As he made his way upstairs, his path crossed Summer again, who was busy rummaging through the fridge.


    "Where are you going?" Summer asked, her tone curious but not pressing.


    "Somewhere," Don replied, keeping it vague. She narrowed her eyes at him, clearly suspicious, but after a moment, she just muttered, "Whatever," and turned her attention back to the fridge.


    Don walked upstairs and once he reached his room, he closed the door behind him and answered the call. "Morning, Gary."


    "Good morning, sir. I hope you''re doing well."


    "I''m fine," Don replied, ncing out the window at the backyard where Samantha and Amanda were stillughing together. "How are Elle and yourself?"


    "We''re both fine, thank you for asking," Gary responded before quickly getting to the point. "Now, onto why I called. I read through your message, and I showed it to the young madam. She and I both believe it to be brilliant—thorough, too, I must say."


    Don smiled, pleased. "When do we start?" he asked.


    Gary''s response was immediate. "Right now, sir. I''ve already made arrangements. That is, if you''re ready to proceed."


    Don took a deep breath. "I am," he said firmly.


    "Excellent," Gary replied smoothly. "I''ll send you the details shortly. Everything is in ce."


    With that, Don ended the call with Gary and immediately changed into a in workout outfit.


    He then grabbed a second set of clothes from his closet and stuffed them into a bag, zipping it up with quickly. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he left his room and made his way downstairs.


    As he entered the hallway, he spotted Summer walking out of the kitchen with a te of food in hand. "Hey," he called to her, casually. "Tell Mom I''m heading out and I''ll be back in the evening."


    Summer paused, bncing her te of food while giving him a suspicious look. She was tempted to ask where he was going, but she knew Don well enough by now—he wasn''t going to give her a straight answer. "Fine," she muttered, already knowing it was useless to pry.


    "Thanks," Don said with a smile, then quickly snatched a strip of bacon off her te as he walked by.


    "Hey!" Summer shouted, her eyes narrowing as she red at him.


    Don didn''t stop. He just grinned, chewing the bacon as he stepped out the front door, closing it behind him.


    Summer stood there, fuming at the door. "Jerk," she muttered under her breath, then turned around and headed toward the backyard.


    Once outside, Don let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. ''It''s a shame I can''t take my car,'' he thought, ncing at the empty driveway. ''But at least Gary arranged something.''


    He began jogging down the driveway, heading toward the exit of the Chanel Hillsmunity.


    Just as he reached the main road, a white Mercedes G-wagon drove by and came to a sudden stop. The tinted window slid down, revealing none other than Cassie in the driver''s seat, wearingrge, stylish sunsses.


    A sultry smile spread across her face as she lowered her sses slightly. "Morning, Don," she greeted in a friendly, teasing tone.


    Next to her, a woman Don didn''t recognize also lowered her sunsses. She had striking blue eyes, tanned skin, and tinum blonde hair that framed her sharp features. She nced at Don with a yful smile. "Who''s this cutie?" the woman asked, her tone sounding amused.


    Cassieughed softly. "Careful, Sandra," she said, ncing at her friend. "That''s Samantha''s boy."


    Sandra arched a brow, still smiling. "That''s no boy," she said with a small smirk. "But alright, I''ll behave... for now."


    Don couldn''t help but think, ''These two really don''t try to hide the fact that they''re cougars.'' He maintained his outwardposure, offering them a polite smile. "I enjoy teasing too," he said lightly, "so at least we have that inmon."


    Sandra chuckled, her gaze lingering on him for a moment. "Oh, I like him."


    Cassie leaned toward Sandra and whispered, just low enough that a normal person wouldn''t hear, "I saw him first." Of course, Don heard it clearly with his superhuman hearing, but he just smiled to himself. ''Cougars, for sure.''


    Out loud, Cassie addressed Don again. "Don''t mind her, she loves teasing young men."


    "Well, I''m in a bit of a hurry," Don said with a smile, deciding not to dwell on the moment. "But it was nice running into you both."


    "Wait!" Cassie called out before he could leave. "How about a ride? We''re heading out too, and it''s no trouble."


    Don shook his head, politely declining. "Thanks, but a friend''s picking me up. I just wanted to jog to the exit as a warm-up."


    Sandra gave a mock pout. "Such a shame," she said, feigning disappointment. "I''ll see you around then."


    Cassie, still smiling, added, "If you keep this up, Don, I''ll have to hire you as my personal trainer."


    Don chuckled, already starting to step away. "If the offer''s right, who am I to refuse?" He then nced at his watch, pretending to be in a hurry. "Anyway, I better get going. Bye." With a quick wave, he jogged off, leaving the two women behind.


    As he jogged, Don''s thoughts shifted. ''I''ll have to figure out a way to deal with Cassie. Can''t keep dodging her forever.'' He made a mental note to find time to ask Donald more about his mom, but he''d have to be subtle about it. Thest thing he wanted was to give the wrong impression.


    After five minutes of jogging, Don reached the exit of the gatedmunity. He waved at the guard in the booth, who waved back before opening the gate for him. Just beyond the gate, a sleek ck sedan with tinted windows waited. Don jogged over to it, opening the door and sliding into the passenger seat.


    As soon as he settled in, Don nced around. There was no driver, but he wasn''t surprised. In this world, self-driving cars were the norm, especially for the generalmuting poption. Many people preferred them over traditional taxis.


    Inside, the car''s modern interior greeted him with ambient lighting and soft,fortable seats.


    A screen in the back of the seat in front of him flickered on, and Gary''s face appeared, wearing a thobe and a headdress. The image was slightly static, and behind Gary, Don could make out a windy desert scene, with several Toyota pickup trucks, SUVs, and even two helicopters in the background.


    Minions simr to the ones Don had seen at ''his'' base were scurrying around, carrying supplies.


    "Hello, sir," Gary greeted with a smile.


    "Hello, Gary," Don replied, leaning back in the seat. He wanted to ask where Gary was, but he hesitated. ''Probably better not to ask,'' he thought.


    Gary seemed to anticipate Don''s curiosity. "I''m in the Arabian Penins," he exined, his voice calm and professional. "Acquiring weapons for the n."


    Don raised a brow. ''That was fast. We won''t even need the weapons for some time,'' he thought, though he chose not to dwell on it. Instead, he nodded. "Good."


    As the car started driving itself forward, Gary continued. "It''s unfortunate I won''t be able to meet with you today, but the young madam insisted on delivering the package herself."


    Don''s expression remained neutral, but internally, he felt a bit of concern. ''Elle.'' He hadn''t seen her since thest time she spiraled. "It''ll be good to see her," Don said calmly, though inwardly he worried if she''d stay stable this time.


    He could only return to conversing about the n, "You took precautions, right?"


    "Yes, sir," Gary assured him. "If anyone''s watching you, there''s no chance they''ll follow you to the designated location without us knowing."