?Chapter 268:


    After brushing a stray hair from her cheek, William lingered for a beat, then backed out of the room, shutting the door with a soft click.


    At his own apartment, frustration still simmering beneath his calm exterior, William dialed Steven’s number. “Where are you? Let’s get a drink.”


    Steven instantly picked up on the tension in William’s voice and couldn’t resist. “What’s this, heartbroken? Trouble in paradise? Sorry, I can’t help. I’m in Asnain for work.”


    Annoyed, William tightened his grip on the phone. He’dpletely forgotten Steven was out of town.


    For a moment, he said nothing. On the other end, Steven’s enthusiasm only grew. “So I’m right, huh? You’re actually struggling with love? I never thought I’d see the day, William! You’re just as hopeless as the rest of us.”


    Steven’s relentless banter grated on William’s nerves, his expression darkening with every word.


    “I’m hanging up,” William stated tly.


    With Steven unavable, he saw no point in dragging out the conversation. He ended the call, the silence in his dorm pressing in around him.


    The next morning, sunlight filtered through gauzy curtains as Ste dragged herself upright in bed, her head throbbing from the lingering effects ofst night.


    She pressed her palm to her temple, sifting through the hazy jumble of memories. Fragments came back—leaving the bar, climbing into Shaun’s car. Had Shaun been the one who brought her home?


    As she nced down, Ste realized she was still dressed in yesterday’s rumpled clothes.


    Disgust curling in her stomach, she stripped them off and headed for the shower. A stray memory shed—had she seen Williamst night?


    Had he really gotten that close? For a split second, she almost remembered the brush of his breath, the possibility of a kiss hanging in the air.


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    A shiver crept over her skin as she dumped her clothes into the washing machine.


    Maybe it was all just a haze from too much alcohol. William would never cross that line… would he?


    Maybe she’d only imagined it, drunk and desperate forfort.


    She shook her head to banish the thought, hands still damp as she twisted off the faucet.


    Just then, her phone buzzed on the counter—Sharon’s name lit up the screen with a cheerful message. “Stel, let’s have dinner tonight!”


    Remembering how Sharon had ghosted her the night before, Ste’s lips pressed into a thin line. Tonight, she’d get her answers.


    That evening, Ste stepped into the softly lit restaurant and spotted Sharon already settled by the window, absently paging through the menu.


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