?Chapter 1718:


    Alisha dropped her gaze, her voice barely audible. “I know none of this is your fault, but Mr. Dixon said that if you could direct some projects to Dixon Group — nothing major, just small contracts — he’d recognize my value and let me stay.”


    She lifted her tear-filled eyes to his face, her expression pleading. “Mr. Briggs, I know it’s a great deal to ask, but I have nowhere else to turn. Please — please help me.”


    William’s attention drifted to the coffee cup before him, his mind working through the implications.


    He did have numerous projects in various stages, including several smaller contracts that held no strategic importance. Sending one Dixon Group’s way would cost him nothing.


    ???? ????e ?????????? ???? ??e???? ??n gal??????e????.co??


    If handing over a minor project would make Alisha disappear permanently, it was a price worth paying. More importantly, it would buy him time to investigate whether Hurst had orchestrated his drugging.


    After a moment of silence, he replied coldly, “I’ll direct a contract to Dixon Group. But hear me clearly, Alisha — this is thest interaction between us. Once the project is assigned, you never contact me again. If you vite that even once, I’ll make sure you can’t set foot in Choria again.”


    Alisha’s pulse jumped with a confusing mixture of triumph and terror. She hadn’t anticipated he would agree so easily, and she had certainly never expected him to pair the concession with such a chilling threat.


    She ducked her head in submission. “I understandpletely, Mr. Briggs. I’ll honor your wishes. Thank you.”


    William stood, looking down at her. “This is a transaction, nothing more. Save your gratitude.”


    He turned toward the exit, but Alisha’s voice stopped him. “Mr. Briggs, wait!”


    William’s footsteps never faltered. He strode out of the café without a backward nce, demonstrating no interest whatsoever in whatever Alisha had left to say.


    Alisha remained frozen in her seat, watching his figure vanish through the doorway. She raised one hand and scrubbed roughly at the tear tracks staining her cheeks.


    Herpliance moments ago had been purely tactical — a temporary concession. She would never be foolish enough to surrender her only leverage for the sake of a single project. This situation represented her sole opportunity to turn things around, and she refused to let it slip through her fingers without extracting every possible advantage.


    She pulled out her phone and opened a photograph of Ste saved on her screen — an image she had found online, captured during Ste’s tenure at the research institute. The woman in the photograph radiated confidence and elegance, her smile cultivated to perfection.


    Alisha had constructed borate fantasies countless times about what her own life after graduation should have looked like. Ste embodied every single element of those fantasies with uncanny precision: a thriving career, a handsome and wealthy partner who worshipped her. Ste possessed it all.


    They shared nearly identical features, yet inhabitedpletely different worlds.


    Why couldn’t Ste’s life belong to her instead?


    After staring at the image for several long moments, she pocketed her phone and rose to leave.


    Back at Briggs Group headquarters, William sat at his desk, massaging his throbbing temples before summoning Luca.


    “Mr. Briggs, you called for me?”


    .


    .


    .