?Chapter 1467:

    A painful knot tightened in his throat. The ache ran deep, pulsing beneath his ribs until it crushed the breath from his chest.

    He let out a long, broken sigh. The fire that once lit his gaze had long since dimmed. Slowly, he rose to his feet, every movement weighed down by defeat. “There is always a way out,” he muttered, voice low, eyes distant. “But does the Ashton family still have a path to take?”

    The silence that followed was heavy, like the hush after a thunderp. The truth was unavoidable. With Ford Group’s cklist stamped against them, any business daring to support the Ashton name would be standing against the Ford family. No one would take that risk.

    That risk. Every bridge had been burned. Every door bolted shut. This was not just defeat. It was extinction.

    With that final thought, Farris grasped his ornate cane and turned slowly to leave.

    His steps were uneven, burdened. His back, once proud and unyielding, now hunched under an invisible weight that seemed to age him with every breath.

    He had barely taken two steps when his knees buckled. The world spun.

    Darkness swallowed his vision. He copsed.

    “Dad!”

    “Grandpa!”

    Gasps ripped through the room. Farrisy motionless, lips tinged with a frightening purple hue. His body trembled faintly, seized by shock. Panic erupted like wildfire. The family rushed to his side, their voices tangled in cries and confusion.

    Amid the chaos, Bruce kept hisposure just long enough to pull out his phone. His fingers moved quickly, dialing emergency services and giving them the address.

    Across town, the atmosphere could not have been more different. The party had already thinned out, its mour fading into memory. Corrine was preparing to return to the Ford Mansion for the night.

    g?a?l?n?o?v?e?l?s?.?c?o?m? = ?????

    In the parking lot, under the dim glow of overhead lights, Nate held her fingers between his palms. He pressed her hand gently to his chest, grounding her in the steady beat of his heart.

    “Are you saying you will not be heading to Celtis Estate in the next few days?”

    Corrine gave a small nod. “You have been busytely. I thought it better not to disturb you.”

    “You never disturb me,” Nate said softly. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her fingertips.

    There was a subtle smile in Corrine’s eyes, something unspoken dancing behind them. “Why did you not tell me your grandmother would being to the Ford Mansion? Was it a sudden decision?”

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