Chapter 395 The Hidden Threat

    Julius‘ long fingers could snap his neck at any moment, yet Gavin did not flinch. Instead, he smirked, eyes bright with taunt. “The Huxleys have served the Whitethorns for generations. Your life outranks everything. If the choice is between you wasting away from insomnia andying a hand on Quinn, I will always choose the second option.”

    Julius’s re could have cracked stone. “Touch her, Gavin, and the fact we grew up together won’t save you.”

    Gavin lifted his palms in mock surrender. “If you care that much, why not use every weapon at hand to bring her back? The Whitethorns have never been squeamish about methods.”

    Julius‘ eyes turned to ice, “So because my bloodline is ruthless, I must be ruthless too?”

    Gavin blinked, momentarily caught off guard. “What?”

    Julius released him and turned toward the window, silver moon and scattered stars painting his profile in cold light. “Yes, I could cage her forever, make her spend a lifetime at my side. But she would hate me, and I… I don’t have the courage to face that hatred.”

    A flicker of astonishment crossed Gavin’s face; never before had he heard Julius say the words “don’t have the courage.”

    Only now did Gavin grasp just how deep Julius‘ feelings for Quinn ran.

    “When we were together, I wanted to be a good man. Even in separation, I still wish to be the good man she remembers. So keep your hands off her, Gavin, because I can’t predict the madness I’ll unleash if you force me otherwise. And…”

    His fingertips drifted to the sandalwood bracelet circling his wrist, stroking the cool beads as though they were living things.

    She had left the bracelet for him.

    Since the day she walked away, it had stayed with him through every day and sleepless night. Whatever sanity remained, he credited to those beads.

    At odd moments, the bracelet tricked him into believing she still stood beside him, keeping the abyss at bay.

    Julius spoke barely above a whisper. “Do you know what it feels like to gain everything only to lose it again? To feel the sky copse? I’ve lived it. I’m already in hell. If someone drags me out only to hurl me back in, I will note out sane a second time.”

    b15:29 Mon/bb, /bbSep /bb15 /b

    Chapter 395 The Hidden Threat

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    For once, Gavin had no retort; he could only wonder what ce Quinn upied in Julius‘

    universe.

    Was she a goddess, or his lone salvation?

    The question drifted through the hush of the night like smoke: If Quinn never returned to Julius, what would be of the man?

    He could not make himself look down that corridor of possibility. Every door he imagined ended in darkness. D

    Whitethorn Group’s annual g unfurled beneath crystal chandeliers, a parade of limousines depositing the city’s glittering elite on the red carpet. Laura stepped out first, her scarlet gown ring like the first strike of sunrise, confident, unapologetic, breathtaking. Beside her glided Quinn, wrapped in a champagne dress whose muted silk caught the light in quiet waves, while a single ruby ne zed ferociously at her throat.

    “Julius‘ invitation list includes the Fane family,” Laura whispered, adjusting her clutch. “Think that Serena Fane girl will make an appearance tonight?”

    “Knowing her, she won’t miss a camera sh,” Quinn replied.

    “What worries me is the chance she’ll start something,” Laura muttered, worry edging her voice. “Because she’s the donor of those stem cells, she’s acted untouchable, wielding another person’s life like her personal ransom note.”

    “She will one day reap what she sows,” Quinn answered calmly. “Besides, this is Julius Whitethorn’s night. She won’t dare cross him under these lights.”

    “Let’s hope you’re right,” Laura exhaled, forcing a smile that failed to steady her nerves.

    On the opposite side of the city’s traffic flow, a sleek sedan carried siblings Serena and Leander toward the same glittering destination.

    Serena worried her lower lip raw, her mind looping the same obsessive question. iWill /iiQuinn /iiwear /iithe /iiruby /iine /iitonight/ii? /i

    Whatever happened, she could not allow Everett to see that piece of jewelry. Tonight, by any means necessary, the threat had to disappear.

    The sedan rolled up to the entrance. As Serena and Leander stepped onto the carpet, they spotted Quinn just a few yards away, clearly just alighting from her own car.

    Leander closed the distance in three long strides. “Quinn,” he greeted, warmth flooding his

    eyes.

    Chapter 395 The Hidden Threat

    My isister /iis ias /iibreathtaking /iias /iiI /iiexpected/i.

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    “Rowan!” Quinn called back, her smile brightening as she caught sight of him–and of Serena hovering at his shoulder.

    Serena’s stare drilled into Quinn with disquieting intensity. At first, Quinn thought it was simple hostility, then she realized the woman’s focus was fixed on the ne at her throat.

    Just then, another ck sedan glided to a stop at the curb, and the man who stepped out- Everett, undisputed head of the Fane family–brought a ripple of sudden tension to the night air.

    Chapter 396 Using Leander