Chapter 701

• Bertram paused his briefing to take the call. Little Ding’s panicked voice burst through the receiver, “Chairman, bad news—Mr. Hoffman is missing!”
• Bertram’s heart lurched. He lowered his voice, steady but tense. “Don’t panic. Slow down. What happened?”
• Little Ding sounded shaky, breathing hard like he’d just been in a fight. “Vice President Wafford invited us… to eat at the club. Out of nowhere, the place went nuts—looked like a brawl broke out. We tried to slip out, but we got tangled up. By the time we shook them off, Mr. Hoffman was gone… I think they were targeting him.”