جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 340

Skyla let out a cold snort, then said to the caregiver, “I’m cold. Take me inside.”Out in the courtyard, Victor watched Skyla being wheeled away, his gaze turning cold and sinister.After Bart died, he should have gotten rid of that bastard child too.Inside the house, two thoughts kept repeating in Skyla’s mind over and over: “Chris is with Winter. Chris has already abandoned you.”*Twelve hours earlier, as the helicopter descended, Winter finally got a clear look at the entire island.It was breathtaking, almost unreal.For a brief moment, she was dazed by its beauty, but underneath that was a strange sense of familiarity.She told herself it was only because it reminded her of the abandoned island they had been to before.And the second she thought of that island, she thought of the photo in the drawer. Chris, standing beside another woman.She threw off the blanket. “So this is the place you wanted to bring me?”Her voice turned sharp with mockery. “You really do have

Gavin didn’t come along.He was probably still in Liono City, holding Zion and the others back. After all, Gavin’s combat ability was something Zion himself had called terrifying. If Chris wanted someone to block Zion and keep Skyla safe, Gavin was the most reliable choice.*At the Zeller family estate, Zion was on his way to find William when he passed through the courtyard and saw Sean stepping out, fastening his cufflinks.“Mr. Zeller.”Sean gave a faint acknowledgment. He slowed to a stop, and Zion immediately stopped as well, standing across from him.“Did William send you to capture Skyla last night?” Sean asked calmly.“Yes.”“And where is she now?” His tone stayed even.At the mention of it, Zion felt a surge of anger, but under Sean’s steady gaze, he forced himself to calm down and briefly explained what had happened at the hospital’s side entrance.“That’s what Gavin told you?” Sean adjusted the collar of his coat. “Are there any of Chris’s people at Westbury now?”

She set the glass of milk down and turned, striding toward the house’s exit. She had barely taken two steps when Chris caught her wrist and pulled her back into his arms.He lifted her chin, forcing her to look up at him.The humiliation of being played made her words sharp with sarcasm. “What? Did I say something wrong?”Wasn’t he experienced? Wasn’t he the one who kept her completely in the dark?Chris stared at her, at the redness in her eyes as she fought to hold back the sting of it. His fingers tightened slightly against her chin.Then she thought she heard him sigh. His grip on her wrist tightened as well.The faint calluses on his fingers brushed against her skin, sending a subtle, tingling sensation through her. She resisted it instinctively, but she couldn’t ignore it.“It was just a staged photo to sell the cover. There was no marriage license.”At the time, his superiors had wanted him to enter into a cover marriage with the informant. The most he had agreed to was

Winter turned to look out at the ocean, clearly not interested in responding.Chris watched her stubborn profile for a second. Then he suddenly spread his legs slightly, pulled her back into his arms, and grabbed both her hands, forcing them onto the wheel.“Chris, what are you doing?”Before she could react, the yacht surged forward at a speed she had never experienced before.The sudden acceleration threw her backward. She fell straight into his lap.One of his arms wrapped around her waist to steady her. His low, magnetic voice brushed against her ear. “Hold on tight. Or we’re both going overboard.”But Winter had no idea how to control a yacht. She didn’t know how to steer, and she definitely didn’t know how it had suddenly picked up so much speed.There was no doubt he was the one behind it.She didn’t believe for a second that he was reckless enough to risk his own life.Thinking that, she tried to pull free from his hold.What she did not expect was that he let go of t

“Yeah. If I were out here with William, he wouldn’t force me to do something I don’t want to do. And he definitely wouldn’t put me in danger.”Chris’s voice dropped. “What danger could there possibly be with me?”Winter didn’t bother answering. She struggled harder. Sitting sideways like this gave her more room to move.She kicked at him.He saw it coming. He pinned her knee while his legs closed around hers, trapping them in place.The moment she raised her hand to hit him, he caught her wrist. At the same time, he lowered his head and pressed his forehead against hers, cutting off any chance she had of headbutting him.“I won’t let anything happen to you.”I won’t let anything happen to you.”It was a low, steady promise, but all Winter felt was mockery.Unable to break free, she stared at his cold, sharp features. He was so close she could feel his breath.Then she closed her eyes and said nothing.Gradually, she noticed the yacht slowing down. Then it came to a stop, roc