?<strong>Chapter 1013:</strong>


    Her cheeks turned a vivid shade of red, her eyes shimmered with embarrassed tears. She ced her hand tentatively against Jake’s solid chest and asked with a quiver in her voice, “Sir, what are you doing?”


    Without a word, Jake pinned her hands firmly behind her back, reducing the space between them even more. He intended to study her closely, looking for any trace of falsehood. However, the closer he got, the more his heart thudded uncontrobly against his chest.


    Jake fought to maintain a facade of calm and said in a deep, cold tone, “Kallie, I’ll caution you once more. If you’re lying to me, I won’t let it slide.”


    A flicker of confusion danced across Kallie’s face. She struggled fiercely, her efforts futile as her wrists were tightly mped, rendering her motionless. With a mix of fury and frustration in her voice, she demanded, “Why on earth would I lie to you? Who do you think you are? What could I possibly gain by deceiving you?”


    Her eyes zed with anger, yet they were remarkably free of contempt or annoyance.


    Jake finally rxed his grip, yet he maintained a close hold on her, determined never to release her. Her defiant stance brought back vivid memories of the person she used to be, before a cascade of life-changing events had altered their rtionship. In those earlier days, Kallie had been vocal and unafraid, her demeanor asionally marked by yful naughtiness. The glimpse of her former self made him feel as though he was caught in a bittersweet dream.


    Kallie shifted ufortably in Jake’s arms, her bodynguage awkward and constrained.


    “Sir, would you mind letting me go?” she implored with a gentle urgency.


    Jake seemed to ignore her request, his gaze dropping coldly to the defeated assants on the floor. Hemanded his men in a chilling tone, “Hand them over to the police. Uncover every illicit activity they’ve been hiding and let thew take its course.” As the assants began to sob in despair, Jake, unaffected, guided Kallie away from the chaos.


    When they arrived at the car, Kallie stubbornly refused to climb in. Jerking away from Jake’s grasp, she eyed him with a mixture of suspicion and uncertainty. For reasons she couldn’t fathom, she felt inexplicably drawn to him and allowed him toe close without resistance.


    Kallie’s thoughts were jolted back to reality by a piercing reminder: she was a married woman. It was wholly inappropriate for her to engage intimately with another man. Furtherplicating matters, she couldn’t even recall who this man was. This day had taught her a harsh lesson—trust was not something to be doled out freely.


    “Get in the car,” Jakemanded, his voice stern and unwavering.


    “It’s freezing out here. You’ll be in deep trouble if you catch a cold.”


    Kallie gave a light cough and responded, “You needn’t worry about me, sir. I’m quite capable of finding my own lodging.”


    Jake let out a low chuckle.


    “Really? And yet you find yourself in predicaments like this? Wandering aimlessly, clueless about your own identity? Do you have any idea how many people are out there trying to kill you? Those men today didn’t know who you were. Had they recognized you, they would have made their move instantly, and I wouldn’t have been able to intervene in time.”


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