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CHAPTER 109

작가: CagalieYula
last update 최신 업데이트: 2025-05-04 21:22:41

Lucas’s silence didn’t last long.

Within a week, The Guardian Art Forum published an open letter, signed by him, dripping with defiance.

“I have made mistakes, but I have never fabricated genius. Jeff Langford was a star before I entered the room. And Demi Caddel? She’s not a whistleblower—she’s an opportunist rewriting history to fit her redemption arc.”

He went on to claim Jeff begged for investment, and that I was a “media manipulator” with a long-standing vendetta against the establishment that once rejected me.

It was pathetic.

But it was loud.

“He’s trying to twist the narrative,” Jeff said, voice flat as he stared at the screen. “And some people believe him.”

We’d hoped exposing him would be enough.

It wasn’t.

Lucas was using every ounce of influence he had left to spin the story, muddy the facts, and raise doubt. And worst of all, he was targeting Jeff's upcoming solo show—his first since the scandal broke.

Anonymous critics began whispering.

That the new exhibit was rushed.

T
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  • RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK   CHAPTER 204

    The first thing I noticed when we stepped off Rykov’s yacht was the silence.Not the absence of sound—Monaco’s harbor still bustled with megayachts and shouting deckhands—but the quiet that settled in my bones. The kind that comes when a storm you’ve been bracing against finally passes.Jeff’s hand stayed firm at the small of my back as Interpol led Rykov away in handcuffs, the oligarch’s shouts fading into the salt-tinged breeze."Tía!" Lina barreled into me, her neon sneakers skidding on the polished teak deck. "Did you see? Mateo did the thing with the gun like we practiced!"I caught her by the shoulders. "You practiced hostage scenarios?""Only on YouTube!"Jeff coughed into his fist. I shot him a glare that promised we’d revisit this later.Mateo stood a few feet away, shoulders hunched under Daniela’s Chanel blazer. At sixteen, he was all sharp angles and wary eyes—too much like how I’d been at that age. When he noticed me staring, he touched two fingers to his temple in that s

  • RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK   CHAPTER 203

    The penthouse intercom buzzed sharply, shattering the moment. Jeff's hands lingered at my waist a heartbeat longer than necessary before he moved to answer it."Mr. Thorne," the concierge's voice crackled, "a Miss Lina Perez is in the lobby insisting—"I was already striding toward the elevator. "Send her up."Jeff caught my wrist as the doors closed. "You've been keeping secrets, darling." His thumb traced my racing pulse point. "First the USB, now your niece appearing unannounced?"The elevator pinged. Lina burst out in a whirlwind of messy braids and neon pink sneakers, her iPad clutched to her chest. "Tía! You were right about the offshore accounts!"Jeff raised an eyebrow. "She's twelve.""Thirteen next month," Lina corrected, plopping onto the white leather sofa. Her fingers flew across the tablet screen before flipping it toward us. "See? All the missing funds routed through Grandfather's charity foundation straight to..."The color drained from my face. Rykov's personal bank d

  • RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK   CHAPTER 202

    The door creaked louder, followed by the hesitant tap of small footsteps. Lina appeared in the doorway, dwarfed by one of Jeff's old sweaters, the sleeves rolled up a dozen times. Her dark eyes darted between us, sensing the charged silence."Tía Daniela says you're leaving," she said to Jeff, her voice still rough from sleep.Jeff's hand stiffened around mine. I watched his throat work as he swallowed—the way he always did when steeling himself for something painful.Lina shuffled forward, clutching something in her small fist. She uncurled her fingers to reveal two mismatched buttons. "For luck. From my collection."The childish offering hung between us. One button was pearlescent, the other chipped navy plastic. I remembered finding similar treasures in Daniela's pockets when we were kids—little talismans against the dark.Jeff accepted them with surprising gravity. "Gracias, mija." His rough Spanish made Lina smile.She leaned against my side, her warmth seeping through my shirt.

  • RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK   CHAPTER 201

    The red door stood barely visible behind a tangle of ivy, its peeling paint the color of old blood. The tallest priest—Father Ion according to his name tag—pressed a rusted key into my palm."Quickly," he urged, his gaze darting toward the SUVs. "Before they flank us."The lock turned with an ominous groan. Beyond lay a narrow staircase descending into darkness, the air thick with the scent of antiseptic and damp stone.Lina whimpered in Sister Marguerite's arms. "It's cold..."Daniela pushed past me, her heels clicking on the worn steps. "Where's the treatment room?"A new voice answered from the shadows—a woman's, crisp with authority. "Right where we left it."The lights flickered on, revealing a makeshift hospital ward carved into the catacombs. And standing beside an IV drip...Dr. Anya Petrov.Ryans' former lead researcher.The woman who'd engineered the original Lazarus protocol.Jeff's gun came up instantly. "You."Petrov didn't flinch. She simply adjusted her lab coat and nod

  • RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK   CHAPTER 200

    Sister Marguerite's gnarled fingers trembled as she extended the file folder. The faded label read *Subject D-29* in Ryans' precise handwriting.I reached for it, but Daniela was faster.Her breath hitched as she flipped it open. Inside: a birth certificate for Mateo Perez, born eighteen months after our separation. Father: Unknown. Mother: Daniela Perez, age 13.The room spun."You never told me," I whispered.Daniela's laugh was razor-wire tight. "They took him from me the day he was born. Said I'd contaminated him." She traced the edge of the document where someone had stamped TERMINATION APPROVED. "Lina's his daughter."Lina coughed again, the sound wetter now. Blood speckled her palm.Jeff stepped forward, his medic training overriding his shock. "We need to get her to a hospital.""No!" Daniela clutched Lina closer. "They'll just let her die like they did him." Her manicured nails bit into the file folder. "But we have something better now."She flipped to the last page—a DNA an

  • RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK   CHAPTER 199

    The key felt heavy in my palm—cold, ordinary metal. No glow, no transformation. Just a simple silver key that could open any lock in Geneva.Jeff exhaled sharply beside me as the last of Daniela’s men disappeared into the night. The room was silent now, save for the distant wail of sirens. The children were still here, still asleep in their pods. No vanishing act. No shared consciousness. Just scared kids caught in our mess.I turned the key over in my fingers. "Where does this lead?"Jeff’s jaw tightened. "Only one way to find out."The smallest girl in the nearest pod stirred, her dark lashes fluttering. Not waking—just trapped in a restless sleep. The bruise on her cheek stood out against pale skin. I knew that kind of bruise. Knew exactly how it got there.Daniela’s voice crackled over the abandoned intercom, tinny and distant: "You always were sentimental, Demi."Then silence.Jeff touched my arm. "We need to go. Now."I looked at the key again. A address was etched into the meta

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