Chapter 1088

"You should see this," he said, immediately hanging up, fearing his superior's wrath.

Ralph frowned, opening the attached photos. They depicted what appeared to be an underground auction house. No price was listed, but several comments appeared beneath the item. "What is this? They're starting to sell anything here. Is this Amazon now?" commented 'Black spade 5.'

"So silly! Whose kid took some book and started selling it here?" replied 'Red heart 7.'

'This website is getting worse. I suggest we kick this person out and delete his ID," wrote 'Square 9.'

The comments were uniformly derisive, mocking the book's listing and pointing out its readily available, inexpensive Amazon counterpart. Ralph's anger mounted with each comment.

Heather was right—it was a fake! He'd been ridiculed for presenting the book as a secret kickboxing technique manual. Thankfully, his identity remained anonymous.

"Mr. Russell!" He answered his phone. A cautious voice inquired, "So, you were only joking, right?"

Hours had passed since the book's listing, yet no bids had been placed. The asking price itself seemed a ludicrous joke.

"Of course, I was joking. Do you think I don't know it's a fake? I'm just testing this website's security. The users are lowlifes; such a stupid website!" He feigned mockery, adding, "Take it down now. It's so lame!"

His subordinate sighed in relief, immediately removing the item. "Mr. Russell, it's best if you don't joke like this again. Some genuine kickboxers use this site; we don't want to upset them…"

"Enough talking! You think I'm afraid of some muscles?" Ralph yelled. "Fine! I know what to do!"

He slammed the phone onto the bed, inadvertently pulling a muscle.

"Ouch!" He gasped, his arm throbbing with pain and anger. All his planning, his mother's assistance—all for naught. If she learned of his failure, and of Heather's manipulation—his access to the Riggs family's resources would be lost.

He'd suffered a double blow. Heather's treachery was the root of it all. Her scheme had lured him into stealing the worthless book; Alexander likely knew his involvement, a confrontation looming ominously.

His situation was precarious. Alexander hadn't acted yet, but he and Heather were now enemies. Ralph had lost everything, potentially even his mother's trust and support. Without them, he'd be utterly alone.

Despite his fury at Heather's betrayal, he was powerless against her. If she possessed the secret handbook, she’d be even more dangerous. However, he still held a trump card—a chance against Alexander.

With a cryptic expression, he gazed out the window, cradling his injured arm. Dawn approached, the night sky yielding to the approaching light.