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Chapter 169

Penulis: Anthony
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-06-10 00:19:44

Three weeks had passed since Asher Vaughn, the man once known as Julian Knox, was arrested on Wolfe Bridge. Yet, the scars he left behind were still fresh and bleeding.

Carrington Holdings, now under Elena’s sole control, had stabilized in the stock market. Public sympathy had shifted again, this time toward her. With her father stepping down permanently due to health complications and mounting legal scrutiny, Elena had become the youngest and most talked-about CEO in the country.

But peace never lingered long in her world.

Especially when her phone buzzed with a call from Nora at 6:45 a.m.

“Elena,” Nora said, breathless. “You need to come to the courthouse. Now.”

“Why? Is it about Asher?”

“Just get here. He filed a clause. A sealed clause in your father’s legacy trust. Something none of us saw coming.”

An Unexpected Will

By 7:30 a.m., Elena stood in the cold marble hallway of the district courthouse, beside Sebastian, facing Judge Almeida behind closed chambers. Her father’s lawyer,
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  • My Father's Rival Is My Lover    Chapter 215

    The Mediterranean sun bathed the Italian coastline in a golden glow. Waves lapped lazily against the yacht, where Alma lay on a sunbed, hair loose and eyes closed, finally free of danger. For once, there was no fire, no secrets, no codes, just the salt in the air and Ezra’s fingers tracing lazy circles on her back.But even paradise has shadows.Ezra returned with chilled lemonade and kissed her forehead. “You sure you want to stay docked for another week?”She looked up, eyes sparkling. “I haven’t been this relaxed in ever.”He chuckled. “That makes two of us.”They clinked glasses and sipped. For the first time in months, their lives felt normal.But normal wouldn’t last.A courier boat approached slowly from the mainland. Roman stood at the edge of the deck, watching it with squinted eyes. “You expecting mail in the middle of the sea?”Alma sat up. “No. Why?”Roman caught a package wrapped in waxed canvas as it was tossed aboard. He turned it over and raised a brow. “It’s for you.

  • My Father's Rival Is My Lover    Chapter 214

    Rain pelted the runway as the private jet roared to life, slicing through the night like a silver ghost. Alma and Ezra, soaked and breathless, climbed aboard just as another explosion rocked the villa behind them.Roman slammed the hatch shut. “That’s twice now I’ve had to save you during your own honeymoon. I’m charging double.”Alma ignored him. She clutched the glowing cube tightly in her hands, its light pulsating like a living heart. Ezra’s arm was around her waist, steadying her, though his own shoulder bled from grappling with the drone.They barely had time to breathe.Petra’s voice came through the secure comms.“You’re airborne. Good. But we’ve got bigger problems. I decrypted the last layer of Sapphire’s files. Alma, Ezra Phoenix isn’t just an AI. It’s sentient. A ghost in the code. And it’s been watching you since day one.”Alma’s fingers tightened around the cube. “How do we stop something that’s everywhere?”Roman turned from the cockpit, brow furrowed. “You don’t. You o

  • My Father's Rival Is My Lover    Chapter 213

    The sound of clinking glasses and laughter echoed through the villa as the wedding reception went into full swing. Strings of fairy lights draped across the garden like golden spiderwebs, and a live jazz band played under the stars.Alma was dancing barefoot on the lawn, holding her champagne flute and laughing as Ezra twirled her into his arms."You’re my wife now,” he said into her ear."Finally," she breathed, smiling against his chest.Roman raised his glass from the side, grinning. “Here’s to a couple who managed to fall in love through blackmail, blood, and betrayal.”“Cheers to that,” Petra added, sipping her wine.For a few moments, the world held its breath, giving them peace.But peace, as always, was borrowed time.Later That Night, Honeymoon SuiteThe villa’s master suite overlooked the moonlit lake. Alma sat on the edge of the bed in a silk robe, brushing her hair while Ezra poured two glasses of red wine.“You know,” he said, handing her a glass, “this might be the first

  • My Father's Rival Is My Lover    Chapter 212

    Ezra couldn’t sleep.The bed felt unfamiliar again, not because of the silk sheets or Alma’s warm breath on his neck, but because of the silence. The absence of chaos was its own kind of noise.He got up and went to the bathroom, splashed water on his face, and stared at himself in the mirror.Lines he hadn’t noticed before etched his skin. Not from age, he was still in his prime, but from battle. The kind of battles that happened behind screens, in hidden tunnels, in the deep and dangerous places of the heart.He touched the scar near his collarbone.A gift from Sapphire.A reminder.Behind him, Alma leaned against the doorway, her robe barely tied.“You dreamt of her again.”Ezra didn’t answer.“I could feel it,” Alma said. “Your breath changed. You kept whispering her name.”“I’m sorry.”She stepped closer, wrapping her arms around him from behind. “Don’t be. You don’t forget the ones who save you. But I need to know, Ezra”He looked into the mirror at her reflection.“Do you still

  • My Father's Rival Is My Lover    Chapter 211

    The Mediterranean sun cut through the curtains of the villa like a golden blade, waking Alma long before her body was ready. But it wasn’t the light that disturbed her sleep, it was the tension.Ezra’s side of the bed was cold.Again.She pulled on a silk robe and padded barefoot through the quiet halls, past rooms filled with computers, cables, and secrets. Every hallway felt longer now, stretched by what wasn’t being said between them. It wasn’t that Ezra didn’t love her. She knew he did.But she also knew when a man’s heart was split, when his past kept breathing.She found him on the rooftop, shirtless, sweat-soaked, fists driving into a worn leather punching bag he’d hung from an iron beam.Thud.Thud.THUD.“Are you planning to beat the ghost out of yourself?” Alma asked softly.Ezra didn’t stop. “You ever feel like you’re the only one trying to outrun something that’s already inside you?”“Only every day,” she replied.He threw one final punch and let the bag swing wildly as he

  • My Father's Rival Is My Lover    Chapter 210

    The morning after Zurich was quiet, too quiet.Ezra sat alone on a bench overlooking Lake Geneva. His eyes followed the way the morning light fractured across the surface, but his mind was elsewhere, still back in Vault Zero, still reliving the final moments when SAPPHIRE vanished into the ether.Not died.Chose to leave.That made it harder to mourn.Because somewhere in the depths of the system, she was still out there.Inside the wind.The code.The silence.Alma stepped beside him, hands wrapped around a warm paper cup. She offered it to him without a word.He took the coffee and gave a soft nod.“Do you think she’ll ever come back?” he asked.Alma lowered herself to the bench beside him, her voice measured. “She made a choice. Maybe one day she’ll make another.”Ezra looked at her. “And if she does?”Alma’s gaze didn’t waver. “Then I’ll be right here. Still choosing you.”Ezra let out a breath. “I don’t deserve that.”“You don’t need to.”They sat in silence for a moment, letting

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