?Chapter 877:


    He hung up before Daniel could say another word.


    The car fell into silence. Luca, watching through the rearview mirror, could feel the anger radiating from William. He knew this wouldn’t end so easily. To William, Ste was untouchable. The warning was only the beginning. It wasn’t going to end there.


    William leaned back in his seat, rubbing his temples. Fatigue pressed down on him, but beneath it ran a sharper current—fear.


    Thinking back to yesterday’s Carter family meeting, the pieces began to fall into ce. Usually, the Briggs family stayed out of his affairs. Yet yesterday, they insisted he meet with the Carters.


    That timing wasn’t coincidence. Nina must have arranged it, clearing the way for her attack on Ste.


    At first, he had suspected it was Alonzo who ordered the attack. But no—it was Nina all along.


    After sorting through the threads, William pulled out his phone. He wanted to call Ste, just to hear her voice. But it waste, and she would probably be in bed already. Plus, she’d been exhausted from the past few days—not to mention the ordeal yesterday.


    He hesitated, then settled for a message. “Everything’s been handled. Don’t worry. Get some rest.”


    Momentster, his screen lit up. “Okay, thanks. You should rest early too.” The simple reply eased the tension in his chest.


    He could almost picture her, phone in hand, a little shy smile on her face. Without realizing it, his lips curved faintly.


    From the driver’s seat, Luca caught it in the mirror. He knew—William only smiled like that because of Ste. To everyone else, he was all frost and stone. The truth was, William hadn’t needed to personally deal with the two thugs earlier. But because it was about Ste, he’d gone straight there after work.


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    Afterward, things grew quiet for Ste. The days passed in rtive peace. Even her run-ins with Nina at the institute lessened.


    Word was, Nina had been harshly reprimanded and had taken several days off. As for Harlow, Ste heard nothing. She didn’t know where she had gone or what had be of her.


    The mood at the research institute had never been better. Everyone seemed in sync, and Ste’s project was progressing smoothly.


    Ever since she and William had that honest heart-to-heart, something between them had shifted. The cautious distance and constant second-guessing that once hung between them had faded. In its ce was a quiet understanding—unspoken but solid.


    Even when they barely said a word to each other at the institute, people around them could feel it: their rtionship had softened and grown more natural. It was nothing like the tension from before.


    Sandra, who’d been eating with Ste every daytely, noticed the change too. It gave her a quiet sense offort to see Ste no longer avoiding William. And when Ste was in a good mood, Sandra couldn’t help but feel happy for her.


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