?Chapter 323:


    Loosened by the alcohol, Maxwell let out a loose chuckle and jabbed yfully, “I heard a rumor… that you’ve been… kept?”


    Chris lifted an eyebrow in mild amusement. “Word gets around fast.”


    With a groan, Maxwell dragged a hand across his forehead. “How could it not? Wront’s tight-knit circles are practically buzzing with it!” He tipped back another sip, then leaned closer, his voice dropping to a mock whisper. “Seriously though, Chris, what’s going on? You say you’re married, but now people are saying some wealthy…”


    “Who’s the woman backing you? You’re hardly short on money, so what gives? Not into Maia?” Maxwell kept rambling, half speaking to Chris, half to himself, trying to piece it all together. “Then again, it makes sense. Maia’s nothing like the women you used to chase. She’s young, yeah, but there’s this bold, defiant streak in her. No polish, no delicate charm. But I’m curious—so many women have thrown money at you over the years, trying to win you over, but you didn’t even consider any of them. So, who’s this woman who managed to make you cave willingly?”


    Chriszily swirled his whiskey in the ss, his voice cool and unbothered. “The wealthy woman keeping me? That would be my wife.”


    Maxwell’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He almost choked on his drink, coughing as he stared at Chris as if he’d grown a second head. “What did you just say?”


    Chris’ tone stayed even, almost bored. “My wife’s the one supporting me. Is there a problem?”


    Maxwell fumbled, his words tripping over each other. “Well… no, no problem at all.” So this whole thing was just some yful back-and-forth between a couple? And he was actually seriously analyzing it?


    For a moment, Maxwell sat stunned, realizing how foolish he had been. Chris could be sly, sure—but Maia? She yed on another level entirely. This pair was something else. Truly, they were perfectly matched in their entricity.


    Maxwell slumped back with a helpless sigh, feeling utterly outssed.


    Stay tuned for more gαlnσν??s.c○m


    At Elysium Apartments, inside the room, Maia stayed perfectlyposed as she dismantled the other party’s IP defenses. With quick, sharp movements, sheunched another program, her fingers a blur across the keyboard. Her gaze remained focused, her demeanor unshaken.


    After what felt like hours, she bundled the data neatly and sent it off with a single, decisive click.


    Maia powered down herputer and exhaled deeply, a wave of relief washing over her. She copsed onto her bed, her body sagging in exhaustion.


    Lately, she had felt perpetually drained, as if time had no mercy, leaving her no room to rest. She had pushed her mind to its limits once again, and all she craved now was to throw in the towel and escape for a while.


    Her eyelids grew heavy, and within moments, the pull of sleep imed her.


    But her rest was far from peaceful. Her scattered thoughts spiraled into nightmares.


    She found herself face-to-face with Vince, Sandra, and Richard, their faces twisted with monstrous fangs. In an instant, the scene shifted, and she was back in Wront Prison, surrounded by the people who had tormented her.


    In the dream, she regressed to the helpless little girl she had once been. She clenched her teeth, swallowing any cries for mercy, even as she endured their cruelty.


    Sweat beaded on Maia’s forehead, and suddenly, her eyes snapped open, wide with shock.


    The calm ceiling above her slowly brought her back to reality, and she realized, with a deep sigh, that it had all been just a nightmare. She sat up in bed and nced at the clock—it was barely three in the morning.


    A thirst tugged at her, so she slipped out of bed and made her way to the living room for a ss of water.


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