Chapter 500:

    If William recalled correctly, Shaun had a way of conveniently showing up wherever Ste went.

    Ste had had enough. “That’s enough, Mr. Briggs!” she snapped. “Who I see or spend time with is my business. I answered you out of basic respect, but clearly, you don’t even understand what that means!”

    With a huff of frustration, Ste spun on her heel and stormed out of the emergency room.

    William hadn’t seen thating. Her sudden re of temper caught himpletely off guard. Without thinking twice, he swung his legs off the bed and went after her.

    The nurse stood quietly to the side, pretending not to listen in. She just wanted to wrap up the treatment and move on. With them gone, she hesitated—was there even a point in applying the ointment now?

    In the hallway, Ste fumed. So what if William had feelings for her? That didn’t give him the right to interrogate her like that.

    Did his love mean she wasn’t allowed to have male friends anymore? How was that fair?

    Just as she stepped outside, a firm grip caught her wrist. William had reached her, his voice gentle and sincere. “I’m sorry.”

    Ste’s chest rose and fell as she looked at him. His sharp features were tense, but his expression had none of the arrogance he’d shown earlier. Now, there was only a quiet kind of regret in his eyes.

    “Why are you apologizing, Mr. Briggs?” Her tone was calm, but there was still a bite to it.

    William didn’t flinch. His eyes stayed locked on hers.

    “I was only worried about you,” he said softly. “That’s it.”

    He had warned her about Shaun before, insisting he was shady, yet Ste still kept running into him.

    g?lnσν????s﹒??????, the heart of fiction

    He was so desperate to stop it, he even faked a car crash just to get her away from Shaun.

    Ste frowned deeply. “I don’t understand your grudge against Shaun, Mr. Briggs. Maybe you misunderstood something, but he’s actually helped me a lot. If it…

    “Weren’t for him, today’s Neb Group project would’vepletely fallen apart. Shouldn’t I be thankful instead?”

    She could understand that William, with his business instincts, might not see eye to eye with Shaun. But from what she had seen, Shaun had never given her a reason not to trust him.

    “Fine, I’m sorry for how I came across,” William said, keeping calm. “But I’ve dealt with Shaun far longer than you have. He’s not who he pretends to be. And tell me honestly, have I ever been this forceful about anyone else in your life?” His voice was steady, simplyying the facts out before her.

    Looking at his sincere expression, Ste’s frustration slowly melted, reced by a quiet sense of uncertainty.

    William continued, “Haley has the samest name, and both she and Shaun know Nixon. You’re smart—tell me that’s just a coincidence. And if Shaun can’t even see Nixon for who he really is and still chooses to work with him… do you honestly believe someone like that would be trusted to run the Smith Group as its CEO?”

    Ste’s confidence had taken a hit after hearing William’s analysis.

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    Message from Noah: New novels in a few hours, hope you like them dear readers. God loves you and Noah wishes you all the best. (?? ? ??)?

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