?Chapter 696:


    Rosaline looked equally confused, as though she, too, couldn’t quite understand the turn of events.


    “I have no idea,” she admitted. “A stranger came to my doorst night and offered me a new job. Can you believe it? It’s perfect! I’ll be organizing books on the library’s first floor for just three hours a day, and then I’m free to do whatever I please. And the pay… it’s much better than before.”


    She let out a softugh and winked at me. “Makenna, did you have a hand in this? Did you find me this job?”


    I let out a nervousugh and waved my hands quickly. “Me? No way. I wouldn’t even have the means to pull that off, Mrs. Hampton.”


    But as I spoke, a scene from the day before shed through my mind—Bryan and yton’s tense face-off. Could one of them have done this?


    Before I could ponder further, Rosaline’s voice broke into my thoughts. “By the way, Makenna, what’s the child’s name?”


    Her question pulled me back to the present. I turned my gaze to Winfred’s serene face, a smile tugging at my lips. “His name is Winfred Dunn.”


    Rosaline bent down to gently pinch his chubby cheeks until he squealed withughter.


    “Winfred…” she said, rolling the name around as if savoring it. “What a lovely name—elegant and warm. It suits him perfectly.”


    I flushed slightly under the praise and smiled shyly. “Mrs. Hampton, I’ll be counting on you to take care of him. Don’t worry—I’ll make sure to send support for his upbringing regrly.”


    The joy in her face flickered, reced by a gentle sternness. She straightened up and looked at me. “What are you saying, dear? I’m not looking after Winfred for the money. I love children—truly I do.”


    “I know… I just…” I faltered, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly. “Raising a child isn’t easy, and I don’t want to burden you.”


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    Her face softened again with a smile. “Don’t you worry, Makenna. I’ll take good care of him, I promise. You cane visit anytime you want; this is your home too.”


    Relief washed over me, and I bowed deeply, my voice thick with gratitude. “Thank you, Mrs. Hampton. Thank you so much.”


    After entrusting Winfred to her care, I stepped out of Rosaline’s small house, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts.


    Distracted, I didn’t pay much attention to where I was going—until I collided with someone, hard.


    “Ow!” I staggered back, a little dizzy from the impact. “I’m so sorry,” I stammered, looking up quickly, only to find it was Antoni.


    Antoni’s POV:


    I staggered out of the pce dungeon, each step a war against my own body.


    The pain was unbearable, like steel needles driven into my back over and over with cruel precision. Sweat pooled on my brow and ran in rivulets down my face, my vision blurring as I copsed.


    Seeing me emerge, one of my subordinates rushed forward to help.


    In a fit of rage, I sent him sprawling to the ground with a sharp, fury-fueled kick.


    “Useless!” I barked. “You’re all a bunch of worthless fools!”


    My re bored into him, anger boiling over. “You didn’t even know Dominic had taken Makenna to the horse farm! What good are you to me?”


    The man’s body trembled as he scrambled to his knees. He dared not look up. “P-please calm down, Mr. Harrison. Please…”


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