?Chapter 211:


    Marc’s jaw tightened. “Understood.”


    He pulled Haley away, practically dragging her out of the venue.


    Down in the parking garage, once they were back in the car, Haley finally exploded. “Are you kidding me, Marc? Did you not see what they did to me?! They hit me!” Couldn’t he see her reddened face?


    Marc stared straight ahead, not even ncing at her. “And didn’t you bring it on yourself?”


    His tone was cold. Detached. Like he was speaking to a stranger. Everything had been spiralingtely, and Haley’s antics had only made things worse.


    Haley snapped. “Coward!” she shouted. “You’re such a coward, Marc! Everything I did—every bit of it—was for you! You just stood there, like some pathetic little nobody, while they humiliated me! No wonder Ste dumped you for him!”


    Marc’s expression darkened further. But the Walsh Group was still in crisis. He needed her. At least for now.


    He inhaled deeply and forced himself to stay calm. “You were impulsive. You don’t know what you’re dealing with. You can’t go up against someone like William.”


    Haley scoffed, arms crossed, still fuming—but she caught the shift in his tone. And just like that, the anger in her eyes morphed into something smug. She knew he still needed her. “Well, you didn’t defend me earlier. I’m not okay with that. You better make it up to me.”


    Marc swallowed down his frustration. “Fine. Whatever it takes.” Only then did her mood ease slightly.


    Marc clenched the steering wheel, the weight of regret growing heavier in his chest.


    He never should’ve touched Haley in the first ce. He’d ruined everything with Ste, and now, even if he wanted to walk away, he couldn’t shake Haley off if he tried.


    The venue, once buzzing with life, had faded into a hush. With his hands tucked into his pockets, William broke the silence. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride back.”


    When they reached the institute’s dormitory, Ste paused at the entrance, ncing at William. “Thanks foring with me today. Sorry for dragging you into all that.”


    Without waiting for a response, she slipped inside and disappeared down the hall.


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    Alone in her room, Ste let the hot shower wash away the day’s stress.


    Marc and Haley haunted her thoughts, clinging to her like gum she couldn’t scrape off—sticky, relentless, impossible to ignore.


    Exhaustion set in, but as she toweled her hair dry, restlessness gnawed at her.


    She found herself staring out the window, where the night sky sprawled above, streaked with thin clouds and scattered, faint stars. The moon hovered behind the haze, neither fully hidden nor quite revealed. On impulse, she grabbed a jacket and made her way up to the rooftop.


    Cool night air brushed her face, tangling her damp hair and making her clothes dance around her frame.


    She wandered toward the edge, seeking quiet, only to catch sight of someone standing in the shadowed corner near the wall—a familiar silhouette, waiting in the gloom.


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