Chapter 268Eric and Mary found themselves sitting quietly on the couch in their cozy living room. The evening had settled into a peaceful lull, with the soft glow of the lamp casting a warm light over the room. Claire had already been tucked into bed, leaving the couple to enjoy a rare moment of quiet together.Mary, feeling the weight of the silence, took a bite of the dessert she had brought out—a slice of her homemade pie—before finally breaking the quiet. “So, how was your day?” she asked gently, her eyes searching Eric’s face for any sign of how he was feeling.Eric smiled at her, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “It was...eventful,” he began, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. “Work was the usual hustle, but I also went to visit Liam Carter at the hospital.”Mary’s brow furrowed slightly with concern. “Liam Carter?” she repeated, setting her plate aside. “How is he doing? And how did the visit go?”Eric leaned back against the couch, his expression thoughtful. “He’s
Chapter 269Just as Eric and Mary were settling into their comfortable silence, Eric's phone began to ring, cutting through the quiet of the room. He reached for it and saw James's name flashing on the screen. With a sigh, he stood up from the couch and walked over to the window, answering the call."James," Eric greeted, trying to keep his tone neutral, though the underlying tension was palpable. "How are you?""Eric," James replied, his voice steady but with an edge of curiosity. "I'm good. I just wanted to check in with you—how did your visit to Liam Carter go? Anything I should know?"Eric glanced back at Mary, who was watching him with a concerned expression, before turning his attention back to the call. "It went about as expected, I suppose," Eric began. "Liam was...well, Liam. He was in a decent mood, considering the circumstances. We talked for a bit, but it felt like he was fishing for something, testing the waters."James's voice took on a more serious tone. "Testing the wa
Chapter 270The morning broke with a critical task at hand for Williams and Sasha. They were holed up in their hotel room at Sky Suite, going over the final details of the night’s plan. The air in the room was thick with tension, mingling with the acrid scent of cigarette smoke as Sasha leaned against the windowsill, her eyes narrowed in concentration.Williams sat at the small, round table in the center of the room, his fingers drumming rhythmically on the wooden surface. The room was dimly lit, with only a sliver of sunlight cutting through the curtains, casting a narrow beam across the table. His gaze was fixed on the detailed floor plan of Sky Care Hospital, the designated route marked out in bold red ink."Are you listening, Sasha?" Williams' voice cut through the haze of smoke, sharp and demanding.Sasha took a long drag from her cigarette, the tip glowing a fierce orange before she exhaled slowly, her breath curling in the air like a serpent. "I'm listening," she replied, her t
Chapter 271Meanwhile, on another block in Sky Suites, Jaxon was deep in his own dark thoughts, formulating plans to get back at his father. The anger that had simmered since last night, after their heated confrontation in his father’s office, had not diminished. In fact, it had only grown, fueling his resolve to hit his father where it hurt the most—his other family.Jaxon sat on the edge of the bed, his phone pressed to his ear as he spoke in hushed, urgent tones. On the other end was Ken, his go-to guy for shady dealings, the one man he knew he could trust with something as serious as this.Ken was the leader of a group of thugs, and Jaxon had called him to arrange a kidnapping—a plan to take his father’s other family and hold them hostage. It was a move driven by pure spite, a way to make his father pay for all the years of resentment and neglect Jaxon had endured.As Jaxon spoke, Milly moved quietly behind him, her fingers brushing over his shoulders in a gesture that was meant t
Chapter 272Milly's fingers flew across her phone screen as she typed a message to Williams, her heart racing slightly at the risk she was taking. **Jaxon plans to kidnap his father’s other family,** she wrote, her eyes darting to Jaxon to ensure he wasn’t paying attention. As she hit send, she kept the phone close, waiting for Williams’ reply.It didn’t take long. Her phone buzzed in her hand, and she glanced down at the screen. **Where is he now?** Williams had typed. **With me,** Milly quickly responded, then hesitated for a moment before typing again, **So, what’s my reward in all of this?** Williams’ response came almost instantly: **That'll be later when you come around the office.** Milly’s lips curled into a small, satisfied smile, but before she could savor the moment, another message from Williams appeared: **So when did he plan to kidnap them?** She hesitated briefly, then turned to Jaxon, who was still lounging on the bed, his focus seemingly elsewhere. "So, when do yo
Chapter 273After ending the call with Jaxon, Sasha looked over at Williams as he dropped his phone. "So, you're considering the foursome, huh?" she asked with a teasing tone. "I thought you weren’t interested."Williams, his mind already elsewhere, responded absentmindedly, "Yeah, I am now."Sasha raised an eyebrow, noticing his distracted demeanor. "Really? You seem pretty far away for someone who's suddenly interested."Williams barely registered her words, already focused on the situation with Jaxon and Mr. Sterling. "Uh-huh," he muttered, clearly preoccupied.Sasha rolled her eyes, realizing she wasn’t going to get much out of him at the moment. "You’re not even listening," she said, more to herself than to him."Sorry, what?" Williams finally looked at her, snapping back to the present."Never mind," Sasha replied, shaking her head with a sigh. "You’ve got something else on your mind, I can tell."Williams sat in silence, the weight of his own actions pressing heavily on his min
Chapter 274Mr. Sterling was seated behind his large mahogany desk, going over some documents. He looked up as Williams entered, a look of mild surprise crossing his face. "Williams," he said, setting the papers aside. "What brought you here so late? How are you preparing for tonight? How's the assassin, is she all set?”“Everything is under control, Mr Sterling.” Williams responded.“So what brings you to my office? You know we're not supposed to be seen together till Liam is dead.”Williams forced a smile. "I was in the area and thought I’d stop by to discuss a few things that have been on my mind."Mr. Sterling leaned back in his chair, studying Williams with a curious expression. "Go on," he said, gesturing for Williams to take a seat.Williams sat down, his mind racing. He needed to tread carefully. "I’ve been thinking about the security measures around your family," he began, choosing his words carefully. "Given the current climate, it might be wise to increase them, especially
Chapter 275On his way back to the Sky Suite Hotel, Williams' phone buzzed in his pocket. Glancing at the screen, he saw Kate's name flashing and reluctantly answered the call, already anticipating the kind of conversation that awaited him."Hello, Kate," he greeted, forcing a neutral tone."Williams," Kate's voice came through, strained with anxiety. She explained everything that's been going on between her and Richard to him, "...I don’t know what to do. Richard’s been discharged from the hospital, and he’s hellbent on divorcing me. He’s refusing to listen to anyone, not even Pa Aaron."Williams feigned concern, furrowing his brow as if anyone could see his expression. "Wait, what? That's not right, Kate. Richard should listen to reason.""Exactly! That's why I’m calling you," Kate continued, her voice trembling. "You’ve always had a good relationship with Richard. Maybe you could talk to him, get him to rethink this. You know he respects you... and you used to help us out financial