?Chapter 1054:


    “What means?” Chris fought to steady the rush of eagerness rising within, forcing his voice to remainposed.


    “Give me your location, and I’ll send over two entry passes,” Kiley replied at a deliberate pace, then borated, “Cooper Group is preparing a major phnthropic banquet. Grandpa, as the former president of Cooper Group, will be present. I’ll carve out a small window for you to meet him privately. But I can’t guarantee how long that moment will be. I’ll do my best to secure it for you. This path is the only realistic choice. I trust you grasp that and won’t squander the chance.”


    She added softly, “Be assured. Father won’t be informed of this.”


    The meaning beneath her words was in. If Kolton learned of it, even with Kiley’s involvement, Chris would lose every possibility of seeing Laurence alone.


    In addition, she was reminding him that this would be the single opening. Before Chris could reply, Kiley continued, “I’m handing you two passes. Surely you understand the significance of that?”


    “Oh? And what significance would that be?” Chris pretended ignorance.


    He remained mindful that his guise as the unwanted and talentless illegitimate son in the eyes of the Coopers had to be upheld.


    “Ms. Cooper, you know my nature. Unless you rify, I might fail to catch your meaning,” Chris added evenly.


    “Chris, such tricks are wasted between us.” Kiley let out a lightugh, unwilling to prolong the guessing game.<fnbad0> Original content can be found at Find1Novel</fnbad0>


    “I can read your character at a nce.” She dismissed Chris’s pretense and redirected the talk. “Returning to the main point, let me be candid. I expect… you and Maia to attend this banquet together. Don’t worry. I sincerely hope you both can join. Perhaps we’ve had friction over Mariana, but this gathering offers a chance to ease those strains, doesn’t it?”


    “So that’s all… You ought to have said so from the start. I’ll ask Maia if she’s willing to attend.” Chris still carried on with the shallow image the Coopers had of him, cautious that Kiley might not have seen his true colors and was just saying so to test him.


    After replying, he promptly added, “But there’s no need to deliver the passes to my residence. I’ll collect them myself. I prefer not to have anyone know where I stay. After all, at eighteen, I barely escaped an ambush and took a bullet.”


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    “My sympathies for that,” Kiley murmured as she shifted upright, her gaze dimming. She had certainly heard of that ordeal. Even her father, Kolton, had deliberately sent men to uncover the truth at the time. Kolton had told her that when they discovered the assant, he had already shot himself.


    Whether Chris was simply affecting weakness or genuinely a lost cause was something Kiley despised. She hoped it was an act; if not, his existence dragged shame upon the Cooper family.


    “Indeed. You all regret it. Perhaps everyone’s lives would have been smoother if I had perished back then.”


    “Don’t say that. Whatever the case, you remain part of the Cooper family,” Kiley whispered, forcing down her displeasure. “Still, I see your caution. In that case, appear at Cooper Group tomorrow. Someone will be waiting in the lobby for you.”


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