Chapter 1066:

Elyse raised an eyebrow. “You have allies? Who are they?”

Jayden smirked. “Garret Miller. You don’t know him personally, but you know his siblings.”

“His siblings? Louise and Chesney?”

“Half-siblings. They’re both heirs to the royal family,” Jayden answered, leaning back.

As Elyse processed this, things started to click. “So, you’re helping Garret eliminate his rivals? But Louise told me that Garret went missing, possibly dead, with no trace of him.”

Jayden nodded. “She wasn’t lying. That’s a false story we put out to lure out hidden threats and give Chesney a chance to seize power.”

Elyse’s brows furrowed. “Why help Chesney seize power?”

“I don’t know his reasons. As an ally, my job is to assist him with what he needs,” Jayden shrugged. He noticed Elyse hadn’t asked the most important question yet.

He decided to bring it up himself. “Shouldn’t you be asking me about the bounty?”

Clarity returning, Elyse pressed on, “Okay, what’s the story with the bounty? Why would someone put up eight million dollars for my capture, and under such peculiar terms?”

Jayden offered Elyse a glass of water and grinned. “That bounty? I was the one who issued it.”

Stunned, Elyse responded, “Have you lost your mind? Why place a bounty on me? And eight million dollars, really? Do you have money to burn?”

Jayden laid out his reasoning. “Back then, I was trapped between two hostile forces, and you were busy preparing for your tour. I wanted to take you with me, but considering your aspirations, I felt I had no choice but to leave you in Edward’s capable hands.”

Tears welled up in Elyse’s eyes. “You disappeared, claiming you couldn’t look after me. Did you ever think about how that would make me feel?”

“I’m truly sorry. I know it pained you, but I was out of options. Leaving you with Edward was the only way to ensure your safety,” Jayden admitted with a somber tone.

Elyse turned away, her frustration mounting, refusing to face him.

Undeterred, Jayden explained, “Although I couldn’t bring you along, I knew my adversaries would jump at the chance to seize you and use you as leverage against me.”

Elyse’s voice was tinged with sorrow. “What happened next?”

Jayden elaborated, “I concocted a plan to put out a bounty. This strategy set villains against each other, vying to capture you. Many of my enemies have fallen in their attempts. Their greed proved fatal.”

. . .