?Chapter 1394:


    She scoffed quietly. Did he really?


    Because even she wasn’t sure anymore.


    “General White, stop wasting your time on me. If you think I owe you for saving William’s life, then fine—take mine.” Her voice didn’t shake. She sounded calm, like death didn’t scare her anymore.


    But Arlo didn’t let up. “You’ve loved William for years, Nina. All this time, and you’re telling me you’re just ready to walk away? I don’t believe that. Not for a second. You’re still holding on. So here’s my offer—help me, and I’ll make sure William is yours. Completely. He’ll be right in the palm of your hand. Yours to break, yours to keep. And as for Ste… she won’t be left standing either. So? Does that get your attention?”


    This conversation finally broke through Nina’s numbness, like a stone skipping across a pond that had been still for far too long.


    Her vacant eyes blinked, and she pushed herself up from the bed. “How could you turn them into my pawns? Don’t forget how much work you put into hypnotizing William to hate Ste, and it all came to nothing!”


    She still carried that grudge deep inside.


    If she hadn’t put blind faith in those hypnosis tricks, she never would have believed William could ever truly hate Ste.


    Truth was, Arlo’s skills were decent, but nothing extraordinary.


    Arlo didn’t get mad at her sarcasm. He justughed.


    “You’re wrong about that. I never hypnotized William just to torture him. Trust me, I have way crueler ways to make someone suffer. For example… poison them, and let you hold the only antidote. They’d be on their knees begging you for it, or they’d die screaming.”


    That poison was vicious enough to trap Ste and William in nonstop agony, too sick to live normally, too stubborn to die.


    All he really wanted was whatever memories were locked inside Ste’s head.


    Once he had those, Ste would be worthless to him, just junk he could toss aside, and Nina could do whatever she wanted with her.


    Poison.


    The idea hadn’t even crossed Nina’s mind before.


    But she knew Arlo never bluffed.


    He didn’t run an entire mercenary outfit with empty threats. When one of his men stepped out of line, the punishment was brutal, no question.


    In that moment, a spark of hope she thought had died forever flickered back to life.


    How could she just let go of someone she’d loved for more than twenty years?


    She’d only given up because she feltpletely alone, with no one in her corner.


    But now Arlo was offering to back her up.


    His reach overseas was undeniable. If he said he’d help, she believed he’d slip that poison to Ste and William without a second thought.


    “So, Nina, what’s it gonna be? Clock’s ticking.”


    Every second that passed felt like a hammer against her chest. She stood at a fork in the road, one choice away from a totally different life.


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