Chapter 26
The corner of Valerie’s lips twitched somewhat helplessly. Should she tell Everett that she was staying with the Whites right now?
Intent on warning her about the dangers of crossing certain people, Everett earnestly continued, “The Whites have a century-old foundation. Their reach goes far deeper than it
looks on the surface.
“Ever since Lucius White took over, the balance of the city has shifted, and a big part of it has to do with his past relationship with the Windmere’s sweetheart, Queen Bianca.”
Catching himself drifting, he pulled the conversation back. “Windmere is tied to the country’s power center. Every family here is backed by countless interest groups, so listen to me, Val… Just check with me before you make any moves.”
Valerie accepted his kind intentions. After hanging up, she sat staring blankly at her laptop
screen with Everett’s casual words ringing in her mind.
So Lucius once had an affair with Bianca, Windmere’s sweetheart? Between her and Sonia, his
love life was clearly messier than she’d imagined.
But Valerie wasn’t going to waste her time on Lucius. Instead, she went to work, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she hacked into the government’s marriage registry.
Since Magnus wanted to bind her life with a so-called marriage certificate, she wasn’t about to let that happen.
A binding vow, huh?
In the world of elite hackers, Zero was a name that carried global weight. Almost no one knew
that she was the one behind it.
Sonia’s award-winning work might shine in certain fields, but it was nothing more than a showpiece to be trampled when faced with Zero.
All Valerie had to do was hack into the marriage registry and erase her marriage record with Lucius. With that, maybe the binding vow would unravel on its own.
The page she was searching for finally popped up. Just as she tapped on the keyboard and started processing the severance, the screen went black, and the motherboard sparked with
smoke.
After staring at it, stunned for several seconds, she swore into the empty air. “You’re ruthless, Magnus! You know that I won’t take your heartblood to undo the restraint, so now you’re just screwing with me.”
Before her anger could cool, Lucifer appeared-flicking its tongue-and lunged at her. When she caught a clear look at it, surprise flashed in her eyes.
Meanwhile, at The Golden Chalice, Lucius sat distracted while his friends drank and chatted
around him.
One of them, Finn Lennon-known as the showbiz kingmaker-had arranged tonight’s gathering. Born into the powerful Lennon family, one of the Big Three families of Windmere, he was a smooth, slick master of reading people and a natural pivot in their circle.
From the moment Lucius stepped into The Golden Chalice, he’d been drifting elsewhere.
Five minutes ago, he’d received an update from Keane that Valerie had moved into Azure Bay. Starting tonight, he’d share a roof and a bed with a woman he neither loved nor knew well. He
wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
“Your dad’s killer has been brought to justice, Luc. Why do you still look so grim?” The question came from Dale Harrington, another one of Lucius’ friends.
Two decades ago, the Harringtons had been unrivaled in Windmere. They ruled the city and were at the height of their power.
This was all thanks to Arthur Harrington, the late head of the Harrington family, who’d built a vast empire and legacy for his descendants.
After Arthur’s passing, the once prominent Harrington family gradually fell into decline, and their former glory was nothing but a memory.
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