?Chapter 974:


    With a deliberate clink, Ninaid her spoon on the saucer and lifted her chin. “Everything you have should have been mine. You were better off as a forgotten orphan. Why did you evere back to the Carter family?”


    In Nina’s mind, she was the one who deserved the Carter family’s favor and the engagement to William.


    Nina shot to her feet, fury zing in her eyes. “You want to dig up William’s secrets? Fine, I’ll spill them. You think he’s your destined love? Keep dreaming. The only reason he ever drew near to you was—”


    But her words were cut short as the wind chime over the cafe entrance gave a sudden jingle.


    All eyes shifted toward the sound, only to find a stranger stepping through the doorway.


    Out of nowhere, a wave of anxiety hit Ste. She couldn’t even exin why—just a sudden, tight feeling in her chest.


    Nina pulled her eyes away from the door and smirked. “You really didn’t know, did you? William used to be with Erebus.” She paused dramatically. “Oh,e on. Don’t tell me you don’t even know what Erebus is.”


    The second those words hit, Ste felt like someone had just mmed pause on her heart. She stared at Nina’s smug grin, then nced at Marc—arms folded, watching silently—and her mind just… nked.


    The whole world went quiet. Even the cafe’s soft background music faded, like someone had turned down the volume. All she could hear was her own heartbeat, loud and heavy in her ears.


    William? With Erebus?


    That name didn’t belong anywhere near him. She couldn’t even begin to connect the dots.


    Nina leaned back in her chair, sipped her coffee like she was in a soap opera, and scoffed. “See, Ste? I know him better than you ever did. I’m the one who actually gets him. He likes you, sure—but he never told you about this, did he?” She casually ran a finger over her freshly done nails. “If you don’t believe me, check his jewelry. See if he’s got a ring with a snake wrapped around a sword. Once you see it, you’ll know I’m not lying.”


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    Ste couldn’t find any words. Her lips pressed into a thin line, eyes locked on Nina.


    The ring. The snake and sword. Nina even knew about that… There was no way she was making this up.


    Seeing Ste go silent just made Nina more smug. She was getting ready to twist the knife a little deeper—when the familiar sound of footsteps came from the entrance of the cafe.


    Both Ste and Nina turned to look—hearts skipping a beat.


    They didn’t need to see him to know. Those footsteps? Unmistakable. It was William.


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