former frowned, saying, "Did you sense something unusual about Toby when I talked to him on the phone?" Floyd recalled the duo's conversation and shook his head. "Nothing seemed amiss to me, sir. Why do you ask? Did you sense something unusual?"

Chapter 1172

"I have a subtle feeling Toby prepared that story." Ivor could not explain why, but that was what he felt. It bugged him throughout his conversation with Toby. It was so intense that Ivor could not shake it off. "What do you mean?" Floyd was puzzled.

After some thought, Ivor answered, "He sounded too cautious. People usually speak casually instead of how he just sounded."

Floyd thought nothing was wrong with that, saying, "Maybe he was just nervous that you suddenly called him. He could've been telling you the truth all along."

"Are you sure?" Ivor relaxed slightly but still felt somewhat uneasy. He could not explain it, either.

Floyd devised an idea for his boss, "That was just my opinion on it, Mr. Ivor. If you're still worried, you should pressure Toby to ask your wife to call you once he reaches the research institute.

"I know Ms. Bonnie is occupied with her research, but I'm willing to bet a harmless phone call won't bother her."

Ivor nodded in approval. "All right, I'll ask him to tell Bonnie to call me if she can."

The so-called other research

institute was just a place Toby made

up to dispel Ivor's suspicions about

Bonnie's whereabouts. That was why Toby did not need to go

anywhere. Instead, he stayed on his

bed and called Bonnie.

'I've stalled Mr. Ivor long enough, but he might act up again later. I must contact Ms. Bonnie to explain things as soon as possible.'

However, Toby met the same dead

end as Ivor when he called. The phone rang, but no one answered, even after he called several times. Toby gripped his phone and felt a headache coming on.

'Where could Ms. Bonnie be? Why isn't she answering her phone? What'll I do if Mr. Ivor insists on talking to her when I call him later?'

Suddenly, he had an idea. He remembered Bonnie giving him Collin's number.

'Ms. Bonnie told me to call Collin if I can't reach her during an emergency. Still, I don't know who this person is.'

In just a few seconds, someone answered, "Hello? Who's calling?"

Toby was hesitant for a moment. He composed himself and asked, "Excuse me, but do you know who Bonnie is, by any chance?"Chapter

He did well not to mention Bonnie's identity as Bonita before knowing who Collin was. The last thing Toby wanted was to get Bonnie and himself into unnecessary trouble. That said, she was the one who gave Toby that number.

Collin could not help but become alert when he heard Bonnie's name. He kept his guard up, asking, "Who are you, and how do you know her?"

 

Chapter 1173

Toby could tell Collin knew Bonnie just by his tone. Therefore, Toby did not feel the need to hide anything. Instead, he told Collin who he was and why he was looking for Bonnie. Collin facepalmed and said, "You're one of the chief research institute workers, right?"

Before Bonnie infiltrated Billy's organization, she feared they would check her phone and discover her true identity. That was why she took a new phone instead of her usual one.

She left so hurriedly that she did not think Billy would put her through so many tests. She forgot that Ivor might call her, especially since she had to stay undercover much longer than anticipated. Things would have been much worse if Bonnie did not prepare Toby when she was in Pyralis. The worst thing that could happen was Ivor flying back to Pyralis to ensure she was there. If that happened, Bonnie could not explain herself.

"Yeah, I work at the Bonita Research Institute," Toby admitted before asking, "Where is Ms. Bonnie? Why is she always gone for so long? Also, why would she keep so many secrets from Mr. Ivor?" "Um, that's a long story." Collin scratched his head. "It's best if the chief explains it to you when she returns to Pyralis."

Toby realized Collin did not intend to answer his slew of questions and decided not to pry. "Okay, I need you to contact Ms. Bonnie soon, or I might be unable to keep up my lies with Mr. Ivor." "Understood." Collin felt a massive headache coming on. "I'll hang up now and tell her about it."

"Remember to call me once you reach her and devise a solution. Mr. Ivor's waiting for me to update him as we speak."

Collin responded urgently, "You got it."

After hanging up the call, Collin texted Bonnie, "Code red! Ivor is calling your people at the research institute to check on you. I know you're busy, but you must reply to this when you see it!"

He waited for a long time but

received no reply from her. He also

would not call her without her

permission. After all, a single ill-timed phone call would blow her cover. He could only wait for her reply, regardless of how anxious he was. Chapter

Meanwhile, Ivor had waited an hour since his phone call with Toby. The former frowned and muttered, "What's taking him so long?"

Floyd responded, "The new research institute must be far away. Maybe it'll take time for Toby to reach there."

"That's possible, but something feels strange." Ivor rubbed his phone hesitantly before calling Toby again.

Toby's heart leaped to his throat when he saw the incoming call.

'It's been so long, but Collin still hasn't responded. That means he's also having trouble contacting Ms. Bonnie. I don't dare to call and bug him Since that's the case, everything falls onto my shoulders.

'If I answer the call, I might slip up and get caught lying. Still, Mr. Ivor will be more suspicious if I let it go to voicemail. Damn, this is tough! No research or experiment I've done can compare to this!'

He thought the call was about to hang up automatically. Ultimately, he answered, "Hello, Mr. Ivor. What's wrong?"

 

Chapter 1174

Ivor went straight to the point, asking, "You said you'd check on Bonnie at the other research institute, right? Do you realize it's been over an hour since then? Are you there yet?"

Toby panicked but tried to sound calm, "I'm sorry, Mr. Ivor. The traffic is terrible today, and the other institute is in the countryside. It'll take time since I'm driving from my place. I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little longer."

Although he tried to remain calm, his voice was a little shaky. Ivor did not detect it but grew suspicious after hearing what Toby said. Still, the former did not urge Toby. "It's okay. Take your time." Meanwhile, Toby searched for a honking sound effect on his computer and played it.

Beep, beep!

Then, he spoke apologetically, "Is it okay if I hang up now, Mr. Ivor? I'm driving now and can't talk on the phone."

"All right," Ivor responded dryly and hung up with a frown.

'I don't want to be suspicious of Bonnie, but my instincts say there's something strange about how her assistant responded. It feels like he's stalling. Still, where else would Bonnie go besides the research institute, university, and home?

'Hmm, Bonnie was no ordinary person before she met me. If anything, she could've gone away to do something dangerous, and Toby's covering for her.'

Although Ivor speculated about such things, he also thought that might not be true, instead, he waited to see what else Toby would say. Even if the latter were stalling, the longest he could stall was a couple of hours, not an entire day.

With all that in mind, Ivor decided to wait it out. He even wished he was overthinking things.

Meanwhile, Toby called Collin immediately after hanging up the call with Ivor. "Did you contact Ms Bonnie yet? Her husband just called me again. I can't stall for too long and feel him getting increasingly suspicious.

"If I stall any longer, he might return to Pyralis and look for Ms. Bonnie. After all, he's not too far from here, either."Chapter

Collin knew how severe the situation was. He could only scratch his head furiously and pace back and forth anxiously. "I messaged the chief, but she still hasn't replied! I-I'm running out of ideas here!" Toby asked, confused, "Wh-why didn't you just call her? What if she didn't see your text?"

"Ms. Bonnie's undercover. I can't call

her whenever I want, or I'll blow her cover!" The situation gave Collin a ael massive headache. "I'm sorry you have to deal with this. I'll send Ker more texts and inform you the moment she replies."

Toby did not expect Bonnie to be on a dangerous mission or keep it from Ivor. However, the former knew she had a reason for doing so.

 

Chapter 1175

Toby dropped the subject and said, "All right, I'll do everything possible to stall. I'll make up an excuse and keep Ms. Bonnie's actions from Mr. Ivor."

"Thanks a bunch." Collin hung up the call after expressing his gratitude. Then, he sent Bonnie a flurry of texts.

"Code red, Chief! You must reply and tell me what to do immediately, or you'll blow your cover!"

"Your husband is getting suspicious! He might fly back to Pyralis to look for you. It's over for you if he discovers you're not there!"

"I'm begging you, Chief! Please hurry up and reply to my texts!"

...

Although Collin bombarded Bonnie with texts, he still received no replies. He could only stare at his phone and wait for a response that might never come.

He felt a chill down his spine as he paced back and forth, muttering, "Please respond to my texts, Chief. Otherwise, it's over for all of us!"Chapter

Bonnie woke up feeling a little dizzy.

It seemed Billy had kept his word and did not allow his henchmen to disturb her after their last encounter Hence, she felt pretty well rested now. She massaged her temples and took her phone from the table, only to see countless texts from Collin.

'Did something happen?'

Bonnie bolted upright and read each text. Her eyes widened in shock when she realized Ivor had asked Toby about her whereabouts. Immediately after, she called Collin. Buzz, buzz! Buzz!

Collin heard his phone vibrating and

quickly checked it. He was so

excited to

see Bonnie's caller ID that

he could almost cry. He answered it and waited, "Damn it, Chief! What took you so long?! You have no idea how much pressure I was under waiting for your reply!

"What'll you do if your husband discovers you're not in Pyralis? It might destroy your relationship with him!" Collin vented his frustrations. His concern for her relationship with Ivor was apparent.

Bonnie grumbled, "It won't destroy our relationship, even if he found out I'm not in Pyralis. At most, it'll be harder for me to take a long break from home to deal with this mission."

She knew Ivor did not call to find her. Instead, he was just worried about her safety. As far as Ivor was concerned, his wife had never been the type to stay idle. She even expected him to call occasionally.

Collin composed himself and asked,

"You'll need to devise a solution

quickly Chief. We're awaiting your

orders. Your friend at the research institute is more anxious than I am. He's been waiting to contact you."

"Don't rush yourselves." Bonnie frowned and rubbed her chin. "Let me think about it. Since I'm in Billy's organization, doing anything will be challenging. I'll need time to devise a perfect solution."

Chapter 1176

"Alright. Take your time, chief. Tell me the moment you come up with it. After all, it's a big deal, and I know you can't rush these things."

Collin was anxious, but he considered Bonnie's circumstances and decided to comfort her a little.

'Billy is smart. If Bonnie slips up even once, he'd surely catch it. Chief has to deal with such a crafty character and solve the incident with Ivor. She's under a lot of pressure now.

'That's why I have to comfort her instead of giving her more pressure.'

"Okay. I'm working on it," she responded dryly and tried hard to figure out a solution.

Suddenly, something popped into her mind and her eyes sparkled. "I've got it!"

He asked at once, "What's the plan?"

"Tell Toby to send word to Ivor that I'm busy now. I'll call him when I'm free. Then, you'll go to my room and retrieve my phone from the safe. Call Ivor and keep our line open. I'm going to talk to him through your phone." She laid out the plan calmly.

Collin smacked his thigh. "What a great idea, chief! After all, you're the one who knows him best. He wouldn't be satisfied unless he talked to you himself."

"That's exactly what I'm worried about. That's why I need to talk to him directly." She rubbed her brow. "I hope I can comfort him enough so he won't fly back to Pyralis to look for me."

'If this had happened earlier, I

could've taken the private plane

back to Pyralis at the same time he did. The flight is just six hours, so could probably buy myself some time and make it back home just in

time.

'But I'm in the enemy headquarters now. I can't just leave as I please. The best thing I can do now is comfort or through the phone and dispel his suspicions for the time being. I'll have to deal with the rest when I cross that bridge.'

Collin said, "You're such a good talker, chief. I'm sure you can convince Ivor to call off the idea of checking on you."

Then he asked, "Would you be able to hear each other clearly if you had a conversation through my phone? I'm worried Ivor would find out something's wrong when there's some kind of feedback."

"Have you forgotten? I modified both

of our phones. There won't be any feedback, even if I talk to Ivor

through your phone. If I was not sure this would work, I would not have suggested it. All you have to do is

foffow my lead."

She had run through several options in her head, but none of them suited her purpose. This was the only way she could hide the truth from Ivor.

"If you put it that way, then I have every bit of confidence in your plan as well, chief." He patted his chest. "I'm going to your room and retrieve your phone right now."

"That's not what you should do now." She rubbed her brow helplessly at how anxious Collin seemed to be. "Didn't you say Toby is waiting for your call? You have to call him back and tell him about it first."Chapter

"Oh, you're right. I was so worked up that I almost forgot about that guy." He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I'm going to call him right now."

"Okay. Remember, you have to let me know before you do anything. Don't take matters into your own hands. I'm behind enemy lines, so it's inconvenient for me to do anything. I have to make arrangements beforehand."

She might've relayed her orders calmly, but her tone was thick with helplessness.

 

Chapter 1177

She thought to herself, 'I believed I'd just infiltrate Billy's organization and walk out with the chip. To avoid putting myself at risk, I had decided to leave my phone behind.

'I didn't count on this whole thing dragging out this long. To make matters worse, Ivor gave me a call on the first day of my operation. Even I get terrible headaches when everything comes up at once.' "Roger, chief," Collin answered. He hung up his phone and dialed Toby's number immediately.

Toby had been waiting for Collin's call and quickly answered the phone. "How did it go? Did you manage to contact Ms. Bonita?"

"I did. Relax." Collin tried to comfort him. "The chief says you should tell Ivor that she's in the middle of something right now. She's going to give him a call as soon as she's done with it."

Toby could feel a weight being lifted off his shoulder. "That's great. I'm running out of ideas to deal with Mr. Ivor."

"She's aware that you're under a lot of stress. That's why she decided to talk to him herself. You can stop worrying about it now. The chief has come up with an excellent plan. This way, both of us could relax and stop pulling our hairs out."

"You said it." Toby felt that his shoulder became lighter instantly. 'What a sweet relief.'

"Alright. I'm going to call Mr. Ivor. I wouldn't want to stall too long and let his suspicion grow heavier."

"Okay," Collin responded.

Toby hung up the phone and dialed Ivor's number at once.

Ivor picked up the call almost immediately. "Have you arrived at Bonnie's new research institute?"

"I'm here, Mr. Ivor," he responded in a casual tone. However, Ms. Bonita's research is at a critical stage right now. So she can't pull herself out of it for the time being. She wanted me to tell you that she'll give you a call as soon as she's done with it."

"Critical stage, huh..." A light flashed in Ivor's eyes as he drew out his words, his tone thick with skepticism.

"Exactly. I believe you know how she

is, Mr. Ivor. I made it perfectly clear that you're in a hurry to speak with her, but, she was adamant about wrapping up her work with her research. She says she didn't want anyone or anything to disrupt her train of thought." Toby faked a sigh.

Ivor

0 believe what Toby

said, albeit reluctantly. "Fine, then her to give me a call after she'snoveldrama

Tell

done with her work." Contenuz??

Toby let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Understood."

Ivor hung up the phone, still finding it hard to believe Toby's explanation. However, he didn't jump to conclusions.

'I'll just wait for Bonnie to give me a call and draw up a conclusion after that."

 

Chapter 1178

Once Toby was done talking to Ivor on the phone, he told Collin about it. After that, it was up to Collin and Bonnie.

Collin acknowledged it and gave Bonnie a call. "I've got the phone in your safe, chief. Toby has also told Ivor that you'll be calling him when you're less occupied. So, you're free to call him anytime you want. I'll stand by and wait for your orders."

"Alright. We're not in a hurry. We'll have to wait for a while."

Suddenly, someone knocked on her door. It alarmed her immediately. She stared at the door, vigilance flashing in her eyes.

Then, Bonnie hung up the phone and adjusted the hidden camera settings. She pretended to have just woken up when she opened the door.

The moment she saw Francesco, she yawned and pretended to be confused. She asked, "What's the matter? Is it dinner already?"

He flashed her a respectful and flattering smile. "It's not time for dinner yet, but Mr. Billy said he had an urge to play a game of chess. He is requesting your presence."

"Sure thing. I quite like playing chess," she responded with a fake smile. "The thing is, I've just woken up and I'm feeling kind of tired. I'm all sweaty after the nap, too. I'd like to take a shower before I go over. Mr. Billy will have to wait for me for a while."

"Take your time. I'll report it to him." Francesco nodded slightly and left quickly.

She watched as he left and frowned slightly.

'Why would Billy want me to play chess with him? What is he playing at?'

She rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. Closing the door, she adjusted the camera setting with her phone before calling Collin again.

Collin answered her call promptly. The nervousness in tone was unmistakable.

"Who knocked on your door earlier, chief? Did Billy stir something up again?"

"Yeah, he did. She let out a subtle sigh. "He sent one of his henchmen to invite me for a game of chess out of nowhere. What's he trying to do, I wonder? I'm going over soon.

Refrain from calling me for the time being. I'll call you when I need to."

Collin was aware of how serious the situation was and agreed to it hastily.Chapter

"Loud and clear, chief!" Then,

something popped into his mind. "Wait a minute. What about Ivor? What are we supposed to do if you're occupied with Billy for a long time? He's still waiting for you to call him, after all."

Her headache got infinitely worse.

dealt with

"Buy me some time. No matter what, I can only call him back after I've Billy. I'll see if I can find an opening to call him. I'll call him the moment a chance presents itself.

your job to keep the lines clear at all times. Don't drop the ball when it counts!"

"Gotcha, chief," Collin responded solemnly, using a confident tone to give her some assurance.

"Great. That's it for now, then. I'm going to hang up now." She ended the call and adjusted the camera settings again. Picking up an outfit from her suitcase, she walked into the restroom.

She checked the restroom thoroughly, trying to make sure that Billy wasn't the kind of psycho who'd installed a hidden camera in here.

Once she was sure there weren't any, she went on to take a shower.

 

Chapter 1179

'The last thing I want is for Billy to catch me lying. It would be a mess if he didn't let go of a single inconsistency.'

...

Billy put down his chess piece and looked over. He frowned seeing Francesco return alone.

"Why did you come back all by yourself? Didn't I ask you to get Barrett? Where's he?"

Francesco explained hastily, "Barrett said that he had just woken up and was feeling tired. He was covered in sweat from his nap. So, he said he'll be here after he's taken a shower." Billy nodded. "I guess we'll wait for him, then."

"That's what I told him, too," Francesco responded.

All of a sudden, something popped into his mind and he asked, "Are you sure you're going to have the hidden camera in his room removed? Aren't you going to observe him for a little longer?"

"There's no need to monitor him anymore. The dinner later will be his final test. If he passes it, then I'm going to start using his skills as my own. If the opposite proves to be true, then I'll deal with him right there!"

The only reason he asked Bonnie here was so his men would remove the hidden camera while she wasn't in the room.

"Frankly speaking, I find him quite honest. I have every faith that he'll pass my test! I wanted the hidden camera removed because I did not want him to find out we had installed it in the first place.

"After all, you don't employ someone

you don't trust. Conversely, you don't suspect the people you've hired 1 don'twant him to mistrust me before I even get to use his skills."

Francesco gave him a thumbs up. "You've thought of everything, Mr. Billy! How intelligent!"

Billy snorted. "That's enough with the ass-kissing. Did you arrange for our henchmen to remove the camera from his room?"

"You can count on me, Mr. Billy. I've

made ample arrangements. I promise you that the hidden camera in Barrett's room will be removed." Francesco patted his chest confidently. Chapter

Billy nodded, satisfied. "Hmm. Well done. You may stand down now. I'm going to wait for Barrett by myself."

"Roger, Mr. Billy." Francesco nodded respectfully before exiting the room.

He reached the door and saw Bonnie, who was walking over from the hallway. He greeted her in a friendly manner.

"That was a quick bath, Barrett. Mr. Billy is waiting for you in there. Hurry up and head inside."

She nodded and responded, "Got it."

Billy heard her approaching and turned around. He said with a smile, "I've been into chess lately. Come over and play with me."

"Sure thing, Billy." She smiled and sat

across from him. "I'm up for some matches, but I'm not particularly good at chess. So, you'll have to bear with me."

 

Chapter 1180

"It's okay. We're just doing it for fun. Play as you will," Billy said, taking the lead in moving his chess piece. Then, Bonnie advanced a piece of her white chess across the board. "If you put it that way, I'll do my best." He looked at the position of her chess piece and knew that she was telling the truth.

'It's quite surprising that someone as incredibly talented as Barrett is that bad when it comes to this game.

'I'll seize this opportunity and let him see how great I am at chess. After all, formidable people look up to those who are better than them.

'I'll make him bow down to my mastery and work on impressing him with my other skill sets. I want him to willingly join my organization and work for me!'

At the thought of that, he smiled. He was dead set on making it happen.

"There's no need to be so tense. Like I said, this is just for fun. So, just play however you like."

He might've said that, but he proceeded to exert pressure on Bonnie with every move he made on the chessboard.

Meanwhile, Bonnie toyed around with him.

Every time Billy thought victory was his, she'd outmaneuver him and save herself with one single move.

He, too, realized what was going on. He stared at her with skepticism. "Are you sure you aren't good with chess?"

'I thought he was bad at it. But not only is he familiar with chess, but he's actually a master at it.

'Under normal circumstances, I would've won the game much earlier! Although I haven't won, the fact that he held out this long against me means that he's good.

'Why would he deny being good at chess when he clearly is? Could it be that he was playing me for a fool?'

At the thought of that, Billy's face fell. A hint of irritation flashed across his eyes as he looked at Bonnie.

Naturally, she knew what was on his mind.

She spoke with a sense ofnoveldrama

nonchalance. I'm not good at chess, nor have I spent a lot of time playing. However, I did study a chess manual in the past and I could predict your next move using everything Hearned from there."

She paused before saying with a smile, "At first, I thought about letting you win. Then, I got to thinking that you're not shallow. So, why would I do something like that? Wouldn't you agree?"

Billy remained quiet and didn't respond to her.

'Not only is Barrett exceptionally talented at hacking, but he is great at chess, too. All he did was study a manual, and he's already better than me ve had years of experience playing chess.

'Judging by his intelligence, he's the kind of guy who'd excel at everything he does. He just might be able to eventually develop a chip that's better than the one the Nidhogg created!'

Billy's eyes were sparkling with excitement. He was staring at Bonnie with even more intensity than he had when she first demonstrated her incredible hacking skills.

He was lost in a trance before he came back to his senses. Both his eyes and his tone were kind and tender now.

"Can you tell me what's the name of the chess manual you read?"