?Chapter 1566:
“What am I nning? It is quite simple. I am handing her over to Arlo. He wants the memories of her mother’s research that are locked inside her mind. With those memories, he can restart research that was halted years ago.”
Marc stared at her, convinced Nina had lost her sanity entirely. “You cannot do this. She is your cousin. You are both part of the Carter family. How can you side with outsiders? And Arlo — do you really believe he will not turn on you?”
Nina’s eyes burned with resentment, disgust shing openly as she looked at Ste. “Cousin? If it were not for her, would I have lost everything? Why does she get everything I spent half my life fighting for?” What Nina hated most was sharing blood with Ste. If Ste had never been the Carter family’s lost child, perhaps she could have epted it — but there was no going back now, and she med Ste for all of it.
“If I cannot have it, neither will she.” A twisted smile crossed Nina’s face. “Marc, rx. Arlo will take very good care of her — just as he did with William back then.” When she mentioned William now, there was no admiration left in her voice, only raw hatred. “Since you helped me get her out, I will let you walk away alive. Now leave.”
Nina knew his nature well and pressed on. “Arlomands a heavily armed mercenary force overseas. Even William could not stand against him. Are you really willing to risk your life for Ste?” After all, Ste’s heart had always belonged to William — never to him.
At those words, the man standing protectively in front of Ste wavered.
Understanding settled over Ste. Of course he would not give his life for her. If he had been lying to her from the beginning, then his selfishness ran deeper than she had ever imagined.
What neither Ste nor Nina anticipated was that after a brief pause, Marc stepped closer — cing himself fully in front of her.
“Nina, stop. If you want to take Ste, you will have to go through me.”
For someone usually driven by self-interest and fear, the thought of what awaited Ste in Arlo’s hands had erased every trace of hesitation. He held his ground, then turned to nce back at her stunned expression, his voice firm. “Stel, I promised I would protect you. William or anyone else — it does not matter. No one is taking you from me.”
She stared at him, caughtpletely off guard, words lodged in her throat. She could not understand what he was thinking anymore. So many questions pressed against her chest — above all, why he had betrayed her if he cared this much. But there was no time.
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She clenched her jaw and fixed her gaze on Nina, whose scowl was deepening by the second. “Nina, you can still stop now. Whoever this Arlo is — however powerful you believe him to be — that power is overseas. You are still part of the Carter family. Thew will catch up to you.” Turning back was the only way to lessen what wasing.
Nina’s expression darkened further, malice shing in her eyes. “You chose the hard path when an easy one was right in front of you, Ste. Do you really think I would change my mind now? Even if I go down, I am taking you with me.”
From the moment William cut off her finger, retreat had never been an option.
She pped her hands once — sharp and decisive — and three tall men stepped out of the warehouse shadows. They were Arlo’s mercenaries, sent to ensure Ste was taken without fail.
One of them stepped forward and reached for her.
Marc shoved the man’s arm away with force. “Do not touch her.”
The mercenary’s gaze hardened, cold hostility spreading from him. Marc stood no chance against a trained fighter. With a single swing, the man sent him crashing to the ground like a discarded object. He struggled to rise, pain tearing through his body as though it were breaking apart. A hoarse groan escaped him as blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
“Marc!” Ste cried out, shock cutting through her voice.
The mercenary advanced again, hostility rolling off him as he closed in on Marc, who had barely managed to push himself upright.
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