Taking her cue, Candice eagerly added fuel to the fire. “Father, I’ve always told you — something’s off about Rylie. She wrecks military assets and leads Brad astray.”

Tempers flared, and accusations buzzed around the room. All eyes turned to Brad and Rylie.

Seeking a resolution, the Army’s Commander-in-Chief turned to his Navy counterpart. “Your people, your problem. I won’t overstep, but what’s your next move after all this?”

Despite wishing he could defend Brad, the Navy Commander-in-Chief couldn’t ignore the mountain of evidence. He drew a deep breath before answering, his voice heavy. “Given Brad’s blatant carelessness, I suggest suspending his command of the oilfield district for now, with Jaxon stepping in temporarily. And…” He looked straight at Brad. “As for Ronan’s medical report, the findings stand. Your health has deteriorated. You need to consider early retirement.”

Jaxon tried to look reluctant, but the satisfaction in his eyes was unmistakable. “Commander, maybe I’m not the right fit. Brad’s role is too important for me to—”

An army officer snapped back, his voice brimming with frustration. “What’s so wrong with that? Should we risk repeating this circus? Are we supposed to leave national security in the hands of someone so careless?”

Rumors had already begun to swirl. “Looks like Brad’s days as commander are just about over.”

Hopelessness thickened in the air. Yet, Rylie, who had watched in silence, strode up to the machine with purpose.

Ronan jerked in alarm. “Rylie! Have you lost your mind?” His nerves frayed as he tried to block her, but she moved with sudden speed, sending him sprawling with a solid kick to his stomach. His breath caught as he exclaimed, “Get her away from me! Stop her, now!”

At Jaxon’s subtle nod, his men surged forward to grab Rylie, while Brad’s loyal crew broke ranks to help her, and chaos erupted in the room.

Bodies collided and voices clashed, yet Rylie tore through the melee, reached the machine, and ripped away the side panel in one fluid motion. Sure enough, just as she suspected, something had been hidden there all along.

Jaxon caught on quickly and tried to block her path. “What exactly do you think you’re doing?”

Easily dodging him, Rylie fished out a small piece of hardware from the tangled wires, weighing it thoughtfully before raising her voice. “Ronan, want to tell us why there’s an illegal signal jammer stashed inside this?”

A hush swept through the medical bay.

Only after Ronan’s virtual demonstration had Rylie connected the dots. She’d waited for proof, and now, the tampered equipment was exposed for all to see.

Ronan’s face tightened with unease. “I don’t know what that is.”

“Really?” Rylie rolled the item in her hand before tossing it to Brad.

She turned to the control panel, her fingers flying over the keys as she opened a program she had recently built. “Your jammer is impressive, but my medical algorithm core still preserves the original work logs.”

She printed the report, skimmed through it with little interest, then handed it to the Navy Commander-in-Chief. “Take another look at this, will you?”

Beads of sweat instantly dotted Ronan’s forehead. “How can there be work logs? I never set up anything like that.”

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