2024-09-26 09:01:49
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CHAPTER 775
"Young master," Marek said, his voice a jagged edge of grief and raw, unfiltered panic. "They have her. They took Persis. A gray van, armored, probably Crossroad Men. I’m… I’m losing sight of them."Marek stood in the center of the asphalt, his gun still leveled at the empty space where the van had been. He expected a roar of fury. He expected the sound of glass shattering or a scream of agony to rip through the speaker. Instead, there was a silence so profound it felt like a physical weight."Tedmond?" Marek pressed, his heart hammering against his ribs. "Did you hear me? They have Persis."On the other end of the line, Tedmond exhaled. It was a slow, terrifyingly steady sound. When he spoke, his voice wasn't filled with the rage Marek anticipated. It was relaxed, chillingly so. It was the tone of a man who had already moved past emotion and into the cold, surgical realm of total war."I heard you, Marek," Tedmond said quietly. "Relax. Stop chasing the van. If it’s armored and
CHAPTER 774
Perseia appeared at the end of the aisle, her eyes widening. "Persis! You look like a Rorschach test.""I know, Sia," Persis sighed, dabbing at her shoulder with a sodden napkin. "I’m going to the restroom to see if I can salvage this before it sets. Stay with Millicent?""Of course," Perseia said, her gaze flicking toward the front window. Marek was visible through the glass, his brow furrowed as he tracked the interaction. "Go. Scrub. I’ll make sure Mother doesn't buy the entire candy aisle."Persis offered a quick, strained smile to the pregnant woman one last time before slipping toward the back of the store.Outside, Marek’s grip tightened on his phone. He didn't like the separation. "Hino, Persis, is heading to the back alone. Minor accident with a civilian. I don't like the look of it. Move to the rear exit. Now."**The restroom was as clinical and silent as the rest of the boutique. Persis stood before the wide, backlit mirror, the cold sting of the latte seeping through
CHAPTER 773
“A previous arrangement,” Perseia said carefully. “Not our favorite chapter. The point is, Tedmond was still in it. And he used to appear at certain functions looking…”She paused, searching for the precise word.“…maligned. That’s the only word. He would stand in a room full of people, dressed impeccably, and somehow manage to look like a man who had been personally wronged by the concept of the evening.”“Like he was being held there against his will by invisible obligations he was too principled to abandon,” Millicent added.Millicent was watching her with quiet attention.“And Persis…” Perseia turned to look at her sister, a grin breaking through properly now… warm, irreverent, and entirely fond. “…Persis, who has never in her life approached anything recklessly, who measures every decision like she’s submitting it to a tribunal.”“Persis looked at this enormous, brooding, thoroughly miserable man across a room and something in her simply…” she made a small, helpless gesture, “…d
CHAPTER 772
The doctor nodded, closed the folder, and quietly excused herself.The three of them sat in the silence of the afternoon light until Millicent broke it."Well," she said, her voice dry and faintly amused. "It seems I am going to be a great deal of trouble for some time yet."Perseia made a sound that was half-laugh, wholly genuine. "Mother, I think you've been in trouble your entire life. The legs are irrelevant."‘Mother?’ Persis’s brows arched.Millicent turned to her, and something warm moved across her face. "I think," she said, "that I am going to enjoy having you in the family very much."Persis said nothing. She just looked at her hands and smiled, letting the moment be exactly what it was.*****The restaurant Perseia chose was the kind of place that didn't bother putting its name on the door. It didn't need to; the city knew it by reputation and by the particular quality of silence inside, the kind money buys, not the kind that happens by accident.The tables were set far
CHAPTER 771
Persis went still."I know you've been managing the initial portfolio," Perseia continued, her voice measured. "The one transferred to your care after the restructuring. I’ve watched how you’ve handled it.”“You haven't just maintained it; you've rebuilt parts of it from the ground up, quietly. It’s deeply irritating because you deserve credit you never take.""Perseia—""I'm not finished." She held up one finger. "That portfolio was always meant to be the foundation, not the whole. You’ve known for a while; you just weren't ready to stop thinking of yourself as the person who maintains things and start thinking of yourself as the person who owns them."Persis opened her mouth, then closed it."You're not that junior associate anymore," Perseia said, glancing toward the corridor. "Whatever this life is settling into… you need the full picture. Your name needs to be on the right things.""The previous portfolio," Persis said carefully. "You want me to focus on that first. Before anythi
CHAPTER 770
She turned back to her son, her expression firm."I would like to go with her, Tedmond. I am tired of being a patient. I want to be a woman having tea with her daughter-in-law and her sister. I want to feel the sun on my face without a medical chart attached to it."Persis looked between the two, her sister’s chaotic energy and Millicent’s fragile, growing strength. She felt an unexpected surge of warmth. "If Millicent is going... then I’m going, too. I’m not letting you two gang up on my reputation without me there to defend it."Perseia clapped her hands, her diamonds flashing. "Perfect! The car is a two-door, but we’ll make it work. It'll be cozy."Tedmond remained unconvinced. He scanned the driveway through the window before looking back at his mother. He saw the light in her eyes, the first spark of independence since the basement, and knew he couldn't take it from her."Fine," Tedmond said, his voice tight. "But we are not doing this unprotected."As the three women headed t
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