?Chapter 1361:


    “These people can’t be trusted.”


    She hadn’t believed Emerson’s twisted words—but neither did she buy the rehearsed concern of the so-called officials in tailored suits. Her mother had been too perceptive, too strategic, to miss the signs. She hadn’t fled out of fear—she ran because she knew the system she once busted had turned into a snare. Sadie saw that now more clearly than ever.


    Her mother hadn’t trusted anyone—because both sides of the board were rigged.


    Emerson’s pursuit was merciless. The others cloaked theirs inw, loyalty, and promises of justice. But a trap was still a trap, no matter how it was dressed.


    And now, Sadie stood at the same crossroads her mother once had—hunted from one side, manipted from the other, with nowhere safe to turn.


    Except this time, she wasn’t alone.


    She nced at Noah. That was the difference—she had him.


    “Whether it’s Emerson or them…” Sadie’s voice trailed off for a moment, but her eyes burned with purpose. “They’re all after what my mother left behind.” She straightened, as if anchoring herself to a decision. “But this is my chance—to dig up the truth.”


    The secrets of the NE Research Institute had haunted her like shadows.


    Why had her mother be a target?


    What tied the Lawson family to it all?


    The answers had always been just out of reach—tangled threads in a web she couldn’t unravel.


    But now, one thread hade loose.


    And she intended to pull it, no matter where it led.


    Even if the truthy hidden in darkness, even if it meant plunging into danger, she would follow it to the end.


    She knew those people wouldn’t make any rash moves now. They were cautious, and they desperately wanted the data that was supposed to be given to them in seven days.


    They wouldn’t act rashly now, not while the prize was still beyond reach. That gave her time and power.


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    Noah studied her—the fierce resolve in her gaze, the unwavering calm in her stance.


    There was no fear, no doubt. Only fire.


    He sped her hand, his grip steady, warming her chilled fingers one by one.


    “All right,” he said softly, a vow wrapped in a single word.


    Noah said just two words, but theynded with the weight of a thousand.


    Whatever Sadie intended to do, he would walk beside her.


    If the road ahead turned treacherous, he’d clear it.


    If danger approached, he’d take the hit.


    He would no longer let her stand alone.


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