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Chapter 13: Cracks Beneath Control
Tanggal publikasi:
2026-05-20 08:01:50
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He Never Claimed Me Chapter 97: The First Move
The last of the guests had barely cleared the front steps when the gates of the Volkov estate closed with a heavy clang. Silence settled over the mansion as the music faded and the laughter disappeared, leaving behind abandoned champagne glasses and crushed white lilies scattered across the ballroom like the remains of a celebration that had never truly existed. Noah stood alone near the stage with his hands buried in his pockets, staring at the empty room. Months of planning, countless preparations, and one carefully orchestrated evening had collapsed in less than twenty minutes. Daniel approached quietly. “The press is refusing to leave.” “They won’t,” Noah replied without turning around. “We’ve increased security around the perimeter.” “They’re not who I’m worried about.” Daniel hesitated before asking, “You think he’s still here?” “I know he isn’t.” “Then why do I feel like we’re the ones being watched?” Noah finally turned to face him. “Because we are.” Daniel lowered h
He Never Claimed Me Chapter 96: The Weight of Silence
The ballroom was unnaturally quiet. Hundreds of guests stood frozen, their attention flickering between Lydia, Noah, and the photograph glowing on their phone screens. The celebration was dead; only the past remained. Noah locked eyes with his mother. “You knew,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “You knew Alek was alive.” Lydia didn’t answer, but her posture stiffened. “You didn’t have to admit it,” Noah continued, stepping closer. “Your silence was enough.” Investors and board members hovered nearby, witnessing the family unravel. Daniel stepped forward, but Noah silenced him with a sharp gesture. “I’m done protecting these secrets,” Noah declared. Lydia looked genuinely uncertain. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.” “Then tell me. For ten years, I’ve carried the guilt of a man I thought I buried. Now I find out I was lied to?” Lydia’s expression softened into something weary. “You were twenty-two, Noah. You were loyal. You would have died for the people you loved.”
He Never Claimed Me Chapter 95: The Letter
No one dared to move. The white lily rested on Lydia Volkov’s chair like a funeral offering, and the black envelope beneath it drew every eye in the ballroom. The orchestra had fallen silent. Even the distant, muffled sound of the reporters outside seemed a world away. Lydia stared at the envelope without speaking. For the first time in years, the woman who commanded empires looked completely unprepared. Noah crossed the room in long, measured strides, his hand hovering near his side. “Don’t touch it.” Lydia slowly lifted her eyes to meet his. “You think it’s meant for me.” “I know it is.” She gave a faint, bitter smile. “Then perhaps I should be the one to read it.” Before Noah could stop her, Lydia reached down and picked up the envelope. Daniel stepped forward, his hand out, but Lydia ignored him. With fingers that were surprisingly steady, she broke the black seal and unfolded the single sheet of paper inside. Her expression remained unreadable as she read the firs
He Never Claimed Me Chapter 94: Among the Guests
For several long seconds, no one spoke. The ballroom remained frozen, every pair of eyes fixed on Noah as he descended the staircase with the black envelope still clutched in his hand. The silence was so complete that the faint crackle of the emergency lights sounded deafening. Noah reached the marble floor without taking his eyes off the grand entrance. Empty. The doors were closed. There was no man in a black tuxedo. No smiling stranger. Only a restless crowd shifting uneasily beneath the chandeliers. Daniel hurried toward him. “Sir?” Noah slowly looked around the ballroom. Every face blurred together—politicians, investors, family friends, journalists, security personnel. Somewhere among them… He was here. “I want every exit sealed,” Noah said quietly. Daniel nodded. “Already done.” “No one leaves.” The order spread through Noah’s security team within seconds. Guards moved toward every entrance, their discreet movements drawing nervous glances from the guests. Murmu
He Never Claimed Me Chapter 93: The Wedding Gift
No one dared move. The white lily swayed gently beneath the massive crystal chandelier, its petals glowing in the emergency lights. Tied to its stem, the black envelope hung motionless, drawing every eye in the ballroom. The stranger’s voice was gone. Only silence remained. Noah took a slow step forward. “Nobody touches it,” he ordered. His command cut through the panic. The guards immediately raised their hands, stopping guests who had tried to bolt for the exits. Daniel moved to Noah’s side. “Bomb squad?” Noah never looked away from the chandelier. “No.” “You don’t think it’s explosive?” “I think that’s exactly what he wants us to believe.” Noah knew the hunter’s game. Every message and every lily had been a lure, designed to force a mistake. This was no different. Noah handed his jacket to Daniel. “I’m going up.” Daniel’s eyes widened. “Sir, absolutely not.” “If there’s a trap, I won’t send another man into it.” Noah walked toward the grand staircase leading t
He Never Claimed Me Chapter 92: When the Lights Went Out
Darkness swallowed the ballroom. The music died, leaving a silence so complete that even the guests seemed afraid to breathe. Then the screaming began. Crystal shattered on the marble floor. Chairs scraped back as guests stumbled in the dark, their composure dissolving into chaos. “Stay where you are!” a guard shouted. Noah was already moving. “Ava!” His voice cut through the darkness. He ignored the board members and the investors. He only cared about finding her. Emergency lights flickered, bathing the room in a dim, sinister red glow. Guests looked like ghosts beneath the crimson light. Daniel pressed his earpiece. “Report!” Only static answered. “The network is down,” a guard yelled. “Cameras are offline!” Noah scanned the room. “Ava!” “I’m here.” Noah followed the sound of her voice through the confusion, weaving between overturned chairs and frightened guests. When he finally reached her, relief struck him so hard it almost weakened his knees. He caught b
He Never Claimed Me Chapter 4: It Felt Like Home
Her two brothers, Leo and Marcus, were already arguing in the living room, their voices overlapping in the same chaotic rhythm they’d had since they were boys. Across the room, her younger sister, Maya, sat curled into the corner of the couch, eyes fixed on her phone, completely disconnected from e
He Never Claimed Me Chapter 3: Echoes of Her Mother’s Warnings
The drive to her mother’s house always felt like a step backward, stripping away the confident, untouchable “Boss” version of herself layer by layer. As Ava pulled into the driveway of the modest home she grew up in, the chipped white paint on the porch railing made her chest tighten. Family dinne
He Never Claimed Me Chapter 2: The Mirrors Don’t Lie
The sharp scent of peppermint oil and expensive shampoo was supposed to be Ava’s sanctuary. Here, under the sleek lights of Ava’s Glam, she wasn’t the woman begging for a seat at someone else’s table. She was the one who built the table, owned the chairs, and ran the room. Ava stood behind her st
He Never Claimed Me Chapter 1: The Unbreakable Bond
Ava stared at her phone, the screen casting a soft glow across her face in the dim light of her apartment. On the coffee table beside her sat a stack of payroll ledgers and design layouts for Ava’s Glam the beauty parlor she had built from the ground up. Normally, those papers were her anchor, the
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