?Chapter 1016:


    Once Jeff was gone, Ste turned to William with a sigh. “Well? Shouldn’t you be heading home too, Mr. Briggs?”


    “Stel, please.” William’s tone softened, his expression earnest as he took a step closer. “Just hear me out. Ten minutes. If you still want me gone after that, I’ll leave you alone.”


    Lainey tugged Ste’s sleeve gently. “Maybe you should talk to him, Ste. Holding it in won’t help either of you.”


    Ste turned on her with a frown. “Lainey, did you bring me shopping today just to set me up with him?”


    Caught off guard, Lainey hesitated. “I…”


    She couldn’te up with any exnation.


    William quickly stepped in before she could say more. “Don’t me her, Stel. I asked her for help. If you’re mad, be mad at me.”


    Both of them looking at her like that only made Ste feel cornered. She exhaled sharply, frustration shing in her eyes.


    “Fine. You’ve got ten minutes. Make them count.”


    William’s face lit up immediately. “That’s more than enough.”


    Ste rolled her eyes and sat down on a nearby bench. “Alright then,” she said coolly. “Start talking. Your time starts now.”


    Lainey shifted to the side, putting a bit of space between them. William took that as his cue to sit, careful not to close the gap too much in case it made her uneasy.


    “They handed me that ring out of nowhere. No exnations. No warning. At first, I didn’t realize what I was walking into. But the moment I figured out what Erebus was, I backed out. Everything I know about them now—Luca’s the one who uncovered it.”


    His tone carried urgency, and every word was weighed before it left his mouth.


    “I swear, Stel, I didn’t hide anything on purpose. I’ve never been part of Erebus. From the beginning, everything I felt for you was real. I had no secret ns.”


    He wasn’t just defending himself. He wanted her to know the truth because she meant something to him.


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    Ste waited for him to finish. Her silence was unnerving. When he stopped, she asked, “That’s it?”


    William had yed out a dozen reactions in his mind—maybe she’d be furious, maybe she’d give him a second chance. But this quiet? It rattled him.


    A flicker of unease passed through his eyes. Her calmness wasn’tforting—it felt like a distance he couldn’t cross.


    “Stel, scream at me if you want. p me, curse me—I can take it. Just don’t look at me like that… like none of this ever mattered to you.”


    Ste nced at her watch. Barely ten minutes had passed.


    A quiet breath escaped her. “I do care about you, and my feelings don’t just disappear overnight. But right now… I can’t be with you.”


    William’s chest tightened. “You’re saying this is a breakup?”


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