?Chapter 1013:


    Marc made a move to follow, but Haley shifted ever so slightly, cutting off his path. He could only stand there, forced to watch Ste vanish around the corner.


    Once Ste was out of sight, William lost any reason to linger with either of them. With hands tucked into his pockets, he strolled away without a backward nce.


    Only when she had walked a good distance beside Ste did Lainey finally exhale in relief, muttering inwardly at Marc for wrecking the setup she had worked so hard to…


    Arranged. Had Marc not interfered, her n to ease things between Ste and William might have gone smoothly.


    With everything derailed, she found herself uncertain of the next step.


    While she stood there wavering, her phone buzzed with a new message from William. “Bring her up to the rooftop garden.”


    Excitement flickered in Lainey’s eyes. The rooftop garden was always quiet, and with its newly renovated charm, it offered the perfect setting for a private talk.


    Lowering her phone, she gave a small blink before suggesting, “Ste, guess what? I heard the mall finally wrapped up renovations on the rooftop garden. Why don’t we go take a look? It feels a little stuffy down here.”


    Ste hesitated briefly. A stroll through a freshly finished garden hardly seemed troublesome, so she gave a nod of agreement.


    The elevator hummed as it carried them upward. Lainey, still wary of crossing paths with Marc, chose the express lift this time. Thankfully, they made it to the sixth floor without incident. She guided Ste along the hallway, but another set of footsteps approached from the opposite entrance. It was William. Without hesitation, Lainey released Ste’s arm and edged aside.


    William closed the distance in a few strides, his voice low but urgent.


    “Stel, we need to talk.”


    Ste’s breath hitched. She spun around, her face hard.


    “There’s nothing left to say.”


    Lainey, ever tactful, stepped in quickly. “I’ll… check out the cosmetics counter. You two sort this out.” Before Ste could protest, she darted off.


    Uncover your next story on g ? lnσ ν?? ??s,


    Watching her retreat, Ste realized the setup. Lainey had clearly been drawn into William’s n.


    Turning back to him, her gaze frosted over. “William, I thought we’ve talked things through. Why keep hounding me?”


    “I’m not hounding you,” William said, frustration tugging at his tone. “I just need a chance to exin.”


    Ste let out a coldugh. “Exin what? That you’ve got ties to Erebus? That your so-called intentions were never clean? The truth’s out, William. No speech is going to change that.”


    She’d given him opportunities before—too many. He never took them. Now, suddenly, he wanted to bare his soul? Ridiculous.


    William dragged in a deep breath, forcing calm into his voice. “Yes, I should’ve told you from the start. I was wrong. But I never used you, Stel. What I feel for you—none of that’s a lie.”


    .


    .


    .