?Chapter 1163:


    The pounding in her chest grew faster with each second. She couldn’t imagine a world without Chris, nor could she face the possibility of being erased from his memory.


    “Chris, swear to me you’ll never forget me.”


    “I swear it.”


    Maia tilted her face upward and pressed her lips to his. For once, she chose to lead. Their kiss deepened into something tender yet consuming, stretching on as if neither of them wanted it to ever end.


    In the halls of Erygan Hospital in Wront, Raegan’s brow tightened into a deep frown.


    A steady red glow still bathed the emergency room.


    Five hours had passed since Austen went into surgery, and he remained dangerously unstable.


    No one had expected the assant to topple The Mask’s fourth-ranked member so quickly. That person was terrifying.


    But Raegan hadn’t seen the opponent’s face clearly at the time, only encountered a fully armedbat squad.


    Suspicion toward Maia tightened in her chest as Raegan narrowed her eyes.


    “We’ll have to wait until Austen regains consciousness before the truth about our enemy is revealed,” Raegan muttered to herself. Deep inside, she vowed, “Whoever harmed Austen will not be spared. They will pay with their life.”


    This wasn’t only about settling a score for Austen. It was also about protecting the reputation of The Mask, which had never endured such humiliation since its creation.


    Another fear gnawed at Raegan — the possibility that the leader might learn the truth and hold her ountable. After all, the entire scheme had been her design, with Maia as the target.


    Read thetest updates at gα?ησν???s


    At that thought, a sly smile tugged at Raegan’s lips. In Wront, every member of The Mask bent to her will now. That gave her room to breathe.


    All she really needed was a convincing exnation should the leader ever demand answers.


    It struck Raegan that she had gone too long without reaching out to the leader, and an update was overdue.


    The mere thought of him brought a faint heat to her cheeks. When the operation in Wront finally came to an end, she promised herself she would reveal her feelings to him. Still, that moment had to be postponed until Maia was thoroughly ruined and erased from the spotlight.


    The Nelson family’s vi.


    Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, dark clouds gathered overhead, and the wind made the shadows of the trees sway erratically.


    Rosanna stood rooted by the ss, her gaze fixed on the wrought-iron gates, their intricate patterns stark against the gathering storm.


    Austen had yet to return, the hour growingte, and a quiet unease stirred within her, a chill tracing her spine.


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