Begging for a Second Chance (Sienna Sloan and Jarred Sterling) novel Chapter 72

Right as he rounded the corner, Declan bumped into Celeste.

“Mr. Ward.”

Celeste stood there, her burns still untreated, her face alarmingly pale.

She glanced at the papers in his hand, her tone gentle. “Did you get the records? Can I take a look?”

Declan hesitated for a second.

But then he remembered how highly his boss valued his adopted sister.

Everyone in the capital knew that Jarred spoiled and protected Celeste despite their lack of blood ties, practically granting her every request.

Dropping his guard completely, Declan handed the records over without a second thought.

Celeste took the papers and glanced down. A triumphant gleam flashed in her eyes.

It was exactly as she had suspected.

The next second, she wiped the smirk off her face and let out a dramatic gasp.

Her features twisted into a mask of utter disbelief, as if she had just uncovered a scandalous secret.

Declan’s face fell, and he frantically shushed her. “Ms. Carlyle, keep your voice down!”

But it was too late.

The gasp had already reached Jarred and his grandmother down the hall.

The old woman frowned sharply. “What’s going on? What happened?”

Declan’s heart hammered against his ribs. He knew he had messed up.

Celeste immediately played the saint, shoving the papers back into his chest.

She whispered with fake urgency, “Mr. Ward, Grandma absolutely cannot see this. It will give her a heart attack.”

As she spoke, her hand subtly twitched, letting the pages slip from her fingertips and scatter across the floor.

A perfectly timed draft swept through the corridor, blowing the papers right to the wheels of the matriarch’s chair.

Declan turned pale and lunged to grab them, but he was too late.

The old woman gestured for her bodyguard to pick them up, then gripped the pages tightly.

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