?Chapter 1224:


    Heat red through Chris. He had never seen this side of Maia before.


    And somewhere deep in his gut, he knew it—the invisible barrier between them had just dissolved into nothing.


    By chance, when Maia finished speaking, Chris realized the moment hade to reveal the truth to her as well. He was not a spoiled rich kid or a man who lived off women, as others had painted him to be.


    Back in his college years, Chris had already built several businesses thanks to his sharp eye for opportunities, amassing a fortune worth tens of billions. He had used that wealth to establish ST, the world’s top hacker group, and to bring The Mask into existence.


    Everything he had done served a single purpose: to one day exact revenge on those who had killed his parents. It was his way of standing up to the power lurking behind Kolton.


    Not long ago, Chris’s people had finally captured an undercover agent. Just before taking his own life, the man had revealed the organization’s name: Shadow Syndicate.


    Pulling himself back to the present, Chris pressed his palms into the mattress and slowly pushed himself upright. “I have something to tell you as well,” he said.


    The moment the words left his mouth, he noticed that Maia had gone silent. She was staring downward, her entire face flushed a deep red.


    Chris followed her gaze and realized that when he had just sat up, Maia, who had been sitting across his waist, had slipped slightly and ended up pressed against his groin.


    The air between them instantly grew thick and unbearably awkward. “Um… Mr. Cooper, please keep yourposure,” Maia whispered, her voice barely audible.


    But the sight of her looking so embarrassed only made Chris’s body react even more strongly.


    He had no idea what to say.


    Maia was just as speechless.


    The situation had be painfully awkward, yet they couldn’t remain frozen like this forever.


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    “Don’t move,” Maia said, gripping his shoulder. She quickly stood up, jumped off the bed, and rushed out of the room, heading straight for the bathroom and leaving Chris sitting there alone.


    He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down, though it didn’t work very well.


    Just the memory of Maia’s tempting yet shy expression made Chris’s body react all over again.


    He swallowed hard, feeling cornered by his own thoughts. He got up and stepped out of Maia’s bedroom.


    The bathroom door was still shut. Chris didn’t linger. He went straight to the kitchen, turned on the tap, and sshed cold water onto his face again and again until he finally felt somewhat normal.


    Once the charity g was over, he would act. The time hade to confront Cooper Group head-on.


    Chris didn’t want to keep torturing himself like this, always afraid that next time he might lose controlpletely. He had sworn he would settle everything as soon as possible—and then give Maia a wedding that would make the whole world stop and stare.


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