?Chapter 1119:


    Just as he reached to step out, Rnd froze mid-motion, his foot lingering above the floor.


    “It might already be toote,” he muttered with uncertainty.<fn2d3c> Find the newest release on </fn2d3c>


    His gaze flicked toward Maia, who offered no sign of emotion, and then he finally pushed himself out of the car.


    After Rnd stepped out, Pattie sank into her seat and exhaled heavily.


    “Ugh… I overdid it with the drinksst night. I never actually told him to leave town, though I did warn him he’s drawing too much attention and couldnd in trouble.” She gave a crooked smile. “And you know what Rnd said? He imed he wasn’t scared at all. Then he tipped back his whiskey like a fool and copsed right there on the table. Honestly, if I’d shown up with the intent to finish him off, he wouldn’t have stood a chance.”


    Eager to continue her story, Pattie turned toward Maia, only to notice her friend’s knitted brows and the unspoken words hovering on her lips.


    With a teasing lift of her eyebrow, Pattie said, “Maia, what’s that look for? Stop worrying. I’ll spell it out for Rnd today that he needs to pack up and leave Wront. And if he’s stubborn about it, I’ll just have my bodyguards drag him onto a ne bound for Drakmire.”


    The image of Pattie’s hulking bodyguards in sleek suits and dark sses wrestling Rnd onto a ne made Maia burst intoughter. “That n… doesn’t sound half bad. But, Pattie, that’s not really what I wanted to bring up.” A steadying breath slipped from her lips as she tried topose herself. “Truth is, I’d rather not hide this from you, but—”


    Right then, a ringtone cut through the moment.


    With a nce at the screen, Pattie raised a finger toward Maia. “Give me a second. I need to answer this.”


    Three minutes crawled by before Pattie wrapped up her call.


    With a casual shrug, she set the phone aside. “So, I’ve got one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which do you want first?”


    “The bad news,” Maia replied at once, not even pausing to think.


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    “I thought you’d say that,” Pattie muttered with a weary sigh. “MCN’s sales have taken a hit this month. We’re down more than thirty percent.”


    Instead of shock, Maia’s features softened; she had already expected numbers to fall.


    The storm of criticism in recent weeks hadn’t singled her out—it had swept across MCN as well.


    “And the good news?” Maia pressed.


    “The good news is, I listened to you. I bought up gold when you suggested, and now the prices have soared. The gains are big enough to cover the sales loss.” Pride flickered in Pattie’s voice as she turned to Maia. “But tell me, Maia—what was it you were about to say earlier?”


    For a brief second, Maia wrestled with her words before she finally let them out. “Pattie, I can’t keep this from you anymore. I wasn’t truthful with youst night. I know who the woman Rnd once had feelings for is…”


    At once, Pattie leaned in with curiosity. “Tell me, who is it?”


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