Chapter 1285:

“The chip in Brad’s brain is only a copy of the one Rylie designed,” Luther replied calmly. “Do you honestly believe she won’t eventually figure out how to remove it? And if she does, what’s stopping Brad from going straight back to her? The only way to keep a secret forever is to destroy the key that unlocks it—don’t you think?”

Kari was quiet for a moment. Then she asked softly, “Do you think he only loves me because of the chip?”

“Kari, we both know what’s really going on,” Luther answered evenly. “What I value is Brad’s talent. He’s proven himself exceptional. I want you to have his child—and I’ll raise that child myself, as Havenridge Group’s true heir.”

“I understand,” Kari murmured.

It struck her then, all at once—every bold promise had been a mask. What Luther truly cared about was the bloodline, the heir he could shape and control with his own hands.

“Do you want Brad blown to pieces by the chip?” Luther asked bluntly.

Kari shook her head quickly.

“Then eliminate Rylie. Once you’ve had his child, you can remove the chip and find out whether he loves you on his own. And if he hates you? Lock him up. He’s just a piece on your board—keep him however you like. He’s no different from Sherwood, is he?”

Kari hesitated for a moment, but in the end, her father’s logic took hold. She gave a small, reluctant nod. “You’re right, Dad. I know what needs to be done.”

𝘙е𝖺𝘥 𝖿𝘳e𝗲 n𝗼𝗏𝖾𝗹s оո 𝘨a𝗅nоv𝖾𝗹𝘴.с𝗼𝘮

Over the following days, Luther quietly tested Brad to confirm the chip still held him under control. He arranged what appeared to be an accident involving Rylie, staged deliberately in a location where Brad would witness it.

While out to lunch with Kari one afternoon, Brad spotted Rylie standing on the opposite side of the street. As she waited for the light to change, a truck suddenly lost control and barreled directly toward her.

In that split second, Brad’s eyes widened and his entire body went rigid, as though he were on the verge of sprinting across the road. But Phil moved at the last moment, seizing Rylie and pulling her back into the crowd just before impact.

With pedestrians and vehicles packed tightly together, the driver couldn’t risk plowing into the crowd. The truck jerked sideways and slammed into a lamp post instead.

Brad exhaled slowly—barely perceptibly.

Kari glanced at him and asked in an easy tone, “What’s wrong? You’re sweating.”

“I thought it was going to hit everyone,” Brad said evenly. “I didn’t want you to witness something like that. The good thing is the driver managed to stop in time.”

Kari smiled lightly. “Come on, let’s go eat.”

She discreetly checked her phone. The technicians monitoring the chip reported that Brad’s emotional readings had remained stable throughout the past few days—a stark contrast to the sharp fluctuations they had recorded before. Even watching Rylie nearly get struck by a truck had produced no measurable spike. That could only mean one thing: he no longer loved her.

A surge of satisfaction moved through Kari. As they passed Rylie leaning against a nearby wall, Kari threw her a slow, satisfied look.

.

.

.