?Chapter 992:


    The private cinema was tucked away in one of the busiest spots in the city center. With its plush decor and top-notch privacy, it was always packed—especially since it was so close to the university. Students came and went every day.


    As luck would have it, it was just a block away from the Briggs Group office. Ste trailed behind Jeff as they stepped into the elevator, ncing around and taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. During her college days, she had never been to a ce like this.


    It wasn’t because she couldn’t afford it—she had always been curious about what a private cinema was like. But Marc, her boyfriend back then, couldn’t stand ces like this. Now that she was finally here, standing in the very kind of ce she had once wondered about, she felt a small thrill of excitement.


    Jeff led her to one of the rooms and knocked. A guy inside opened the door almost immediately and handed him something.


    “Wow,” Jeff joked, “so you’re really choosing love over friendship, huh? Made mee all the way here in person instead of just sending someone.”


    His friendughed. “Man, I just wanted to get you moving a little. A bit of exercise never killed anyone.”


    “I don’t need it—I’m fit as ever. Right, Ste? You can vouch for me!”


    Caught off guard by the sudden mention, Ste blinked and mumbled, “Uh… yeah. He is.”


    The guy inside nced at her, then shot Jeff a teasing look before pulling the door shut.


    Jeff scratched the back of his neck, looking a bit sheepish. “Sorry about that, Ste. Didn’t mean to put you on the spot.”


    She waved it off, clearly unbothered.


    With that done, they made their way back down the elevator and left the cinema, walking slowly side by side.


    Meanwhile, just a block away, William had just wrapped up a meeting with a business partner about a potential deal for the Briggs Group. He leaned back in the car, rubbing his temples, clearly drained.


    As the car rolled past the cinema, he happened to nce out the window—just a casual look. But what he saw made his heart skip a beat.


    L?τ??τ ch?ρτ?rs ιn g??l??ov?ls.????


    That figure—he would recognize it anywhere. It was Ste.


    And Jeff? The guy was in a thin shirt, his jacket tied around her waist. The two of them stood close—too close—and Jeff was leaning toward her, smiling as he said something.


    And Ste… she wasughing. She looked so rxed, so happy. Happier than he had seen her in ages. He couldn’t even remember thest time she smiled like that around him.


    All this time, he had assumed she was weighed down by the truth of her adoptive parents’ ident. He thought Nina’s false usations at the research institute had left her feeling low.


    But now… here she was, smiling like that at another man.


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