?Chapter 357:


    Damn it. She was being followed.


    Her instincts red, and she tried to slip into the traffic up ahead—but just as she turned the corner, someone blocked her path. Her stomach dropped. She spun around, only to lock eyes with the person behind her—it was Finnegan.


    He was wearing a mask, only his eyes exposed.


    “Where do you think you’re going?” His voice was sharp, amused, threatening.


    Ste’s pulse spiked, but her face stayed calm. “What do you want?”


    “Oh, nothing too dramatic,” he said, shrugging as more masked men stepped out from the shadows to surround her. “Just thought I’d teach you a little lesson. You know, to remind you of your ce.”


    Ste backed up slowly. Thebat skills Rita had taught her reyed in her mind. The first guy lunged. She dodged. The second one reached for her. She twisted away.


    Finnegan cursed and charged, but Ste caught him off guard, grabbing his arm and flipping him t onto the pavement with a clean shoulder throw. He hit the ground with a painful thud.


    She followed up with a flurry of punches and kicks.


    She wasn’t backing down. “You wanted to teach me a lesson?” she snapped, striking again. “Let’s see who walks away with the bruises!”


    She pulled out her phone and dialed the police without hesitation.


    Then, ncing down at Finnegan’s limp, unconscious form on the pavement, Ste let out a cold snort. “I didn’t evene looking for you,” she muttered, her voiceced with disdain. “And still, you had the guts toe after me? Pathetic.”


    At that same moment, William stepped out of a high-level meeting, finally switching on his phone. His screen lit up with missed calls.


    One name stood out. Ste. His heart gave a slight flutter.


    Before he could call her back, his phone rang. It was Luca. “Mr. Briggs, something happened. Ms. Russell was taken to the police station.” William’s face darkened in an instant. “Where?”


    Luca rattled off the address. William was already in motion. He climbed into his car, hit the gas, and dialed Ste’s number as he drove.


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    The phone only rang a few times before she answered.


    “Hello, Mr. Briggs?” Her voice was calm, even light.


    “Where are you right now?” His voice cut straight through the noise, sharp with worry.


    Ste’s tone shifted instantly. “At the police station.”


    “Give me ten minutes,” he said, already taking a hard turn. “I’ll be there soon.”


    With that, William ended the call, jaw clenched as he mmed the elerator.


    Ste listened to the abrupt dial tone in her ear, momentarily stunned by the sudden end of the call.


    On the way to the police station, William called Luca. He requested a full rundown of everything that had happened while he was away. He’d been locked in back-to-back meetings for days,pletely in the dark.


    As expected, Luca didn’t waste a second. Within minutes, detailed files popped up on William’s screen. “Mr. Briggs, Finnegan Dixon colluded with his uncle—Sergio Moore. Sergio was the head judge. They rigged thepetition results.” William’s eyes narrowed. “Where is Sergio now?”


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