?Chapter 998:


    Steven blinked. “Move out? Seriously? She’s only been living with you for, what, a few months?”


    William nodded slowly. “Something about a junior… I don’t even know. She doesn’t trust me. Keeps shutting me out, won’t tell me what’s going on.” His voice cracked, worn down by emotion.


    Steven leaned forward, brow furrowed. “Junior? What junior? What exactly happened between you two?”


    William ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated, and recapped the weirdness from earlier—what he saw that afternoon, how the argument spiraled. “Ever since she met Marc and Nina, she’s been different. I asked her what was going on, and she just threw it back at me—said that if I weren’t hiding anything, she wouldn’t be acting up.”


    He shook his head. “But what the hell am I even hiding?”


    Steven went quiet for a moment, drumming his fingers on the table, thinking.


    When William finished venting, Steven finally spoke—slower this time, a little more serious. “William… have you ever stopped to think that maybe she does know what you’re hiding?”


    William narrowed his eyes at him, not following. “What am I hiding?”


    Steven just stared at him. “You’re kidding, right?” he said finally. “You seriously forgot how you first got involved with Erebus?”


    William’s brow furrowed at Steven’s words. “That’s ancient history. I never meant to join Erebus—it just happened. It was a mistake. I bailed not long after, never even touched the core of the organization. I haven’t had anything to do with them for years.”


    It had all started during a business deal. One of the partners had handed him a ring—he’d kept it because it looked unique, only toter find out it was Erebus’s symbol.


    After a single encounter with their members, he had cut ties, walked away, and never looked back.


    His partner had told him there was no need to return the ring, so it stayed with him. But that didn’t mean he was still connected.


    Feel the magic at gα?ησν????s?cο??


    Steven shook his head, his voice low and steady. “Just because you think it’s nothing doesn’t mean she does.”


    William blinked, not catching on. Steven gave him a long look—almost surprised at how slow he was being.


    “Don’t forget—her mother’s death might be tied to Erebus. She’s been digging into ittely. If she finds out you once had a foot in that world, what do you think she’ll believe? Won’t she start questioning why you really got close to her?”


    William froze. The alcohol haze vanished like ice in fire.


    He had never once considered it from that angle. To him, that brief episode had been buried long ago, irrelevant to his present.


    If not for Ste’s mother’s connection, he might have forgotten Erebus even existed.


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