?Chapter 128:


    Haley hadn’t imagined Marc would treat her like this. Back overseas, admirers surrounded her, yet here, Marc acted as if she were beneath him.


    Fury coursed through her, making her entire frame tremble.


    It had to be Ste’s fault. She must’ve filled his head with lies. Why was everyone so taken with that woman? Even the most untouchable businessmen couldn’t seem to stop talking about her.


    Haley stood rigid outside the Walsh estate, her expression twisted with frustration.


    She’d tried everything to pull Marc away from Ste—and she wasn’t about to let that woman continue poisoning his view. Marc belonged to her. Only her.


    Haley pulled out her phone and tapped in a number. “Yeah, it’s time. Go ahead with what we discussed.”


    Whatever response she received left her grinning, and she ended the call, clearly pleased.


    Initially, Haley had considered moving at a leisurely pace, but if Ste insisted on courting disaster, there was no point in holding back.


    After work, Ste sank into the driver’s seat of her car. She took out her phone and opened WhatsApp. Her breath caught. The WhatsApp chat she’d kept pinned for Sharon’s new number suddenly blinked—those stubborn gray checks finally turned blue. Her spirits instantly lifted.


    She clicked into the chat and quickly typed, “Took you long enough! Where have you been hiding these days?”


    Sharon Mitchell was her closest friend. Ever since she’d joined that confidential project, Ste had lost touch with Sharon. Even after the project wrapped up, she hadn’t been able to track Sharon down. A little digging revealed Sharon had switched to a new number and abandoned all her old social media ounts.


    For more than two weeks, she’d tried to get back in touch with Sharon.


    Today, atst, Sharon read her messages.


    A surge of excitement bubbled up inside her.


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    Sharon’s message popped up. “Oh, nothing major. I switched numbers because the scam calls got out of control, and I’ve just been swampedtely—totally missed your messages.”


    Ste’s fingers flew over the keyboard. “Want to grab dinner tonight?” She couldn’t remember thest time Sharon had crossed her path.


    “Dinner’s a stretch—I’m tied up this afternoon. But how about we hit a bar tonight instead? Could use a little fun!” Sharon shot back.


    A teasing emoji danced at the end of her message, coaxing a grin from Ste.


    That one little icon conjured Sharon’s familiar, mischievous face as clearly as if she were standing right there.


    After dinner, Ste stepped into the bar at nine sharp, right on time. Warm country melodies drifted through the air, giving the ce an inviting charm that never veered into chaos.


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