Second Chance His Unending Love (Calista Hartwell) novel Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Connor’s face paled with terror at the suggestion.

“Commander Hayes, you’ve been a brilliant leader all your life-don’t let a personal misstep ruin everything!” he stammered, scrambling to his feet.

Evander pulled him upright, his expression grave and unyielding. “That’s precisely why the divorce must be finalized-no ifs, ands, or buts about it.”

“But how do we make that happen?” Connor pressed, frustration creeping into his voice. “We’re not the ones getting divorced.”

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Evander’s finger tapped rhythmically on the desk, the sound echoing softly in the quiet room as he deliberated.

After a long pause, he fixed Connor with a decisive look. “Go contact Lucas Maguire. Tell him to add Killian to the list of bidders for the ten-billion-dollar project in the southern mountains.”

“Yes, sir,” Connor replied immediately, still confused by the order but knowing better than to question his commander’s judgment.

*****

Calista had been puzzling over Killian’s

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sence for days. Ever since their

dgment over her best

and

ochles

he’d left her completely alone-no more haraserment, no further retaliation

Transgar Construction Materials Factory had long since cleared its inventory, the factory humming with activity, entirely unscathed by the Frost Group’s earlier threats.

Killian must have known about the factory’s recovery, yet he’d done nothing -no moves against her, no retaliation against Evander.

After days of living on edge, Calista finally let her guard down, silently praying that this quiet, uneventful peace would last.12:04

<Chapter 49

Early that morning, she dropped Olivia off at the Yale Scholars Program.

On her way back, she paused at a roadside vendor to buy a hot dog, only to freeze when she spotted a familiar figure- Austin.

t had been half a month since they’d ast seen each other, and he was barely ecognizable.

is hair, dyed a chaotic jumble of red, een, and yellow, was matted and kempt.

,

‘d lost weight, his skin was tanned and low, and heavy dark circles hung under

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his once bright eyes-gone was the handsome, refined young man, replaced by a disheveled slacker.

They’d never been apart for so long before.

Once, she would have ached with longing after just two days apart, but now?

Without realizing it, she’d grown used to

life without him.

Austin had spotted her, too, and a flicker of disdain crossed his teenage face.

There was his mother, unceremoniously munching on a hot dog by the road, a stack of crumpled job flyers clutched in 2:04

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her hand-shabby, unseemly, and embarrassing.

Calista pushed aside the faint sting of his gaze and spoke first, her voice calm, “Grabbing breakfast?”

“Yeah,” Austin grunted, avoiding her eyes. “Nicole likes the ravioli here.”

What a devoted guy-too bad his devotion was never directed at her.

Calista felt no anger, only a quiet indifference. “Be careful on your bike,” she said softly, turning to leave.

Austin frowned, a strange feeling stirring in his chest.

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His mother was different-no nagging, no scolding, no desperate attempts to win his affection.

He couldn’t name the emotion, but it irritated him.

Glancing at the prestigious high school nearby, he snapped coldly, “What are you doing around here? I’ll be going to high school here after the semester starts. Don’t take odd jobs nearby-it’s embarrassing.”

Calista took another bite of her hot dog, her words muffled by the food. “Oh,

I dropped Olivia off at the Yale Scholars Program.”

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“The Yale Scholars Program? She got in?”

Austin’s eyes narrowed, a storm of complex emotions-surprise, envy, resentment-flickering in his gaze.

Memories of the military personnel who’d picked Olivia up for an exam weeks earlier flashed back; that must have been the entrance test for the program.

He’d never thought that little girl would actually pass.

That opportunity should have been his.

A sharp pang of jealousy twisted in his chest as he stared at his mother.

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“So what if she got in? You can’t even find a job right now. Even if she makes it to college, you’ll never be able to afford it, he mocked.

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“That’s not true. I have the 50 million dollars your father gave me in the divorce settlement. That’s more than enough to put a college student through school.”

Calista finished her hot dog and tossed the stick into a nearby trash can.

Hot dogs from vendors near schools

always tasted better, a small comfort amid

the tension.

Austin’s fists clenched tightly at his sides.

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“Dad’s an idiot for giving you fifty million. dollars. But with your uselessness, you’ll just get scammed out of it sooner or later. Then you’ll have nowhere to cry!”

Calista’s expression softened with confusion. She’d endured his harsh words

silently, but this time, she couldn’t hold back the question burning in her mind.

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