?Chapter 917:


    The clock kept ticking, every second dragging heavier than thest. udius found himself growing more agitated by the minute. The wait was bing unbearable.


    Truthfully, he should have gone to Maia long before this. Still, a strange feeling crept in, leaving him oddly unmoored.


    “How pathetic! You thought you could run things like Father did. But look at you, udius. You can’t even steer your own life,” he muttered under his breath with a bitter smile.


    A secondter, he pressed his fingers to his temples and drew a deep breath. The storm passed, and his usualposure settled back in.


    After standing still for a few seconds, udius reached for his phone and opened Maia’s contact. He typed quickly: “Maia, I’m heading to Otruitho soon to oversee the operations there. Before I leave, there’s something important I need to say face-to-face. I know this mighte out of nowhere, but if I let this moment slip, I might never get the chance again. Can we meet?”


    He didn’t hit send right away. For a full minute, he just stared at the screen, weighing the tone and every word.<fn7fe2> ???s ??????? ?s ?????? ?? Find1Novel</fn7fe2>


    Once he was sure it sounded right, he pressed send. The messagended, and the screen quietly disyed a single word: “Delivered.” No response came—not right away.


    udius kept his gaze fixed on the screen until the light in his eyes slowly faded.


    Eventually, he let out a long breath and set the phone down on the desk without care.


    Each second dragged on, making the room feel heavier, as if the silence itself pressed down on him, stirring unease that wouldn’t settle.


    Unable to keep still, udius tapped his fingers against the desk, then stood up and began pacing once more.


    Five minutes went by, then ten. Still, there was no word from Maia.


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    Atst, udius stopped pacing and made up his mind.


    He swung the office door open. “Secretary,” he called out.


    “Yes, Mr. Cooper. What do you need?”


    “If Kiley shows up asking for me, contact me right away.” udius’s voice held a firm edge that left no room for questions.


    “Understood, Mr. Cooper.”


    After giving the instruction, udius grabbed his coat and walked out briskly.


    Just outside the Cooper Group tower, he paused and cast a look back at the towering structure that had long been his world.


    A strange heaviness crept in. Would he be back anytime soon? He couldn’t tell. Without dwelling further, he climbed into his car and stepped on the gas, though he had no clear destination in mind.


    Maia’s home address? udius didn’t even have that.


    His thoughts churned restlessly. No matter how hard he tried to focus, Maia’s face kept surfacing in his mind.


    Questions kept flooding his mind. Could it be that she was too busy to check her phone? Or had she seen it already and just didn’t know how to respond? “God…” he muttered, one hand gripping the wheel, the other supporting his head as he let out a hollow chuckle.


    The sun was at its peak, casting sharp rays over the city of Wront.


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