?Chapter 1341:


    Her reckless defiance hadn’t won her freedom. Instead, it had stripped away every defense, exposing her vulnerabilities before this man who dared to call himself her father.


    This had to end.


    Noah’s life hung in the bnce, as did Hurst’s.


    Then there was Afara, that enigma she couldn’t even begin to understand.


    She had to escape this ce.


    Freedom was the only path forward, the only way to reim control and n her next move.


    Drawing in a steadying breath, she pushed herself upright. Pain red from the gash on her forehead, but the ache brought something unexpected: a crystal-clear focus that cut through the fog of her despair.


    She moved to the door, raised her fist, and knocked with purpose. “I need to speak with Emerson.”


    Silence greeted her from the other side, though she knew the guard had heard every word.


    Minutes crawled by before the lock clicked open.


    Emerson stepped inside.


    He came without any subordinates, dragging a chair close to her bedside before settling into it.


    His gaze drifted to the bandage circling her forehead, stripped of any warmth it might have once carried. “Have you reached a decision?”


    Sadie lifted her eyes to meet his, and this time she held steady. Her eyes remained red-rimmed, but where ice had once lived, now only profound, unshakeable calm remained.


    “I agree to your terms,” she said, her voice rough yet perfectly clear.


    Emerson’s brows rose slightly. He was caught off guard by her swift surrender.


    It seemed the young man, Noah, carried more weight in her heart than he had calcted.


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    “But I have my own conditions,” Sadie pressed on. “I want my freedom.” She fixed Emerson with unblinking resolve.


    “Keep me caged here, and I’m useless to you. I won’t give you anything you want.”


    She hesitated, drawing a deep breath. “I’ll hand over everything my mother left behind, but not yet.”


    Emerson’s expression darkened, storm-clouds gathering over his face, tension crackling around him like electricity.


    Sadie remained untouched by his shift in mood, pressing forward. “I need to see Noah safe with my own eyes. Only when he’s out of danger will I give you what you’re after. That condition isn’t up for debate.”


    Sadie was striking a bargain with Emerson, wielding his deepest desires as leverage to protect the one who held her heart.


    Emerson studied her face, then suddenly broke intoughter.


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