?Chapter 1412:


    “Or maybe you never cared for Ste in the first ce. Maybe you were just pretending. That would make you a coward who never deserved her.”


    Nina’s taunting words got under his skin, and he shot back a reply. “You are incorrect. What I have for Ste is real.”


    Realizing he fell for her words, Nina pressed on. “If you truly mean it, do you not want to help her? Aren’t you scared she could remember everything from before while she stays with William? If that happens, she might hate you.”


    The mention of the word “hate” made something inside Marc’s chest tighten.


    Even if he never ended up with Ste, the idea of her despising him was something he could not endure.


    Marc stayed silent for a long moment before answering, “What exactly are you suggesting?”


    To handle William properly, there had to be some kind of n, right?


    Lance once mentioned Ste would tear William down from within, yet Marc had waited and waited. Not a single message came. No movement. No sign of progress.


    Now Nina was offering an alliance. Could she truly shake William’s power?


    “Did it slip your mind? Alonzo will be out of prison soon,” Nina said.


    Marc froze, caught off guard by the name he hadn’t thought about in a while—Alonzo.


    Back then, it was William who had sent Alonzo to prison. But the charges hadn’t stuck hard enough to keep him behind bars for long.


    And with the Briggs family pulling strings behind the scenes, Alonzo managed to secure an early release.


    Now that Marc thought about it… yeah. It was probably around time for him to be out.


    Nina’s voice crackled through the line. “Alonzo’s son, Amon, came back to the country a few days ago. William warned him to keep his distance, but Amon’s still in Choria.” She let the words sink in before continuing, “Don’t forget—they were both members of Erebus once. If you joined forces with them, bringing William down wouldn’t be so impossible.”


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    Erebus. That organization had been around for years. Even though most of its core members had been captured, there was no way its entire power base had vanished.


    And with Alonzo and Amon both holding deep grudges against William, their motives were locked in.


    One man couldn’t take William down. But three?


    Marc narrowed his eyes. “So, what? You tell me all this so I go charging in while you sit back and watch?”


    He wasn’t stupid. Openly challenging William came with consequences.


    And if Nina was just stirring the pot for fun, then this whole conversation was a waste of time.


    He wouldn’t risk everything for the casual words of a reckless woman.


    “I’m not backing out,” Nina replied coolly. “I’ve rejoined the Carter family. I still have contacts overseas—I’ll bring them in to support you.”


    She’d been abroad for years. Her connections weren’t light. Dozens, maybe close to a hundred, could be tapped if she called in the right favors.


    “Think carefully, Marc. This might be your only shot at getting Ste back.”


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