?Chapter 1335:


    Since reiming his ce in the Scott family, Eric had been juggling the weight of its affairs while waging a silent war against his siblings, never daring to let his guard down.


    The news of Gifford’s disappearance had set his nerves on edge.


    With the Scott Group’s board meeting looming, Ferris was set to announce his retirement, officially naming Eric as his sessor to lead the empire.


    Gifford’s vanishing act, perfectly timed, could hardly be a coincidence. Eric’s eyes darkened as he leaned forward. “Do you remember what Gifford is capable of?”


    Hadley nodded, her expression nk but her mind racing.


    How could she forget?


    Gifford’s shadow loomed over Eric’s past—knife attacks, orchestrated car crashes, each one a calcted strike.


    The worst had left Eric with a head injury, unconscious for days, teetering on the edge of life.


    “But…” Hadley’s throat felt parched, and she shook her head, grappling for rity. “What does any of this have to do with me?”


    “Hadley…” Eric’s smile wasced with bitterness. “We may be divorced, and you’ve made it clear you want nothing more to do with me. But the Scott family? They don’t see it that way. To my siblings, you and Joy are my heart and soul—the people I cherish most in this world.”


    Hadley froze, her mind a tangle of confusion and resistance. “That is just your imagination running wild.” Moving in with him over a threat that hadn’t even materialized? It sounded absurd, like chasing ghosts.


    “It’s a theory, I’ll admit,” Eric said, not shying away from her skepticism. “But it’s better to err on the side of caution. Ferris has nine children—six sons, three daughters…”


    daughters. Gifford, the eldest, has spent years weaving his web within the family. He is the most cunning, the most ruthless. Hadley, I can’t risk you and Joy bing pawns in his game.” His words were measured, logical, each onending like a stone in still water.


    Hadley understood, yet her heart balked at the idea.


    Moving in with him—what would that mean for the fragile boundaries she had fought to maintain?


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    “Isn’t there another way?” she asked, her brows furrowing as she searched for an alternative. “Can’t your bodyguards keep Joy safe?”


    “They can.” Eric nodded, though his expression remained taut. “But where you live is an old, cramped neighborhood. The security is flimsy, and it is a revolving door of strangers. You would be far safer with me.”


    “Then let Joy stay with you,” Hadley cut in before Eric could finish, shaking her head firmly. “I… I’m noting.”


    It felt like a fairpromise. “Take care of Joy. You don’t need to fret over me.”


    “Hadley…” Eric’s helpless smile carried a pang of heartache. “How could I ever stop worrying about you?”


    Her offhand words pierced him like a quiet dagger.


    Seeing Hadley’s resolve, Eric relented with a heavy sigh. “If you won’te, how can I convince Joy to stay with me without you?”<fna6f0> Readplete version only at find~novel</fna6f0>


    He paused, and then nodded reluctantly. “Alright, we’ll do it your way for now. I’ll have bodyguards keep watch.”


    As they left the warm glow of the Red Shell Bistro behind, Eric guided Hadley back to Milnd Road, the car humming softly through the evening streets.


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