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The CEO's Midnight Remedy novel Chapter 389

Aria’s POV

James hesitated, his eyes darting to Arthur.

Let her go.Arthur repeated coldly, his gaze fixed on his son with something between fury and grudging respect.

James released me. I ran to Devon without thinking, driven by pure instinct. His left arm came around me instantly, pulling me against

his side, while his right hand kept the weapon ready. I could feel the violent tension in his body, his muscles coiled like steel cables ready

to snap.

Have you lost your mind?!Arthur’s voice rose like thunder before a storm. Weapons are forbidden on Kane estate groundsthis is

family law! You dare-

Why.Devon cut him off, his tone terrifyingly calm. Why did you take what’s mine?

Arthur’s face had gone from shock to fury in the span of a heartbeat. His cane struck the ground with explosive force. Have you lost your

mind? Weapons are forbidden on Kane estate groundsthis is family law! You dare-

His a

Family law?Devon’s laugh was harsh, bitter. Is that what we’re calling it now?arm tightened around my waist, pulling me closer. The same family that lets Connor burn down rooms with people inside? The same family that throws out a tenyearold girl because

she can no longer walk?

I felt Devon’s words like physical blows. A tenyearold girl who could no longer walk. My y mind raced, connecting fragmentsthe red ruby necklace, the wheelchairbound woman at Tiffany’s, Devon’s careful tenderness with her..

Evelyn.

That’s ancient history,Arthur said, but something Dickered in his eyes. Guilt? Regret? It vanished as quickly as it appeared. What

matters now is—

Ancient history?Devon’s voice rose, sharp enough to cut. You want to talk about what matters? Let’s talk about the fine, Father. Twenty years ago. Connor trapped us in the east wing storage roomme and Evelyn. He poured accelerant along the door frame, lit a match, and

walked away.

My breath caught. I’d known Connor was dangerous, but this…..

Arthur’s jaw clenched. It was investigated. The fire marshal ruled it accidental-

The fire marshal you paid off.Devon’s eyes were cold gray steel. I was fifteen. Evelyn was ten. We were locked in that room, smoke filling our lungs, flames climbing the walls. Do you know what she did? His voice cracked, host slightly. She pushed me toward the window. Used her own body to shield me when the support beam collapsed.

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Chapter 389

I could see it a little girl, barely more than a child, making an impossible choice.

Her spine,Devon continued, his words clipped and precise despite the emotion bleeding through. Permanent nerve damage. She’ll never

walk again. And youyou swept it under the rug because Connor was the heir. Because protecting the family name mattered more than

protecting her,

We gave her everything she needed,Arthur protested, but his voice had lost its thunder. Medical care, financial support-

never recover

You exiled her!Devon’s shout echoed through the garden. You sent her away the moment the doctors confirmed she’d

Removed her from family photos. Struck her from the trust. All because she couldn’t be married off to some business associate anymore.

Because she was no longer useful to the Kane legacy.

The pieces fell into place with sickening clarity. The woman at the hospital, the red ruby necklace worth ten million dollars, Devons protective fury whenever I’d questioned their relationship. Not a lover. A sister. The sister he’d failed to protect.

Devon.Arthur’s voice had softened, almost pleading. You don’t understand the position we were in. Connor is the eldest. The board

expected-

I understand perfectly. Devon’s eyes locked on his father’s. You chose power over people. Status over family. You taught me that people

are disposable if they don’t serve the Kane empire. He paused, and when he spoke again, his voice was deadly calm. I’m done being your

lesson.

What are you saying? Arthur demanded.

Devon pulled out his phone with his free hand, never loosening his grip on me. Kane Technology. Market value: three hundred fifty

billion dollars. I built it from nothing while you sat in your estate counting old money.He pulled up a document on the screen. Family

investment: fifteen percent. My personal stake: sixtytwo percent. As of nine a.m. tomorrow, I’m executing a mandatory buyback of all family shares at one hundred fifty percent market value.

Arthur staggered backward. James moved to steady him, but the old man waved him off. “You can’t-

*I already have.Devon’s smile was sharp as broken glass. Legal reviewed it. The board approved it. You’ll receive your payout by end of business tomorrow.He pocketed the phone. Consider it severance for twenty years of interference.

This is about the girl?Arthur’s voice cracked, Ahout some arrangement you’ve made with William Harper’s daughter? You’d destroy your family legacy for-

This isn’t about Arla.” Devon’s voice dropped to something almost gentle, which somehow made it more terrifying. This is about Evelyn. About Connor. About every time you chose the family Imageover actual family.His eyes met mine briefly, and I saw something raw

there. Aria just made me realize I deserve better than settling for scraps of human decency.

The weight of his words settled over the gazebo like snow. Arthur seemed to age a decade in that moment, his shoulders sagging beneath

his expensive overcoat.

You’re making a mistake, Arthur said, but there was no force behind it. Just the echo of a man who built his life on control and was

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19:46 Fri, Jan 16

Chapter 389

watching it slip away.

No,Devon said quietly. I’m correcting one. He turned to me, his expression softening fractionally. We’re leaving.

I nodded, unable to find words. As Devan gulded me down the gazebo steps, Arthur’s voice followed us, thin and desperate.

Devon. The girlEvelyn. We tried to make it right—

Devon stopped but didn’t turn around. Twenty years too late, Father. Twenty years too late.

We walked across

oss the frostcovered lawn in silence, Devon’s hand never leaving the small of my back. The iron gates stood open, my

prison transformed into an exit. As we reached the car, I finally found my voice.

Evelyn,I whispered. She’s your sister.

*Foster sister,Devon corrected, opening the car door for me. After the fire, after they cast her out, I made sure she had everything she needed. The necklace, the medical care, a trust fund they couldn’t touch.His jaw clenched. I couldn’t give her back her legs. But I could make damn sure she never wanted for anything else.”

I slid into the car, processing everything. The fierce protection Devon showed me suddenly made terrible sense. He’d failed to save Evelyn

from her fate. He wouldn’t fail again.

As Devon started the engine and the Kane estate disappeared in the rearview mirror, I placed my hand over my abdomen, feeling the secret growing there. The baby. Devon’s child.

The child of a man who’d just burned down his entire world to protect what was his.

And somehow, that made me feel safer than any words

Is ever could.

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