?Chapter 819:<fn02b7> N?w ?ovel chapt?rs are published on find?novel</fn02b7>


    The mention of Amon brought a sharp edge to William’s expression. He hadn’t expected Amon to make a move the moment he returned.


    Clearly, Amon hadn’t been idling abroad. The fact that he had dared to ask about William’s rtionship with Ste at the Briggs family dinner proved he had been watching everything from the shadows.


    Amon might appear carefree, but his mind was more calcting than anyone realized. On the surface, he looked like a frivolous yboy. But William knew better. Beneath that smiling mask was a mind sharper and more dangerous than most people could imagine.


    “Understood,” Luca repeated firmly before slipping out of the office.


    The room fell silent again. William stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, the glittering city lights stretching before him. Yet all he felt was a creeping chill.


    He had promised Ste he would uncover the truth—and he would keep that promise, no matter what it cost him. The clues already pointed in one direction, but until he had undeniable proof, he wouldn’t stop. Ste’s adoptive parents… their deaths weren’t an ident.


    His jaw tightened. He would never let their deaths go unanswered.


    But Ste… she kept him at arm’s length.


    William knew her well enough to understand she wouldn’t give up her own investigation. If he didn’t get to the truth first, she would throw herself straight into danger.


    The next day at the research institute, Ste could barely focus. Her mind kept circling back to the email she had received the night before. No matter how many times she tried to trace it, she hit a dead end—the sender had hidden behind an airtight server.


    All day, the same question gnawed at her. Should she go tonight… or not? The clock kept ticking toward eight, and she still hadn’t made up her mind.


    Just as she was packing up, her phone buzzed with an unfamiliar local number. She hesitated, then answered.


    “Is this Ms. Ste Russell?” A young male voice came through, slightly nervous, strangely familiar.


    “Yes. Who’s calling?” Ste frowned. She knew she’d heard that voice before, but couldn’t ce it.


    The caller lowered his tone, words spilling out quickly.


    “Ms. Russell, I’ll keep this short. I’m Curtis Ellsworth. You’ve been digging into that car ident from more than a decade ago, haven’t you? Listen to me—stop. Drop the investigation. You’re stirring up people you can’t afford to provoke. If you keep going, you might not live to regret it.”


    Ste’s breath caught. “Curtis Ellsworth? How did you get my number? What do you know? Tell me everything!”


    Her demand only seemed to agitate him further. His voice rose, sharp with urgency. “You don’t need to know more! Just remember my words—stop while you still can. And stay away from the Briggs family, especially William. They’re all dangerous! That’s all I can say. Take care of yourself.”


    The line went dead.


    Ste froze, the dial tone buzzing in her ear, her grip tightening on the phone. Why now? Why would Curtis suddenly call her out of the blue? And why did he say that the Briggs family—including William—were dangerous? He definitely knew something, yet he refused to say more.


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