?Chapter 453:


    She racked her brain trying to figure out what this was about, but nothing came to mind—until Paul pushed the office door open and she saw William sitting inside.


    Her stomach dropped. So this was a setup.


    She gave Paul a look. “Paul…”


    He gestured inside. “Go on in. William’s the one who wants to talk.”


    Ste hesitated, caught between staying or bolting.


    William looked up at the sound of the door. Their eyes met, and her heart gave a small, stupid skip.


    She pressed her lips together and stepped inside.


    Paul, reading the room like a pro, shut the door behind her and left without another word.


    Ste sat down on the couch beside William, eyeing him warily. “So? What do you want to talk about?”


    Truth was, being alone with him made her nervous now.


    William could see she was guarded—tense. And that annoyed him, though he tried not to show it. “If I crossed a line at the apartment that day, I’m sorry,” he said, his voice low but firm. “But we still have to work together. If you’re avoiding me, that’s gonna be a problem.”


    Hearing him actually apologize made her stiff posture ease a bit.


    She hadn’t been obsessing over that day or holding a grudge—it just bothered her how shady his behavior had been.


    If he really didn’t like Willow, he should’ve made that clear sooner.


    “You dragged me here for work stuff?” she asked, already bracing herself in case this turned into some awkward love confession. If he said he liked her or wanted to sneak around behind Willow’s back, she’d p him on the spot.


    But William’s tone stayed all business. “One of Neb’s projects has wrapped up. Steven wants you to join us for dinner to talk about next steps for thepany.”


    His expression was serious, no trace of anything else.


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    Seeing that, Ste shifted into professional mode too. “Sure. I’m free afterb hours. Just have Mr. Harrison schedule it.”


    William gave a small nod. “Alright. I’ll have him arrange it.”


    Then he paused for a beat. “There’s something else. Nixon’s been arrested. His trial’sing up soon. He’s already got a defensewyer, but he doesn’t stand a chance. If you want to attend, you can.”


    That caught her off guard.


    William had always made it clear he didn’t want her anywhere near Shaun. Going to Nixon’s trial would almost guarantee a run-in with Shaun. And yet… he was giving her the option?


    Maybe noticing her confusion, William added quietly, “You’re an adult. You can make your own decisions. I stuck my nose in too much before. I’m done doing that.”


    William had warned Ste to stay away from Shaun for her own safety.


    But in doing that, he’dpletely ignored her feelings.


    He’d been thinking about it a lottely. Trying to protect her by controlling her choices wasn’t helping anyone. If Ste ever saw Shaun for who he really was, it needed to happen on her terms—not because William forced it.


    So now, he was choosing to step back and just be there in case she needed him.


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