?Chapter 1342:


    The sound rolled low and haunting through the stillness of the room. What a remarkable daughter he had! Even in negotiation, she radiated that unbreakable fire.


    He found himself admiring it.


    “Alright,” he conceded with startling ease. “You have my word, dear.”


    Rising from his chair, he gazed down at her, his voice sliding back into that unsettling, tender warmth. “Your freedom is yours from this moment forward. I’ll dispatch some people to track down Noah’s location immediately and bring you word the instant we learn anything.”


    When he reached the door, his fingers closed around the handle, and he cast one final look over his shoulder.


    “Sadie, don’t attempt anything reckless again. Such actions would truly wound me.”


    The door whispered shut behind him.


    The warmth melted from Emerson’s features in an instant, reced by shadows too deep to fathom.


    Turning to Leopard, who remained vignt outside, he issued his orders in cold, arctic tones. “Have someone follow Sadie. Watch her every move, but remain unseen. Any suspicious activity should be reported to me immediately.”


    Leopard dipped his head in acknowledgment. “Understood.”


    Emerson walked away, his departing silhouette rigid as forged iron.


    Freedom?


    Within these manor walls, as long as he willed it otherwise, true freedom would forever elude Sadie’s grasp.


    He had granted her the illusion of liberty, much like releasing a kite while keeping the string tightly wound around his fist.


    What he craved was nothing less than total dominion.


    Shortly after Emerson’s departure, the guards stationed outside Sadie’s door melted away.


    The door to her room was no longer locked.


    .cóm is the source


    Sadie pushed the door wide and stepped into the hallway.


    The hallway stretched empty before her. Gone were the guards who had once marked every few paces like silent monuments. That crushing sense of imprisonment seemed to have lifted.


    Yet Sadie understood the truth beneath the performance.


    Hidden in every shadow, countless eyes would be tracking her movements.


    She didn’t venture far, taking only a moment to survey her newfound circumstances before retreating to her room.


    Roughly an hour passed before a bodyguard appeared, phone in hand. Her phone.


    “Mr. Stewart asked me to return this to you.” The bodyguard extended the device with practiced courtesy.


    Sadie epted the phone, her fingertips like ice against its surface. She pressed the power button.


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