?Chapter 352:


    Now, without the Starlight Stone, she wondered, what next?


    After spending some quiet time in the studio, Sadie returned to the Myrtlewood Estate.


    As she pushed the door open, the familiar aroma of natural wood weed her back.


    The estate was quiet and somber, only the dim light from crystal chandeliers filling the vast living room, intensifying the solitude.


    Weary, she moved towards the sofa but stopped dead in her tracks.


    There sat Noah, an ornate velvet box in his grasp.


    In that moment, time seemed to freeze.


    shes of K’s triumphant smirk at the Cloud Summit Club and Noah’s dismissive departure shed through Sadie’s mind.


    Sadie’s mind was vivid and relentless, as if someone had pressed y on a film she had no power to stop.


    “You…” Her voice barely made it past her lips, a fragile whisper lost between them.


    Noah lifted his head slowly, his eyes locking onto hers with a chilling stillness, unreadable yet charged.


    “Why?” It wasn’t just a question—it was raw disbeliefced with betrayal. She had fought for the Starlight Stone, and yet he had helped K take it like that.


    Noah said nothing. He only stared, an enigma wrapped in silence.


    Sadie felt a tightness in her chest, so heavy it made breathing difficult. “So… you and Alex?” His voice was low, edged with something sharp—something dangerous. “Back together?”


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    Sadie was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood what he meant.


    “What does it matter to you?” She forced the words out, steeling herself, but the impact of his usation still stung.


    Noah moved—sudden, deliberate. In an instant, he was in front of her, his arms locking around her, pulling her into his world of contradictions.


    “Sadie, look at me!” Noah’s voice was rough, raw with barely restrained frustration.


    Sadie reluctantly lifted her gaze. A storm brewed in her eyes—defiance shing with something more fragile.


    “Why did you go to that auction?” Noah’s voice was sharp, edged with suspicion. “Why do you want the Starlight Stone so damn much?”


    Sadie felt the burn behind her eyes, the weight of everything pressing down on her.


    He knew. He knew she wanted that stone, yet he had let K walk away with it. And now, he had the audacity to interrogate her?


    “Let go of me!” she snapped, thrashing against his hold.


    But Noah didn’t loosen his grip. If anything, he pulled her closer—closer than she could stand.


    Then, without warning, he kissed her.


    Tears slipped down her cheeks, mixing with the taste of his breath, the salty bitterness of betrayal and longing tangling into something unbearable.


    She shoved him—hard. Noah staggered back just enough for her to tear herself away. Without a word, she turned and ran, mming the door behind her as if trying to shut him outpletely.


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