Chapter 297

Three days later, in the quiet of the afternoon, Samuel saw Shelmaine again. He had been working overtime, handling an industry crisis while preparing for a business transition. It wasn't difficult for him as he had prepared for this shift long ago and was now simply tying up loose ends. Just as he stepped out of a meeting, he received a call from Kingston. Brody had been sent out to deal with other matters, and Samson was handling things in Aurich. With so few people he could fully trust, Samuel had taken on much of the work himself, using it as a distraction. Because whenever he allowed himself to pause, his mind would drift back to Shelmaine at the Hasting residence. And when that happened, it was impossible to focus on anything else. Kingston's urgent voice cut through his thoughts. "Mr. Hasting, you need to come home right away! Ms. Clarke wants to see you!" For a brief moment, a wave of unease swept over Samuel. He knew it wasn't because Shelmaine had a change of heart. She