Chapter 611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOACwjsRERK
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Nikolas ♠️11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnINWGViGmu
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After the incident with Alexei, nothing particularly eventful happened that night.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIJMDMfaGZ
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We returned home shortly after the gathering ended. The mansion fell back into its usual quiet rhythm guards changing shifts, servants moving silently through the halls, and the faint echo of distant footsteps against marble floors.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlwAfdRNqf
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But my mind did not rest.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFxOLplE2D
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The Volkov family had something going on.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQFheW1Rg0
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That much was clear.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hsgicnQ8K
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And whatever that something was… it could potentially be used as leverage against them.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJlurb28Tw
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Alexei had made one crucial mistake that night.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Lz6xRsqRQ
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A very amateur mistake.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWAZAJ3GyA
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He spoke too freely in a place where people like me existed.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpORwRY7uks
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If Alexei understood how the clan truly worked, he would have known that every wall had ears, every hallway had eyes, and every careless word could become a weapon.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMkhBcnpBE
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Which meant one thing.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOMCTK8Mnl
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He knew very little about how this world actually operated.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXHyBuAJlX
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And that alone made him dangerous.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyAoWPMxdWf
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But also useful.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8QOLADRFNi
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I poured myself another glass of vodka in the library, the clear liquid catching the dim light as I slowly rotated the glass in my hand.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Fn6d5OKZr
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My thoughts returned to the phone call.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAOa5RfJvo
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"I’m going to show that bitch what it feels like to take what was supposed to be mine."11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsMTI4Qqye
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The word echoed in my mind.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJhRtzX0boT
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She.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVyClzxIlQ
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There was a strong possibility he meant Krovavaya Roza.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpKW54rfnus
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Alexei had watched her throughout the entire evening with a dark expression resentful, almost possessive.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6bn7NrugAg
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And he had mentioned being replaced.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp6CUTBcO3v
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Which meant the situation inside the Volkov family was worse than most people realized.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGLmTDk7v6
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If my assumption was correct, then this was more than simple family tension.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoOLYeX0Y5B
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It was succession conflict.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGaJF0LFbDk
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And if the daughter truly was Dmitri Volkov’s chosen heir, then harming her would damage the entire Volkov empire.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ4GRmUxFE0
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Whether the family loved each other or not didn’t matter.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKuuWfqSn86
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In our world, the heir was the foundation of the dynasty.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVQetrAEv1
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Destroy the heir…11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9dZNChzfjl
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And the entire structure begins to collapse.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBawxKq7o4
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I leaned back in the chair.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmQro1jiru
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The casino event was three days away.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOWv5h5ONNf
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And Krovavaya Roza would be there.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtF8nxhZsYV
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She had potential.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5fd0LQTSaK
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That much I had already seen.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1xDXs5g5N
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My jaw tightened slightly when I remembered Alexei calling her a bitch.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfEwVA5Gxy
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The irritation surprised even me.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAyp2dIo2l
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I immediately pushed the thought away.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8dXfg5iMip
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She was a rival.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGAxCj3A7WB
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A competitor.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxlBzPJRij
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Nothing more.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3tzc6umES
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The library door opened.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNg46ECDPic
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My father stepped inside.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUFdQcAATQd
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His posture was slightly tense.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkDnOEQfA2
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“Nikolas,” he said.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1I889Jrb6
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His voice carried a seriousness that immediately pulled my attention away from my thoughts.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL0Db0mE7t6
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Then he spoke in Russian.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZFDdaSeMj
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“Николас, здоровье твоего дедушки… ему не становится лучше.”11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGj42zEZX8n
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Nikolas, your grandfather’s health… it isn’t getting any better.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcphxS5aG9t
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I remained silent for a moment.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJAqxKmeV8
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This was a topic we rarely discussed.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8WuKWhheh
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Not because we didn’t care.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIgVAc2YfA
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But because Grandfather himself forbade it.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVI0qBZpUW
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He insisted that he was perfectly fine.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡle3iQXOplL
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And truthfully… he was very good at pretending.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJifRQW7D6
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Too good.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlk9xO352xJ
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But the reality was far less pleasant.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBK0bCaYsQn
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Grandfather was dying.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQmw5vL369
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Slowly.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPb3SvmR3az
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The doctors had diagnosed him with pancreatic cancer nearly a year ago.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYcXCMZPgG
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A disease that quietly destroys a person from the inside.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6lEkq44fG
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They had been honest.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNEWbzNnQu0
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There was no cure.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIbTJSIsB0
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Only time.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnk7dSpIOTR
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And even that was uncertain.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ9Y989eXke
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My thoughts began to darken when my father spoke again.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZP5L1wXIlS
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“You know,” he said carefully, “it has always been the three of us.”11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXavySPheKh
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His tone softened slightly.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKlpkvhHbo
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“You, me… and your grandfather.”11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHqNevepCjK
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He hesitated before continuing.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ox3xpm6de
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“After your mother’s incident… things became very complicated.”11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJd7pE54N3
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His shoulders tensed.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA89E1Ic16e
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“We need to be careful about everything.”11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZKl1vHf4u
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“I know you’re not afraid of anything,” he continued quietly.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUfbO4Of7JH
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“But we cannot afford to be careless.”11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRXV4jgd2C
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My jaw tightened.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEL3yTwiW0
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My fingers slowly curled into a fist.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf0MSfYWuXU
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The mention of my mother’s death always had that effect.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ZIlWhNaH3
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My father noticed immediately.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG2DjWNsDgt
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A flicker of fear appeared in his eyes.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxSdgsWQe4
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His shoulders stiffened slightly.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmebltkTDaG
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None of us liked speaking about that night.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9Mo7gtpSv
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Not because death itself was shocking.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWaLVGUDLc7
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In our world, death meant very little.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfozH8ZiiNn
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It was just another Tuesday.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLb7tSiF1Bp
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But what happened that night…11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivRWOBP2aE
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That was something different.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvyOrGg5oK
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Something darker.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsgwRXVMBm7
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Something that could destroy everything if the truth ever surfaced.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZgRrvdoPF2
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Fortunately…11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QZu23kMvq
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No one outside this house knew the truth.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9RONEjNk5x
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And no one ever would.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYRJV9m5wE
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I kept my guard up everywhere.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpEkn9OvVB
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Always.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhfq1iVdX3
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Finally I spoke.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOv37psKWV
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“Not being afraid does not mean we are being careless.”11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDofQaC0tL
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My voice remained calm.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQS7peiyHVH
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Controlled.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGSY55MbsyV
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“This empire would have turned to dust the moment news of Grandfather’s illness spread.”11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMp17z0X2Kk
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I looked directly at him.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1VbHcFxINb
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“But it hasn’t.”11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdco6bIM0Gc
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A brief pause followed before I finished.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFTkZXf9pa
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“And that is because of me.”11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hGw8naeVA
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I leaned slightly forward.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdfXhZJQGh
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“Don’t forget that, Father.”11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCV147lFdny
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Silence filled the room.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3LjG5r3Pg
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Then I added quietly:11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3lXIOrT5V
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“You have always been cautious.”11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡscNEDGDkgH
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My eyes hardened slightly.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09XDATXtoB
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“But you need to be stronger.”11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphnTxxvSYB
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“You are a Russo.”11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRt8y5ZpQFz
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“If you cannot be that…”11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmQL7UGq2C
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I paused.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ254VHXTpD8
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“Then your cowardice will be the end of this empire.”11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoW9cZgv4vc
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My father said nothing.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPMVqwWTxI
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His expression hardened slightly before he quietly turned and left the library.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpm9hSkIofl
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It was clear he disagreed with my words.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbFGeudFRp
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But that didn’t matter.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvMGdk6ss2
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I was right.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lGs2jPRob
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And that was the only fact that mattered.1234 copyright protection7ＰＥＮＡＮＡMf2Z2LbQo2 尼11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKluTlU9MY

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