?Chapter 1436:


    Ste raised an eyebrow. When had he said that?


    Then she shrugged. “Miss Bailey said she’s your ssmate, told me I wasn’t good enough for you, imed I’m only with you for money—and then tried to pay me to leave.”


    She had spent so long looking for a way out of William’s grip—why would she cover for someone trying to take her ce?


    As far as she was concerned, whatever was going on between Charis and William had nothing to do with her. She didn’t want to be caught in the middle or mistaken for some love-struck rival.


    So she said it so simply, so matter-of-factly, that for a moment Charis just stood there in stunned silence.


    “I didn’t mean it like that—” she rushed out. “Mr. Briggs, please don’t misunderstand. I—”


    But William’s expression had already gone cold. “Oh?” he said quietly. “So how much were you nning to offer her, Miss Bailey?”


    Charis’s face turned a deep shade of red. The embarrassment hit her all at once.


    “I’m sorry,” she muttered, eyes darting between the two of them. “That was out of line. I shouldn’t have said anything.”


    She didn’t want to cause a scene. She had just returned to the country. This wasn’t the kind of attention she wanted.


    William didn’t respond. He simply reached for Ste’s hand. “We’re leaving.”


    Ste looked surprised. “Already? Don’t you have more people to speak to?”


    He gave a quiet nod. “Nothing left worth saying.”


    Charis stood frozen as they walked away, the humiliation pressing down on her chest like a weight. Their first face-to-face moment since she’d returned—and it had ended like this.


    All because of her.


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    On the drive back, Ste sat in the passenger seat, unusually chatty. “Was Miss Bailey really your ssmate?”


    Maybe he was in a decent mood tonight, because for once, he actually answered. “I don’t know her.”


    “But she said you went to school together. You really don’t remember her at all?”


    William looked over at her. “When I was in school, there were at least thirty students in each ss. Am I supposed to remember every single person?”


    Ste was about to mention that she still remembered many of her ssmates—but the words stalled in her throat. William was the CEO of Briggs Group. He met countless people every day—business partners, investors, employees. It made sense that he wouldn’t remember every single face from school.


    She let the thought go and said instead, “Miss Bailey seems to be really into you. She said she just got back to the country. Maybe she came back… for you.”


    She kept her tone light, but her words earned her a sharp nce. William’s jaw tensed ever so slightly. Her constantmentary about other women was starting to get under his skin.


    “If this is your way of pushing me toward her so you can be free,” he said coolly, “don’t waste your time. That’s not going to happen.”


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