?Chapter 1542:


    Later that afternoon, Ste asked Sharon to drive her to the Carter family mansion.


    When the car came to a stop at the entrance, Josie and Sharon stayed where they were and did not follow her inside. “You can go in,” Sharon said. “We will wait here and bring you back to the viter.”


    Ste stepped out and walked into the living room. The instant Lance noticed her, astonishment and relief swept across his face. He drew her closer and looked her over carefully, and only after confirming she was unharmed did he release a quiet breath.


    “Ste, why did youe back? Did he give you permission?” He guided her to the sofa, his voice weighted with worry. “Did you exchange something with him in order to return here? You must not do that. I will find a way to get you out — do not confront him directly.”


    In the past, Lance had gone to see William more than once, and every visit had ended in refusal. Because of that, Ste’s sudden appearance only deepened his unease. He feared she had acted rashly and agreed to terms she should never have epted.


    Ste reached out and gently held his hand. “Lance, staying at the vi is not as awful as you think. He has a bad temper and his words can be sharp, but he has not done anything truly unreasonable.” She deliberately softened the reality — she did not want to burden him with more worry. “He allowed me toe today.”


    Lance studied her noticeably thinner face and the exhaustion she failed to conceal in her eyes. He knew she was not telling him everything. Yet when he noticed how deliberately she was trying to appear at ease, he did not have the heart to challenge her. A pained sigh was all he managed.


    He called for a servant to bring a fresh fruit tter and made sure she needed nothing else before settling beside her on the sofa.


    After a brief pause, Ste could not stop herself from asking, “Lance, how has Marc beentely?”


    Although she knew he had deceived her from the very beginning, she could not quite bring herself to erase him from her thoughts.


    Lance’s face clouded over at once, his voice carrying open disdain. “Ste, you need to hear this clearly. No matter whether you remember the past or not, Marc is not someone you should ever rely on. You must stop thinking about him.”


    Had this warninge from only one person, Ste might have continued to doubt it. But everyone around her described Marc the same way. At the same time, the fragments of her past that Sharon had mentioned before refused to leave her mind.


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