?Chapter 1615:


    William turned his gaze toward the city skyline beyond the window, fleeting images shing through his mind too quickly to hold onto. After a long silence, he spoke again. “Luca, how many years have you been working for me?”


    “Seven years, Mr. Briggs,” Luca replied after a moment’s thought, recalling how he himself had joined Briggs Group straight out of school. Back then, William had been consumed by work — and Ste had not yet entered his life.


    William turned to look at him, his expression unreadable, leaving Luca faintly unsettled. “What do you think of Ste?”


    Luca hesitated briefly, then answered honestly. “Mr. Briggs, although I’m only your assistant and shouldn’t overstep, I believe Ms. Russell is a very good person. And her feelings for you run much deeper than you may realize.”


    He didn’t understand why the conversation had suddenly shifted to Ste, but since William had asked, he felt it was best to speak truthfully.


    William pressed his lips together. “Didn’t you also believe she betrayed me back then?” He clearly remembered returning from Arlo’s ce, when everyone around him had been convinced that Ste had betrayed him. So why had their views changed now?


    Luca’s gaze flickered. “Yes, Mr. Briggs. At first, we thought Ms. Russell was pretending. But once the truth came out, we realized we had misunderstood her.”


    William let out a soft, humorlessugh. Could regaining her memories really serve as such a convenient escape?


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    Luca watched him quietly, uncertain of what he was thinking, before speaking carefully. “Mr. Briggs, those memories you have aren’t real. Ms. Russell never did those things.” The words were bold, especiallying from someone in Luca’s position, and he spoke them fully aware of the risk. He only wanted to be fair to Ste.


    A sharp pain clenched in William’s chest, his heartbeat quickening with difort. He raised a hand to his temples as a familiar migraine began to surface.


    Luca looked at him with concern but wisely refrained from saying more. “Mr. Briggs, are you feeling all right?”


    William waved him off. “You may leave. Forget everything we just discussed.”


    Understanding his cue, Luca nodded and exited the office.


    Once the door closed, William turned back to the city stretching out beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. Despite being the respected CEO of Briggs Group, few knew how hard he struggled to maintain control over his own memories and emotions. If members of the Briggs family — those eager to exploit any weakness — ever found out, the consequences would be disastrous.


    As that thought settled, a particr person surfaced in his mind. William picked up his phone and dialed. The call connected quickly. “Let’s meet,” he said simply.


    An hourter, Amon walked into William’s office wearing a flight jacket. Luca, standing outside the door, froze in surprise. Amon deliberately shot him a teasing smile before stepping inside.


    He pushed the door open and looked at the man behind the desk — his cousin. “You called me. What is it?” He had assumed William would pretend he didn’t exist after the situation with Nina. Taking a seat on the sofa opposite the desk, he studied William for a moment.


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