Chapter 1267:

Slowly, something shifted in Sherwood’s face as the pieces fell into place. “The secrets—they’re with Kari. That ring on her finger? It’s the vault key. Only she and her father can open it.”

Brad gave a slight nod. “I’ll make the opportunity for you.” He shook the rain from his sleeves, straightened, and strode with quiet purpose toward the sleek black sedan waiting at the curb.

“Wait!” Sherwood’s voice cracked as he called after him. “I know they’ve implanted that chip in your head. I don’t understand—you’ve already turned against Kari. So why are you still alive?”

Brad took one step forward, then stopped. Without looking back, he said quietly, “You don’t need the details. Just do what you’re good at—and find me a way to remove that chip.”

The chip hadn’t taken his life—partly because of the neurotoxins already present in his body, and partly because the Snow Mint kept him stable. As long as he kept his emotions in check and buried the hatred within him, he would survive.

In the end, that counterfeit chip was insignificant compared to the original one Rylie had used.

The door shut with a soft click, and the black sedan eased forward. Its red taillights blurred into long streaks in the rain before slowly dissolving into the night.

Sherwood remained where he stood, motionless as the rain soaked through him. It slid down his face, but it couldn’t wash away the tangled emotions written there. He stayed like that for a long time, as if his body had simply forgotten how to move.

Only when the rain began to thin and a pale gray light crept across the horizon did he finally stir.

𝘉e 𝗉a𝘳𝗍 o𝗳 o𝗎𝘳 c𝗼𝗺𝗺u𝗇𝗶t𝘆 on 𝘨а𝗹n𝘰𝗏е𝗹ѕ.𝗰о𝗺

At the same time, inside the sedan now parked in the garage, Brad leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes.

A soft knock tapped against the window. Someone passed him a small packet of unfamiliar pills and said plainly, “This does a number on your nerves. Be careful with it, boss.”

Brad accepted the package, his expression steady. “You’re sure about the plan?” he asked evenly.

Phil smirked slightly. “Women like Kari—who’ve never really been knocked down—only respond when you pull away and then offer them something in return. Trust me, boss. I’ve looked into it.”

In the days that followed, Brad appeared like an entirely different man under Phil’s direction.

He showed up at event after event, and never alone. Each time, a different woman was at his side—sometimes a wealthy heiress, sometimes a well-known model, and other times simply a stunning woman he had met somewhere along the way.

Kari crossed paths with him more than once.

The first time was in a lounge following an auction. Brad reclined on a sofa while a woman in a red dress leaned into him, laughing softly at everything he said. His arm rested lazily along the back of her chair, and the closeness between them was impossible to overlook.

Kari stood in the doorway, gripping her champagne glass so tightly it seemed on the verge of shattering.

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