"She''s the one who told us to take it, anyway..."
Yvonne had no clue about that flicker of something strange in Xander''s eyes. She kept talking, “Honestly, I think it''s good you''re being tough on them. Who knows, it might just force them to give in!"
“And as for Hull, you know when he sees you getting tough, he''s gonna double down too!"
Xander just stared at her for a moment. “...
Yvonne continued, "Hey, have you noticed something weird?"
"Noticed what?" Xander asked.
"Hull. Doesn''t it seem like he''s got a personal vendetta against ck Gate?"
Xander blinked. "What makes you say that?"
A vendetta? He hadn''t seen thating.
Yvonne dragged out the chair next to him and flopped down. "My people told me that sincest night, Hull''s been going after ck Gate nonstop. He''s ruthless, not giving them a moment to breathe."
She sounded casual now, but when she first heard the reports, she''d thought— this doesn''t seem like someone just trying to negotiate...
It felt a lot more like revenge.
Xander said, "You think anyone''s gonna give ck Gate a chance to catch their breath right now?"
"I mean, aren''t you worried that if we push too hard, they''ll just... well, do something drastic to the hostage?"
But Hull didn''t seem worried at all.
The more Yvonne thought about it, the crazier it seemed. Susanna''s own rtives were the ones who''d gotten her into this mess, and yet here they were, more worried about what ck Gate might do to her.
What on earth did that girl do in her past life to end up with family like this?
Seeing Yvonne so anxious, Xander knocked back his ss of wine, then said with meaning, "ck Gate won''t kill her."
Mainly because they couldn''t. There was nothing left for them to do.
"They... won''t? Are you sure? I''m telling you, people like that-when they get desperate, they do crazy things. Sometimes, they''ll even turn on their own family!"
That was why she kept telling Adelle and the others, if they just handed Susanna back over, she''d return what she''d taken-no questions asked.
If they kept fighting tooth and nail, if she made it clear there was no chance of getting anything back, she really did worry ck Gate would...
***
Meanwhile, things at ck Gate were in total chaos.
Xander and Hull had joined forces, and they weren''t holding back.
Since yesterday, ck Gate''s main strongholds had been thrown into disarray. And Lottie? She was even more ruthless-she''d all but stormed tepeak Miles, taking whatever she wanted. s
Derek was seething, and by the time Dan came home, Finch had already arrived.
Adelle was waiting for him in the living room, blocking his way. Derek and Finch were in the study, but she needed a moment alone with Dan first.
Most of her assets were being dragged into this mess-she couldn''t hide her anxiety.
ck Gate''s people were taking heavy losses, and their grip on their territory was slipping fast.
But Dan didn''t even look at Adelle.
She felt her chest tighten. "Whatever you want, Dan-Finch and I will give it to
you. Please, just give Susanna back to Mr. Miguel, okay?"
At the words "whatever you want," Dan finally looked her way, but there was only cold amusement in his eyes.
Adelle''s breath caught. "This whole
power struggle between you and Finch-shouldn''t it stay in the<fn62b8> This text is hosted at FιndNovel</fn62b8>
family? No matter who wins, ck
Gate Would still be
in Mands,
But now, you''ve let outsiderson. You
know what that means!"
belongs to s
Dan let out a low, bitterugh. "So, you want to settle this privately? How much
are you willing to give him, then, to make that happen?"
Adelle was silent.
Dan''s voice was sharp. "Now you want to keep it in the family? That''s funny-did you forget those little chats you had with Mervin Burton? What did you say to him behind our backs?"
s
Adelle paled instantly, staring at him in disbelief. "You..."
Dan gave a dry, humorless chuckle and turned away, heading upstairs toward the
study, leaving her frozen in the hallway.