?Chapter 1473:
The atmosphere stiffened, a heavy silence pressing down on them once again.
After a long stretch of quiet, Chris finally spoke, exhaustion threading through his measured tone. “My father once told me that a subordinate’s first mistake should be forgiven.”
Raegan wentpletely still, her mind struggling to ept what she had just heard.
This time, she had nearly caused the leader’s death, sparked internal discord, and cost the organization the lives of manyrades — and that did not even ount for her past errors, none of which deserved mercy. If their positions were reversed, she knew she would never spare a subordinate who had disobeyed her orders.
Bitterness surged through her without warning, and tears spilled down her face again. “Sir… please punish me. I will ept anything. Even if you decide I must die, I will not resist.”
Behind the mask, Chris cast her an impatient look.
She wanted death? That was nothing more than a convenient escape — and far too merciful for what she had done.
His voice dropped, cold and deliberate. “This time, you should thank my father. It is because of his principles that you are being given an opportunity to redeem yourself. However…”AdChoicesADVERTISING
He paused.
Chris’s voice cooled to a lethal calm, every word edged with unmistakable intent. “My father left another instruction: make sure your subordinates suffer the price of repeating old errors.”
The strength drained from his tone without warning, and his frame swayed as though bnce had slipped away. “Do not fail me again.”
?????? ??????? ??еa???????? еxре????????c?? ???? ??а?????ve????.с????
The ground beneath him seemed to whirl, the space around him refusing to stay still. His thoughts dulled into emptiness, his vision bleeding into a hazy blur.
Raegan sank her teeth into her lower lip, pain grounding her as resolve settled deep within her. “Thank you for showing mercy, sir. I swear I will never betray your trust again. From this moment on, my life is bound to yourmand.”
Pain twisted through Chris’s body, and he forced himself to remain conscious as he spoke through the strain. “Next, show me the limits of what you can endure. The strategic confrontation with Cooper Group begins now. Kolton Cooper’s corruption must be exposed to the public, and Cooper Group must be crushed entirely. This is a direct order.”
When the words had left his mouth, he turned his gaze toward Grayson. His voice was barely steady. “Get me somewhere I can rest.”
Grayson moved without hesitation — hurrying forward, lowering himself, and signaling for Chris to lean against his back.
Raegan watched Chris go, guilt weighing heavily alongside a growing sense of reverence. She had no idea he had also undergone head surgery to remove an old fragment from his brain, and so she believed every injury he carried existed because of her. In that moment, hismanding presence and sweeping vision seized herpletely. She swore to fulfill his mission, uncover decisive evidence of Cooper Group’s crimes, and bring them down without mercy. In her heart, this became her way of avenging him.
Just then, a man stepped forward from the shadows.
His figure was draped in a ck cloak, his face concealed behind a gas mask. It was gue, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
“Our leader is always like this,” he said, drawing out a key and unlocking the restraints binding Raegan. “His vision never stops at what lies in front of him. Since the leader has spoken, your position as deputy leader remains unchanged. Please proceed with arranging the next phase.”
Raegan responded with a firm nod, slowly flexing her wrists — the skin raw and reddened from the shackles. She was inplete agreement, not a single doubt forming in her mind. Now that she knew the leader was actually Chris, the illegitimate child of the Cooper family, her admiration for him had deepened into something closer to reverence. Turning his back on his own blood for the sake of countless others made him the embodiment of both quiet romance and undeniable heroism.
.
.
.