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chapter 23

Author: Ria's Masterpiece
last update Last Updated: 2025-04-09 15:20:42

I stormed into Julian's room, my heart racing with every step. "Julian, we need to talk," I said, my voice firm but laced with a hint of desperation.

Julian looked up from his book, a mixture of curiosity and concern etched on his face. "What's wrong, Aria?"

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. "I found out about Lauren," I said, my eyes locked on his. "Your ex-wife, Gabriela's mother. She's been in a mental asylum, Julian. How could you keep this from me?"

Julian's expression chan
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  • TEMPTING THE TYCOON    chapter 58

    Aria’s POV“Mr. Huxley,” the officer repeated, louder now, “step forward. Slowly.”The air inside the warehouse tightened. Every sound sharpened. The scrape of boots on concrete. The rattle of metal from their gear. The shallow, panicked breathing coming from Brianna behind me.Julian did not argue. He lifted his hands slightly, calm, controlled. But his eyes stayed on me, searching my face first, then quickly scanning the ropes around Brianna, the layout of the room, the exits, the angles. He was calculating even now.“I reported a kidnapping,” Julian said evenly. “You walked into an active crime scene. Untie her first.”“We will handle that,” another officer snapped. “Do not give instructions.”“I am not,” Julian replied. “I am stating priority.”Two officers moved past me and began untying Brianna. Her wrists were raw. When the rope came off, she winced and nearly slipped from the chair. I caught her shoulders.“It is okay,” I whispered. “You are safe now.”Her fingers dug into my

  • TEMPTING THE TYCOON    chapter 57

    Aria’s POVJulian did not speak after the message appeared.He stared at the phone in my hand like it was a live wire, something that could explode if touched the wrong way. His jaw tightened, a muscle ticking beneath his skin, but his voice stayed level.“He wants to isolate you.”“I know,” I said. My voice sounded steadier than I felt. Inside, everything was shaking. “That is how he has always worked. He makes it personal. He makes it feel urgent.”Julian exhaled slowly. “You are not going alone.”“He said I have to.”“He does not decide that,” Julian replied sharply. “He never will again.”I looked at him then, really looked. The calm authority, the confidence the world saw, was still there. But beneath it was something darker, something tightly contained. Fear, maybe. Or guilt. Or both.“He knows something,” I said quietly. “Something about you. That is why he is doing this. Not just revenge. Not just control.”Julian’s eyes flicked to mine. For half a second, the mask slipped.“Y

  • TEMPTING THE TYCOON    Chapter 56

    Aria’s POvThe phone was still in my hand when Julian took it from me.He did not ask what Ethan said. He already knew.“He wants submission,” Julian said. “Not compliance. Submission.”I nodded. My throat hurt too much to speak.Emily paced the room, restless. “The media has shifted again. They are questioning why Julian hasn’t denied the accusations strongly enough.”Julian glanced at her. “Because denial would be reaction. Reaction gives him control.”“And silence gives him room,” Emily snapped. “Brianna is paying for that room.”The words hit hard because they were true.I wrapped my arms around myself. “He said he would make her regret loyalty.”Julian’s jaw tightened. “That is his pattern. He breaks people before he breaks deals.”I turned to him. “Then why are we still playing his pace?”His eyes met mine. “Because rushing is what he wants.”---BRIANNAThe lights came on without warning.I squeezed my eyes shut, pain blooming behind them.“You see,” Ethan said calmly, “this is

  • TEMPTING THE TYCOON    Chapter 55

    Aria’s POVI did not sleep.Every time I closed my eyes, I heard his voice again. Calm. Certain. Like he was standing right beside me instead of somewhere deep in the shadows where he always hid.*Now we play properly.*Julian sat in the chair across from the bed, his jacket discarded, sleeves rolled up. He had been there all night. Watching. Thinking. Planning. The man never stopped calculating, even when exhaustion carved deep lines into his face.“You should rest,” he said quietly.I shook my head. “I can’t.”He nodded, understanding without pushing. That was one thing Julian never did. He never forced comfort. He let it come when it was ready.My hand rested on my stomach. The baby was restless again. Like it could feel the tension inside me.“He used Brianna,” I whispered. “He knew she would help me.”“Yes,” Julian replied. “And he knew she would panic.”“And now everyone thinks you did this,” I said, my voice breaking. “They think you planned her kidnapping. That you staged ever

  • TEMPTING THE TYCOON    Chapter 54

    Aria’s POVThe recorder felt heavier than it looked.Brianna placed it between us like a loaded weapon, her fingers lingering for half a second before she pulled her hand away. The room seemed to shrink around it. The faint hum of the air conditioner, the distant city noise below, even my own breathing suddenly felt too loud.Julian did not touch it.He watched it the way a man watches fire—aware of its power, wary of how easily it could consume everything around it.“If we use this,” he said slowly, “we do not get a second chance.”Brianna nodded. Her face was pale, but her eyes were steady. “I know.”My chest tightened. “What exactly is on it?”She swallowed. “Ethan talking. Planning. Threatening. Naming people. Timelines. How to control the court. How to turn you into leverage.” Her gaze flicked to my stomach before returning to my face. “He talks about your pregnancy.”My hand moved instinctively over my belly.Julian’s jaw tightened, but his voice stayed calm. “Then this is not s

  • TEMPTING THE TYCOON    Chapter 53

    Aria’s POVThe hotel room was quiet, too quiet, as if the walls were listening. Brianna sat across from me on the couch, her hands trembling slightly as she held her cup of water. She looked smaller than she had in the courtroom, softer, almost fragile. The light caught her face, and for the first time, I noticed fear etched into every line.“Aria,” she whispered, her voice unsteady. “I need to tell you something… everything.”My breath tightened. “Take your time.”Her fingers tightened around the cup. “You do not understand. I was not just taken today. I have been trapped for years—long before you ever knew Ethan.”I felt the words sink into me like slow, sinking stones. She kept her eyes fixed on her knees, as if she was gathering courage from the pattern of the carpet.“Brianna,” I said gently, “what happened?”She lifted her head. Her eyes glistened, and then the memories spilled out.---FLASHBACK — Brianna, Months Before the DivorceIt started in the Langston mansion. Ethan on t

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