Chapter 967



Lacey was struggling to hold her tears back. Never had she felt such humiliation. With no other option, she continued down the street, her high heels clacking unsteadily with each painful step. Before long, her feet were aching terribly, and she nearly sprained her ankle.

On the brink of despair, Lacey sank to a squat by the roadside. Just then, headlights cut through the dusk.

A sleek black car pulled up beside her.

Thinking rescue had arrived, Lacey quickly stood. But as the window slid down, her heart sank. It was the last person she hoped to encounter.

“Miss Payne, my apologies for the intrusion,” Cody said, his smile stark against the iciness in his eyes.

“I couldn’t get ahold of you, so I decided to pay a personal visit.”

Lacey’s instinct was to retreat, but she found herself quickly encircled by bodyguards. Her complexion drained of color as she attempted to send a warning to Cody.

“Jake is close by. If you lay a hand on me, he won’t stand by idly.”

Cody’s laughter rang out, tinged with disbelief.

“Please, Payne, don’t take me for a fool. I’ve been waiting here for quite some time. Correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t you just ousted from Jake’s car? You had promised to collaborate with me, yet you’ve ignored all my messages. I assumed you had won Jake over, but I didn’t expect to see you in such a pitiful state. It seems your strategies aren’t as effective as you thought.”

Lacey’s pride flared at his words, her anger casting shadows across her features.

New chapters now on galnovels.cøm “Enough with your baseless assumptions. Things aren’t as you perceive. I wasn’t thrown out. This is because of Elma…”

Cody cut off Lacey mid-sentence, his impatience palpable.

“Look, you’re just meandering through the streets, resembling a lost soul,” he declared, his tone both stern and compelling.

“Here’s the deal: two options. Either tag along with me right now or navigate your way back across the city alone. If you choose the latter, you risk wandering through the cold, endless night, potentially succumbing to sheer exhaustion and despair.” He paused for a moment, his voice dropping to a persuasive whisper.

“And once you decide to walk your way back, I promise I’ll leave you alone. I won’t do anything to you. But remember, the night doesn’t always bring out the best in people. Should you encounter a drunk or a troublemaker, I doubt anyone will come to your aid.”

Lacey’s complexion turned ghostly pale. After a brief pause, she hesitantly reached for the car door and pulled it open. The moment she stepped inside, a wave of warmth washed over her, yet her expression remained drained of color.

Lacey regretted her decision to enter the car the moment she settled down. Memories flooded back to her, times when she and Jeanette had lived in the rustic simplicity of the countryside. It was there she once lost her way while gathering herbs in the hills, spending an entire night isolated on the mountain, surrounded by the eerie howls of wild creatures.

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