Chapter 178

Author's POV After Sylvia walked away, Zane and Chloe sat in stunned silence inside the luxury sports car, the engine's idle purr the only sound between them. Zane's initial instinct was to slam on the gas and speed away, to leave Sylvia's cutting words behind in a cloud of exhaust. But Chloe slid her hand over his where it gripped the steering wheel, her touch calculated and deliberate. "Did you see how arrogant she still is, Zane?" Chloe's voice dripped with false concern. "Even after all this time, she looks down on us like we're nothing." Her fingers traced small circles on the back of his hand. "I wonder if she was just after your money all along. Everything you've suffered recently—the house arrest, the legal troubles—it's all because of her, isn't it?" Zane had been trying to dismiss Sylvia's words, but Chloe's suggestion awakened memories that had been festering in his mind. Days trapped in his home. The humiliation of potential jail time. The pack's questioning glances. "You'r