?Chapter 828:


    Her eyes held his without wavering—resolute, unyielding. This was herpromise, the furthest she would bend.


    A storm of emotions churned in William’s chest—relief that she was finally willing to trust him, but also dread at the danger her determination would invite. He knew he couldn’t shut her out entirely. She was right. This was about her adoptive parents, and she deserved to know everything.


    He exhaled deeply and nodded. “Alright, I promise you’ll be in the loop from now on. But you have to promise me one thing—you’ll check with me before you…”


    “Okay,” Ste said quietly.


    The heavy tension between them finally eased, reced by a fragile truce. Both had the same goal—unmasking Alonzo and avenging her parents. For the first time, they stood on the same side.


    Just then, William’s private phone buzzed sharply, cutting through the moment. He nced at the screen—Luca.


    His brows knitted, a chill of foreboding pricking at him. He answered at once. “Speak.”


    “Mr. Briggs—it’s bad!” Luca’s voice was tight with panic. “Curtis… he tried climbing out of a second-floor window at the tutoring center to escape, but slipped and fell. He’s in aa and on his way to the hospital!”


    “What?!” William’s voice thundered through the office.


    He shot up from his chair, his expression hardening in an instant, shadows darkening his face.


    With a quick tap, he switched the call to speaker. Ste, sitting just feet away, felt her heart lurch as Luca’s frantic words filled the room.


    Curtis tried to escape?


    Her pulse quickened. Was it really an ident… or had someone deliberately silenced him?


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    William’s jaw tightened, his eyes like shards of ice. “Keep a close watch on him,” he ordered coldly. “No one—absolutely no one—sets foot in that hospital room without my permission. I’m on my way!”


    William hung up and turned to Ste, his expression grim. “I have to get to the hospital immediately.”


    “I’ming with you!” Ste shot up without hesitation.


    William frowned, his first instinct to shut her down. “The situation there is… uncertain. It could be dangerous.”


    “You promised me,” Ste cut him off firmly. “And you said yourself Curtis is a key witness. He called me before, warning me to stop digging into this. He must know something important!”<fn5bf8> Th? link to the orig?n of this information r?sts ?n ?ovelFind</fn5bf8>


    William stiffened, surprised Curtis had reached out to her. But now wasn’t the time to press for details. After a brief silence, he relented with a terse nod. “Fine. But you have to stay close to me.”


    They hurried out, and soon his Rolls-Royce tore through the streets toward the hospital.


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