?Chapter 1148:


    Bending closer, Rnd brushed his lips near Pattie’s ear and muttered, “She can wait. Right now belongs to us.”


    “You—” Pattie barely formed the word before his mouth imed hers again.


    This time, the kiss surged with urgency, fierce as waves crashing against the shore.


    Only after a full minute did their lips part atst.


    Breathing unevenly, Pattie rested her fingertips against Rnd’s chest, easing him back, though her reluctance was clear. “Looks like you’re getting better at this.”


    A mischievous thought flickered, and she let it spill in a yful yet probing tone. “Careful now… if we don’t stop, Maia might think something’s wrong and storm right in. Or maybe… you want her to catch us in the act? Surely—”


    Her yful remark never reached its end because the lock suddenly shifted.


    The handle pressed downward, and a thin de of hallway light cut through the darkened suite.


    Pattie froze in ce, and Rnd did the same, neither daring to exhale.


    When the door swung wider, the dull thud of boots struck the carpet one after another. A squad of bodyguards marched inside, fanning out in a practiced formation while the radios strapped to their wrists hissed with a sharp crackle.


    The front man swept his eyes across the suite, and once he was sure there was no threat, he asked, “Ms. Miller, are you unharmed?”


    Only then did Pattie understand. Because she hadn’t opened the door for some time, the guards had assumed there was danger. Forcing her voice steady, she lifted a hand and gestured them back. “It’s fine. Stay outside and keep watch.”


    “Understood, ma’am.”


    The squad filed back toward the entrance, pausing only long enough to count their numbers before stepping out.


    Just before the group cleared the doorway, a recognizable figure lingered. Eyes bright and searching, Maia looked straight toward them.


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    At once, Pattie stood up and hurried past the guards. “So you’ve finally arrived, Maia.”


    Without waiting for a reply, Pattie seized Maia’s hand and steered her into the nearest room, shutting out questions before they could form.


    The heavy door mmed shut, echoing through the suite.


    Alone now, Rnd remained seated in the living room.


    His breath still came in uneven bursts, and the heat of Pattie’s closeness seemed to linger around his ear.


    Taking a few deep breaths, Rnd sat up straight, buttoning his shirt, trying to regain his professionalposure.


    His eyes drifted toward the briefcase resting by the sofa, the dull shine of its ck leather catching the light.


    Insidey the files he had organized with painstaking precision. His first intention had been to present those appeal papers to the court that very day, hoping they might turn the tide of Zoey’s trial.


    “Zoey…”


    The name drifted through Rnd’s thoughts like a whisper he refused to let go.


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