?Chapter 505:


    Irritated, he yanked a cigarette from the pack, lighting it with a flick of his lighter.


    The thick smoke curled around his brooding features as he exhaled heavily.


    Just then, Leah stepped up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She pressed close, her voice a soft whisper.


    “Bruce, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”


    In times past, Bruce had always been Leah’s sanctuary, rushing tofort her at the first sign of distress.


    Tonight, however, his demeanor had shifted dramatically.


    He stood with his back to her, cigarette smoke curling around him like a shield, his expression carved from stone.


    Leah pressed herself against him, her tears flowing freely, yet he made no move tofort her.


    “Bruce, I feel so inadequatepared to Corrine. All I wanted was to support you, but I never imagined she would harbor such hatred—enough to strike not only at you but at Ashton Group itself. The me lies with me. My presence has poisoned everything, destroying what you and she once had…”


    Time stretched like a thread pulled taut as Leah tightened her embrace from behind, desperately awaiting words of sce that never came.


    The silence wrapped around her like a cold shroud, bringing with it an unfamiliar anxiety that settled deep in her bones.


    This Pree City venture had unraveled into a nightmare she never anticipated.


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    The cruise disaster, Corrine’s masterful maniption severing her connection with Meg, and now Bruce’s growing emotional distance—everything was slipping through her fingers.


    Her instincts screamed for action, perhaps even elerating toward a formal engagement before the opportunity dissolvedpletely.


    Leah lowered her gaze, masking the calctions behind her tears. She gradually released her hold on Bruce’s waist.


    “Bruce, I’ve failed you repeatedly. Your trust, your love—I’ve squandered it all…”


    For the first time, a flicker of response crossed Bruce’s features. He extinguished his cigarette with deliberate precision.


    “Don’t dwell on it. Get some rest. We depart at dawn.”


    He retrieved his jacket from the sofa, moving toward the exit with measured steps.


    Leah’s hand shot out, catching his wrist.


    “Where are you headed?”


    Bruce’s gaze met hers, his seemingly tranquil eyes harboring an arctic chill that cut straight to her core.


    Leah’s heart faltered, constricting painfully in her chest.


    “I’m just concerned…”


    “Stepping out briefly. Don’t wait up,” Bruce replied, deftly removing her hand before departing without a backward nce.


    Each footfall of his retreat hammered another nail into Leah’s mounting despair.


    Since her return home, Bruce had never disyed such coldness or impatience.


    This subtle transformation in him sent tremors through her certainty.


    His thoughts had be an imprable fortress, leaving her adrift in a sea of doubt.


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