With disaster after disaster striking the O''Brien family, Ste would have to bepletely oblivious not to connect the dots.


    Joshua was actively forcing Haynes to return to his home country.


    Everything else aside, if Callie was truly kidnapped, Haynes would have no choice but to go back.


    Sure enough, shortly after she received the news, Haynes called.


    His voice was tight and grim. "Star, something happened to Callie. I''m afraid I have to head back."


    "How is she holding up?" she asked.


    "I don''t know the specifics yet. I have to go back to find out for sure," his voice was dark.


    He paused for a few seconds before lowering his voice. "I''m sorry, Star."


    He had promised to help her, yet he was being forced to leave so quickly without having achieved much of anything.


    He knew exactly who was pulling the strings from the shadows.


    And once he was back in Novaris, there was no guarantee he''d be able to return anytime soon.


    If Joshua had orchestrated this, he definitely wouldn''t let him fly back easily.


    "What about Keen?" Ste asked. "Is he going with you?"


    "That depends on whether you want him to stay there with you ore with me."


    She pondered this for a moment. "Take him with you. That way, Joshua will believe you aren''ting back anytime soon.


    Otherwise, he''ll likely just orchestrate another ''ident.''


    In Solmaris, your manpower and resources are limited, but you shouldn''t have that problem in Novaris, right?"


    He instantly caught on to her implication. "Are you nning toe back to Novaris with me?"


    "Joshua has people secretly protecting me, which means he knows exactly where I am at all times. Leaving openly with you is practically impossible.


    Once you and Keen head back, I''ll wait until he lets his guard down and then fly over to Novaris.


    If he tries to pull any of his tricks on Novaris soil, it won''t be nearly as easy."


    His tone grewplex. "Star, have you ever considered that all this


    painstaking effort you''re gone


    through for him might not be what he wants?


    Even if he recovers in the future, he might not thank you for it. He might even hate you."


    Her voice remained intensely calm, "He has his mindset, and I have my principles. Life rarely goes exactly as nned, and we rarely get exactly What we want


    In his world, love trumps everything.


    In my world, survival is the absolute priority.


    So, when our ideologiespletely sh, whose rules do we y by?


    Right now, this is a battle of wits between the two of us.


    If I lose, I''ll yield to his terms.


    But if he loses, we y by my rules.


    I never wanted his gratitude. He can me me or hate me all he wants, but I tly refuse to sit by and watch him die in front of me.


    I don''t want to look back years from now, crushed by regret, wondering why I wasn''t ruthless enough to force him into treatment.


    As for right now... he might be hurt and miserable, but eventually, he will forget."


    "You''ve changed a lot, Star," Haynes murmured.


    "The only constant in this world is that everything is always changing.


    Haven''t you changed a lot too, Haynes?"


    The current Ste no longer needed


    him to hold her hand and refine her ns because she was fully capable ting them wlessly on her


    of


    own.


    Furthermore, she understood Joshua inside and out; she didn''t need anyone else to worry on her behalf.


    "Alright. I understand. We''ll proceed with your n, then."


    Haynes was no pushover either. Now that he had his guard up, Joshua wouldn''t find


    it nearly as easy to outmaneuver him as he had this time.