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Chapter Twenty One

작가: Mayrae
last update 게시일: 2026-04-06 15:53:07

Lena's POV

He was already seated when I arrived.

Not early the way I had been on Monday — he was simply there at the same corner table, watching the door. He stood when I came in, which I hadn't expected, and sat again when I did.

"You're on time," I said.

"I said I would be."

The waiter came. We ordered. When he left Adrian set his phone face-down on the table.

"Mount Sinai called this morning," I said.

He looked up. "You applied?"

"I sent an inquiry yesterday. They called within four hours."
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  • His Rejected Billionaire Wife    Chapter fifty six

    Adrian's POVThe appeal was dismissed on May third.My attorney called at ten in the morning. "Chen withdrew it this morning. No explanation, but my guess is Richard's legal team finally explained that Judge Lawson's ruling was bulletproof.""So it's final.""Completely final. The judgment stands. Payment enforcement begins immediately."I hung up and called Lena. She was between cases."The appeal is done," I said. "Chen withdrew it.""That was fast.""Six weeks. They saw the writing on the wall." I paused. "The money will be in your account by end of month.""Good. I already contacted the fellowship foundation. They're ready to receive it."She hung up without ceremony. I sat in my office and thought about what final meant. No more legal proceedings. No more waiting for judges to rule. The accounting was complete on every level.Marcus came in at noon with the Q2 projections."Southeast Asia is up another eighteen percent," he said. "Chen thinks we should expand the Singapore office

  • His Rejected Billionaire Wife    Chapter fifty five

    Lena's POVSophie's flight was at noon.I met her at the apartment at nine—she'd stayed at a hotel, insisted on it despite Adrian offering the guest room. She had coffee waiting when I arrived and her bag already packed by the door."Efficient," I said."I have a case tomorrow morning. Can't afford jet lag." She handed me a cup. "Sit. We have an hour."We sat on the sofa. Outside the window the city was doing its Sunday morning version of itself—quieter, slower, the traffic not yet committed to urgency."The dinner was good," she said."It was.""Ademi clearly respects you. The Cornell cardiologist too.""We did good work together.""You led good work." She looked at me directly. "Stop diminishing it.""I'm not diminishing it. I'm being accurate about collaborative research.""Lena." She set her cup down. "You changed how an entire patient population will be screened. You led a team through two years of work and published in the top journal in your field. Say the accurate thing—you di

  • His Rejected Billionaire Wife    Chapter fifty four

    Adrian's POVThe appeal was filed on March fifteenth, exactly five days after the verdict.My attorney called at eight in the morning. "Chen filed this morning. Standard grounds—claiming the judge erred in admitting Vivian's documentation, claiming the damages calculation was speculative.""Will it succeed?""No. Judge Lawson's ruling is airtight. But the appeal process takes six months minimum.""Does it stay enforcement of the judgment?""Not automatically. We can file to enforce immediately. Dana's probably doing the same."He was right. Dana called Lena twenty minutes later while we were having breakfast.I heard Lena's side of the conversation. "Yes, file to enforce. I don't want this dragged out." A pause. "Good. Let me know when it's filed."She hung up and looked at me. "Dana's filing for immediate enforcement this afternoon.""My attorney said the same thing.""So the appeal happens but the money gets paid anyway?""Unless Chen gets a stay, which is unlikely given how strong

  • His Rejected Billionaire Wife    Chapter Fifty three

    Lena's POVThe study paper was accepted by Circulation on February twenty-third.Ademi called me at seven in the morning. "They want to publish in the April issue. Fast-tracked peer review, minimal revisions requested.""What revisions?""Methodological clarification in section three. One statistical note. Nothing substantive." He paused. "Lena, this is the fastest acceptance I've seen in fifteen years.""The data is strong.""The data is extraordinary. The reviewers said so explicitly." He sounded pleased with himself. "We're scheduling the publication dinner for April fifteenth. I want the full team there."I hung up and texted Adrian: Paper accepted. April publication.He replied immediately: Congratulations. That's major.I went to work. Three surgeries scheduled, all routine. I moved through them with the focus that came from doing the same precise work for years. By four I was done.Dana called while I was in my office. "No news on the verdict. Judge Lawson is still reviewing."

  • His Rejected Billionaire Wife    Chapter Fifty two

    Adrian's POVThe supplemental brief took three days to prepare.My attorney drafted it, Chen's team reviewed their copy, and on Friday both were filed with the court. The brief laid out the property transfer timeline in explicit detail—when I'd decided to transfer the deed, when the paperwork was prepared, when Lena signed it. All of it after the June filing."The dates are clear," my attorney said. "Chen can imply coordination all he wants. The documentation proves otherwise.""When are closing arguments?""Next Wednesday. Both sides get ninety minutes."I hung up and called Lena. She was in surgery. I left a message.She called back at six. "The brief is filed?""Yes. Dana send you her copy?""I reviewed it this afternoon. It's solid." She paused. "I have a case tomorrow morning. Early start.""I'll see you after.""Adrian, I need to focus on work this week. The trial has taken up too much headspace.""I know.""I'm not avoiding you. I just need to be a surgeon for a few days instea

  • His Rejected Billionaire Wife    Chapter Fifty One

    Lena's POVI took the stand at nine-oh-seven.The courtroom was quieter than I expected. Dana stood at the plaintiff's table. Chen sat at the defense table looking patient. Judge Lawson watched me without expression.I stated my name and occupation. Dana began."Dr. Ashford, please describe the timeline of events starting with your marriage to Adrian Cole."I walked through it in clean sentences. The marriage, the wedding night, the annulment. Facts only, no emotion."When did you learn about the rescinded job offers?""Within six weeks of the annulment. Three hospitals contacted me. All positions I'd been offered before the wedding were suddenly unavailable.""What reasons were you given?""Budget constraints at one. Restructuring at another. The third said the position was filled internally.""Did you believe those explanations?""Yes. I had no reason to question them."Dana showed the court the donation timeline. Richard's payments to the same three hospitals, same six-week window,

  • His Rejected Billionaire Wife    Chapter Sixteen

    Adrian's POVThe board meeting was on a Wednesday.Marcus set up the laptop on the hospital tray table at eight-fifty and ran a connection test while I buttoned the top of a shirt Diana had brought from the apartment. I was still in a hospital bed. The shirt was the compromise — professional from th

  • His Rejected Billionaire Wife    Chapter Fifteen

    Lena's POVMy lawyer called at eight.Her name was Dana Reeves — sharp, methodical, the kind of woman who read a document once and retained every number. I had hired her three years ago for a contract dispute with a private hospital in London and kept her on retainer because she had won cleanly and

  • His Rejected Billionaire Wife    Chapter Fourteen

    Adrian's POVThe news broke at seven in the morning.Marcus had warned me it was coming. The DA's office had confirmed the charges publicly the night before and by morning every financial desk in the country had the story. Richard Cole, founder of Cole Industries, formally charged with attempted mu

  • His Rejected Billionaire Wife    Chapter Thirteen

    Lena's POVI called Dr. Hargrove at nine in the morning.He picked up on the second ring the way he always did, which meant he had been waiting for the call and wanted me to know it without saying so directly."Dr. Ashford," he said. "I've been following the news.""Most people have.""The surgery

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