Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run novel Chapter 505

Cole adjusted his glasses, tapping the stack of documents in his hand.

“There’s something about these papers that just doesn’t sit right with me. This overseas company—they’re huge, super well-known, and they suddenly want to partner with the Bradfords? I looked into their reputation, and they’ve always worked with the top families here. Why us, and why now? It feels suspicious. I wanted to talk to Ms. Bradford about it, but I can’t find her anywhere.”

Ryan slumped into a chair, his mind spinning. He stared at the paperwork, but none of the words made sense.

After a long silence, he finally asked, “Cole, do you think Clara even cares about me?”

If she did, why couldn’t she trust him?

If she hadn’t doubted him first, he wouldn’t have pushed things this far out of pure frustration.

“Honestly, Ryan, before or after the accident, Ms. Bradford has always treated you really well. I couldn’t find a single fault.”

Ryan let out a hollow laugh. “Or maybe she feels guilty about something—like she owes me.”

Maybe she was making up for something. Like pretending to be the real Bradford heiress.

He thought back to that snowy night, remembering the small gravestone, his father’s handwriting carved into the stone.

His father had dragged a desperately ill Clara all over the city, searching for any doctor who could help. When nothing worked—not in the city, not in the fancy hospitals—he started chasing after every weird alternative medicine tip he could find. That’s how they ended up in the countryside, out of options and out of hope.

Ryan had always wondered how Clara, who’d spent her whole life behind hospital doors, managed to get better after just one trip to the country.

He rubbed his temples, suddenly remembering that Cole had been with the family during those years, too.