After the divorce, he begged

Chapter 303

Two minutes later, Jack ended his call with Rebecca. For once, a rare look of contemplation crossed his usually calm face.

Daniel, ever the helpful assistant, spoke up: “What’s wrong?”

“Why didn’t I think to record Uncle and the others when I was eavesdropping?” Jack rubbed his chin, deep in thought. “I was going to get caught anyway. Wouldn’t a recording have been even more solid proof?”

Daniel was speechless.

Jack asked, “So you didn’t think of it either, huh?”

Daniel pointed out kindly, “You didn’t expect to get caught while eavesdropping.” –

Jack mulled it over. “Makes sense.”

Daniel just got back to work, already used to Jack’s occasional lapses in judgment.

Meanwhile, after she hung up, Rebecca found herself worrying about Amelia and how things had gone wrong. Since Jack couldn’t remember the exact details of the conversation, she figured maybe he’d misunderstood something while trying to listen in. As for Max, he always struck her as a pretty honest, straightforward guy.

Thinking it over, Rebecca made a mental note to dig deeper once she got back to Honnala.

Before getting down to business, she shot Karen a quick message: “Are you here yet?”

Karen texted back almost right away: “Just got here.”

Standing in front of the villa she’d called home for the past three years, she drew a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and headed inside.

What she didn’t know was that Stephen hadn’t gone upstairs to rest at all since his meeting with Jeffrey last night. He’d been sitting on the couch the whole time, waiting for her, with his phone volume turned all the

way up.

When he saw her come back, Stephen switched his phone to silent.

“So you finally decided to come back,” he said, his voice low and heavy with tension. His eyes behind the glasses were bloodshot from a sleepless night.

Karen stood in front of him, trying to figure out how to bring up the real reason she was here.

Stephen’s gaze lingered on her dark coat before he reached out, pulling her into his arms and starting to remove it. “Did you forget what I told you before?”

“This is Rebecca’s coat,” Karen said, reaching out to stop him.

“I’m not going to say it again,” Stephen replied, his tone calm but carrying a definite chill. “Go upstairs and

Sat, Oct

Chapter 303

change your clothes.”

swallowed her

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110 vouchers.

said anyway. Might as well switch into one of those pale outfits he likes and wait for the

talk.

minutes later, Karen came

off–white knit sweater, some of that cold edge finally

down beside him and gently tracing her delicate fingers. “So, what’s going

tightly together, refusing

hem of her sweater, his rough fingers teasing her sensitive

to talk to you,” Karen said, gathering her

nerve on the way here, but now, wrapped in Stephen’s arms and overwhelmed by his

“I haven’t grilled you about faking

Karen stiffened.

she

something and now you’re feeling bold

raising her–he knew

just one night away and suddenly

any

other

Karen’s spine. “How did you know I

your body inside out?” Stephen drawled, his glasses making him look like some refined villain. “Someone who can

Karen’s face, and a cold

supposed to go up against someone like Stephen?‘ she thought, feeling

why didn’t you call me

13:59 Sat, Oct 11

Chapter 303

A

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I’ll mess around with you,” Stephen said, his hands roaming with blatant possessiveness. “Maybe then you’ll finally get a good

only realized this morning that Karen had faked

which was a pretty obvious sign something was up. Plus, her eyes looked totally

Rebecca had said something to her, and Karen had been stuck turning it

that what this is? You want to break up with me?” Stephen asked, his

after a

is Rebecca, and you’re Karen,” Stephen said, giving her fingers a firm squeeze. “You didn’t grow up with loving parents, you’re not part of some fancy rich family, and you don’t have trust–fund friends who’ll always have your back. Whatever she told you, her advice just doesn’t fit

lip and

felt herself sinking, lower and lower,

Jensen trying out a normal life,” Stephen continued in that deceptively gentle voice. “But if you leave me, you’re plunging from the shadows into something so much

making it crystal clear:

he’d let