?Chapter 1379:


    Amon’s gaze flickered with somethingplicated. “Hate like that doesn’te from nowhere,” he muttered. “You only hate the ones you once loved.”


    He turned and headed for the door.


    Right before stepping out, he nced back at her. “Get some rest. He’ll be here soon. You might want to hope he shows up to save you.”


    The door clicked shut behind him. Ste sat frozen on the bed, feeling like a paper boat drifting on a stormy sea, tossed whichever way the waves wanted.


    Outside, Amon lit a cigarette and walked out to the balcony. He took a slow drag, eyes fixed on the dusky skyline.


    William should be arriving any minute now—if he nned oning at all.


    And if he didn’t? If he really didn’t care? Then the whole setup was worthless.


    Ste was Amon’s one bargaining chip. Without her, he had nothing to negotiate with.


    He’d told her to hope William woulde. But the truth was, he was hoping just as hard.


    Time crawled by. The sky faded from gold to gray, and the house fell into silence.


    Ste and Amon, stuck in separate rooms, waited. Neither of them spoke, but both were clinging to the same silent question: Would William show up?


    Ste never thought she’d find herself desperate to see him again. And yet, here she was, hoping for the sound of his footsteps.


    Life had a funny way of twisting everything around.


    Finally, as thest sliver of daylight slipped away, Amon heard the sound of a car engine tearing through the quiet.


    He stood from the wicker chair, eyes narrowing. A sleek ck Maybach pulled into the driveway.


    Amon smiled and turned back toward the house. He pushed open the bedroom door. “He’s here. Get ready.”


    g ? ln σ ν?? ?s, where stories thrive


    Ste’s body tensed. She was still seated where he’d left her, but her heartbeat picked up.


    William… had actuallye.


    Amon waved to his men. One of them tied her hands, not too tight but just enough to sell the act. They brought her downstairs and set her on a chair directly facing the front door.


    Amon stretched himself outzily on the sofa across from her, like he had all the time in the world.


    Behind her, one of his men stood silently holding a ck leather case.


    Ste’s breath came faster. Even though Amon had warned her, she couldn’t stop the nerves from creeping in.


    She had no clue what the bodyguard might do, or what Amon might pull. The tension was unbearable, like she was caught in a trap and couldn’t see the wires.


    William didn’t bother knocking. He kicked the door hard. The whole frame shook with the impact, dust scattering in the air.


    The vi was old, hadn’t been lived in for years, and the door was already half falling off.


    One more kick, and it came crashing down.


    William stepped through the rubble. His eyes scanned the room once—Amon on the sofa, rxed as ever—and thennded on Ste, bound and trembling in the chair.


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