Obedience No More He's the One I Deserved novel Chapter 220

Her voice was quiet, and every word carried a calm reason.

On the surface, nothing about it seemed wrong.

But Cindy's face darkened.

She stood frozen for a long moment, then her voice lifted, sharp and anxious. "Don't you care that I might take everything that's valuable from you? What if there's a mine hidden up there? And those trees! Do you realize how much money they're worth?"

Her eyes locked on Dawn's, full of restless anticipation, waiting for a response.

"If you think you can handle it, then take it all."

Dawn opened her hands in a careless gesture, her tone steady. "You probably don't know this, but the last time I was kidnapped, your father was the one who paid 30 million dollars to get me back."

Cindy froze where she stood.

"That's not the same! He did that because it was his duty as an uncle!" she shot back, twisting her head away like she couldn't stand the thought.

Dawn let the silence stretch before she spoke again, her voice calm and even. "Tomorrow I'll have the lawyer draw up an agreement. You're 18 now. Once you sign it, it'll be valid, and you can use it however you want."

"You ... I ... "

Cindy jabbed her finger at Dawn, then at herself, her words stumbling until they collapsed.

In the end, she let out a frustrated cry. "Dawn, I knew it. I wasn't wrong about you at all. You really are a complete fool!"

She spun on her heel and stormed off, rage boiling in every step. Dawn didn't so much as blink. She raised her teacup and sipped with an air of complete composure.

It wasn't that she didn't know Lucas's intentions were twisted.

She knew all too well.

The more she understood, the firmer her decision became.

You had to take risks if you wanted success.

If she refused him over and over, Lucas would only invent another trick. Better to give in and keep watch; to see with her own eyes what secret lay in that mountain that made him so obsessed.

Dawn's judgment proved right. The moment she agreed, Lucas didn't waste a second.

Before the sun even rose the next day, a courier showed up at the villa with a sealed envelope. Inside was a thick loan agreement, every detail spelled out in print.

The delivery man lingered nervously, shifting from foot to foot as he waited for her signature so he could rush it back.

All this effort over one mountain?

Studying it is one thing, but does it really need something this formal?

A faint smile touched her lips as she flipped through the papers at her own slow pace. Once she saw nothing unusual, she signed her name.

The moment the courier left, she made her own move. She called the local forestry office.

Spring was dry, the kind of season when a stray spark could send an entire forest up in flames.

With fire safety as her reason, she paid for surveillance cameras at the major entrances, tucked into hidden corners where no one would think to tamper with them.

When the staff finished noting everything down, she added as if the thought had just crossed her mind, "My mom built a small cabin on that mountain years ago. It's not easy to tear down, and now hikers use it as a rest spot. I want two cameras there as well. If something ever happens, at least there'll be a record."

"That's no problem," one of the workers answered, jotting it down before thanking her for the funding.

Even in the faint light, Dawn knew that face.

Harsh lines carved with precision, every detail carrying a chill.

Her steps faltered. Her hand clenched at her side, and she instinctively pulled half a step back. Her body screamed to turn and flee, but then his voice rolled through the air, low and deliberate.

"You're already here. Sit."

Her breath caught, panic flashing across her face. For once, she didn't know what to do.

Why him?

Of course it was him.

He and Ethan were brothers. He had studied photography and lived abroad for years.

All the signs had been there.

She simply hadn't connected them until now.

Before she could steady herself, footsteps echoed behind her. Ethan walked in with another man. He slipped an arm around her shoulders and spoke warmly. "Why are you still standing there? I thought you two already knew each other."

At his words, the blood drained even further from her cheeks.

She forced a faint smile, lowered her gaze, and whispered, "Hey, Jonathan."

The man in the corner seemed to smile back, but the shadows swallowed the expression whole. Only his eyes gleamed, sharp and impossible to read.