?Chapter 1704:


    As Harlee exited the living room, the group’s eyes briefly followed her before settling on Rhys, whose demeanor had notably darkened.


    Without a word, Rhys grabbed his watermelon juice and trudged upstairs, his head bowed. Harlee had just shifted her focus from Aldrich and Alina when she expressed her desire to speak with him, undoubtedly about the bet they had made a month prior.


    The thought of that dreadful wager made Rhys suddenly lose all desire to ascend the stairs.


    Once Rhys had left, Robbie, unable to contain his curiosity, wedged himself into the center of the group and spected, “What do you all reckon the ‘something’ Harlee mentioned is about? It’s the first time I’ve seen Rhys look so troubled. Something major’s up, no doubt!”


    Cillian, momentarily lost in the aftermath of Harlee’s guidance, was jolted back to the present by Robbie’s spection, returning to his typical stoic self. He took the seat nearest Robbie, looked around at the group’s astonished faces, and remarked coolly, “It does seem peculiar.”


    Alina, Jianna, Aldrich, and Judson collectively widened their eyes. Had Cillian, known for his reticence, actually joined the ranks of the gossipers? It was utterly shocking!


    Robbie, blissfully unaware of the stir he’d caused, continued to ponder Rhys’s earlier demeanor with intense interest.


    Fueled by his enthusiasm, the rest of the group began to debate among themselves.


    Meanwhile, Harlee had just entered the ss-walled room and spoke into her phone.


    Your next chapter is here gα?ησν???s


    “Any new developments with the Happer family?” Her tone was icy, devoid of any warmth.


    Stefan replied from the other end, “Harlee, as per your instructions, we’ve sessfully positioned N as the acting head of the Napper family and neutralized all threats to her. Now, Davenport is growing restless. He’s reached out to Thiago, hoping for our help to im the position back. Should we intervene?”


    Harlee’s eyes narrowed, a sly smile tugging at one corner of her mouth. Her voice was as frosty as ever.


    “Hold off on Davenport’s request. Have Thiago keep him on a tight leash.”


    She paused briefly, her next words dripping with icy intent.


    “Channel the best resources to N. I want her fully entrenched as the acting head within the next three months, and Errol should be increasingly convinced of her as his heir, understood?”


    Stefan quickly grasped her strategy. She was setting N up for a spectacr fall from grace!


    Having caught wind of the lecture at Uwhor University, Stefan could somewhat predict why Harlee had chosen this approach.


    “Understood. I’ll ensure N’s role is cemented memorably. But… When do you n to return to Uwhor and take the reins? Surely you won’t leave me to wrestle with the Happer family solo, will you?” Stefan half-joked.


    Harlee responded coolly, “I’ll be back in three months.”


    Hearing the firm timeline, Stefan felt a wave of relief wash over him. A specific deadline from Harlee meant she had a full-fledged n in ce, and his role was merely to execute her directives methodically.


    After issuing a few more sinct orders, Harlee ended the call. Her gaze turned to the sky, as frosty as the words she had just spoken. Didn’t Errol enjoy ying games like this? Then, she too would y—but in a way that would dismantle the Happer familypletely.


    In the study on the second floor, Rhys stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, his eyes as devoid of warmth as the winter frost. For nearly twenty minutes, he had pondered how to persuade Harlee to retract the bet, only to conclude that he had no choice but to honor it.


    Yet, his thoughts were equally upied by the Happer family. He knew that in three months, Harlee would initiate her final move against them. Dispatching Errol and N would be straightforward. He could execute that at any moment, but Harlee had her own designs.


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