?Chapter 1231:


    When the betrayal wasplete, Kolton revealed his true nature. Instead of honoring his promise, he sent his men to erase the only witness to his schemes.


    Fortunately, Cohen’s instincts had saved him just in time, allowing him to slip away before things turned fatal. But once he disappeared, Wront was no longer a safe haven. Every corner of the city felt like a trap waiting to snap shut around him.


    He kept running, yet Kolton’s pursuit never wavered. Wherever Cohen sought refuge, killers soon appeared, as if even the shadows themselves carried his scent.


    When his hiding ce was finally discovered, desperation drove him to the doorstep of an old friend—Richard—hisst thread of safety in a world that had turned against him.


    Back then, he had lived like a ghost beneath that roof, never daring to step beyond the attic door.


    The shadows were his onlypanions until Richard’s daughter began appearing with trays of food and a quiet smile that somehow lingered in his memory.


    Truthfully, Cohen had often wondered whether Maia was really Richard’s daughter. She was far too clever and radiant to belong to a man as in as him.


    With each visit, she brought not only meals but also small pastries and stories from the outside world. She never questioned why he hid there, though her eyes suggested she already knew.


    In gratitude, Cohen entertained her with stories he made up on the spot, each more ridiculous than thest.


    Once, he had teased her, “You’re going to grow into a fine youngdy someday, Maia. I can’t imagine which lucky man will get to marry you. Tell your father to send word when that dayes. I’ll bring a gift that will make everyone talk.”


    Maia’s cheeks had flushed a deep pink, and she had darted away, leaving only her shyughter behind.


    A sharp breath dragged Cohen back to the present. Those memories hovered before him, raw and vivid, as if they had happened only yesterday.


    The thought of Richard and Maia dying made him clench his fists, the pressure nching the skin at his knuckles.


    For years, he had nned to vanish and spend his remaining days in quiet exile. Saving Jarrod and learning what had be of the Morgan family felt like a strange twist of fate, one that pushed him forward.


    Grief swelled inside Cohen, stinging his eyes until they burned. Having betrayed his employer once, he refused to betray a friend now. Redemption called to him, and he would not allow past mistakes to bind him to regret.


    “My gift to you will be this: the head of your enemyid at your grave, since I cannot attend your wedding,” Cohen said.


    In that moment, his resolve hardened. Leaving his hiding ce no longer seemed impossible, even if Kolton’s men or covert operatives stood in his way.


    He slowly rxed his hands and muttered to himself, “Thest time I repaid Richard, it was with collectibles worth more than ten million. This time, Maia will be the reason.”


    At first, he didn’t bother to check on Jarrod’s condition. Crossing the room, he lifted the mattress and revealed a hidden cache of firearms, boxes of ammunition, and several grenades. Without hesitation, he grabbed a tactical backpack and began stuffing it with weapons and supplies.


    .


    .


    .