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 feelings.

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110 vouchers.

said anyway. Might as well switch into one of those pale outfits he likes

talk.

Karen came back

Stephen saw her in that off–white knit sweater, some

from exhaustion last night,” he said, pulling her down beside him and gently

her lips tightly together, refusing

rough fingers teasing her

to talk to you,” Karen said,

wrapped in Stephen’s arms and overwhelmed by his intense presence, she just couldn’t bring

off,” Stephen muttered, giving her waist a slight squeeze. “I haven’t grilled you about faking that faint or ghosting

Karen stiffened.

she realized, heart

want to talk because Rebecca said something and now you’re feeling bold again, huh?” Stephen called her out, cutting straight through all her

raising her–he knew her inside and

just one night away and suddenly wants to talk? Stephen couldn’t

any

other

down Karen’s spine. “How did you know

glasses making him look like some refined villain. “Someone who can stay wide awake through all that last

flicker of unease crossed Karen’s face, and a

am I supposed to go up against someone like Stephen?‘

call me out on

13:59 Sat, Oct 11

Chapter 303

A

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to mess around, fine, 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

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 over in her

is? You want to break up with me?” Stephen asked, his voice low and

and after a long, heavy silence,

you’re not part of some fancy

lip and

herself sinking, lower and lower,

Jeffrey? That’s just Ms. Jensen trying out a normal life,” Stephen continued in that deceptively gentle voice. “But if

it,” Karen said quietly. Stephen was making it

he’d