?Chapter 1340:


    A thin, mocking smile flickered at Emerson’s lips. “It wasn’t me. Seems your precious Noah has collected plenty of enemies on his own.” He leaned back, crossing his legs, speaking as if the whole mess hardly concerned him.


    “Afara, who’s supposed to be my right hand,” he continued, “decided to betray me. He led Noah right into a trap at City Hospital.”


    The news hit Sadie hard; her eyes narrowed in rm.


    Amusement sharpened Emerson’s smile, making it colder still.


    “Odds are, he’s in Afara’s hands as we speak. Hurt, too.”


    Each sentence struck like a blow, and Sadie felt her hope draining away.


    Ice ran through her veins, draining all color from her face.


    Emerson leaned in, his voice razor-sharp. “Are you starting to see? Only you can save him now. Enough of the theatrics. Give me what your mother left behind, and I’ll make sure Noah returns to you in one piece.”


    Though his words were soft, the threat beneath them was clear as day. Here was the real Emerson—calcting, unyielding, and ready to y every angle.


    Whatever warmth he had once shown was nothing more than a mask for this very moment.


    A hollowugh caught in Sadie’s throat as she stared at him.


    How could a woman as wise as her mother have fallen in love with a man like this?


    No promise from him was worth believing.


    Turning her face away, Sadie closed her eyes and shut him outpletely.


    With his patience waning, Emerson fixed his gaze on her, growing colder with every second of silence.


    That was the final warning.


    Rising from his chair, he cast a cold nce at Sadie lying on the bed.


    “Make your choice,” he said coldly. “My tolerance won’tst forever. I’ve already sent men after Afara, but Noah’s fate rests entirely on what you decide next.”


    At the doorstep, he stopped, just for a moment. “Take care of yourself, my daughter.”


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    A heavy thud followed as the door swung shut, and the sharp click of the lock echoed through the silence.


    When Sadie was finally alone, her eyes flew open, staring into the emptiness that surrounded her.


    Sadiey curled on the bed, her eyes fixed on the ceiling above. Every word Emerson had spoken sliced through her like a shard of ice, each one driving deeper into her heart.


    Noah was injured. Worse still, he had fallen into the clutches of that traitor, Mara.


    While she remained trapped here, Sadie had be nothing more than Emerson’s most lethal weapon, its edge turned toward the one person she cherished above all else.


    Hurting herself had been the most foolish choice.


    Only now did the truth of Emerson’s words fully sink in.


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