Ste suddenly spoke up. "Who are you, anyway?"


    Karl froze, thinking for a moment that maybe Ste didn''t know who he was.


    He was about to answer when Ste continued, "And why should I listen to you?"


    That''s when it hit Karl-she wasn''t clueless about his identity at all. She was just provoking him on purpose.


    A cold, almost mocking smile crept across Karl''s lips.


    "Ste, just because you managed to win over Mr. Burton and Candida doesn''t mean I can''t deal with you."


    No wonder Sherman couldn''t stand her. This woman really was impossible.


    Ste gave a faint, unapologetic smile. "If you really could deal with me, would you be wasting time saying all this? Why not go straight to Mr. Burton and Candida and expose me? Or is it that you just don''t want to?"


    She had no patience for cheaters, especially ones like Karl-ungrateful, maniptive types.


    Haynes might have been a jerk, but at least he was honest about it.


    Karl, though, was something else entirely.


    He was the kind of man you read about online-the type who, the moment he got


    what he wanted, would turn on the person who trusted him most.


    Honestly, he made Haynes look almost tolerable byparison.


    Karl''s brow furrowed. He had never been good with words, and now he waspletely at a loss for what to say. His eyes, however, glinted with a cold, razor- sharp intensity.


    The rest of the walk passed in silence until they reached the door to Mr. Burton''s lounge.


    Inside, the room was unexpectedly crowded.


    Sherman was there, his head wrapped with a pristine white bandage where he''d been treated. Aurora stood at his side, concern etched on her face.


    "Sherman, are you sure you don''t need to go to the hospital?"


    Sherman''s sharply handsome features were a little pale, but he shrugged off her concern. "I''m fine."


    Jonathan and Skyler sat nearby, both looking grim.


    But what really caught Ste off guard was the presence of a middle-aged man sitting next to Mr. Burton.


    Her eyes flickered with surprise.


    The resemnce between Antoney and this man was unmistakable—there was no denying it. Could this be... Antoney''s father?


    Ste and Antoney had grown up together; there were no secrets between them.


    She knew that Antoney had been


    raised by his mother alone. He''d never known his father. His mother had told him that she''d chosen. to


    have him on her own, and that his


    father had no idea he even existed.


    She simply hadn''t wanted to disrupt


    his life.


    Antoney had always respected that choice, never trying to find his biological father.


    She''d once asked Antoney if he resented the man.


    His answer had been simple: "No. It was my mother''s decision, not his."


    Now, seeing this man in person, Ste couldn''t help but study him a little longer.


    There was an elegance and calm


    about


    Hem, a kind of quiet authority.


    He wasn''t young, but he had the kind of mature, maic presence younger men rarely possessed.


    Sensing her gaze, the man looked up and met her eyes.


    Despite the sternness of his features, he offered her a warm, friendly smile. Ste returned it with a polite smile of her own, then turned to greet Mr. Burton. "Mr. Burton," she said.


    He nodded, his expression unreadable. "Sherman says it was you who hit him?”


    Ste nodded calmly. "Yes, Mr.


    Ved


    Burton. I was on my way to the performance when Sherman suddenly blocked my path and tried to drag me away. I was afraid. hurt me, so I panicked and knocked him out. Later, Mr. Connolly showed up; he was worried Sherman would retaliate and disrupt the show, so he locked him in the room for the time being."


    She recounted the whole story without a hint of hesitation.


    Sherman listened, his face nk. "Why would I want to hurt you?"


    Ste shot back, "That''s something you''ll have to ask Mr. Burton-why did you try


    to drag me away in the first ce?"