From Gibson''s unhinged tone on the phone, it was clear his mental state had deteriorated. He hadn''t been this frantic even when his son first died. What had changed?


    A flicker of understanding lit Ste''s eyes. She turned to Joshua. "I need you to find out everything you can about what''s happened to Gibson recently."


    Knowledge was their only weapon now.


    Joshua held her gaze, his voice low. "Star, don''t worry. I won''t let you be put in a difficult position. The fact that you didn''t hand me over immediately, that you defended me... that''s enough for me."


    A sense of unease settled in Ste''s stomach. "Joshua, don''t do anything reckless."<fn61ab> Find the newest release on FιndNovel</fn61ab>


    He offered a small smile. "We don''t even know where Gibson is. I couldn''t be reckless even if I wanted to."


    Ste rxed slightly. "Don''t listen to them, Joshua. I''m handling this." She paused. "You and Keen will both be safe."


    "I know," he said. "I trust you." He then added, "I''ll go look into Gibson''s situation now. Call me if you need anything."


    "Okay."


    Not long after Joshua left, there was another knock on her door. This time, it was Foreman. He studied her expression, noting her unusual calm. She didn''t look like


    a mother whose child had just been abducted.


    "Star, aren''t you worried?" he couldn''t help but ask.


    Ste knew what he was thinking. "The old me would have been panicking, my mindpletely nk, with no idea what to do. But I can''t be that person anymore. Keen is waiting for me to save him if can''t stay calm, and think clearly who will rescue him? Haynes?"


    A faint, ironic smile touched her lips. "Right now, all his attention is on Joshua. He''s so blinded by his pride and prejudice that I can''t count on him."


    Foreman''s eyes flickered. "Star, maybe Haynes is just panicking. After all, Keen is in extreme danger with Gibson. He''s just afraid of what might happen."


    Ste remained silent.


    Foreman continued, "Star, this situation... it really is tied to Joshua. Are you sure... you''re not going to hand him over?"


    Ste turned to face him directly. "Do you really think Gibson would let Keen go if I did?"


    "He might," Foreman argued. "His


    son was killed by Joshua; his grudge is with him, not you or Keen. You''re a Williams, and Keen is Haynes''s son. Gibson in his current state, can''t afford to take on both the Williams and the O''Brien families."


    Ste walked to the window and stared out at the night sky. "Foreman, would you really trust the word of a kidnapper? If his motive was truly ''an eye for an eye,'' would he have taken a five-year-old child? A desperate man doesn''t care i if you''re a Williams beiress or an O''Brien heir. He probably wants to watch the whole world burn with him. Everything he said was just a tactic to make me let my guard down."


    She turned back to Foreman. "If I''m right, he has no intention of sparing Keen,


    and he certainly won''t spare Joshua. He might not even spare me."