?Chapter 1563:


    Amid the chaos, Ste could barely make out Tasha and the other servants shouting in panic. She wanted to ask why William was pulling her toward the back garden — his pace so fast that she stumbled more than once.


    Felix was not small. Even though she had only been raising him for a short time, his weight quickly became too much for her smoke-weakened arms. Once they reached a spot where the mes thinned, she had no choice but to set him down.


    The dog immediately darted in the opposite direction, stubbornly refusing to follow.


    Terror surged through her. She clutched at William and cried out, “William, Felix ran off. I need to go after him.” Felix was a gift from William — a life in her care. Yet the man beside her only tightened his grip and dragged her forward without slowing.


    She was hauled through choking smoke and rolling heat, stumbling until they finally broke free from the vi with the fire roaring behind them. The cold night air crashed into her lungs, thick with ash and the sharp scent of burning. She sucked in breath greedily, coughing hard as tears streamed down her face.


    Before she could think, Marc pushed her into a car hidden among the trees. He jumped into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and mmed down on the elerator. The vehicle tore down the road like an arrow fired into the dark.


    It was only after they left the vi area and reached the main road that her breathing finally began to steady. She copsed against the back seat, chest still heaving. She was wearing nothing but a thin nightgown with a coat he had thrown over her in haste.


    She lifted her head, intending to look at William in the driver’s seat and ask why he had not waited for Felix — why they had fled so quickly. Should he not have stayed behind to handle the fire?


    “William, why did you—”


    Before she could finish, the passing streetlights swept across the side of the man driving.


    The blood drained from Ste’s face. Her eyes widened. “Marc? How is it you?”


    He was wearing the exact suit William had had on earlier. That was how she had been deceived.


    Marc met her gaze in the rearview mirror, urgencyced with faint, smug satisfaction. “If it was not me, who did you expect? Do you honestly think William cares whether you live or die?”


    R???????с?? ?????? ??аs??????? o?? ??????nov????s.??????


    Ste snapped her head aside and grabbed for the door handle — locked. She red at him, the relief of surviving the fire stripped away in an instant, reced by anger and rising panic. “Let me out right now. What do you think you are doing?”


    Catching her resistance in the mirror, Marc pressed the elerator harder, the car surging forward. “Stel, I will exin everything — just not here. When we arrive, I will answer whatever you want.”


    She ignored him. Her senses sharpened, and a harsh smell — like gasoline — filled the car. Something clicked into ce. “You started the fire, did you not?”


    Marc pressed his lips together and said nothing. The silence was answer enough.


    Shock rooted her for a moment before she lunged forward and struck his shoulder. “Are you out of your mind? Do you have any idea what you have done?” It was arson. There had been people still in that vi — and Felix too. She did not even know if they were safe.


    “Marc, turn the car around right now. Do you hear me?”


    He absorbed her blows without reacting, her strength nothing to him. “Stel, calm down. You want to go back? Then look behind you.”


    She twisted around. Through the rear window, the distant sky glowed red. The vi was still burning, the fire zing against the night.


    Her heart dropped without end.


    When she turned back to face him, resentment and disbelief filled her eyes. “Marc, I never thought you were capable of this. This is a crime. Do you even understand what you have done?” This was truly the gentle Marc she once thought she knew?


    Her words ignited his anger. Eyes fixed on the road, he spoke through clenched teeth. “If I had not done this, you would never have gotten away from William. Do not pretend you have not started caring about him again.”


    Ste stiffened. “Of course not. But that does not justify setting the vi on fire.”


    Marc let out a coldugh. He believed she was lying to herself, and his voice dropped lower. “The vi is burning, and William is nowhere near you. He did note to save you. Right now, he is at some exclusive banquet, holding another woman as they dance. In his world, you mean nothing. To him, you are just a tool for his anger.”


    .


    .


    .