?Chapter 926:


    Years might have passed, but living in Wront had taught Cade that those wounds ran much deeper than outsiders ever guessed. Risking everything for twenty thousand dors no longer seemed remotely worthwhile. His earlier doubts weighed even heavier, and right then, Cade resolved to walk away from the assignment. He’d return the payment and make sure to cut all ties with his client.


    As for whether he should give Maia a heads-up, he saw no need to do it himself, for he trusted that his assistant would handle it.


    As these thoughts circled in his mind, Cade’s phone began to vibrate. One nce at the screen revealed a new message from Mnie: “Keep tracking Maia. I need a report on every stop she makes, every person she meets, and, if possible, record or remember every word she says today. Complete this, and you’ll earn another eighty thousand dors.”


    Stuck at school with Ethan for the day, Mnie had little choice but to leave everything to the private eye she hired. So far, Cade’s speed and results had impressed her, and now she dangled a muchrger reward to have him uncover the truth about Maia’s mysterious husband.


    Reading the offer, Cade squinted and reread the figure, making sure he wasn’t imagining things. Eighty thousand stared back at him from the screen. That amount just for another day of surveince?


    There was no sense in second-guessing. When money talks, it is hard not to listen.


    Raising his hand, Cade quietly caught the waiter’s eye, pressed some cash into his palm, and murmured a request. Within minutes, he’d imed a spot just steps from udius and Maia. He lowered the brim of his cap, slipped in his earphones, and pretended to be on a call while he listened intently.


    With poisedposure, Maia settled into her chair, eyes lifting ever so slightly to study udius, who was sitting across from her. He had dressed with clear intention—navy shirt beneath a charcoal zer, every strand of hair neatly slicked back. The cool confidence of a polished executive surrounded him, though the subtle way he traced his finger around his coffee cup hinted at nervousness beneath the surface.


    He lingered in silence, searching for the right words, as though answers pressed at his chest but refused to be spoken aloud.


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    “Mr. Cooper, if there’s something on your mind, you can say it now,” Maia said, skipping past formalities with crisp resolve. Her tone was even, stripped of unnecessary sentiment.


    Her directness took udius by surprise. After a moment’s recovery, he offered a small nod. “Thank you for meeting with me today.”


    He straightened his shoulders and paused, lips pressed tight, before turning his attention back to Maia. “There’s something I wanted to tell you face-to-face. I’ll be leaving soon for Otruitho for business. I don’t know how long I’ll be staying there; it could be a year, five years, or maybe…”


    A simple nod from Maia told him she had already heard. “The news covered your transfer. Is that all you wanted to talk about?”


    His answer came in a hesitant shake of the head. Drawing a slow, steadying breath, udius clutched his cup and forced himself onward. “Honestly, I’ve admired you for a long time. Back at the Cooper Group g, you stood out in a way I can’t exin. There’s something maic about you—your energy, your confidence, the way you light up a room.” Speaking from the heart didn’te easily to udius. Each phrase fell from his lips with careful precision, as if he feared the wrong word would scatter everything he hoped to say.


    Maia arched a single eyebrow, yet she let the silence linger.


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