Second Chance His Unending Love (Calista Hartwell) novel Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Cold amusement flickered in Kyle’s eyes as he pinned Calista with a sharp gaze.

“Who knows if you’re just having another spat with him? Ten years ago, you turned your back on your own parents for a man. Now you come crawling back-don’t tell me you’re here to fight for a piece of the Hartwell Group’s projects.”

The words cut like a knife, twisting deep into Calista’s heart.

Yet there was a strange comfort in her brother’s bluntness. Unlike others who masked their intentions with pleasantries, he said exactly what he thought.

That gave her a chance to explain.

“I’m not here for any projects, Kyle.”

Kyle’s accusation wasn’t without reason.

When Calista had secretly married Killian right after college, Hugh and Elena had been shocked and furious beyond

words.

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bese early days,

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barely making ends meet.

Unable to bear seeing his daughter suffer, Hugh had looked into Killian’s background.

He’d found Killian with humble beginnings but excellent grades and a sharp mind—a diamond in the rough.

With no other choice, they had funded a small company for Killian and Calista, with Hugh personally mentoring Killian

from time to time.

For a while, the Hartwells and the Frosts had enjoyed a brief honeymoon period of cooperation.

Then came the incident ten years ago-the Hartwell Group had acquired a prime piece of real estate that developers were salivating over.

Hugh, ever the conservative, hadn’t believed in the future of the property market and planned to sell the land at a

premium.

Killian, young and ambitious, had stayed up nights drafting a hundred-page proposal, envisioning a sprawling mixed-use complex with commercial spaces, residential buildings, and Zchools.

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The two men had clashed fiercely, their arguments escalating into a full-blown fight that left furniture broken and tempers flaring.

Pregnant and desperate to stop them, Calista had rushed between them, only to lose her balance and tumble down the stairs. The innocent unborn child had been lost that day.

Afterwards, Hugh had handed the land over to Killian-

a gesture of atonement, and a way to sever all ties with

Calista.

With that one opportunity, Killian had clawed his way to the

top, building his empire from the ground up.

Hugh’s foresight had proven correct in the end; the real estate industry had been in a steady decline ever since.

Right and wrong had blurred into a gray area, with no clear

winner in the end.

It was only natural for Kyle to be wary of her motives.

Calista took a steadying breath.

“I know my words mean little right now, and I don’t blame 3/8

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you for not trusting me. I’m here only because I heard he’s

been unwell. I wanted to see him.”

Suspicion sharpened Kyle’s tone as he zeroed in on the

inconsistency in her story.

“Who told you that?”

“It was just something I heard in passing,” Calista replied, not wanting to drag Evander into this.

She doubted she would get to see Hugh today. With a heavy heart, she rose to her feet, preparing to leave.

Elena jumped up in alarm. “You’re leaving already? When will you come back?”

Calista shook her head, uncertainty clouding her features.

Their reluctance to talk about Hugh spoke volumes-he must still be angry with her, refusing to even see her face.

There was no telling if she would ever be welcome here

again.

Panic flashed across Elena’s face at the sight of her

468ghter’s hesitation.

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She grabbed Calista’s hands tightly, her voice urgent. “Your father isn’t avoiding you!”

“Then where is he?”

An icy dread coiled in Calista’s chest.

At her age-sandwiched between aging parents and growing

children-three things terrified her more than anything: late-night calls, family members hiding illnesses from her, and text messages from teachers about her kids.

Calista blurted out, “Is his health-”

Elena let out a long, weary sigh.

“Your father is fine, physically at least. It’s a merger deal that’s got him stressed to the max. He’s gone to negotiate with the other party in person.”

Kyle scoffed loudly, saying, “If it weren’t for Killian manipulating the market and driving up prices, we wouldn’t have been stuck on this deal for three months.”

Calista stared at him in shock. “Killian?”

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Kyle stepped over to the desk, slamming a thick stack of documents onto the surface. “You didn’t know?

“We’ve known all along how many dirty tricks he’s pulled on

the Hartwell Group over the years!”

Calista lowered her eyes, shame weighing heavily on her

shoulders.

This was exactly the kind of thing Killian would do.

Grudge-holding to a fault, he’d never forgotten the humiliation he’d suffered at Hugh’s hands all those years ago. Now that he had the power, he was taking his revenge.

She still remembered the look in Killian’s eyes that day-his eyes bloodshot with rage-as he’d snarled at Hugh, “Never underestimate a man with nothing to lose.”

Calista asked, “Where did he go to meet the other party?”

Kyle lifted one eyebrow, his tone grudging. “Cloudy Golf

Course.”

“Okay.” Calista made up her mind instantly, determined to go

find him.

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Elena looked worried, though.

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