Partager

Chapter 73: Vanessa's Observation

Auteur: Evve
last update Date de publication: 2026-01-03 08:12:36

The gala had been a disaster for Aurora, but for Vanessa Leigh, it was a resurrection.

She stood in the humid, earth-scented shadows of the conservatory, concealed behind a dense wall of weeping figs. The air here was heavy, cloying with the smell of damp soil and expensive orchids, a stark contrast to the crisp, air-conditioned chill of the main ballroom.

In her hand, the stem of a crystal champagne flute felt fragile, ready to snap. She hadn't taken a sip. Alcohol would dull the edge, and ton
Continuez à lire ce livre gratuitement
Scanner le code pour télécharger l'application
Chapitre verrouillé

Dernier chapitre

  • Runaway Heiress: The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride   CHAPTER 426: WEDDING NIGHT

    The silence in the honeymoon suite was heavy, but it wasn't the heaviness of concrete or steel. It was the weight of velvet.The room smelled of the ocean—salt and cold water—mixed with the lingering scent of the beeswax candles that had burned down to nubs on the mantelpiece. The sounds of the reception had faded hours ago, the last car door slamming, the last laugh carried away by the wind.Now, there was only the tide.Sophia stood by the French doors. She hadn't turned on the lights. The moonlight spilled across the floor, turning the hardwood into a sheet of silver.She wore the gold dress. It felt different now. In the garden, it had been a statement. Here, in the quiet, it felt like a wrapping she was ready to shed."You're quiet," Marcus said.He was sitting on the edge of the massive bed. He had taken off his tuxedo jacket, his tie, his shoes. He looked unmoored without his boots, but solid. Always solid."I am listening," Sophia said."To what? The ocean?""To the house," sh

  • Runaway Heiress: The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride   CHAPTER 425: THE DANCE

    The reception tent was a canopy of white silk and Edison bulbs, glowing against the deepening indigo of the Hamptons twilight.It smelled of salt air, roasted figs, and the heavy, sweet scent of the peonies Aurora had fought for.Aurora stood at the edge of the dance floor, a crystal glass in her hand. The wine was a vintage Rosé, pale pink and crying with condensation. She ran her thumb over the stem.She hadn't had a drink in eight months. Between the IVF cycles, the two-week waits, and the brief, bright flares of hope that had eventually flickered out, her body had been a temple. A laboratory. A waiting room.Tonight, it was just a body.She took a sip. The wine was cool, tart, and grounding. It tasted like permission."You're hiding," a voice rumbled in her ear.Liam.He stepped up beside her, sliding his arm around her waist. He had shed his tuxedo jacket, his white shirt glowing in the ambient light, cuffs rolled up to reveal his forearms. He smelled of sea breeze and the expens

  • Runaway Heiress: The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride   CHAPTER 424: THE WEDDING

    The Hamptons light was different from the city light. It wasn't sharp or demanding. It was soft, diffused by the salt air of the Atlantic, turning everything it touched into a watercolor painting.Marcus Cross stood under the pergola in the back garden of the estate. He was wearing a tuxedo. It fit perfectly. He didn't feel like a penguin today. He felt like a man who had finally found his footing.He looked out at the guests.Fifty chairs. White wood. Arranged in a semicircle on the grass.In the front row, Mrs. Higgins was dabbing her eyes with a lace handkerchief. Dr. Chen sat next to Dr. Evans—the medical team that had kept the family alive.And standing beside him, solid as a retaining wall, was Liam."You okay?" Liam whispered.Marcus looked at his brother. Liam looked tired—he always looked tired—but his eyes were bright blue and clear."I'm good," Marcus said. "I'm really good.""Ring?""Ethan has it."Marcus looked at his nephew. Ethan was thirteen now. He stood a few feet aw

  • Runaway Heiress: The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride   CHAPTER 423: THE SURPRISE

    The test sat on the marble vanity of the loft bathroom. It was a sleek, plastic wand, aggressively modern, incongruous with the vintage perfume bottles and the stack of French fashion magazines.Sophia Laurent stared at it.Two lines.She blinked. She picked it up. She held it to the light coming from the frosted window.Still two lines. Pink. Unapologetic."Impossible," she whispered in French. "C'est impossible."She was thirty-eight years old. She had spent the last decade building a career, surviving a divorce, and convincing herself that her legacy would be built in stone and silk, not flesh and blood. She had made peace with the idea of being the cool aunt. The godmother. The designer.She wasn't supposed to be the mother.She touched her stomach. It felt exactly the same as it had yesterday—flat, firm from Pilates. But inside...A tiny architect was already at work.The front door of the loft opened. Heavy boots on the concrete floor."Sophia?" Marcus called out. "I brought din

  • Runaway Heiress: The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride   CHAPTER 422: PLANNING LIGHT

    The café on Mercer Street was quickly becoming Sophia’s favorite place in New York. It wasn't just the espresso—which was excellent, dark and rich like the soil in the vineyards of Bordeaux—it was the light.The afternoon sun streamed through the front window, catching the dust motes and turning them into floating gold. It was a good place to build a new life.Sophia sat at the marble table, her notebook open. It was filled with sketches, not for a building, but for a wedding.Venue: The Brownstone (back garden). Flowers: Peonies (white, heavy). Music: Cello (live).She tapped her pen against the paper. It was simple. Elegant. And terrifying.The door chimed.Aurora walked in.She was wearing a trench coat over jeans and a sweater. Her hair was pulled back, revealing the sharp angles of her face. She looked tired. There were shadows under her eyes that no amount of concealer could hide—the shadows of a woman who had just realized her entire life was a script written by someone else.B

  • Runaway Heiress: The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride   CHAPTER 421: PROPOSAL

    The power outage in TriBeCa was localized, inconvenient, and—Marcus Cross decided—the best thing that had happened all week.He stood in the kitchen of Sophia’s loft. The industrial space was usually bright, flooded with city light and the glow of her design screens. Tonight, it was a cave of soft, flickering shadows.Candles were everywhere. Beeswax pillars on the island. Tea lights on the windowsill. A candelabra on the dining table that looked like it belonged in a French château (it probably did)."It is not burned," Sophia said from the stove. "It is charred. It is a technique."She was holding a skillet. The smell of something that used to be chicken but was now carbon filled the air.Marcus smiled. He leaned against the counter, watching her.They had been together for three years. Three years of "cohabitating," of sharing keys, of him fixing her shelves and her fixing his wardrobe. They were a team. The General and the Contractor.But they weren't... this.He touched the pocke

  • Runaway Heiress: The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride   Chapter 167: The Design Process

    The studio in the AVA flagship was no longer a battleground. It was a laboratory.It was a Tuesday morning, three weeks into the "Alliance" project. The honeymoon phase of the European press tour was over, and the reality of the work had settled in. The glamour of the TGV rides and the "normal" pic

    last updateDernière mise à jour : 2026-03-29
  • Runaway Heiress: The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride   Chapter 160: He's a Good Dad

    The "robot arm" was a hit. Ethan had spent the entire car ride home explaining the various functionalities of his blue cast. It could block lasers. It could smash rocks. It was, apparently, better than a regular arm in every conceivable way. By the time they reached the penthouse, the trauma of

    last updateDernière mise à jour : 2026-03-28
  • Runaway Heiress: The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride   Chapter 151: The Joint Interview

    The press release about the "shared exhibition" had calmed the market, but it had ignited a new kind of fire. Curiosity. The world was fascinated. The "Rival CEOs." The "Secret Parents." The "Co-Creators." Every magazine, every network, every blog wanted the exclusive. They wanted the "First In

    last updateDernière mise à jour : 2026-03-28
  • Runaway Heiress: The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride   Chapter 155: Ethan's Adjustment

    The New Normal wasn't just a schedule. It was a shift in gravity. For five years, Aurora’s world had revolved around a single axis: protecting Ethan. Every decision, every move, every "Fortress" had been built to shield him from the truth of his origin. But now, the truth was sitting at her brea

    last updateDernière mise à jour : 2026-03-28
Plus de chapitres
Découvrez et lisez de bons romans gratuitement
Accédez gratuitement à un grand nombre de bons romans sur GoodNovel. Téléchargez les livres que vous aimez et lisez où et quand vous voulez.
Lisez des livres gratuitement sur l'APP
Scanner le code pour lire sur l'application
DMCA.com Protection Status