Chapter: 1101

Nikolas didn't want to press Aimee too hard.

Since the City Hall was filled with his own people, why make her feel even more cornered?

He stood there, pulling out his phone to check it.

The screen flashed with calls from Siena and messages pleading for mercy.

“Nikolas, please, I'm begging you, leave my family alone! My mother is on the verge of dying!"

“Can't you show some mercy for the few months we were together? Please?"

"Nikolas! My mother was issued a notice stating that she's in a critical condition. Happy now?"

Happy?

A bitter half-smile tugged at his Lips.

Sure enough, he was far from happy.

Nikolas believed that since he had once been a villain, he must see it through to the end.

This time, his primary concern was to sidestep any potential trouble.

He set his phone aside, resolute in his decision, and cast a fleeting glance toward the bathroom. The ticking clock echoed in his mind, a reminder of the time slipping away.

Though he aimed to grant her some measure of freedom, unease gnawed at him, leaving him far from comfortable.

As soon as Aimee entered the bathroom, she began scanning for an escape route. Her search began with the ladies', but finding it empty, she bolted toward the men's. Yet, the only possible route to escape was through the window across the room.

Her teeth clenched in determination as she eyed the window.

It was now or never.

With time slipping away, she knew that Lingering would mean Nikolas would surely catch up.

Aimee spotted a rickety chair and tested its stability with a quick shake. Satisfied that it might hold, she positioned it beneath the window.

Just as she prepared to climb, the sound of footsteps approached from outside the bathroom.

She was taken aback, her heart racing as she darted into the ladies.

Inside, the minutes stretched out, heavy with silence. Aimee listened intently, but the anticipated sound of Nikolas never arrived. Instead, the toilet remained eerily quiet, save for the occasional shuffle of feet. Not hearing anyone call her name or search the room for her, Aimee thought that someone else must have entered the ladies’ room directly, so she moved swiftly to a vacant toilet cubicle.

She tapped lightly on the door, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Hello?"