?Chapter 1371:


    They gave each other another look, then finally got the hint and left.


    Once the door shut, William picked up. Arlo’s voice came through, light and smug.


    “William. Been a while. I assume you’ve seen Ste? Is she with someone else, just like you were afraid of?”


    There was a teasing edge in his tone, like he already knew the answer.


    William’s expression darkened. “What do you want?”


    He’d been sending Arlo funds regrly. Nopses.


    So if Arlo was calling, it wasn’t just to catch up.


    “Nothing serious. Just missed you,” Arlo said. “Drake’s back. I need you to help keep him off the cops’ radar. Shouldn’t be hard for you.”


    Drake was still on the wanted list. Erebus might’ve crumbled, but he and Amon were still out there.


    If word got out, the police would be all over it.


    William barely blinked. “Next time, just text.”


    This wasn’t worth a phone call.


    Arlo chuckled. “Alright. Just don’t forget—we’re on the same side.”


    The call ended, but William didn’t move. He just sat there, quiet.


    Arlo’sst line hung in the air like a warning, but William didn’t flinch.


    Arlo was merely a street mercenary, hardly someone he couldn’t handle.


    But he needed Arlo, which was why he picked up at all.


    Since William’s birthday, Ste had remained at the vi for another week.


    During that time, he hadn’t returned once. Aside from the asional murmurs of servants in the hallways, the vi was steeped in silence.


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    With bodyguards stationed outside at all hours, she knew there was no point trying to run. Escape wasn’t an option, not with eyes on her from every angle. So, instead of fighting it, she began exploring what she could within the walls she was trapped in.


    She knew William often worked in his study, and she had managed to sneak in a few times when no one was looking.


    But all she found were mundane documents—nothing personal, nothing confidential, and certainly nothing worth reporting back to Marc.


    As the days dragged on, the tight knot in her chest only seemed to grow tighter.


    At one point, she had convinced herself there had to be something more—maybe a hidden safe tucked away, or a drawer with restricted files. But afterbing through every inch she could without drawing attention, she began to ept the truth: she had been overthinking it.


    Maybe William had been guarding against her from the very beginning. Maybe he’d never intended to leave anything important here in the first ce.


    That realization sank into her like lead, and the weight of it made her feel hollow.


    If he had already been this cautious, then trying to get close to him—really close—would be even harder than she thought.


    One afternoon, she sat alone on the balcony, letting the sun warm her skin while her mind ran circles.


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