?Chapter 1010:


    William admitted with a low hum. “She won’t take my calls, and she refuses to respond to me at all.”


    Inwardly, Lainey marveled at the situation. It felt strange watching someone asposed as William reach this point, turning to her in desperation over Ste. He clearly believed he had run out of choices.


    Even so, Lainey, who had worked alongside Ste for years and guided her as a senior, suddenly felt caught in a bind.


    On one side, she knew William had crossed a line by concealing such a secret, especially since Ste had zero tolerance for dishonesty.


    Still, another part of her recognized the genuine affection William held for Ste.


    Maybe things truly unfolded as he imed; it had never once crossed his mind that a choice made years earlier would create such a painful rift between him and Ste.


    After wrestling with her thoughts, she finally said in a quiet voice, “William, you’ve always been my superior, and I respect you deeply. I’ll help you this time, but you must promise me that nothing like this will ever happen again.”


    If William could truly guarantee that he wouldn’t hurt Ste again or create further misunderstandings, Lainey was willing to give him this one chance and step in as a bridge between them.


    Returning to the moment at hand, Lainey steadied herself and kept her expressionposed.


    “Why don’t we take a look at the jewelry?” Guiding Ste with purpose, Lainey steered her toward the spacious atrium in the middle of the mall, the perfect ce for William to happen upon them.


    Unaware of the setup, Ste agreed without hesitation and walked beside Lainey toward the esctor.


    The moment they set foot on the moving steps, Ste’s eyes locked onto something below, and her entire body stiffened. Tracing Ste’s gaze, Lainey spotted the source and silently groaned.


    By the jewelry counter below stood Marc, looking perfectly out of ce yet impossible to ignore.


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    Of all moments, why did he have to appear now?


    “What awful timing.” Irritationced Ste’s tone as she muttered under her breath. Attempting to turn back was pointless, for the esctor had already brought them halfway down.


    Lainey tried to reassure her, speaking gently. “It’s alright, he may not have noticed us yet.”


    While offeringfort, she swept her eyes around the area, puzzled as to why William still hadn’t shown himself as arranged. Just then, fate intervened—Marc tilted his head upward, and his gaze met Ste’s from the base of the esctor.


    Marc froze in surprise for a heartbeat, then broke into a quick smile as he strode toward the bottom of the esctor, obviously positioning himself to intercept them.


    Ste pressed her lips into a thin line, every inch of her body radiating rejection. “He’s like a cursed shadow, always appearing where he’s least wee!”


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