Chapter 452: The Unveiled Lie

The words on the screen burned into my mind, a cryptic message that simultaneously absolved and terrified me. *Not yours.* The relief was a fleeting, shallow breath before the crushing weight of the unknown plunged me back under. *A man you can’t afford to offend.* “Maxwell? What is it?” Penelope’s voice cut through the fog in my head. She moved closer, her eyes fixed on my face, reading the storm of emotions I couldn’t conceal. Her hand rested gently on my arm, a small anchor in the...