?Chapter 1048:


    He looked directly at Nina, his voice firm. “Nina, the Carter family didn’t get where we are by being scared of problems. We stand with Ste. If she needs help, we’ll back her up. Got it?”


    Nina stared at the two men in front of her,pletely floored by what they were saying.


    She had honestly thought her grandfather and cousin would see Ste as a problem—maybe even a liability. But instead, here they were, backing her like she was family gold.


    “But… Erebus is dangerous!” Nina argued, her voice trembling.


    That group wasn’t just some underground gang. They had been around forever, and they had serious reach—political connections, money, power, all of it.


    Lance replied calmly, “Ste was raised by her adoptive parents. She can’t just turn her back on them. And besides, Erebus is the oneing after her now, not the other way around.”


    They had already lost Alonzo, and with Amon out of the picture too, there was no way Erebus was going to let Ste walk away freely.


    Karson nodded, his expression serious. “I’ll make sure we stay on top of this. You should reach out to Ste—see if she needs anything. She’s the type to deal with everything herself and not say a word.”


    Nina stood there like a ghost, her face drained of color. She felt like she didn’t belong—like an outsider in her own family.


    Inside, her emotions were spinning out of control. Why? Why were they defending Ste like this—like she was some precious jewel? Even going up against Erebus for her?


    Karson seemed to sense what Nina was thinking. His voice was calm, but there was a sharp edge to it. “Nina, Ste’s a Carter. She’s your cousin. What happens to her concerns the whole family.”


    Nina lowered her head, hiding the flicker of resentment in her eyes. “I understand,” she muttered.


    The rest of the conversation felt like slow torture. Karson and Lance went on and on about how to support Ste—ns, contingencies, strategies. Nina barely got a word in.


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    Eventually, she made up an excuse and slipped away early. As soon as she stepped outside the mansion, her expression changed. Her jaw clenched and her eyes burned with anger.


    She had thought that Ste’s involvement with Erebus would finally make her grandfather disappointed in her. But no—it did the exact opposite.


    It was unfair.


    She clutched her purse so tightly her fingernails almost broke the skin of her palms.


    After all these years with the Carter family, she still couldn’t win her grandfather’s full approval. And yet Ste? She barely had to lift a finger and got nothing but love—just because she had Carter blood.


    Even after Nina owned up to her mistakes, it didn’t matter. Her grandfather’s heart still leaned toward Ste.


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