?Chapter 727:<fnb414> For more chapters visit fι?dnοvel</fnb414>


    Ste noticed the hurt in his eyes, like dark clouds before a storm. His silence revealed he was still reeling from what she said.


    The only sound between them was the soft rustle of the night breeze. Neither wanted to back down.


    Suddenly, a loud ng came from under the car’s hood, like something had fallen.


    Both quickly turned toward the sound. Near the front corner beneath the hood, a t metal object that had been wedged in ce slipped free and ttered onto a bracket, catching their attention.


    Shocked, Ste reached down and picked it up.


    Looking at it carefully, she realized it was an old pocket watch.


    Her heart jumped. She remembered that watch from childhood. It had hung around her adoptive mother’s neck like a ne, holding a photo of her adoptive parents when they were young.


    She carefully flipped open the watch cover and froze at the photo inside. She had always thought it was just the three of them in the picture. But now, there was a fourth person.


    At the far left stood the face of a kind old man, with soft, wise features and wrinkles. The features were unmistakably Karson’s—the same man who had looked at her kindly in the study earlier—but here, he appeared much younger.


    The photo looked like it had been cropped, and besides Ste’s adoptive parents and Karson, there was a small part of a child’s arm showing. But the child’s face was only partly visible, and no matter how hard Ste tried, she couldn’t tell who it was.


    She frowned in confusion. Why were her adoptive parents connected to Karson? Were they old friends? If that was true, why didn’t she remember ever meeting Karson as a child?


    William caught sight of the photo too and nced at Ste, an idea forming in his mind. But with no proof, he kept his thoughts to himself.


    Confusion lingered in Ste’s eyes, but she slipped the pocket watch into her pocket for now.


    William let out a quiet sigh and said, “I’ll tow your car.”


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    Ste was about to refuse, but then she remembered the tow truck wouldn’t arrive for at least an hour. With some hesitation, she agreed and let him tow her car.


    At the same time, Nina waited in the banquet hall, expecting William to show up. The Carter family was hosting the event, and William was definitely on the guest list. Still, all the other guests had arrived—except him.


    Upstairs, she had changed into a fresh outfit and touched up her makeup, ready and eager for his arrival.


    But as night fell and the crowd mingled, William was nowhere to be seen. After a moment of hesitation, she made her way to the entrance and approached the guards.


    “Have you seen William Briggse in?” she asked quietly.


    One guard nodded slowly. “His car pulled into the parking lot, but after that…”


    “After that what? Say it!” Nina pressed.


    “He left againter, and it seemed like his car was pulling another vehicle.”


    As soon as Nina heard this, she rushed to check the surveince footage, and sure enough, Ste’s figure appeared on the screen.


    Her anger red instantly, resentment burning hot as she stared ahead with a fierce re.


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