"Put me down."


    Debra panicked, thinking he was about to start something again. She wasn''t sure she could handle another round of his endless energy. "Scared?"


    "I am. If we stay apart for too long again, I might die in your bed."


    Marion bent down and silenced her with a kiss.


    "Don''t ever say something so unlucky again."


    "Alright."


    It had been a close call. If fate hadn''t yed out the way it did, they might never have seen each other again.


    A knock at the door interrupted their moment.


    "Guys, are you up yet?" Randy''s voice came from the hallway.


    Debra quickly wriggled free from Marion''s embrace.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "Yeah, what''s up?"


    "Edgar''s secretary is waiting for you in the lobby. He mentioned an appointment."


    "Alright, I''ll be down in a minute."


    She hadn''t expected Chace to find her so soon.


    Standing on tiptoe, she yfully pinched Marion''s cheek. "Go get me some toothpaste. I''ve got work to do."


    Marion smiled indulgently, "Sure thing."


    In the lobby, Chace nced around and noticed that the hotel staff had been reced, but he kept his questions to himself.


    It wasn''t long before Debra came down. Her eyesnded on the suitcase in Chace''s hand. She knew the results of his investigation were inside.


    "Seems like you''ve made up your mind," she said, sitting down across from him.


    Chace pulled out the papers from the suitcase: a death certificate for Kolton, along with a recorder holding the confession of the former housekeeper. All the evidence was sealed inside a bag.


    "You knew all along?"


    "Sort of."


    Debra calmly sipped her tea, and Chace was perplexed.


    "Edgar is meticulous. If someone wasn''t actively looking, they''d never uncover this. I don''t understand. Why did you investigate Kolton''s death?"


    Debra didn''t answer, and Chace


    wisely dropped the question. "The Odom family''s finances are in deep trouble. On the surface, they''re still afloat,


    t, but if they move arge sum of money now, their whole financial chain will snap. This is your doing, right?"


    "What do you think?"


    Chace fell into deep thought. Yesterday, he realized both Edgar and he had underestimated Debra.


    They had seen her as a woman who relied on men, her sharp tongue, and her once-powerful family background to get ahead. But now, Chace understood that Debra had carefully manipted everything and everyone around her, weaving an intricate web.


    The Odom family was just one of the prey caught in it.


    He couldn''t even pinpoint when they had fallen into her trap. But he was sure that once Edgar signed those contracts with the other business owners, the Odom family would be finished. Chace stood up and spoke solemnly. "I''ll tell you my decision now. I won''t abandon Mr. Odom."