2025-08-11 23:10:20
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Chapter 160
Ryan and Claudia sat at their dining table, the aroma of fresh coffee filling the room. Claudia pushed her food around her plate, hardly eating, her eyes darting now and then to Ryan. He had been unusually silent, staring at his cup as though the dark liquid inside held answers he hadn’t yet found.“Ryan,” she said softly, breaking the silence. “You didn’t sleep last night, did you?”Ryan gave a small shrug, his lips pressing together. “I’m fine,” he muttered, though the shadows under his eyes betrayed the truth.Claudia reached across the table, her fingers brushing against his hand. “You’re not fine Ryan. We both know that you're not.”Before Ryan could respond, there was a loud knock at the door.Ryan set his cup down and rose slowly. “I’ll get it,” he whispered to Claudia and then walked toward the door.When he opened it, two men in suits stood there, each carrying a black briefcase. Their expressions were flat, businesslike—the kind of faces that never gave anything away.“Mr.
Chapter 159
Agatha Duval sat at her dressing table, her frame wrapped in a light wool shawl. She tugged slightly at the scarf tied neatly at her throat. In the mirror, her eyes gleamed with excitement.“It feels strange, Martha,” she said softly, addressing the young woman fussing with her coat buttons behind her. “So strange to be preparing for a simple walk as though it were a holiday.”Elizabeth—“Martha” to her—smiled with practiced warmth, leaning forward to adjust the scarf with delicate precision. “It’s more than a walk, Mrs. Duval. It’s freedom, a breath of fresh air, a moment for yourself. You deserve it.”Agatha’s cheeks colored faintly, the flush of a girl decades younger. “Freedom, yes… that’s the word. I don’t want to feel caged anymore. I told the doctors that walls can heal the body but not the spirit, but of course they don’t listen. Always with their advice, their stern little warnings.” She shook her head, her earrings swaying like tiny bells. “But I remember the park, the way th
Chapter 158
Ryan returned to the neighborhood. He stepped out of the car and straightened his coat. “Alright, Ryan,” he muttered under his breath, talking to himself like he often did when the pressure became too much. “One step at a time.”He began walking, retracing the path he had followed before. Every corner, every boarded-up storefront. The streets weren’t busy. A few shopkeepers swept their storefronts, while others sat idly on stools, gossiping about things Ryan couldn’t bother to care about. His eyes scanned every face, wondering if one of them might recognize the description of the man he was searching for.Finally, he stopped at a small shop where an elderly man was arranging packets of biscuits and soft drinks. The man looked up, his face weathered but kind.“Good morning, sir,” Ryan greeted, forcing a polite smile though his heart hammered in his chest.The old man nodded. “Morning. You look like you’re not from around here.”Ryan chuckled faintly. “You could say that. Actually… I
Chapter 157
Elizabeth stood there, arms wrapped tightly around herself, her foot tapping restlessly against the ground. Her nerves were raw, her breaths coming fast as though her heart was refusing to calm down.Lord Ryder stood opposite her, leaning lazily against the wall. Finally, Lord Ryder broke the quiet and said in a low voice.“Elizabeth, you need to get it together.”Elizabeth’s head snapped up, her lips parting slightly. “Excuse me?”Ryder straightened, pushing herself off the wall and stepping forward. “You heard me. Get it together. You’re running around in circles, letting paranoia eat at you, when you should be focused. Do you want Claudia destroyed or not?”“Of course I do,” she snapped. “Why do you think I’m out here in the freezing cold meeting you like this?”Ryder’s lips curved in a smirk, but it was humorless. “Wanting isn’t enough. You keep saying you hate Claudia, you keep saying you’ll do anything, but the moment you face a little suspicion from one family member, you come
Chapter 156
Elizabeth pulled her coat tighter around herself as she slipped quietly out of the Duval mansion. The great iron gates had creaked only faintly when she eased them open, and she took her time making sure they were shut behind her, careful not to raise any suspicion from the guards.Her steps were brisk as she moved deeper into the streets. She had chosen this path days ago, memorizing every turn until she found the alley Lord Ryder had demanded they meet at. It was quiet, deserted, with nothing but a flickering lamp overhead and the smell of damp stone.Elizabeth stopped, her chest rising and falling quickly as she waited. For a moment, she rubbed her gloved hands together, more out of agitation than cold. Then—“You’re late,” came a voice from the shadows.Elizabeth turned sharply. Lord Ryder emerged from the darkness like she owned it, her long coat flowing behind her. Elizabeth forced her lips into a thin smile. “I had to wait until everyone was asleep,” she said, her voice clippe
Chapter 155
The heavy wooden doors of the boardroom closed behind them with a dull thud.Claudia’s chest rose and fell quickly, her hands tightening into fists at her sides. She tried to hold herself together, to keep her composure, but it was useless. The frustration in her blood was too much. She turned to Ryan, her eyes wide with disbelief.“Seven days?” she burst out. “Seven days, Ryan! How could they do this to you? How could they put you under such impossible pressure? Don’t they see what’s happening? Don’t they see that they are being manipulated by Julian and the McCarthys?”She wasn’t just angry—she was devastated.Ryan’s expression was calm, too calm, as though he had expected this. His hands curled into fists, then relaxed again as he tried to steady himself.“They see it, Claudia,” he said quietly, his voice even. “But they’re afraid. Fear makes people blind. It makes them grab at whatever looks like security, even if it’s a lie.”Claudia shook her head in frustration, her lips trembl
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