?Chapter 1298:


    “You’re not saying…” ine’s words caught in his throat. “Is it possible that Alex actually rescued Hailey, and she went ahead and had the baby?”


    It sounded far-fetched, but remembering all of Alex’s strange behaviorstely, ine couldn’t dismiss the idea outright. If Noah’s hunch was right, then Alex’s motives went way beyond just making trouble for Wall Group.


    ine’s voice dropped, suddenly heavy with gravity. He drew in a long breath, as if bracing himself. “Noah, I have to ask you something. Just be straight with me. Is Hailey’s baby actually yours?”


    It was a question that had nagged at him for a long time, but he’d never found the courage to bring it up until now. Tina’s death had made him rethink everything, turning over old memories for signs he might have missed.


    Noah’s fingers tensed around the phone. A tense silence hung between them, broken only by his quiet, steady breathing.


    “No. The child isn’t mine.”


    His voice was unwavering. He meant every word. Sadie was the only one he’d ever cared for, then and now.


    He exined gently, “I only made sure Hailey was looked after because she once helped me out. That’s all there ever was. Nothing more.”


    Noah felt indebted to Hailey. However, this feeling had nothing to do with love or even a sense of duty. “As for the identity of the child’s biological father, I honestly don’t know.” Hailey had never shared any details with him.


    On the other end of the line, ine finally breathed a long sigh of relief. He had suspected as much, but hearing Noah deny it himself lifted a weight from his shoulders. Knowing Noah wasn’t the father gave ine a way to move forward.


    “Let me handle things from here,” ine said, sounding more confident. “I’ll arrange for someone to investigate thoroughly.” Whether it was Alex, Hailey, or the child’s parentage, he was determined to get to the bottom of it all—for Tina’s sake and for Sadie’s.


    After the call ended, Noah rubbed his temples,pletely drained. Everything that had happened recently pressed down on him, making it hard to breathe. He knew he needed answers fast so Sadie could finally live without worry.


    A few momentster, his phone buzzed again in the silent study, the sound startling him. He looked down to see a new text message: “I’ve managed to get inside the headquarters.”


    Those simple words were enough to ease some of the tension he’d been carrying. Atst, progress was being made—the most important step was finally underway.


    Stay tuned at gα?ησν???s


    Without a word, Noah deleted the message and stared into the distance, his mind racing.


    The door to the study swung open with a quiet click. Sadie stepped in, holding a te of neatly sliced fruit. Light from the hallway stretched her delicate shadow across the floor. Not wanting her to notice anything, Noah quickly locked his phone and set it down on the desk as if nothing had happened.


    He rose to his feet, his voice soft. “You should be sleeping by now. What’s keeping you up thiste?”


    Sadie set the fruit te on the coffee table. Her eyes flickered toward the phone he’d just put away, but she quickly looked elsewhere. For a moment, she wondered about his behavior, then dismissed it—he was probably dealing with work.


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