?Chapter 1259:


    Her gaze remained steady, but a slow, dangerous smile curved her lips.


    “Do you take me for a fool?”


    Barry’s breath hitched. His eyes flickered with unease.


    She leaned back slightly, her voice calm yet cutting. “Years ago, when your parents died suddenly, you were still young. You couldn’t protect your enormous inheritance. In your frustration, you dragged your rtives to court, hoping to reim what was yours.”


    She tilted her head. “But thew didn’t see it that way, did it? The ruling was clear. You had no rightful im. When your parents passed, their estate legally went to your grandparents, their closest living rtives. Since you were a minor, they also became your legal guardians, responsible for managing your portion of the assets. And when they died, the inheritance naturally passed to their children.”


    Corrine’s eyes turned cold. “No matter how bitter you feel, thew is thew. You lost—not because of Jayden, but because that’s how the system works. You have no one to me but reality.”


    Last night, after a long conversation with Jayden, Corrine realized his favoritism toward Barry stemmed from deep-seated guilt.


    Jayden had always prided himself on his fairness. He never let emotions cloud his judgment. Despite his pity toward Barry, he had handled the case about his parents’ estate ording tow.


    But seeing Barry again after so many years had passed, he felt the need to make it up to him.


    Seeking revenge over past grievances was nothing new.


    Yet Barry had climbed the politicaldder, carving out a solid reputation. Was it really worth throwing it all away over past grudges?


    It was obvious—he wasn’t telling the truth.


    Your imagination thrives at  punt


    Barry took off his sses, a smirk ying on his lips. “Looks like you’ve put the pieces together.”


    “Only the ones you wanted me to.” Corrine met his gaze, absentmindedly twirling the voice recorder in her hand. “So tell me—who’s pulling the strings? The deputy director who got relocated six months ago? Brannon Stevens, your old mentor? Or maybe someone closer, the woman you’ve trusted for years?”


    Barry’s eyes widened the moment Corrine named those three people.


    He feared two of them, but even more than that, he feared Corrine herself.


    She was far harder to read than he had expected.


    He had assumed she would be easy to handle. He couldn’t have been more wrong.


    “Barry, when I took you, I didn’t go out of my way to keep it quiet. Yet twelve hours have passed, and no one hase for you. What does that tell you? Are you really that clueless?” Corrine raised an eyebrow, her gaze sharp and icy.


    Barry lowered his eyes, masking the unease creeping through him. He already knew the answer. To them, he no longer had any value.


    And when that happened, there was only one oue.


    “I promise you this—tell the truth, and I’ll make sure you stay alive.”


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