?Chapter 1157:


    That was thest straw for Ste.


    She nced at the clock: 5:10 p.m. The wedding was still more than an hour away.


    Her heart pounding, she snatched up her clutch. “I’lle with you, but I need to call my grandfather and brother first,” she told the guard, already reaching for her phone.


    He stepped in front of her immediately. “Ms. Russell, there is no time. The doctors say Mr. Briggs is in critical condition and may not have long.”


    Her chest tightened.


    William had told her to wait, but the TV footage and the dead phone line left her frantic. She nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”


    A sh of triumph crossed the guard’s face for a split second before he masked it. “The car’s ready. This way, please.”


    He led her down the corridor at a brisk pace.


    However, just as they neared the side exit, a small, nagging doubt made her stop. “Wait. I need to go back to the lounge to get something,” she said, turning toward the room she had left.


    The situation felt wrong. Why was a single security guard the one delivering such devastating news?


    Why hadn’t either Steven or her brother been notified? For a family like the Carters, any ident in Choria would have been reported up the chain immediately.


    The guard’s expression hardened. “Ms. Russell, is there anything more important than your husband’s life that you need to collect?”


    “One minute,” she insisted, even as her pulse raced.


    Before she could move, his hand closed around her arm with a force that shocked her, his tone dropping into something cold and final. “Since you refuse to cooperate, I’m sorry.”


    Pain exploded at the back of her neck, and her vision blurred. The world tilted, then dissolved into darkness as her body gave way.


    Just before everything went silent, she faintly caught the guard’s voice saying, “The target’s in the car. Let’s move.”


    Slowly, Ste came to, bing aware that she was lying across the back seat of a car.


    Both her hands were bound behind her back, and tape sealed her mouth.


    A fierce headache split through her skull, and the soreness at the nape of her neck reminded her of the recent assault.


    “Well, look who woke up already.”


    From the driver’s seat came a voice she recognized.


    It was Nina. She wore a ck evening gown that stood in stark contrast to Ste’s wedding dress.


    Steering with one hand, Nina let a cruel smile spread across her face, vengeful light burning in her eyes. “Surprised? This wedding will be thest day you remember.”


    Ste red back and tried to speak, but only muffled sounds pushed past the tape.


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