?Chapter 990:


    And this pendant was the key.


    With a flick of his wrist, Dewey tossed the pendant onto the table. His fingers tapped impatiently against the wooden surface.


    He had sent message after message, but it was as if they had vanished into thin air.


    Just as he was about to give up, his phone screen lit up.


    “Do you know why the Hond family has survived this long without consequences?”


    One simple question—calm but arrogant.


    Dewey’s face twisted in fury. He mmed the phone down, his fingers clenching into fists. “That ungrateful brat!” How dare she threaten him?


    He should have crushed her when he had the chance, before she had the power to fight back.


    Despite his simmering rage, Dewey calmly sent a photo of the pendant.


    “This should look familiar to you.”


    Corrine’s eyes darkened the moment she saw the image.


    Of course, she recognized it.


    Even after all these years, she could still recall her mother softly caressing it, her expression filled with tenderness and affection, as though she were touching the face of a lover.


    “Not asleep yet?” Nate’s arm encircled Corrine, pulling her close to him. Her back pressed against his warm chest, and for a moment, she froze.


    “I’m going to sleep now.”


    She switched off her phone andy still.


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    Silence settled over the room, broken only by the slow, steady rhythm of Nate’s breathing.


    She exhaled softly, allowing the tension to fade from her mind.


    But before she could fully rx, Nate shifted. In one smooth motion, he rolled over, pressing her beneath him.


    Her eyes snapped open, locking onto the intense gaze above her. In the dim light, his sharp features stood out, his dark eyes unreadable.


    Her gaze flicked downward, to the hard set of his jaw and the slow bob of his Adam’s apple.


    Even without thinking, she knew what wasing next.


    Her fingers curled into the sheets, anticipating the next moment.


    Outside, the moonlight cast a peaceful glow, unmoving. Inside, however, the air was anything but still.


    The next morning, Corrine stirred awake at her usual hour, but the exhaustion weighed heavily on her limbs.


    Shey there for a moment before finally mustering the strength to sit up.


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