?Chapter 1391:


    “If you won’t do it the easy way,” Arlo growled, “then I’ll send someone else to Choria. And my people—they won’t be as… gentlemanly as you.”


    William didn’t flinch. “If you darey a finger on Ste, I’ll immediately cut off all funding from the Briggs Group, and the Briggs family won’t spare you either. You’re wee to try.”


    Arlo hadn’t expected William’s defiance. Not after everything he’d imnted in him.


    He had carved hatred into him—reshaped his memories, distorted everything between him and Ste before sending him back. So why wasn’t it working? Why was he defending her?


    “You’re really willing to throw everything away for her?” Arlo asked, voice lower now. “That woman who betrayed you. You’d turn against me—for her?”


    William’s voice came out cold and sharp. “I’m not the one causing problems here—you are. Keep pushing and testing me. As long as you honor our original deal, I’ll stay out of your business.”


    Money meant nothing to him—he had more than enough.


    Without waiting for Arlo’s response, William ended the call. He turned to Luca immediately. “Block this number. If he keeps trying to call, let it ring. I’m done talking to him.”


    William seriously doubted Arlo would ever risk stepping foot in Choria.


    Arlo dealt in illegal weapons and ran mercenary operations—the kind of work that would get him arrested the moment he crossed into Choria. This was William’s territory, and he had every resource imaginable at his disposal to make sure Arlo ended up behind bars.


    Arlo knew this, of course. That was why he hadn’t trieding for Ste himself.


    If he wanted that form and whatever secrets Ste’s mother had left behind, he’d have to find some other method.


    William’s gaze drifted to the window, his expression hardening into something cold and unreadable.


    He’d made it clear from the beginning—Ste belonged to him. Nobody else got toy a hand on her.


    Your imagination thrives at  punt


    Even with all the hatred burning in his chest over her betrayal, he wouldn’t let anyone hurt her—especially not while iming they were doing him some kind of favor.


    The thought shifted something in William’s mind. He turned back to Luca. “I need you to dig into what Ste was doing while I was gone. Every day of that month—where she went, who she saw, everything.”


    Surprise shed across Luca’s face. He hadn’t expected William to suddenly start caring about Ste’s movements.


    He’d barely taken two steps toward the door when William’s voice stopped him.


    “Luca, wait. Sit down.” William gestured to the chair. “Tell me everything that happened to Ste while I was gone.”


    Confusion flickered through Luca, but relief quickly followed. William was finally asking the right questions.


    He’d been carrying these details around for weeks, dreading and hoping for the day William would want to know.


    “Mr. Briggs, on your wedding day, Nina kidnapped Ms. Russell. You and Marc went after them together, but then you fell off that cliff. You were gone for a month. Marc brought Ms. Russell to the hospital, but what happened after that… I don’t have solid information.”


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