?Chapter 1302:


    He reached for the inte system, forcing his tone into a mask of deceptive tranquility. “Fetch Hailey immediately,” hemanded, “there are certain matters we need to discuss in private.”


    Within minutes the guards escorted Hailey into the room. She wore simple,fortable clothes with her hair pulled back in a casual knot. Exhaustion shadowed her features, yet her eyes remained sharp and watchful.


    From behind his imposing desk, Alex raised his head and studied her with the calcting stare of a predator sizing up prey. “Were you acquainted with Sutton Wall?”


    Hailey’s heart lurched violently against her ribs. Her mind raced frantically. What had prompted Alex to drag Sutton’s name into this conversation? Had he uncovered her secret? She wrestled her panic into submission and arranged her features into a mask of genuine confusion. “Sutton Wall? I don’t know him. What makes you mention him, Mr.?Howe?”


    Alex’s dark eyes contracted to dangerous slits as he catalogued every microexpression that flickered across her face. “Noah and ine haveunched an investigation into this individual. I suggest you choose your words with extreme care. You’re well aware of what happens to people who lie to me.”


    Concealed within her sleeves, Hailey’s hands curled into trembling fists. If Alex discovered that Salex wasn’t Noah’s child but Sutton’s, both she and Salex would face execution. Alex possessed a brilliant mind wrapped around a stonecold heart—gambling with him meant certain death.


    But what had triggered Noah and ine’s sudden interest in digging up Sutton’s past? Sutton had been resting in his grave for almost half a year—why couldn’t they let sleeping dogs lie?


    Drawing upon every ounce of courage, Hailey locked eyes with Alex. “Mr.?Howe, I genuinely do not know this person. And I don’t know why Noah and ine are investigating him.”


    Alex released a derisive snort that made his skepticism crystal clear. “For your sake, that had better be the truth.”


    He dismissed her with a curt flick of his wrist. “Remove her from my sight.”


    His bodyguards stepped forward with practiced efficiency, maintaining courteous facades as they escorted Hailey away. They returned her to her gilded cage—a chamber masquerading as a sanctuary but functioning as a prison cell.


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    Alex never spoke carelessly or without purpose. His mention of Sutton carried ominous implications that chilled her blood. Noah and ine’s investigation into Sutton struck her as deeply troubling andpletely out of character. If they somehow uncovered that she had killed Sutton, then…


    Hailey’s thoughts mmed into a wall of terror as cold perspiration soaked her shirt and traced icy paths down her spine. Imprisoned within Alex’s estate, she couldn’t even set foot beyond the gates—what options remained?


    She prowled the confines of her chamber like a caged animal, anxiety consuming her every step. Then a name zed across her mind—Beal.


    Alex’s assistant, who had skulked outside the living room that day with suspicious intent, struck her as far moreplex than his position suggested. A man of Alex’s caliber would never surround himself with ordinary subordinates.


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