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Chapter 50: Before the Gavel Falls

Penulis: LORI D. LEE
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-10-11 04:06:03

Two weeks had passed since the accident.

Two weeks of living like a prisoner in my own life. Two weeks of security details and federal agents. Two weeks of looking over my shoulder every time I stepped outside.

The Jones mansion had become my fortress. And my cage.

I sat in the courtyard under the shade of the old oak tree. My laptop was open on the wrought-iron table. Files from the foundation stared back at me. Applications. Budget reports. Program proposals.

But I couldn't focus.

The afternoon sun filtered through the leaves. Birds sang in the garden. Mrs. Howell hummed in the kitchen, preparing dinner. Everything seemed so normal.

Except for the two armed guards stationed at the gate. And the federal agent parked in the unmarked car across the street.

My phone buzzed.

An email notification. I almost ignored it. Then I saw the sender.

Office of Congressional Affairs, Committee on the Judiciary.

My heart stopped.

I clicked it open. Read it once. Then twice. Then a third time to make
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  • Return Of The Betrayed Heiress    Chapter 62: Forgiveness Isn’t For Him

    The next morning, I was at my desk when Alice buzzed through the intercom."Ms. Jones, there's a Katherina Carter here to see you. She says it's important."My pen froze mid-signature. Katherina Carter. Allen's mother."Should I tell her you're in a meeting?" Alice asked.I stared at the stack of contracts in front of me. The easy answer was yes. But something in Alice's tone suggested this woman wasn't leaving without trying."Send her in."I stood as the door opened. Katherina looked smaller than last time. Her designer suit hung loose on her frame. Gray streaked through hair that used to be perfectly colored. Her eyes were the same shade as Allen's. But where his held manipulation, hers held only exhaustion."Thank you for seeing me," she said. Her voice trembled."Mrs. Carter." I gestured to the chair across from my desk. "Please sit."She lowered herself carefully. Like someone afraid of breaking. Her hands clutched a worn leather purse. The kind that had seen years of use."I kn

  • Return Of The Betrayed Heiress    Chapter 61: What Betrayal Left Behind

    The Jones mansion felt different when Smith dropped me off.Maybe it was the way the afternoon light hit the windows. Or how quiet everything seemed after the chaos of the press conference. My mother waited in the foyer. She watched through the glass as Smith's car disappeared down the drive."You handled that beautifully today," she said. She pulled me into a hug that lasted longer than usual. "Come. I made tea."We settled in the sunroom. It was her favorite place in the house. Plants filled every corner. Their leaves glowed in the fading light. She poured Earl Grey into delicate china cups she only brought out for important conversations."You know," she said quietly, "you remind me of someone."I sipped my tea. I was grateful for its warmth. "Who?"Margaret stared at her cup for a long moment. The grandfather clock ticked steadily in the hall."Your Aunt Julia once had a business partner. Martin Owen."I blinked. "Julia? You never talk about her.""No," she said softly. "I don't."

  • Return Of The Betrayed Heiress    Chapter 60: Framed by Lies

    Smith's arm rested around my waist when my phone rang. Morning light slipped through the curtains. I didn't want to move. These quiet moments before the day began had become my favorite part of life."Let it go to voicemail," Smith murmured against my neck.The phone kept ringing. I reached for it anyway. Rachel's name flashed on the screen."It's Rachel. She wouldn't call this early unless something's wrong.""Answer it," Smith said.I pressed accept. "Rachel?""Turn on channel nine. Now."Her voice was tight. I sat up as Smith reached for the remote on his nightstand."What's happening?""Just watch."The screen lit up with a morning news anchor sitting straight and serious. The headline scrolling at the bottom made my stomach twist.RENEWED HEARTS FOUNDATION UNDER FIRE: FRAUDULENT CLAIMS SURFACE"We're following breaking news this morning," the anchor said. "Sources claim multiple women have filed false cases through the Renewed Hearts Foundation, seeking money rather than justice.

  • Return Of The Betrayed Heiress    Chapter 59: Second Chances

    Morning sunlight filled the Renewed Hearts Foundation office. I sat at my desk and reached for my coffee. The engagement ring on my finger caught the light. Two days had passed since Smith proposed. I was still getting used to wearing it."Emelda, we have a problem." Rachel stood in my doorway with a thick folder in her hands. I still couldn't get used to how different she looked now. No more designer clothes or perfect makeup. She wore a simple navy blazer. Her hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail."What is it?"She stepped inside and closed the door. "The Melissa Nolan case. Something doesn't add up."I leaned back in my chair. "The startup founder? The one whose partner took everything and left when she told him she was pregnant?""That's what she's telling everyone." Rachel sat down and spread papers across my desk. "Look at these financial records."I looked at the documents. Bank statements. Business registrations. Email threads. Rachel had marked things in yellow highlighte

  • Return Of The Betrayed Heiress    Chapter 58: Smith's Proposal

    The day passed in a blur of emails and meetings. Exhaustion settled deep in my bones. By the time the clock struck five, my inbox was finally quiet. That's when Smith showed up to pick me up.The drive back to the Jones estate was peaceful. The sun dipped low, casting golden light across the road. Smith kept one hand on the wheel, the other resting casually on the console between us. Neither of us said much. We didn't have to. The silence wasn't awkward. It was calm, familiar, like a language we'd learned to speak without words.When the gates of the estate opened, the familiar sight of home filled my chest with quiet warmth. The ivy climbing the stone walls. The tall oaks whispering in the evening wind. The house stood as it always did. Steady, peaceful, untouched by the chaos of the world outside.Mrs. Howell met us at the door, wiping her hands on her apron. "Welcome back, dear," she said with that kind smile that always made me feel twelve again. "Your mother's out visiting Helen

  • Return Of The Betrayed Heiress    Chapter 57: A Place To Start 

    The city shimmered against the lake that afternoon. Sunlight scattered across the water like gold dust. I hadn't realized how far we'd driven until Smith parked beneath a willow tree and turned off the engine. For a long time, neither of us spoke. The silence wasn't heavy anymore. It was full of quiet understanding.I leaned my head against the window and watched the ripples. "You know," I said softly, "I don't feel like I'm running from something anymore."Smith smiled faintly. "That's because you're finally running toward something."He was right.Two weeks later, I would understand what he meant.***The conference room at Carter Enterprises buzzed with low conversation and clicking cameras. Every major media outlet had shown up. Banners for The Renewed Hearts Foundation hung behind the podium. I could still hardly believe it was real. It all started as a proposal. Something David Kim had brought to me. Something I had never even thought of. And it had become something that people

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