MasukShare
Chapter 20
Tanggal publikasi:
2026-08-02 05:04:29
Bab terbaru
He married me to ruin my husband Chapter 21
Ivy didn't answer right away.The living room was quiet again. Ivy looked at him, looked away, then back again. When she finally spoke, the words never came."I don't know," she finally admitted.Xavier was quiet for a moment. He held her gaze a little longer before giving a small nod, as though accepting the answer she hadn't been able to give."You don't know," he repeated."For two months, I've known exactly what I wanted every single day. Get free of Adrian, protect my father's company, and make sure Lauren and Charlie are safe. Watch Adrian lose everything he built on top of lying to everyone who trusted him." Ivy pulled her knees together. That was my life. Every decision came easily because I always knew who I was up against and what I was trying to do.”"And now there isn't?”"Yeah... now there isn't." She looked over at him and didn't look away. "I don't even know what I'd choose anymore, Xavier. It's been a long time since that was really up to me."He was quiet for a moment
He married me to ruin my husband Chapter 20
Ivy didn't sleep that night.She sat on the edge of the guest bed until nearly three in the morning, replaying her father's voice, the way it had cracked when he said he'd lose everything he had left. She thought about Charlie's asthma follow-up. She thought about Lauren standing in that office, exhausted but finally believing someone was actually going to help her instead of using her. She thought about five years of watching her father make careful, self-interested decisions and call them love.By morning, she had her answer.Xavier was in the breakfast room when she found him, already dressed, reading something on his phone. He looked up when she walked in."My father asked me to stop the release," Ivy said, without preamble. "He's personally guaranteed part of Sinclair Group's debt against Vance Enterprises' assets. If Adrian's company collapses fast enough, he loses the house and everything he owns."Xavier set his phone down slowly. "When did you find this out?""Last night. Aft
He married me to ruin my husband Chapter 19
Lauren arrived at Xavier's office the next afternoon looking like she hadn't slept. Charlie had gone home with her sister again. The coffee Theo had handed her sat untouched on the table beside her, cooling by the minute."Thank you for coming," Xavier said, gesturing to the chair across from his desk. "I know this isn't a comfortable position to be in.""None of the last few years have been comfortable for me." Lauren sat, glancing between him and Ivy. "I'm not here to negotiate my way out of what I told Adrian. I meant it. One week.""We're not asking you to back down," Ivy said. "We want to help you do this in a way that actually protects Charlie, instead of leaving you exposed to whatever Adrian tries once he's cornered."Lauren's shoulders dropped slightly, some of her defensiveness easing. "What did you have in mind?"Xavier leaned forward. "Right now, if you go to a reporter directly, you control almost none of it once it leaves your hands. They'll frame the story however sell
He married me to ruin my husband Chapter 18
Lauren heard about the court ruling before Adrian ever called to tell her himself.She was folding laundry, phone propped against a stack of towels, half-watching a business channel she didn't usually bother with, when Adrian's face filled the screen, leaving a courthouse with his tie loosened and his jaw clenched tight enough that a muscle jumped along the side of it. The anchor's voice ran underneath the footage, clinical and indifferent. “Vance loses bid to reclaim shares transferred to rival Xavier Cross, dealing what analysts are calling a fatal blow to Vance Enterprises' remaining board support.”She folded the shirt back onto the bed and glanced at the silent phone beside it.Three hours had passed since the ruling. Adrian hadn't called once. He hadn't even asked about Charlie's appointment that morning, despite promising weeks ago that he'd help cover the cost.Her phone buzzed. A calendar reminder for Charlie's asthma follow-up next Tuesday, she still hadn't figured out how
He married me to ruin my husband Chapter 17
“Well…. ‘Mr and Mrs Cross’, Adrian said with plain sarcasm. "I've obtained a court order authorizing a search of these premises."Xavier took the document without stepping aside. "On what grounds, young man?""To determine whether this marriage exists in fact or only on paper." Adrian nodded toward the officers. "If you'll excuse us."He moved forward. Xavier didn't budge."You really think you're going to find something?" he asked.Adrian met his eyes. "I didn't come here to think. I came to verify.The officer nearest the door cleared his throat."Sir, we're authorised to execute the order."Xavier glanced at the warrant one last time, then stepped aside. The officers entered the apartment.Adrian's "investigation" lasted all of ten minutes. Two officers he'd apparently convinced to accompany him on some flimsy pretext walked through the penthouse's guest wing, noted the single occupied bedroom with Ivy's belongings clearly settled into it, and left looking faintly embarrassed to ha
He married me to ruin my husband Chapter 16
They ended up on the terrace, the city spread out below them, a blanket Xavier had grabbed from somewhere draped over both their laps against the cold. Neither of them had said much since dinner, comfortable in a subtle silence."I think I'm ready to talk about Boston now," Ivy said, breaking the silence.Xavier turned to face her fully, setting his glass down on the railing. "You don't owe me this tonight.""I know. I want to anyway." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "After the engagement to you broke, I went to Boston to decompress. Officially, I was staying with my cousin, figuring myself out, giving everyone time to move past the scandal quietly. What actually happened is… I fell apart completely. The kind that scares the people around you."She continued before she could second-guess herself."I had a minor surgery that spring, nothing serious, and they sent me home with painkillers. I don't know exactly when it stopped being about the pain and started being abo
Anda juga akan menyukai
Watch Out, CEO Daddy!
Wine Warms The Flowers1.4M DibacaBillionaire's Ex-wife is Mommy of Twins
Lami274666.3K DibacaHer Graceful War Song
Summer's Blaze973.3K DibacaHook Up With The Naughty Maid
Wild Dreams2.2M DibacaCOLLATERAL DESIRE
Paragon39 DibacaBeneath His Isolation
A_Renae_W51 DibacaHeiress Hidden Obsession
Faithful Ink 65 DibacaFive Years On The Run: The Billionaire's Secret Baby
Jp's Ink53 Dibaca
