?Chapter 1296:


    Fine.


    She reached for one of the sses, her hand trembling as she lifted it. Without pausing, she downed it in one go. The liquor hit hard—burned all the way down her throat and lit up her nose. She gagged, eyes watering.


    A low chuckle came from the man sitting nearest to her. Bald. Broad-shouldered. He’d been staring since she walked in, and now he leaned forward just slightly, his gaze slow and greedy.


    “Ms. Russell,” he said, voice slick. “You really are… something else. Mr. Briggs is a lucky man. What’s the rtionship between you two these days, anyway?”


    He wasn’t the only one wondering. The tension in the room shifted—eyes narrowing, curious now. There was something about her—how she looked cornered but not broken. How she seemed like she didn’t belong here, but hadn’t run either.


    Men like them were always drawn to what didn’te easy. Something about the resistance made the chase feel more exciting.


    But they weren’t stupid. They’d seen the way William had once looked at her. That kind of affection didn’t just vanish.


    So was this a game? Was William trying to punish her, or scare her?


    If they made a move—would he let them? Or would they be crossing a line they couldn’te back from?


    No one wanted to be the first to find out.


    That was why the bald man had asked. Fishing.


    Steven, sitting quietly off to the side, clenched his jaw. This had gone too far. He was ready to step in.


    But one nce at William’s face shut that thought down. That fury hadn’t burned out yet. If anything, it was simmering hotter than ever.


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    Ste’s grip on the ss trembled. She tried to speak, but the words stuck in her throat.


    What was she supposed to say? What was she, even?


    A guest? No. A prisoner? Maybe. A weapon?


    A woman dragged out and dressed up, then stripped of any choice. Even she didn’t know anymore.


    William didn’t say anything at first. He just let the moment stretch, long enough for the men around him to ravage Ste’s body with their gaze. They didn’t even bother pretending to look away. Every stare felt like a hand peeling her apart.


    Just as Ste felt so humiliated she wished she could vanish into the ground, William let out a short, coldugh. Sharp. Contemptuous.


    He didn’t even lift his eyes when he said, almostzily, “She’s just here as a hostess.”


    The words hit her like a brand pressed against bare skin.


    Just a hostess.


    Her breath caught. Her vision tunneled. For half a second, she forgot how to stand, swaying as thest drops of liquor sloshed out of her ss and sttered across her dress. The cold seeped through instantly, sticking to her skin like a reminder of where she stood.


    A few of the men chuckled at her stumble, low and crude. The room’s attention tightened around her like a noose.


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