The Bond Between Us ( Anastasia and Herman) novel Chapter 1046

Mr. Walker stepped out of the bedroom, pausing at the door for a moment. He looked back at Autumn, who was resting quietly on the bed, then gently closed the door behind him.

In the study, his assistant came in carrying a stack of files. “Mr. Walker, here’s what you asked for.”

He opened the folder to find piles of photographs. They were snapshots of Autumn meeting Ben, along with some from her college days.

One group photo caught his eye—it was a little blurry, but Mr. Walker immediately recognized the two men beside Autumn. Ben was on her left, Devin on her right.

Back in college, Autumn was the belle of the class—everyone loved her.

Without a word, Mr. Walker slid the photos into a manila envelope, his face giving nothing away. He turned to his assistant. “What’s happening over there?”

“Last night, Rowan was poisoned and Jason rushed him to the hospital. They managed to save him, and he was sent home this morning,” the assistant reported. “Rowan’s sticking to his story, insisting Mrs. Walker was the one behind it all.”

Mr. Walker’s expression darkened. Trouble doesn’t come out of nowhere, and now it was Autumn who was in the crosshairs—she wouldn’t be able to walk away from this so easily.

He’d already suspected Autumn might be involved in Anastasia’s kidnapping. Now, all the signs pointed right to her.

The assistant watched him, a hint of worry in his eyes. “Sir, I really don’t think Mrs. Walker had anything to do with this.”

Whether she did or not, Mr. Walker knew the truth deep down. With all this evidence and Rowan’s accusation, if it weren’t for his protection, Autumn would have been hauled in for questioning already.

“Go on,” Mr. Walker said, waving him off. “Call me if anything comes up at the office.”

“Yes, sir.”

As the assistant reached the door, Mr. Walker called out again. “Have someone keep an eye on Herman. I want to know what he’s up to.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ever since Rowan confessed, Herman had disappeared from the scene. That didn’t sit right with Mr. Walker.

Herman doted on Anastasia. Now that someone was accusing him of being the mastermind behind her kidnapping, it didn’t make sense that he was doing nothing.

Once his assistant left, Mr. Walker lit a cigar. Alone in the study, he sat in silence, deep in thought.

He knew exactly what it meant to protect Autumn, and the conflict ate at him.

He’d spent his whole life doing right by others, never once betraying his conscience. But today, he knew he was crossing that line.

He was in his fifties now—most of his life dedicated to the public. The only person he truly owed was Autumn.

“Sure,” Herman replied. He wanted to see where this was headed.

Sooner or later, they’d have to face off. The more you know your opponent, the better.

They headed to a nearby café, which had been cleared out for them. Only the two of them sat inside.

Herman started with polite small talk. “How’s Mrs. Walker doing?”

“She’s resting at home,” Mr. Walker replied. “Pregnancy’s tough on any woman, and at our age, it’s even harder.”

Herman replied evenly, “You really care about her.”

Mr. Walker smiled. “And you’re devoted to Ana, too. Everyone in Riverdale knows you’re a doting husband. Women are like water, men are like clay—if you’re a good man, you have to be understanding. It’s not easy for a woman to stick by you; she deserves to be cherished.”

Herman caught the message—Mr. Walker was making it clear he intended to protect Autumn.

He smirked. “Mrs. Walker’s a lucky woman. I agree—if a man can’t protect his own wife, just lets others hurt her and does nothing, what kind of husband is that? Don’t you think so, Mr. Walker?”

On the surface, it was just small talk. Underneath, the tension was sharp as a knife.