?Chapter 1273:


    Josie stepped forward, voice trembling as she tried to calm him. “William, you’ve got it wrong! Please, just hear us out. Stel didn’t do it by choice, she—”


    William cut her off, his tone harsh and final. His patience was gone. He had no intention of listening to a single word spoken in Ste’s defense.


    “I don’t care why she did it. She stood next to Marc in a wedding dress. That’s the part that matters.” William’s tone was cold. Final. He wasn’t listening to anything else.


    If Ste had loved him, she wouldn’t have ended up there. Simple as that.


    At least, that’s how he’d convinced himself. Arlo had drilled that thought into his head so many times that now it felt like truth.


    Sharon snapped, “You’re insane! Ste was drugged! Nina injected her! She lost her memory! She’s the victim, and you’re ming her? What is wrong with you?”


    “Victim?” Williamughed under his breath, eyes cold. “Then what about me? Everything I went through doesn’t count? I told you—I don’t care about the process. I only care about the result.”


    His voice hit the room like a door mming shut.


    Steven and Luca exchanged stunned looks.


    Neither of them had known the wedding was tied to memory loss.


    Steven nced at Josie.


    She had known from the beginning.


    If they had told him earlier, things wouldn’t have gotten to this.


    Before the tension could settle, a panicked voice echoed from upstairs. “Sharon! Josie! I’m on the second floor—someone help me!”


    Sharon and Josie froze for a heartbeat. “Stel!”


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    Sharon took off without hesitation. She raced up the stairs and found the room Ste was locked in. She turned just as William appeared at the top of the stairs, taking his time, hands in his pockets.


    “Open the door,” Sharon demanded, furious.


    William’s eyes narrowed. “Let’s see you try. Without the key.”


    Sharon’s whole body trembled. “This is uwful imprisonment!”


    William’s smirk deepened. “Call the police then. I’ll wait. Let’s see which im holds up—your ‘illegal confinement’ or my report that you broke in and harassed a resident. Guess which one thew will take seriously.”


    He wasn’t bluffing. With his influence, he could flip the narrative however he wanted.


    “You—!” Sharon’s voice cracked, but she couldn’t argue. Even if she called the police, there was no guarantee they could reach Ste—or take her away.


    Steven stepped in before things blew up. “Sharon, stop. Breathe. You’re getting nowhere like this.”


    Then he looked at William. “William. We need to talk. Just the two of us.”


    He didn’t understand why William insisted on handling the issue in such an extreme way.


    Moreover, Sharon had mentioned Ste lost her memory and didn’t forget him intentionally.


    Why did William have to cling to it so stubbornly?


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