?Chapter 1472:


    What Chris failed to notice was that his prolonged silence felt to Raegan like a crushing verdict — as though a vast and unseen threat loomed over her, ready to descend without warning.


    “Answer me,” he said abruptly. “Why did you target Maia?”


    The question shattered the stillness, tearing through the silence he had allowed to stretch too long.


    “I want the truth.” Chris tightened his hold, his tone hardening as he spoke. “Since you did not betray us, exin this. Why did you disobey my orders? Why did you put Maia directly in danger?”


    Raegan dropped her gaze.


    The restraint she had maintained began to unravel. All the feelings she had buried — longing twisted with envy — burst free in that instant.


    “I… I’m jealous of Maia. Because I suspected you were Mr. M, sir, and I saw how generously you treated her. You gave her expensive gifts. You were good to her.”


    At her words, Chris’s brows drew together beneath the mask. Jealousy? That was her reason?


    “You have overstepped,” he said quietly.


    A faint shudder ran through Raegan’s body. Even so, there were questions she could no longer keep buried. She understood what awaited her — severe punishment, perhaps even death. Still, as long as the leader remained unharmed, she could meet that end without regret.


    She paused briefly, then raised her head and met Chris’s gaze. “I know. But I can’t control myself. Because I love you, sir. Why won’t you look at me the way you look at her? In what way am I inferior to Maia? I want to know what makes her better than me, and why you chose to love her. Please — give me a clear answer.”


    Raegan held her head high, her eyes fixed on Chris as he sat above her.


    “My connection with Maia is strictly business,” Chris answered evenly, his voice steady, leaving no space for doubt or misinterpretation.


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    In his mind, the one he had always treasured was the young girl who had saved him years ago. As for Maia — “In more ways than one, Maia has slowed Cooper Group’s progress,” he continued. “Right now, she represents Cooper Group’s greatest obstacle.”


    He constructed a rational justification for every act of generosity he had shown her. Though an unspoken discord lingered within him — a hollow space in his chest — cold logic was sufficient to keep those sensations contained.


    “Strictly business?” Raegan’s eyes flew open.


    Chris’s exnation reached her ears like a hymn of salvation. Everything suddenly aligned. Her jealousy, born without proof, had driven her toward a false conclusion. Chris had only wanted to ensure she stopped targeting Maia — and perhaps Mr. M’s gifts had been nothing more than tools to elevate Maia into a visible threat, forcing Cooper Group to shift its focus onto her.


    That, in truth, was exactly what had been happening.


    Kiley had long regarded Maia as a thorn she could not ignore, mobilizing every resource at her disposal to suppress her. In that instant, it felt as though a sharp current surged through Raegan’s thoughts, and rity washed over her.


    She had been blind — failing to recognize the leader’s calcted brilliance. He had used Maia as bait to draw Cooper Group’s attention, cing her squarely in the spotlight while Raegan remained concealed, operating from the shadows, earning Kiley’s trust and quietly collecting information. Every step had served a single purpose: uncovering concrete proof of Cooper Group’s crimes.


    Chris was an illegitimate son of the Cooper family who had turned against his own blood in the name of justice. How could a man driven by ideals that lofty allow himself to be distracted by something as trivial as romantic attachment before his mission wasplete?


    Raegan mocked herself inwardly. She was truly pathetic. She had nearly destroyed the leader’s entire n over something so small, so selfish.


    “I understand now, sir,” she said aloud, her voice trembling, caught somewhere between a sob and a hollowugh. “Thank you for making me see how foolish I was. I am not worthy of being the deputy leader of The Mask. I am willing to pay for this with my life.”


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