The CEO's Midnight Remedy novel Chapter 324

Chapter 324

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Devon’s jaw tightened. I watched a muscle tick in his cheek. “Evelyn is important to me,” he said after a long pause. “But not in the way

you’re thinking.”

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“Which way am I thinking?” I challenged, turning to face him fully.

“She’s…” he hesitated, something rare for Devon Kane. ‘She’s different from other people in my life. That’s all you need to know.”

His dismissiveness stung. “So much for honesty between us,” I muttered, turning to look out the window.

Devon reached over, his fingertips brushing my chin as he turned my face back toward him. “This doesn’t affect our arrangement, Aria.” His voice had softened, but I caught the hurt in his eyes before he masked it.

I didn’t respond, choosing instead to stare blankly ahead. Devon sighed, then said something that immediately captured my full attention:

“I found Victoria.”

Eden looked different tonight. Devon led me past the opulent main floor with its crystal chandeliers and plush lounges, through a door marked “Private,” and down a narrow staircase I’d never noticed before.

The lower level bore no resemblance to the luxury above. Concrete walls, stark lighting, and a series of metal doors lined the corridor. Devon placed his palm on a scanner beside one of them, and it slid open with a soft hiss.

Inside, Victoria sat handcuffed to a metal chair. Her usually perfect appearance was disheveled–mascara smudged beneath her eyes, her designer outfit wrinkled and stained. When she saw me, hatred flashed across her face.

“Look who’s finally come to gloat,” she spat. “Daddy’s little princess, always hiding behind men.”

I kept my expression neutral. “Where have you been, Victoria? Father’s been looking everywhere for you.”

She laughed bitterly. “As if you care. You’re the one who engineered this whole situation.”

I stepped closer, studying her face. “Did you have something to do with my mother’s death?”

Victoria’s eyes widened slightly before narrowing again. “Your mother was sick. Cancer, remember? Or has your vengeful little mind constructed some elaborate conspiracy?”

But I caught the slight shift in her posture, the way her hand instinctively moved to protect something beneath her blouse. Devon noticed

it too.

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20:09 Sat, Jan 10

Chapter 324

I turned to him, running my fingers lightly down his tie. “Can you help me get whatever she’s hiding?”

Devon’s eyes darkened. He nodded to Lucas, who stood guard by the door. “Take care of Ms. Victoria. Make sure she’s comfortable…

enough.”

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He took my elbow, guiding me out of the room. “She’ll talk,” he murmured as the door shut behind us. “My methods are more persuasive

than questions.”

Back in Eden’s main section, Devon led me to a private VIP booth. The contrast between the underground chamber and this world of

luxury and music was jarring.

Across the room, I spotted Noah Pierce engaged in what appeared to be an intimate conversation with a blonde woman. Despite their physical proximity, his eyes seemed distant, unfocused.

“Noah and Caroline are having… difficulties,” Devon explained, following my gaze. “Their engagement announcement is imminent, but things between them are strained.”

I nodded absently, my mind still reeling from the confrontation with Victoria and the mystery of Evelyn. How many women were in Devon’s life? What was his relationship with Evelyn that warranted such an expensive gift? Would he ever explain anything to me, or was I just expected to accept his secrets while sharing all of mine?

I reached for a champagne flute, needing something to steady my nerves.

Devon’s hand shot out, grasping my wrist firmly. “Your shoulder injury. No alcohol while you’re on medication.”

His tone was commanding, but his eyes held something I rarely saw there–genuine concern. My wrist tingled where his fingers encircled it. Devon’s thumb moved slightly, rubbing small circles against my pulse point, the gesture almost unconscious.

“I worry about you, Aria,” he said, his voice so low I almost missed it over the music. His gaze was intense, searching, as if trying to see through me, into me.

I excused myself to use the restroom, needing a moment alone to process everything. As I rounded the corner in the hallway, I collided with a tall figure.

“I’m sorry,” I began automatically, then froze as I recognized him–Felix Shaw from the auction.

His smile was slow, calculated. “Aria Harper, isn’t it?” He studied me with uncomfortable intensity. “I thought it was you.”

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