Library
Search
Home / Romance / THE WIFE WHO STOLE HIS HEART / Chapter 49: The Rival's Gambit

Share

Chapter 49: The Rival's Gambit

Author: Mi Kel
last update Last Updated: 2025-10-02 13:07:57

The headstone was simple granite, nothing fancy. *James Morrison Sr. - Loving Husband and Father.* I knelt in the wet Seattle grass at 6 AM, my suit pants getting soaked, holding the legal documents that would either save Emma Romano or destroy what was left of my soul.

"Dad," I whispered to the stone, "I'm about to do something that's either the most noble thing in my life or the most selfish. And I honestly can't tell which."

The morning fog rolled through Lakeview Cemetery, making everything look ghostly. Appropriate, since I was here talking to a ghost about becoming one myself—at least, becoming a ghost in Bella Romano's love story.

My phone buzzed with another message from my assistant: *Morrison, the Romano case files are ready for review. When do you want to meet with the team?*

I stared at the text. My team. Three junior associates and two paralegals who thought they were working on a simple custody modification. They had no idea their boss was about to commit career suicide
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter
Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Latest chapter

  • THE WIFE WHO STOLE HIS HEART   Chapter 62: United We Stand

    The call came at 3:17 AM, shattering what little sleep any of us had managed. Elena's voice was steel wrapped in exhaustion when she answered, but I could hear the tremble underneath."Thomas." She didn't wait for pleasantries. "I've made my decision."From my hospital chair beside James's bed, I watched Mikel pace like a caged wolf. James was conscious now, bandaged but determined, his laptop open despite the doctor's protests. None of us had left the hospital since the courthouse shooting six hours ago."The Romano empire for Emma," Elena continued, her voice carrying forty years of building and sacrifice. "I'll sign the papers."James grabbed my hand, his grip weak but urgent. "Bella, no. Tell her no. There's another way."But Elena was already giving Thomas the details, arranging the transfer of everything she'd built since she was thirty years old. Romano Enterprises, the real estate holdings, the charitable foundation

  • THE WIFE WHO STOLE HIS HEART   Chapter 61:

    The opening move was complete. Now came the waiting, the pressure, the inexorable logic that would force Elena to choose between her pride and Emma's safety.I walked back to the window, looking down at the city where panic was spreading through the Romano family like wildfire. Police cars, federal agents, private security—all of them scrambling to find one small girl in a city of millions.They wouldn't find her, of course. Sophia was too broken to think clearly, too desperate to make smart choices. She'd hidden Emma exactly where I'd suggested—in plain sight, in a place so obvious they'd never think to look there.My phone buzzed with another text from Sophia: *She keeps asking for her parents. What do I tell her?*I smiled as I typed back: *Tell her that sometimes families have to change to become better. Tell her Uncle Thomas is working very hard to make sure she's safe forever.*The response came quickly: *She doesn't understand. She just wants to go home.**Home is wherever the

  • THE WIFE WHO STOLE HIS HEART   Chapter 60: The Devil's Bargain

    The call came exactly twelve minutes after Sophia disappeared with Emma. I timed it perfectly—long enough for panic to set in, short enough to prevent any real rescue attempts. Forty-seven years in corporate warfare has taught me that timing is everything when you're closing the deal that matters most."Elena." I didn't bother with pleasantries as my sister answered on the first ring. "I assume you've discovered Emma is missing."The silence that followed was pure Romano—my sister calculating her response with the same cold intelligence that had kept her in power for decades."Thomas." Her voice carried forty years of steel. "Where is my great-granddaughter?""Safe. For now." I walked to the window of my downtown office, looking out at the Seattle skyline where somewhere below, the Romano empire was finally within my grasp. "But her continued safety depends entirely on your next decision.""What decision?"I smiled, savoring this moment I'd been orchestrating for three years. "The dec

  • THE WIFE WHO STOLE HIS HEART   Chapter 59:

    I thought about that while I smoothed my dolphin's fur. "So if you love me, you should want me to go home to my family.""Yes." Sophia's voice was very quiet. "That's exactly what I should want.""But you brought me here instead.""Because sometimes, Emma, love means doing something that feels wrong to prevent something worse from happening." Sophia pulled out a phone. "I have to make a call now. To your parents. And I'm going to say some things that might sound scary, but I want you to remember what I told you about love, okay?"I nodded, even though my tummy was feeling funny again.Sophia dialed the phone and waited. When someone answered, her whole voice changed. It got colder and sadder."Bella? Yes, it's Sophia. Emma is with me, and she's safe." There was a long pause while Sophia listened. "No, you can't talk to her yet. First, we need to discuss what's going to happen next."I could hear Mommy's voice through the phone, but I couldn't understand the words. She sounded scared a

  • THE WIFE WHO STOLE HIS HEART   Chapter 58: The Taking

    The sad lady's hands were shaking when she picked me up from the garden. I was playing with my dolphins by the big fountain when she came through the gate that was supposed to keep strangers out. Someone must have given her the secret numbers, because the gate just opened for her like it opens for family."Hello, Emma," she said, and her voice sounded different than at school. Less scary, more... broken, like when I dropped Mommy's favorite mug and couldn't fix it. "I'm Sophia. I'm here to help you."I remembered what Mommy and Daddy taught me about strangers, even strangers who know my name. "I'm not supposed to go with people unless Mommy says it's okay."Sophia knelt down next to me, and I could see she'd been crying. Her eyes were all red and puffy like mine get when I'm really sad. "Emma, your mommy is in trouble. Big trouble. And I'm the only one who can help her."That made my tummy feel funny. "What kind of trouble?""The bad men who were chasing her and Daddy? They want to hu

  • THE WIFE WHO STOLE HIS HEART   Chapter 57: The Courthouse Chase

    James Morrison was dead within thirty seconds of hanging up his phone.That's what would have happened if Thomas Romano's hired muscle had been even slightly more competent. Instead, the bullet meant for James's head shattered the courthouse window behind us as I tackled him to the marble floor of the King County Courthouse lobby."Stay down!" Detective Martinez's voice cut through the chaos as tourists and lawyers scattered like startled birds. "Federal agents, everyone on the ground!"But Thomas's men weren't interested in following law enforcement orders. They were interested in permanent solutions to temporary problems namely, James Morrison's evidence and my continued existence."Bella, this way!" James grabbed my hand, blood streaming from where flying glass had cut his temple. "The recording we have to get it to the prosecutors!"We ran toward the elevator bank as gunfire erupted behind us. Real gunfire. In the courthouse. Thomas Romano had officially lost his mind, or maybe he

More Chapters

You may also like

Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status