?Chapter 361:


    Merlin’s strategy emerged with crystalline rity. “I demand that Norwood, Joslyn, and Trinity present themselves before Hailee and offer their apologies with genuine remorse. Should Hailee choose to extend her forgiveness, then we can consider the matter resolved. However, if her heart still carries the weight of their wrongdoings and plots, the Craig family will continue to feel the full force of my displeasure. I’ll maintain relentless pressure until Hailee feels she has finally gotten her justice.”


    Cole responded with businesslike efficiency, “Understoodpletely. I’ll deliver your terms to the Craig family without dy.”


    Then, Cole’s tone shifted toward the personal as he fired off another message. “Now that we’ve settled the pressing matters, I find myself curious about something more intimate.”


    Merlin’s reply carried an undertone of cautious interest. “Go ahead and ask.”


    Cole’s fingers hesitated briefly before typing his burning question. “You’ve always carried yourself as someone carved from granite,pletely untouchable by romantic entanglements. What exins this sudden transformation where Hailee is concerned?”


    Merlin’s response crackled with barely contained emotion. “We’re both men, and you’ve experienced the depths of marriage. How can you possibly im confusion about this?”


    Cole pressed deeper into uncharted territory. “If we were discussing An or Manley, everything would make perfect sense. They’d simply be smitten by Hailee’s charms. But you? Something about this doesn’t align with everything I thought I knew. Are you driven by some noble quest for justice, or is there something more primal at work here?”


    Merlin’s words carried the weight of revtion. “Why is it so odd that I developed feelings for a woman?”


    Cole’s skepticism sharpened like a de finding its edge. “Aren’t you the guy who swore off rtionships? Didn’t you once proim that intimacy made your stomach turn with disgust?”


    Merlin’s response flowed with quiet conviction. “Human hearts possess the remarkable ability to transform. From the moment Hailee entered my world, my entire perspective began shifting like sand in an hourss. Intimacy no longer seems so bad.”


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    What Merlin carefully concealed from Cole was the thunderous way his pulse hammered against his ribs whenever Hailee drew near, as if his heart might burst from the confines of his chest. This secret remained locked away in the deepest chambers of his being. Merlin found himself wondering whether other men experienced this same overwhelming tsunami of sensation when destiny introduced them to someone truly special, but he had no reliable way to measure his experience against others. True to his nature, he wasn’t about to hand over those feelings on a silver tter. He kept them buried, tucked away in silence, hoping he’d eventually make sense of the chaos they brought with them.


    Yesterday, when Merlin encountered Hailee again beneath the banquet’s glittering chandeliers, that untamed sensation had crashed over him like a rogue wave against rocky shores. Drawing close enough to catch the subtle notes of her perfume during their conversation, he felt mes kindle beneath his skin, his thoughts grew thick as honey, and his legs transformed into something resembling overcooked pasta.


    The symptoms mirrored a brewing illness, yet he remained utterly bewildered by their mysterious origin.


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