?Chapter 172:


    He closed his eyes, exhaled, and pushed himself up from the couch. Tossing on his coat, he headed out with a scowl pulling at his lips.


    Arcade Street. Again. Wasn’t that the ce he’d just left after confronting Ste? How were Haley and Ste crossing paths everywhere he went?


    He clenched the steering wheel harder as he drove. By the time he reached the station, all he wanted was to sign whatever paper needed signing and get the hell out.


    But the officer at the desk didn’t even let him finish his sentence before holding up a hand. “I’m sorry, sir. To bail her out, we need a signed letter of forgiveness from the victim.”


    Hearing the police’s words, Marc frowned slightly. A letter of forgiveness?


    He turned his head and looked at Ste, who was sitting quietly on the other side of the station, and his heart clenched with unease. If all it took was a letter from her to settle this, Marc couldn’t help but feel that she was doing it on purpose. Just today, she had shown him nothing but cold indifference—and now she had the upper hand.


    Marc’s expression was conflicted, but in his mind, he was sure of one thing: Ste had set this up to make hime to her.


    Haley clung to his arm, her voice anxious. “Marc, you have to help me. She’s doing this on purpose. I swear I didn’t do anything this time!” Marc nced at Ste again. He believed this was exactly what she wanted—using this incident to draw him closer, forcing him to speak to her.


    After a few seconds of thought, Marc walked over to her. Ste sat on the cold stic bench, sipping her coffee calmly while Rita lounged beside her, looking more than rxed. As long as Ste didn’t sign that letter, Haley was getting locked up. Last time, she’d let it go. This time, not a chance.


    Hearing footsteps approach, Ste didn’t even lift her head. She continued sipping her coffee like she hadn’t noticed Marc at all.


    Marc sat across from her, putting on a face of sincerity. “Stel, it’s a misunderstanding. I’ll apologize. Can you give me the forgiveness?”


    Back home earlier, Marc had thought about this over and over. He figured this was just Ste’s way of throwing a tantrum. She was stubborn, always had been, and she needed time to cool off. They’d been together for years. He believed that as long as he softened his tone and gave her space, she’de back around eventually. He still remembered how much she used to love him—how she hung on his every word and never got mad no matter what he did.


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    He figured she was just being petty now. He could afford to be patient. Ste said nothing, while Rita simply gave Marc a sideways nce and let out a quiet snort.


    “Stel,” Marc continued, “Haley and I are just business partners. If she gets detained, it’ll seriously affect thepany. I know you don’t like her, but… if you can let this go, I promise to stay away from her moving forward. Okay?”


    He’d said this kind of thing before—too many times. And Ste had heard enough. It seemed he hadn’t changed at all. She took another sip of coffee and finally looked at him.


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