Chapter 181

• In the hushed corner of a quiet café tucked far from the city's relentless roar, Charlotte and Ryan sat across from each other in a worn leather booth, the air thick with the scent of fresh grounds and unspoken worries. Faded sunlight filtered through tinted windows, casting long shadows over their half-empty cups. Charlotte stared into her cooling coffee, her fingers tracing the rim, her voice low and frayed. "Howard won't trust a word without proof," she said, the words heavy with frustration. "Not about Anastasia, not after everything."
• Ryan leaned forward, elbows on the table, his dark eyes steady but shadowed by his own burdens. "I know he won't," he replied, his voice rough with shared defeat. "You think I haven't tried telling him? I've laid it all out—her schemes, the lies—but he shuts down every time and calls it "family loyalty."
• Charlotte's gaze lifted, haunted. "The only proof we've got is Daisy. God knows when she'll wake up from that coma. If she could just talk..."