Chapter 1623:


    Chris’s grip tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned pale. He swallowed hard.


    Should he tell her? If he did, would she see him differently? Would she feel deceived? Would she look at him and see someone consumed by the same shadows?


    After a long, suffocating pause, he backed down.


    He drew in a slow breath and answered carefully. “For now — nothing.”


    Nothing?


    Maia arched a brow. She didn’t buy it. If he wasn’t going to talk, then she would — and this time, she wouldn’t let him weasel his way out.


    “Fine.” She leaned back and crossed her arms, her posture shifting into something far more deliberate. “Then it’s my turn.”


    Chris’s heart stumbled. Had she figured it out?


    ????????????????e ??????e???? ??n ??????n?????????.??o??


    “Mr. Cooper.” Her voice was calm, but each wordnded heavy. “If my memory serves me right — Grayson worked for Mr. M. He showed up at my birthday party with a whole bundle of gifts from Mr. M. That’s why I remember him so well.”


    Chris’s eyes widened. His breath turned shallow and uneven, his heart hammering up into his throat.


    Panic seized him.


    For so long, he had maintained a carefully constructed facade in her presence. The yboy image was nothing but an act. The idle rich man — carefully crafted. Even the faint edge of cynicism he carried was part of the mask. He was Mr. M. The leader of The Mask. The man pulling invisible strings across multinational corporations. The shadowed figure who could flip the underworld upside down with a singlemand.


    Back then, terrified that Maia might uncover the truth — and determined to keep her far from danger — he had erased every loose end he could think of. He had even sent Brad, the only driver who knew everything, overseas to manage a branch office.


    And yet he had never expected Grayson to be the crack in his armor. Nor had he expected Maia to be this sharp.


    Cold sweat soaked through his shirt. Slowly, stiffly, he turned to face her.


    Their eyes met in the narrow space of the car. Maia’s gaze was sharp and unwavering, as though she had already pieced it all together long ago.


    Why was he this nervous? Maybe he feared her anger. Maybe, even more, he feared seeing disappointment.


    “You…” His throat felt parched. The words wouldn’te.


    Maia already knew. But she needed to hear it from him.


    “Chris.” She spoke carefully, every syble deliberate. “What is your rtionship with Mr. M?”


    The air seemed to freeze. His heart pounded violently in his chest.


    Just as his mind wentpletely nk, a deafening screech of tires tore through the silence, shattering everything.


    Chris mmed the brakes, his foot crushing the pedal to the floor.


    The violent jolt hurled both of them forward, seatbelts snapping tight across their chests. Tires shrieked against the asphalt, dragging a harsh ck scar across the highway before the car shuddered to a stop.


    He had not braked to avoid answering Maia’s question about Mr. M.


    .


    .


    .<hr>


    Message from Noa: Hope you’re having a great time, lovely readers. Have a great day! God loves you and Noa wishes you all the best. (>?=)?


    .


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!