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Chapter 16

Penulis: Sarah.D
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-10-28 17:32:46

I closed my eyes and muttered, loud enough so he could hear. "My mother. She's been texting me."

The silence that followed is heavy. Jaime knows the history concerning my family's feud with me.

"What does she want?" His voice is careful.

"My grandfather's 80th birthday." I searched for emotions in his eyes but he was guarded. "They want me to come."

He sucked in a breath. "Why didn't you say anything, Alessa? This is huge."

"I know but I don't want to go." I pulled my knees up to my chest, feeling defensive. "They disowned me, remember? Five years ago. When I chose you over them."

My words held no bitterness. I was merely reminding him of the fact that these people couldn't be trusted.

"But this could mean they want to reconnect and fix things." Jaime held my face in one hand. "This is your chance to have your family back, Alessa."

I shook my head, knowing my family too well. "It's been five years, Jaime. If they wanted to fix things, they had plenty of time."

He opened his mouth t
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  • The Betrayed Heiress: Chasing Her Back   Chapter 150

    "Polly," I said gently, still holding her hands, "you need to understand something. Julien isn't just abusive… he's also a criminal."She looked at me, confused. "What do you mean?""Jason and I have been investigating him. We've found evidence that he's been embezzling from the company.” I squeezed her hands before adding. “And I mean hundreds of thousands of dollars funneled through fake vendors and shell companies."Polly's eyes widened. "Are you serious?""Completely serious. We have documentation, transaction records, everything." I leaned closer, letting her see the intention in my eyes. "He's not the man you thought he was, Polly. He's not the man anyone thinks he is. And you deserve so much better than someone who would hit you, threaten you, and steal from his own family."She was quiet for a long moment, processing. Then her expression shifted to something more determined."I'm going to end it," she said suddenly. "Tonight. I'm going to call off the wedding properly.”"Are

  • The Betrayed Heiress: Chasing Her Back   Chapter 149

    I was sitting cross-legged on Jason's living room floor, surrounded by papers, my laptop open on the coffee table, a half-eaten sandwich forgotten beside me. Jason was sprawled on the couch above me, his own laptop balanced on his knees, reading through the screen with intense focus."There," I said, pointing at a line item on one of the documents I had pulled from the company server. "Look at this transfer. Twenty thousand dollars to a shell company called JR Consulting which was disbanded several years ago.” Jason leaned down to look over my shoulder. "And the last transfer date was three months ago. I think the laundering started around a year ago.""Exactly." I pulled up another document. "And here's another one. Fifty thousand to 'marketing consultation' with a company that doesn't seem to exist when you search for it.""He's embezzling," Jason said flatly. "Your brother is literally stealing from your family's company."I felt sick. I had suspected Julien of sabotage and manip

  • The Betrayed Heiress: Chasing Her Back   Chapter 148

    She started crying again, and I paused my work to look her in the eyes."Listen to me. I know this is complicated. I know you love him, or you loved who you thought he was. But this…" I gestured to her face, "this is not love. This is abuse. And it will happen again. It always happens again unless something changes.""I know," she whispered. "I know that. I just... I don't know what to do. The wedding is so close. Everyone is expecting-“"Forget what everyone is expecting," I said fiercely. "What do you want? Not your parents, not my parents, not society. You. What do you want?"Polly's face crumpled completely. "I don't want to marry him," she sobbed. "I don't want to go through with the wedding. I'm so scared, Alessa. I'm so scared of what he'll become, of what he'll do. Tonight was bad, but what if it gets worse?""It won't," I said firmly, pulling her into another hug. "Because you're not going to marry him. We'll figure this out together, okay? I promise you, I won't let him hurt

  • The Betrayed Heiress: Chasing Her Back   Chapter 147

    I knelt there in front of Polly, still holding her face gently. “Polly, please. Tell me what happened."She hiccupped through her sobs, trying to pull away, but I held firm."He was so pissed," she finally whispered, her voice broken and small. "After the announcement tonight, after your father named you heir instead of him. He was already angry when we left the party, but I thought… I thought if I just stayed quiet, if I didn't say anything to upset him further..."My stomach twisted into knots. "What happened, Polly?""I asked him if he was okay," she said, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. "That's all I did. I asked if he was okay, and he just exploded. Started yelling about how I was stupid, how I didn't understand anything, how everyone was against him." She touched her bruised cheek gingerly. "Then he grabbed me and…"She broke off, sobbing harder.I pulled her into a hug, and she collapsed against me, her whole body shaking. Over her shoulder, I could see our reflections in

  • The Betrayed Heiress: Chasing Her Back   Chapter 146

    We were surrounded by reporters that were calling out questions over each other. "Ms. James! How does it feel to be named heir to JR Corps at such a young age?""Can you comment on being called a role model for divorced women reentering the workforce?""What's your vision for the company's future?"I answered as best I could while my heart hammered in my chest. Beside me, Jason answered questions with ease, his hand occasionally touching the small of my back in a gesture of support.A female reporter pushed forward. "There's been significant interest in your relationship with Jason Raine. Can you tell us how you balance your professional partnership with your personal one?"Before I could answer, Jason reached into his jacket pocket. "Actually, I would like to take this opportunity to give Alessa something."My eyes widened. What was he doing?He pulled out a small velvet box and my stomach flipped."Jason." I whispered but he was already opening it, revealing a stunning bracelet. D

  • The Betrayed Heiress: Chasing Her Back   Chapter 145

    A congratulatory party was being held in my honor, and I was standing in my room while my mother fussed over my makeup and dress for what felt like the hundredth time."Mom, it's fine," I said gently, trying to steady her hands as she adjusted the neckline of my dress yet again."It's not fine," she insisted, her voice trembling slightly. "Your lipstick needs to be perfect. And your hair! What if it falls during your speech?"I I recognized this for what it was… anxiety manifesting as excessive fussing. I took both of her hands in mine, forcing her to stop and look at me.A small smile formed on my mouth. "Mom. Breathe. I'm ready. Everything is perfect."She took a shaky breath, then another. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears."I never knew a day like this would come," she admitted quietly. "When you left to marry Jaime, when you were gone for all those years... I thought we'd lost you.”Something in my chest tightened. "Are you not sad?" I asked. "That it's me instead of Ju

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