“Of course. You’re pregnant now. You can’t do heavy lifting, long hours, or messy chores. But it’s not safe to hire a maid so suddenly. I’ll need to look into it, find the right one, and trained. Since you don’t have much time left in your term, just make do for now<i>.</i><i>” </i>
get her
Henry stroked Shannon’s sweet–scented hair and spoke gently.
Hearing she wouldn’t need to work on house chores anymore, Shannon quickly nodded and threw herself into his arms, yful and happy. “Henry, you treat me <i>so </i>well.”
“You’ve been with me since you were young. If I don’t take care of you, who else would I take care of?” Henryughed, holding her close.
At the top floor of Lock Group, inside Finn’s office.
“Mr. Lock, I’ve set those people up in my office,” Zane reported as soon as he arrived.
Finn didn’t even look up. His pen flew across the papers, signing name after name. “Most likely, Henry offered them plenty of benefits. Find out what they got.”
“Yes, Mr. Lock.”
Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, a loud knock echoed at the office door, sharp and impatient, carrying the arrogance of the one outside.
Zane nced nervously at Finn, who had paused his signing.
Just minutes ago, Abel had called, demanding to see him.
“Come in.”
Finn put his pen down and folded his hands, his eyes fixed on the door.
Abel stepped in wearing a sharp red leather biker jacket. His presence lit up the otherwise stark
ck office.
He casually pulled up a chair, sat down, and crossed one leg over the other.
“Uncle Finn, you called my family to get them to ask me to go home because you don’t want
16:45 Fri, <b>Oct </b><b>24 </b>B…
Chapter 397 Fire and Ice
me around Tess, right?”
:
The words hit like a de. Finn’s eyes turned cold.
But Abel acted as if he didn’t notice. He spun the chairzily and grinned at Finn.
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“Let me guess. Somebody already lost his chance to stand by her side. Feeling jealous?”
Abel suddenly yanked the chair closer and leaned in.
Their eyes locked mid–air–one dark and icy as winter, the other zing hot and reckless as fire.
Zane’s eyes almost popped out of his head when he heard Abel’s daring words.
<i>Oh </i><i>my </i>
<i>God</i><i>. </i><i>Is </i><i>Mr. </i><i>Shaw </i><i>out of </i><i>his </i><i>mind</i>? <i>How </i><i>could </i><i>he </i><i>talk </i><i>to </i><i>Mr. </i><i>Lock </i><i>like </i><i>that</i>?
But Abel only smiled, raising his brows with a look full of challenge.
“Abel, do you really think staying close to her means you’ll get a chance?”
Abel’s cold eyes narrowed, sharp as des.
Zane froze at those words.
He rubbed his ears, making sure he didn’t mishear it.
<i>What </i><i>did </i><i>Mr. </i><i>Lock </i><b><i>just </i></b><i>say</i>? <i>Is </i><i>this </i><i>world </i><i>upside </i><i>down</i>?
Mr. Shaw had <i>said </i><i>something </i><i>outrageous</i><i>, </i><i>yet </i><i>Mr. </i><i>Lock </i><i>didn’t </i><i>deny </i><i>it</i>. <i>Instead</i><i>, </i><i>he </i><i>fired </i><i>back </i><i>with </i><i>his </i><i>own </i>jab.
Abelughed. “Still better than someone who never even gets close.”
The sh between the two was like sparks flying off steel. Zane sucked in a sharp breath.
Finn’s face darkened, cold and frightening.
Abel suddenly tapped his fingers on the desk.
Finn frowned at him.
“You forced my family to call me home,” Abel said, shrugging with a cocky grin. “But you know as well as I do, if I don’t want to leave, no one can make me.”
<b>16:45 </b>Fri, <b>Oct </b><b>24 </b>B..
…
Chapter 397 Fire and Ice
“So?”
Finn’s voice was cold, low, and rough, with a menace that made Zane’s skin crawl.
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“I can go back on my own,” Abel said lightly. “But I’ll need you to help me with one thing.”
Even though he was technically asking for a favor, Abel lookedpletely rxed and confident, as if he were sure Finn wouldn’t refuse.
Finn gave a coldugh. “Abel, you think too highly of yourself. I’ve got plenty of ways to drag you back. Why should I waste a favor on you?”
Abel rubbed his chin. “Because you won’t refuse. It’s simple. I just need you to help me track down Shannon’s whereabouts in Aetheris. If you do that, I’ll go home for a while. Who knows, maybe you’ll even earn yourself a little goodwill in front of Tess.”
He shrugged again, words sharp as needles. “Not that you two will ever get back together.”
Zane wiped sweat from his brow. The man never stopped poking the bear.
But instead of blowing up, Finn went quiet.
His eyes narrowed. Without thinking, his fingers tightened around the pen he had been holding.
“She sent you to me?”
Finn asked atst, lifting his gaze to pin Abel with a hard stare, as if searching for the truth in his face.
Zane almost doubted what he was seeing.
<i>Mr. </i>Shaw was <i>provoking </i><i>him </i><i>nonstop</i><i>, </i><i>and </i><i>instead </i><i>of </i>raging, <i>Mr. </i><i>Lock </i>was <i>pressing </i><i>for </i>answers<i>? </i>
Zane forced his jaw shut, afraid it might hang open.
Abel spread his hands.
“How could she?”
The answer was disappointing, but Finn didn’t react much. Only his eyes flickered faintly, as if he had expected it all along.
<b>16:45 </b>Fri, <b>Oct </b><b>24 </b>B
Sara Lili
<strong>Sara Lili</strong> is a daring romance writer who turns icyndscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of d’s breathtaking cold.