Chapter 1313:


    Zoey’s warning echoed in her mind: “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer!”


    Zoey’s own ruin had begun when Kolton turned traitor—a betrayal that had led her to where she was now.


    A coldness crept through Maia’s fingers, though her mind stayed steady as she turned over the facts and began to notice inconsistencies in Shiloh’s words.


    What did st chance” actually mean here? How could he take her into custody when he had no warrant?


    The procedure wasn’twful. It looked more like theater. Maia worked out what Shiloh was really getting at with his speech. She stayed quiet briefly, then gave a nod, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.


    She turned to Kiley with a calm smile. Her tone came out cheerful and genuine as she said, “Thank you, Ms. Cooper. I really appreciate this kind of arrangement.”


    Her statement left the hall inplete silence.


    Kiley and Raegan weren’t the only ones thrown off; even audience members looked confused and creased their foreheads. Maia was thanking Kiley?


    Kiley’s eyes narrowed, her nails digging into her palm without her realizing it. She didn’t know how to respond. Something felt wrong about Maia’s gratitude.


    Shiloh was interrogating Maia—she ought to have looked nervous, scared, or at least unsettled. Instead, she stood perfectlyposed, even sincere.


    It gave Kiley the uneasy sense that Maia could see straight through her schemes.


    Still, what did it matter if Maia suspected her? Maia had no proof, and without evidence, words were meaningless. Besides, Kiley had never once humiliated Maia publicly during the event and had actually been thanking her the whole time. Kiley wondered what was happening with Maia. Why didn’t she show any signs of worry?


    Raegan was equally baffled by Maia’s reaction. Her frown deepened, hands balling into fists at her sides.


    In all her years dealing with people, Raegan had rarely encountered someone so unreadable, so impossible to predict. She told herself Maia was only pretending to be calm—that inside, she must be so rattled she’d ended up thanking her enemy. How pathetic.


    Question marks flooded the chat feed.


    People watching the livestream also felt lost. Many began voicing their confusion.


    “Kiley just thanked Maia for exposing the fake Anti, and now Maia’s thanking Kiley back? What’s going on?”


    “I’mpletely lost. Can someone exin?”


    “Howe Maia seems so pleased even though she’s being interrogated?”


    “Has she lost it? Or have I?”


    Someone started sharing insider information on Twitter and simr tforms.


    One user revealed, “The Cooper Group holds major power in Wront, and they’ve always controlled Wront Prison.”


    Another added, “Word is that anyone wanting to be warden of Wront Prison needs the head of the Cooper family to sign off on it.”


    “Think about what type of event this is today. Would any of these people even be here without the Cooper Group allowing it?”


    Public sentiment began shifting without anyone quite noticing.


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