?Chapter 1280:


    Outside, the sun was beginning to dip. The warm gold of thete afternoon spilled through the windows, painting the room in soft light. It was the kind of sunset that could make things feel gentle. But in that room, it barely touched the cold.


    And then—tires screeched outside.


    A car door mmed. Footsteps approached.


    William didn’t move.


    The front doorbell rang—loud, urgent. Like whoever was outside wasn’t nning to wait.


    William finally got up and walked over, unhurried.


    He still wore the same ck suit, though the top buttons were undone now. His expression was calm. A little too calm.


    When the door opened, Karson was there, leaning on a cane but standing tall. Lance stood slightly behind him, his jaw tight. A few Carter family bodyguards nked them, faces like stone.


    William’s eyes skimmed over the group. His gaze paused on Karson’s face for a second longer, then a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.


    Lance spoke first. His voice was rough, like he was holding something back. “Where’s my sister?” His eyes burned into William. “What the hell have you done with her?”


    William leaned casually against the doorframe, like everything was just some mild inconvenience. “She’s here,” he said, tone dry. “Since she’s in my house, I take care of her. Naturally.”


    Lance’s hands curled into fists. A vein throbbed on his temple. “You crashed the wedding in front of half the city,” he said, voice rising. “And now you’re holding her hostage? Do you seriously think you’re untouchable?”


    Karson mmed his cane into the stone step. The sound echoed—a dull, solid thud. His eyes, though clouded with age, were sharp. “I’m not here to fight, Mr. Briggs,” he said calmly. “Hand over Ste, and I’ll pretend what happened at the wedding didn’t exist. For the sake of our families.”


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    William’s smirk vanished. His tone cooled. “Mr. Carter,” he said evenly, “do you really think your family’s in any position to make deals with me?”


    Silence stretched. The insult hung heavy in the air.


    The Carter bodyguards behind Karson shifted, eyes narrowing. Lance looked like he was seconds away from lunging.


    But William just nced at them—disinterested. “You’re in Choria now,” he said slowly. “This is Briggs territory.” His voice dropped lower. “I don’t care how much power your family has overseas. Here? That doesn’t carry much weight.”


    The Briggs family had the home advantage—and plenty of ways to make that count.


    The Carters would be smart to think twice before going all-in over Ste.


    Lance held himself back by sheer will. Every bone in his body wanted to punch William in the face, but he knew better. Losing his temper now wouldn’t help Ste—in fact, it could make things a whole lot worse.


    So he forced down the anger bubbling in his chest and tried a different approach. “William,” he said, voice low but steady, “you have Choria in your pocket. We all know that. We don’t want this to get messy. Let my sister go, and the Carter family will pull out of the project on the South Side. We’ll even give up part of our shares. There’s no need to turn this into a disaster for both sides.”


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