?Chapter 1074:


    Not long after, his phone rang.


    It was Hailey.


    His frown deepened. Annoyance flickered in his eyes.


    He ended the call without hesitation.


    But the ringing came again. Relentless.


    It was like she wouldn’t stop until he picked up.


    His jaw tightened. His patience was gone.


    He finally swiped to answer. His voice came out cold. “What the hell do you want?”


    Desperation crackled through Hailey’s voice from the other end of the line. “Noah, something terrible has happened. My dad copsed without warning. I’m terrified.”


    Noah’s brows furrowed as her words registered. Not a single syble of Hailey’s story seemed true to him. What scheme was she orchestrating now?


    When Hailey sensed his hesitation, her voice dissolved into desperate pleas. “Noah, I know we can’t return to what we had, but remember how my dad always embraced you as his son. With this pregnancy, I need your support now more than ever. Please, Noah—save my father. I’mpletely lost without your help.”


    Her words cascaded forth, drenched in emotion and apparent anguish. An outside observer would surely believe Forest teetered at death’s door.


    A shadow passed across Noah’s gaze, his eyes darkening with contemtion. In the past three years, Forest had shown Noah genuine regard, consistently valuing his perspective and input. Yet that warmth had hinged entirely on his identity as Patrick—and the advantages he delivered to the Burgess Group.


    Suspicion clouded his judgment as memories collided with present instincts.


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    After a moment’s deliberation, he relented. “I’m on my way.”


    The line went dead as he ended the call.


    Across town in the sprawling suburban vi, Hailey’s features betrayed none of the distress she’d just performed. A calcting smile of victory twisted her lips as she lowered the phone. She cast a sideways nce at her father, Forest, who reclinedfortably on the sofa, savoring his coffee without a hint of illness.


    “Dad, have you confirmed all the arrangements? We can’t afford any mistakes.”


    With deliberate precision, Forest ced his cup on the side table, his expression radiating calcted malice. Rising unhurriedly to his feet, he squeezed his daughter’s shoulder reassuringly. “Everything is in ce, don’t worry. Dr. Lawson has quietly entered the country. Soon Noah will belong entirely to us—Sadie will be nothing but a forgotten memory!”


    Hailey gave a slight nod, drawing strength from her father’s unwavering confidence.


    Noah had subjected her to merciless cruelty, choosing time and again to humiliate her in favor of that insufferable Sadie. Ifpassion was absent from his heart, she would respond in kind. He’d driven her to these desperate measures through his own callousness.


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