?Chapter 1717:


    He had no desire to see Alisha. He simply wanted to close this chapter permanently.


    Luca still hadn’t been able to confirm whether anything had actually urred between them, which meant William couldn’t afford to be too aggressive just yet. Who knew what Alisha might do if he pushed her too hard? She might go straight to Ste out of spite.


    Thirty minutester, Alisha spotted William entering the café on the ground floor of Briggs Group headquarters. He moved with the purposeful stride of someone rushing between meetings.


    Alisha had chosen the same white dress she had worn the day they first met at the hospital, her hair pulled back in that same high ponytail. Her normally bright eyes looked red and puffy, as though she had spent hours crying.


    The moment she spotted him, she jumped to her feet, her hands twisting together anxiously.


    He approached without greeting her, and she finally broke the silence, her voice small and uncertain. “Mr. Briggs, thank you for agreeing to see me.”


    William dropped into the chair across from her and cut straight to the point. “What do you want? I don’t have time to waste.”


    Alisha caught her lower lip between her teeth, fresh tears gathering in her eyes. “I’ve been thinking about what happened, and I needed to apologize. I know you were intoxicated, but I waspletely sober. I shouldn’t have let things go as far as they did.” Tears spilled down her cheeks as she spoke, painting a portrait of vulnerability.


    At least, that was what any observer would have thought.


    William studied her with mounting irritation. “If that’s all you wanted to tell me, you’ve wasted both our time.” A pointless apology. He could have stayed in his office — there had been no reason toe down at all.


    Panic seized Alisha’s chest. She hastily scrubbed the tears from her face.


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    “No, there’s more. Mr. Briggs, I came because Mr. Dixon found out aboutst night. He saw us enter that room together and used me of inappropriate conduct. He’s threatening to fire me. I desperately need this job.” She delivered the lines exactly as Hurst had coached her.


    The goal was to make William understand how desperate her situation was, how much she needed this position — and how he bore responsibility for the consequences she was now facing.


    William’s brow furrowed as he recalled the specific ss of wine Hurst had handed him at the banquet.


    So that had been the delivery method.


    Ice crystallized in William’s gaze, though Alisha missed it entirely, too focused on dabbing at her tears. He regarded her with cold detachment. “So you’re asking me to help you keep your job?” If he recalled correctly, she had only gotten the position because of him in the first ce.


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