Chapter 1516:
Nate’s words came wrapped in subtlety, each syllable laced with unspoken meaning.
It wasn’t just an invitation—it was a gentle proposal, offering Corrine a place beside him while still leaving the choice in her hands.
She glanced down at his open palm and then reached out without pause, sliding her hand into his. “Let’s go,” she said softly.
His fingers closed around hers, warm and firm, encasing her slender hand like a quiet vow.
From the point of contact, a hush of warmth spread through her cool fingers, rising through her arm like a tranquil stream finding its way to her heart.
She lifted her gaze.
Their eyes met unexpectedly, and a quiet smile passed between them. With fingers intertwined, they walked as if they’d silently promised to walk through every step of life together.
They followed a winding path until they reached a rugged iron door embedded into the side of the mountain.
A hidden facial recognition scanner blinked to life, scanning Nate’s face before the heavy door slid open with a mechanical hiss.
From inside, Jerome, dressed in fitted training gear, approached. He halted at the sight of Corrine, surprise flashing in his eyes before he respectfully greeted Nate. “Mr. Hopkins.” Nate nodded once and then turned toward Corrine. “Jerome is the head of the experimental base.”
Corrine inclined her head. “Hello.”
Jerome still looked caught off guard by her presence. “Hello, Miss Holland.”
They continued walking—three abreast—through a long, fortified corridor lined with reinforced walls and faintly humming surveillance equipment. Eventually, they stepped into a vast underground space that looked more like a war-ready bunker than a research facility.
Feel the thrill at gαℓησν𝒆𝓁s﹒𝚌o𝓂
Ahead stood three separate entrances, each manned by guards and flanked with layered security systems that hinted at what would happen should anyone force entry.
Minutes later, they reached the heart of the operation—the main control room. A wall-sized floating screen dominated the far end, displaying real-time feeds from across the base and the surrounding terrain.
Corrine’s eyes settled on Jerome, now at a console, his fingers flying across the keyboard with fluid precision. She found herself watching him, momentarily drawn into the rhythm of his work.
Including Presley on the Independent Continent, she’d now met five of Nate’s most trusted assistants.
She had assumed these people were little more than a security detail—but what she’d seen today rewrote that assumption entirely.
“You have questions?” Nate’s voice, low and composed, sounded beside her.
She blinked, returning to the present. Glancing at him, she pointed toward a section of the room where several people worked in quiet concentration. “Are they in charge of intelligence?”
“They are,” Nate replied.
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