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.

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Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman)
Author pls Pls don't separate Ana and Herman once again because of Sandy. There must be an ending to Ana's sufferings!...
Yes yes yes!!! Thank you!!!...
How comes the twists are becoming uninteresting and unrealistic? Readers will prefer cleaner straight happy endings. Please don't go far beyond otherwise readers will lose interest. Time to end the story like we want it to be....
Please give us a happy ending for Anastasia and Herman with Pattie recognized as Herman's daughter, thank you!!!...
Pls update. This novel is really good....