?Chapter 880:


    “I’m on my way.” William ended the call, his voice clipped and tense. He looked at Ste. “My grandfather fainted. I need to go back to the mansion immediately. I’ll take you home first.”


    Ste shook her head without hesitation. “Don’t worry about me. Go check on him. I’ll grab a cab—this area’s really convenient.”


    William hesitated, his eyes lingering on her. But seeing her firm resolve, he knew now wasn’t the time to argue.


    “I’ll have Lucae pick you up,” he said. “Wait somewhere safe and text me when you’re home, okay?”


    He pulled the car over near the sidewalk. Ste got out, waved him off with a reassuring smile, and walked into a nearby shopping mall. As soon as she disappeared from view, William hit the gas and sped off toward the Briggs Mansion, his face etched with worry.


    Dexter had always been strong—how could something like this happen out of nowhere?


    Back in the city, Ste sat alone in a café inside the mall, waiting for Luca. She stared out at the busy street, but her thoughts were miles away.


    She hadn’t spent much time with Dexter, but he meant a lot to William. She could see that clearly. And right now, all she could do was hope that everything would be okay.


    Lost in thought, she didn’t notice the figure who had followed her in—someone wearing a hoodie, keeping just enough distance to watch her without being noticed.


    Ste pulled out her phone, nning to text William—just something simple to let him know not to worry about her. But just as she lowered her head to type, the chair across from her scraped back suddenly.


    Startled, she looked up. A man had sat down across from her.


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    He had cold, hard eyes—someone she definitely didn’t recognize. The words froze on her tongue. Something in her gut screamed that this wasn’t a coincidence.


    Without saying a word, she grabbed her bag and stood up. She didn’t wait for Luca. She walked straight out of the café and gged down a cab at the curb.<fn7776> This text is hosted at f?ndnovel</fn7776>


    Once inside, she gave the driver her address. They’d barely driven a few blocks when another car suddenly swerved in front of them, cutting across thene. The cab driver mmed on the brakes in shock.


    Ste jerked forward, mming into the seat in front of her. Pain shot through her shoulder, and her head spun from the sudden jolt. For a moment, everything blurred.


    Ste pressed her hand to her forehead, still dizzy from the jolt. “What just happened?” she asked, her voice shaky.


    The cab driver, equally rattled, pointed ahead and muttered a curse. “That ck car up there—what the hell’s wrong with them? They cut us off outta nowhere! We almost crashed!”


    Ste followed his gaze. A ck sedan was weaving aggressively in front of them, blocking their path.


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