?Chapter 1668:


    The truth was far from simple. After William drove off the previous night, she had immediately taken a cab and followed him — watching him stand by the river for a long time before trailing him all the way back to this vi. Once she confirmed where he lived, she came early that morning, hoping to surprise him, only to find he had already left. What she hadn’t anticipated at all was running into Ste inside.


    Ste studied Alisha carefully. The young woman’s eyes zed with the kind of fearless determination that only came with youth, along with an unmistakable adoration for William — everything she felt yed openly across her face, without a shred of concealment.


    Ste kept her voice level. “I already told you he’s not here. You’vee at the wrong time.”


    Alisha held Ste’s gaze for a long moment. Then, without warning, she rose to her feet and bowed deeply, her voice solemn. “Ms. Russell, I have feelings for Mr. Briggs. He made it clear that the two of you aren’t together, so I’m asking you to step aside and let us be together.”


    The sheer audacity of the request left Ste momentarily speechless.


    Alisha gathered her courage and pressed on. “I know you and Mr. Briggs might have had something in the past, but that’s clearly over now. If it wasn’t, he wouldn’t have denied having a rtionship with you. He invited me to dinner and drove me home afterward. I think… he must feel something for me too.”


    A bitterugh nearly escaped Ste’s throat. As she looked at the naive young woman standing before her, an unexpected wave of pity washed over her. Alisha had absolutely no idea what she was walking into. She had met William only a handful of times and already believed herself in love. Did she have even the faintest understanding of who William really was?


    Ste pushed those thoughts down and kept her response simple. “If you have feelings for him, you should tell him directly. You don’t need my permission or blessing.”


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    “But you’re the one living in his house,” Alisha said, agitation flooding her features. “Ms. Russell, what I’m trying to say is that I don’t know the exact nature of your rtionship with Mr. Briggs, but the fact that you’re living in his home suggests it’s more than simple friendship. I don’t want to be the other woman, which is why I needed to confront you directly.”


    Ste settled back against the sofa cushions and regarded Alisha with calm, unhurried eyes.


    “Miss Cooper, you’re overstepping significantly. First, I’m under no obligation to exin my rtionship with William to you. Second, if you have feelings for him, you can pursue him on your own without consulting me. Third…” She let the silence stretch, her gaze turning cold. “Why on earth would I give you my blessing and step aside for you?”


    Ste’s icyposure made Alisha falter, the color draining from her face. But stubbornness won out, and she forced herself to push forward. “At the restaurantst night, he barely looked in your direction. If he had any real feelings for you, why would he have denied your rtionship so publicly?”


    The words struck like a de driven straight into Ste’s most vulnerable spot.


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