?Chapter 1177:


    William was gone, and no one even knew whether he was alive—yet she was nning a wedding? Even if she and Marc had somehow made peace, she should have at least joined the search for William.


    They had cared about each other once. Did that mean nothing now?


    Steven’s voice dropped as he shook his head. “I didn’t think she’d go through with it, but my team’s report leaves no doubt. The wedding is real.”


    Luca’s chest burned with anger and disbelief. He couldn’t sit still another second. Without hesitation, he jumped into his car, determined to find Ste and demand the truth from her directly.


    However, before he could reach the elevator, the doors slid open—and Lance stepped out with his usualposed air.


    Dressed in an immacte suit, Lance walked toward him and stopped right in front of him.


    “Luca,” he said evenly, “can we talk somewhere private?”


    Steven’s brow furrowed as he exchanged a quick nce with Luca, wondering what Lance could possibly want now. After a moment, Luca finally nodded and led Lance to an empty conference room, with Steven trailing close behind.


    “Mr. Carter,” Luca began as they stepped inside, “what’s so private that you needed to speak here?”


    Lance didn’t bother with pleasantries. He took a seat on the sofa and said inly, “I came here to tell you to stop reaching out to my sister. No more calls, no meetings, nothing.”


    Luca and Steven exchanged a startled look, both caught off guard by the bluntness of his words.


    Lance drew a slow breath and continued evenly, “My sister is about to marry Marc. The wedding date is confirmed. You’re a sharp man, Luca. You should understand what that means.”


    Luca’s chest tightened. So Steven’s report had been right after all.


    His voice came out strained and disbelieving. “Mr. Carter, that can’t be right. Just days ago, Ms. Russell was nning her wedding with our boss, so how could she suddenly be marrying someone else?”


    He simply couldn’t bring himself to believe Ste was capable of something like that.


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    “Everyone in Choria knows about Ms. Russell and Mr. Walsh,” he pressed on, struggling to make sense of it. “How could she even think of marrying Marc after everything?”


    If she truly went through with this marriage, what would that mean for William?


    Lance paused, clearly weighing whether to tell Luca the truth. But in the end, he chose silence.


    His grandfather’s warning echoed in his mind—some things were better left buried.


    “Sometimes life just takes strange turns,” Lance said finally. “After the ident, Stel became certain that marrying Marc was what she wanted.”


    The sheer absurdity of it made Luca want to snap back, but Steven quickly ced a hand on his arm, stopping him.


    Lance went on calmly, “William is a good man, no doubt about that, but perhaps he and Ste were never meant to be. I trust you’ll respect that and keep your distance from her.”


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