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Chapter 85. The Reigns Begin
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2025-04-18 17:38:27
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Contract With The Age Gap Billionaireย ย ย Chapter 86. The Drive
Standing at her elegant mahogany desk, Anita felt the weight of the power she suddenly possessed pressing down on her chest. She had the authority to run the business and the empire that had previously belonged to Nathan, but that authority also came with the burden of tearing it down and starting over, brick by brick. The future would be shaped by every choice she made going forward. Standing upright in front of the board, she had already demonstrated her worth, but that was just the start. She was startled out of her daydream as her phone buzzed on the desk. When she noticed the caller ID, she paused her fingers as she reached for it. Daniel. This was what she had anticipated. Daniel's voice crackled over the phone, "Anita." "There is a circumstance. It's urgent. You must hear this firsthand.The anxiety she had been repressing began to creep up her spine as her heart skipped a beat. "What's happening?" "It concerns Harry." Anger rose in her chest as her pulse accelera
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-18Contract With The Age Gap Billionaireย ย ย Chapter 87. Bigger than us
Above Anita's head, the faint illumination of a broken lamp flickered, creating long, unsettling shadows on the walls. She tried to calm herself by holding onto the edge of the table with trembling palms. She had arrived here as a result of every action she had taken during this tornado of upheaval, including choices, sacrifices, and betrayals. Right up till now. To Nathan, who stood opposite her and had that unreadable expression on his face. As though trying to remind her of something she already knew, her heart thumped loudly and insistently in her chest. Could she, however, trust herself? Would she be able to trust him? Anita tried to ignore the impending uncertainty by closing her eyes. Amidst the turmoil of everythingโHarry's treachery, Eleanor's disdain, and Stacy's manipulationโone item caught her off guard: Nathan's silence. His distance.They had been balancing on a tightrope for months. Convenience marriage, a front, but gradually, gradually, it had evolved into
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-19Contract With The Age Gap Billionaireย ย ย Chapter 88. Everything I did
Between them, the weight of the quiet hung heavy and oppressive. Anita struggled to maintain her composure as her chest rose and fell and her breathing became irregular. However, it was not feasible. Everything she believed to be true about their world and about herself had been destroyed by Nathan's comments, which were facts she had never asked for. Nevertheless, there was a glimmer of something else behind the tempest of emotions raging within her. A glimpse of the person she had turned into in this cruel game. A lady with a history of abuse. A woman who had made it out alive. And a woman who would not be kept in the background any longer."Anita..." Nathan's eyes continued to beg for comprehension, and his voice was strained and urgent. You must have faith in me. I did everything I did for you. to keep you safe. In a subtle request for him to stop, she held out her hand. Her heart was overflowing with conflicting emotions, including fear, wrath, betrayal, and love.
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-20Contract With The Age Gap Billionaireย ย ย Chapter 89. Veils of Deciet
As Anita made her way through the eerily quiet mansion's halls, her heart pounded against her ribs. Now, the commotion, the smoke, the flashing lights seemed like a faraway memory. Her feelings and thoughts were a whirlpool of bewilderment and sorrow. She could not get Nathan's face out of her head, his eyes meeting hers in that last second before everything broke down. Was he gone from her? Would all for which they had battled turn to ashes?She proceeded carefully through the building, her fingers brushing against the cool walls, each step echoing the anxiety that had pervaded the air for days. Although Nathan's absence felt like a wound too deep to ignore, Harry's betrayal still hurt. She needed to locate him. What had happened to him had to be known to her. However, nothing was ever easy. When Anita arrived at the end of the corridor, she was in front of the door leading to Nathan's office. The metal handle felt cold and unforgiving under her fingers, and it was locked.
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-21Contract With The Age Gap Billionaireย ย ย Chapter 90. Cryptic Message
Anita's spine tingled when the door creaked open with a spooky sound. The smell of old concrete and rust permeated the moist air of the deserted warehouse. Every corner was covered in shadows, and the distant hum of the city outside seemed to be lost in the vastness of the room. With caution, Anita entered, her footfall resonating in the quiet. The sole source of illumination was a dim ray that filtered through a broken window located high above, creating long, angular shadows on the concrete floor. She looked around, every fibre of her body alert to the unknown threats that might be hiding in the darkness, her pulse thumping in her chest.She didn't know what to anticipate in this place. She could clearly see the map Nathan had left her, but she couldn't understand its significance or purpose. And what had he been up to? When she had thought they were finally on the same page, what had motivated him to leave her such a confusing message and to cut off contact? She was plague
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-22Contract With The Age Gap Billionaireย ย ย Chapter 91. An old photograph
Like a heartbeat, the quiet between them throbbed. Shadows danced across Nathan's sharp features in the faint, flickering light, creating a haunting appearance. โYou want the truth?โ he murmured at last, his voice so low Anita had to lean in to catch the words. "Then get ready." Because your father isn't the only one involved. Everything is involved, including how we met, the Walkers, the Bennetts, and my business. Anita tensed. "What are you discussing?" Nathan pointed to the disorganised desk. "Everything you've ever experienced was planned out and premeditated. The one-night stand, the night we met? It was not a coincidence. You were supposed to be present. She blinked. "No. That isn't possible. You didn't even know who I wasโโI didnโt,โ Nathan cut in. However, another person did. Someone who knew I wouldn't be able to let you go if we ever met paths. Someone who desired our connection in order to gain leverage. In her ears, her pulse roared. "Who?" Nathan pi
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-24Contract With The Age Gap Billionaireย ย ย Chapter 92. Quiet voice
Slow motion shattered the world. Nathan fell to the ground with a horrible thud as his body struck the concrete. Beneath him, blood spread like a dark flower, soaking through the white shirt. "No!" Anita fell to her knees next to him, her scream ripped from her throat. She pushed her trembling hands against his chest in an attempt to halt the bleeding, hold him to her, and prevent herself from breaking. "Nathan! Remain with me. You dare not abandon me at this time. You dare not! Only a gasp, a constricted breath, and a spasm of pain flickered through his jaw as his lips moved but no sound emerged.With a casual smugness, Harry lowered his weapon and took a step closer, his eyes glimmering with sinister glee. โYou know, Anita, for a woman so full of fire, you really do keep making the same mistake.โ Her eyes were flaming with fury as she turned to face him. He went on, gently circling her, "You think you're in control, but you're not." You weren't. Like your father, you
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-25Contract With The Age Gap Billionaireย ย ย Chapter 93. Burn them
The sirens of the ambulance blared into the darkness, yet the interior was eerily quiet. The echo of Nathan's blood was still fresh on Anita's skin as she sat rigidly next to his stretcher, her hands locked in her lap. He had whispered, "Always," and had not spoken since. He was alive, nevertheless. For now, that was enough. She watched the rise and fall of each heart as she gazed at the monitor. Her voice was raw from all of the screams she had suppressed, and her chest ached from holding back tears. Her voice was haunted by Eleanor's. "Every path ends at you." "Look for the things your father left behind." The question that had been ingrained in her was: What was Gregor concealing in that music box?Anita glanced at her phone. Two calls from Gregor himself and a dozen from Patricia were missed. She disregarded them. She needed time to ponder just now. to take a breath. to get ready for the storm that she sensed was building all around her. A group of top-tier medical
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-26
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Contract With The Age Gap Billionaireย ย ย Chapter 109. Unspoken truth
In sharp contrast to the pandemonium within, the penthouse had never felt colder than it did now. Despite the storm inside, the city lights outside flickered. As he took in what Anita had just disclosed, Nathan stood by the window with his back to her. The weight of whispered facts hung over them like a dense cloud of stillness. With her heart thumping in her chest, Anita stayed motionless. She had anticipated resentment, possibly even treachery. However, she had not anticipated the utter quiet that now pervaded the space. Although there had always been a gap between them, it felt much wider today. The ground seemed to have moved under their feet, and she was afraid it would swallow them both whole"It's unbelievable that you withheld this from me." Despite being low, Nathan's voice held a rawness that Anita hadn't expected. "You were aware of your father's actions, yet you chose not to inform me? You didn't anticipate how it would impact us? Anita winced, but she kept her
Contract With The Age Gap Billionaireย ย ย Chapter 108. No more lies
The weight of choices taken, vows made, and threats that now loomed like a storm on the horizon made the air in the apartment feel heavier with every second that went by. Nathan stood by the wide window, watching the city below pulse, its lights a blur of movement, as though everything was changing all the time. For a brief time, he wanted he could be somewhere else instead of here, confronting the truth he had been avoiding, as the enormity of it appeared to engulf him whole.Anita paced tensely and quickly behind him. There were many unspoken statements in the deafening quiet between them, but neither of them felt willing or able to break it. Even though they had experienced a lot together, it seemed like the tipping moment. Their marriage was now on the verge of breaking due to the strain that had been building for weeks and months beneath the surface. He sensed it, like a tense wire about to break. "Why didnโt you tell me, Nathan?" At last, the quiet was broken by Anita's
Contract With The Age Gap Billionaireย ย ย Chapter 107. Scorched Earth
On the morning following the scandal, Anita stood in the centre of her penthouse, gazing at the city skyline that she had once thought was her stronghold. Normally a source of pride, the vista now felt like a mocking reminder of the mayhem she had let loose. On the sofa table, her phone was constantly buzzing. For the time being, she disregarded it. The world could wait. With her head still reeling from the events of the previous few hoursโPierce's premeditated blow, Stacy's treachery, and her choice to turn the tables on them bothโher fingers caressed the edge of the marble counter. The cost had only just started to become apparent, and the satisfaction was bittersweet.Max had performed his duties with surgical accuracy. Pierce had to deal with the damage right away because the leaks had struck hard. Anita was aware, however, that the billionaire businessman was not the kind to back down for very long. Retaliation would occur, and it would affect all parties. Even those wh
Contract With The Age Gap Billionaireย ย ย Chapter 106. Suspicion
The next morning brought a storm Anita hadnโt seen comingโnot from the frontlines, but from within the walls of the fortress she had so carefully built.Anita entered the boardroom at Grant Holdings, expecting support, strategy, and a unified front. Instead, she walked into silence and stiff backs. The tension was visceral, as if the air itself was laced with suspicion.Nathan sat at the head of the table, jaw tight. Across from him, Reva Langston, the very woman who had shaken Anitaโs hand just hours ago, now stared at her with cold detachment.โWhat happened?โ Anita asked, setting her tablet down.Reva didnโt blink. โDominic Pierce filed an injunction against you, Anita. He claims your press conference was a smear campaign backed by falsified documents.โโThatโs absurd. We verified everything.โNathan spoke then, voice clipped. โPierce is claiming the documents you presented were stolen from a secure database in Switzerlandโand that Grant Holdings was complicit in cybercrime.โA chi
Contract With The Age Gap Billionaireย ย ย Chapter 105. Influence
Dominic Pierce thought heโd rattled her.Heโd sent the orchid as a warning, veiled in civility. But Anita wasnโt the girl sheโd been when she first walked into Nathanโs world. Sheโd been made, broken, burned, and reborn.She knew now that in games of power, silence was never safetyโit was strategy.Anita stood before the mirror in her office, buttoning a crisp ivory blouse. Her reflection stared back with poise and purpose. Behind her, Patriciaโs photograph smiled faintly on the bookshelf. That reminder was all she needed.Nathan appeared in the doorway, his frame a towering presence. โThe press conference is set. Noon.โShe turned, slipping gold hoops into her ears. โAre the files ready?โโThey are.โ He stepped closer. โAre you?โShe met his gaze. โYouโre not the only one who keeps leverage, Nathan.โHe raised a brow. โYouโve been building something?โโI learned from the best.โ Her voice was calm, but there was steel beneath. โRemember when I asked you to assign me as your proxy on t
Contract With The Age Gap Billionaireย ย ย Chapter 104. Chessboard
Anita didnโt speak during the drive home.She sat in the back of the armored black Maybach, eyes fixed on the lights bleeding through the city skyline, replaying every word Dominic Pierce had said. The man didnโt blink. Didnโt threaten. He didnโt need to. His offer wasnโt just powerโit was a declaration.He didnโt want to destroy Nathan. He wanted to replace him. With her.And that made this war far more personal.When the car pulled into the private elevator bay at the Grant penthouse, she stepped out, shoulders straight, heels echoing like declarations of defiance. The moment the elevator doors opened, Nathan was already thereโjacket off, tie undone, eyes stormy with anticipation.โWell?โ he asked.Anita let out a slow breath. โHe wants to recruit me.โNathanโs brow twitched. โRecruit?โโFull takeover. My own firm. Resources. Autonomy. And Iโd never need you again.โSilence settled thickly between them.He crossed the room slowly, eyes scanning her face. โAnd?โโI told him to go to
Contract With The Age Gap Billionaireย ย ย Chapter 103. Magnificent
The Calm Before the WarThe rain had stopped, but the tension hadnโt.Nathan stood at the balcony of the penthouse, shirt sleeves rolled up, the city sprawled beneath him like a conquered battlefield. Yet victory felt heavy, laced with exhaustion. His mind replayed every detail from the boardroom, every reactionโDelacorteโs twitching eye, Chenโs collapse, and Anitaโs unflinching resolve.Sheโd been magnificent.Behind him, Anita moved through the living room, barefoot, still in the suit she hadnโt changed out of since the night before. Her hair was slightly tousled, and fatigue clung to her frame like a second skin, but her eyesโฆ they were alive. Sharp. Focused.She approached him quietly, holding two mugs of black coffee. No celebration. No champagne. Just coffee. Because they werenโt done yet.โYouโre not sleeping,โ she said, offering the cup.He took it, brushing her fingers with his. โNeither are you.โShe leaned on the railing beside him. โWe just humiliated one of the most corru
Contract With The Age Gap Billionaireย ย ย Chapter 102. The board
Shortly after midnight, the storm broke out. Rain battered the penthouse windows as lightning illuminated the skyline and thunder cracked over the metropolis. Everything was moving in Nathan's battle room, which used to be his office. Anita leaned over a computer table showing the activities of shareholders, Gregor yelled orders into a secure queue, and Nathan Nathan observed her. Something about her had changed. Once standing unsurely at the edge of wolf-infested boardrooms, the woman now stood in the middle, unwavering. Making calculations. Sharp.While looking over the information on the encrypted server that Nathan had previously concealed from even his own legal advisor, Anita remarked, "We're going to need proof." "The board's plan cannot be overturned without concrete proof of wrongdoing or manipulation." "Misconduct always occurs," Gregor mumbled. "These men didn't reach the summit without stepping on people." "Then we discover the corpses," she answered in a firm
Contract With The Age Gap Billionaireย ย ย Chapter 101. A pause
As Anita's remarks reverberated across the room, silence descended once more, this time more profoundly. It's time to invite those they never thought to invite. It's time to reverse the situation. At first, Nathan remained silent. He looked her, truly studied her, and his eyes narrowed, calculating. He was constantly aware of Anita's intelligence and fortitude. However, this? This was a very different matter. Instead of cowering in the shadows behind him, she was stepping into her own and daring to confront the machine that had moulded their world. "Who are they?" With care in his voice, Gregor asked in a low murmur. "We need details if we're going to take action. Right now.Anita averted her gaze from both of them and looked up at the glistening skyline. In addition to her face, the mirror in the glass depicted the woman she had grown into, one who had withstood manipulation, treachery, and a web of power struggles that would have destroyed anybody else. She whirled aro
