Chapter 286\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Livingston, there\u2019s one more thing. About the Carroll\u00a0<\/p>\n
Group\u2026 ever since they bought that south\u2013side land plot for five\u00a0<\/p>\n
billion\u2013way over budget\u2013their cash flow seems to be extremely\u00a0<\/p>\n
tight. I\u2019ve heard whispers that their project isn\u2019t progressing\u00a0<\/p>\n
smoothly, and they\u2019re running into problems with financing. It\u00a0<\/p>\n
sounds like\u2026 they\u2019re in over their heads.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick paused when he heard that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That name had once been like a thorn, constantly causing\u00a0<\/p>\n
unnecessary trouble and problems in his and Madeleine\u2019s life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But now that Gerry had mentioned it, Roderick realized\u00a0<\/p>\n
something.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He realized it had been a long time since he\u2019d actively paid any\u00a0<\/p>\n
attention to the man\u2019s activities, or even heard any news about\u00a0<\/p>\n
him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The rival who could once so easily provoke his anger and keep\u00a0<\/p>\n
him on constant alert was now quietly fading away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 286\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward\u2019s shadow seemed to be gradually fading from his and\u00a0<\/p>\n
his Maddie\u2019s world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s finger tapped unconsciously on the smooth surface\u00a0<\/p>\n
of the desk, and the corner of his mouth curved into a faint,\u00a0<\/p>\n
almost invisible smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that so.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said flatly, his voice betraying no emotion, as if he were just\u00a0<\/p>\n
hearing a piece of business news that didn\u2019t concern him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always have to bear the consequences of your own\u00a0<\/p>\n
reckless actions.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked up at Gerry, his tone returning to its usual cool\u00a0<\/p>\n
decisiveness. \u201cNo need to pay it any special attention. Just\u00a0<\/p>\n
handle it as routine business intelligence. As long as he doesn\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
bother Maddie, I don\u2019t care if the Carroll Group sinks or swims.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderstood.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gerry understood and nodded respectfully.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The door closed softly, and the office fell silent again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s gaze fell on the bustling city outside the window, his\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 286\u00a0<\/p>\n
heart calm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just then, the screen of his personal phone on the desk lit up,\u00a0<\/p>\n
showing a new Facebook message.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sender: [Maddie]\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick picked up his phone and unlocked the screen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maddie: [Hubby~ I\u2019m at the dance studio!]\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maddie: [By the way\u2026 why did I wake up in the kids\u2018 room again\u00a0<\/p>\n
this morning?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I remember falling asleep in the master bedroom last night?]\u00a0<\/p>\n
Looking at the lively text and cute stickers on the screen,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick could almost picture Madeleine, looking adorably\u00a0<\/p>\n
confused and blinking her eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His stern lips curved up slightly, revealing a gentle smile he\u00a0<\/p>\n
rarely showed to others.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His long fingers tapped on the screen as he replied:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick: [Yeah, I was worried our son would wake up and not\u00a0<\/p>\n
see you.]\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 286\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick: [Didn\u2019t want you to break your promise.]\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t long after he sent the messages that Madeleine\u2019s reply\u00a0<\/p>\n
popped up, full of her usual playfulness:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine: [Oh~ so it was Mr. Livingston himself who\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018transported\u2018 me again!]\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine: [You\u2019re so cute, Ricki. What if, and I\u2019m just saying\u00a0<\/p>\n
what if, we have a daughter in the future? What would you do\u00a0<\/p>\n
then?\u00a0<\/p>\n
You wouldn\u2019t be jealous of a daughter, would you?]\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing the word \u201cdaughter,\u201d the soft smile on Roderick\u2019s face\u00a0<\/p>\n
instantly vanished, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyes grew deep and serious, even revealing a hint of almost\u00a0<\/p>\n
sharp gravity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He replied almost immediately, his tone firm and leaving no\u00a0<\/p>\n
room for doubt:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick: [That will never happen.]\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the other end of the screen, Madeleine seemed taken aback\u00a0<\/p>\n
by the overly decisive and cold reply, sending a dazed question\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 286\u00a0<\/p>\n
mark sticker.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine: [?\u00a0<\/p>\n
?]\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine: [Why?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t you like daughters?]\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick stared at the question, his eyes as deep as the night,\u00a0<\/p>\n
as if seeing some deeply buried images or worries through the\u00a0<\/p>\n
screen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick: [I don\u2019t want you to be in pain. And don\u2019t you want to\u00a0<\/p>\n
dance?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Be good. I\u2019m going back to work.]\u00a0<\/p>\n
After the message sent, he placed his phone face down on the\u00a0<\/p>\n
desk and sank deep into the back of his chair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, his face\u00a0<\/p>\n
shrouded in an inescapable gloom and lingering fear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The shadow of some things was far heavier than she imagined.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To him, her safety was more important than any possibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 286\u00a0<\/p>\n
Including a daughter as lovely as her, one they might have both\u00a0<\/p>\n
looked forward to.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley slept very deeply. The accumulated fatigue and sudden\u00a0<\/p>\n
mental release plunged him into a dark, dreamless, deep sleep.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was woken by the slanting afternoon sun outside the\u00a0<\/p>\n
window.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyelashes fluttered a few times, and he slowly opened his\u00a0<\/p>\n
eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment consciousness returned, the first thing he felt was\u00a0<\/p>\n
a delicate, warm softness in his palm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He froze for a moment, then turned his head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What met his eyes was Charlotte\u2019s peaceful, sleeping face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was slumped over the side of the bed, her cheek resting on\u00a0<\/p>\n
her arm, her long hair scattered messily, covering half her face,\u00a0<\/p>\n
her breathing light and even.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
Night Carved Paths Into Silence by Zyrel Ash ` 286 Chapter 286\u00a0 \u201cMr. Livingston, there\u2019s one more thing. About the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-heart-surgeons-last-patient-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29583\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}