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Chapter 27: The Trap

Penulis: celestialhope
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-11-14 13:15:42

Parking basement of Austen Holdings, late evening.

Ashley Larsen’s heels clicked against the concrete floor of the parking basement. Her portfolio pressed firmly against her chest, she tried to steady her racing heartbeat. The argument with Duke yesterday still stung, a raw edge that made every thought of him prick at her chest. She reminded herself, over and over, that tonight was professional. A meeting with an investor he himself had encouraged. Nothing more. Nothing personal.

She spotted him immediately—an older man in a tailored suit, holding a sleek briefcase and a polite smile. His eyes flicked toward her, approving, and she nodded, forcing her own composure.

“Evening,” she said, setting her portfolio down on the hood of his car. “I brought the samples you requested. Hope they meet your expectations.”

“I’ve been eager to see your progress,” he replied, gesturing toward the hood. “Let’s go over the details.”

Ashley unzipped the portfolio, revealing neatly folded fabric swat
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    The news broke quietly at first, almost as if the world itself hesitated to breathe.Ashley was standing in the kitchen when Duke’s phone rang. It was early, the kind of morning that felt suspended between hope and dread. She watched him answer, saw the way his shoulders stiffened, the way his jaw tightened as he listened. He said nothing at first. Just listened. Just absorbed.Then he closed his eyes.“It’s confirmed,” the doctor said on the other end. “You are not the father.”Duke exhaled, a sound that felt torn from somewhere deep in his chest. “Thank you,” he replied, voice steady in a way only exhaustion could create. He ended the call and stood there, phone still in his hand, as if afraid the truth might slip away if he moved too fast.Ashley had not spoken. She had barely breathed.“Well?” she finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper.He turned to her. For a moment, he simply looked at her, as if memorizing the fact that she was still there. “It’s not mine,” he said. “I

  • The Billionaire's Legal Wife    Chapter 76: Delayed Results

    “Then let’s do the test.” Duke’s voice was steady, even if his eyes weren’t, fixed on the clinic receptionist as if this decision might physically anchor him. “Today. No delays and negotiations.”Ashley looked at him sharply. “Are you sure?”her voice low, careful, because the walls here felt too thin and the world outside too loud.“I’m tired of shadows,” he answered, finally turning to her. “I won’t let lies keep breathing between us.”The private clinic smelled faintly of antiseptic and polished marble, the kind of place built for discretion and quiet scandals. Yet nothing about this moment felt private. Ashley could feel it in her chest, the strange pressure of being watched even when no one was looking directly at her. Phones buzzed in handbags. Eyes flicked. Whispers traveled faster than truth.A nurse approached them with a clipboard. “Mr. Austen, Ms. Larsen, if you’ll follow me.”Ashley’s hand hovered near Duke’s for half a second before she let it fall. Not because she didn’t

  • The Billionaire's Legal Wife    Chapter 75: Truth or Lies?

    Ashley sat on the edge of the couch, her fingers wrapped so tightly around her phone that her knuckles had gone pale. The screen was dark now, but Alexandra’s words echoed relentlessly in her head, replaying with cruel precision. Pregnant. Possibly Duke’s. The door clicked open behind her. “Ashley.” Duke’s voice was careful, restrained, like he was afraid one wrong tone might shatter her completely. “You didn’t answer my calls.” She didn’t turn to face him. “I needed quiet,” she said, her voice steady only because she forced it to be. “I needed to think.” Duke closed the door and stepped closer, stopping a few feet away as if an invisible line had been drawn between them. “And?” She let out a breath that trembled despite her effort. “And I keep replaying everything. The dates. The silence. The weeks we weren’t talking. The months you disappeared.” She finally looked at him then, her eyes glossy but sharp. “The timeline fits too well, Duke. You can’t pretend it doesn’t.” “I’m

  • The Billionaire's Legal Wife    Chapter 74: Pregnant

    “You didn’t think I would come without asking, did you?”Alexandra’s voice slid into the hospital room like cold perfume as she closed the door behind her. Duke stirred slightly on the bed, monitors humming beside him. Ashley straightened from the chair, instinctively stepping closer to him as if her body alone could shield him. “You shouldn’t be here,”Ashley said evenly, keeping her tone calm despite the tension coiling in her chest.“This isn’t a place for games.” Alexandra smiled faintly, slower than usual, the sharp confidence dulled by dark circles under her eyes.“Games? I’m exhausted, Ashley. I didn’t come to fight.”She glanced at Duke’s pale face.“I heard he collapsed again.” Ashley crossed her arms.“You hear a lot of things.” “I hear truths people try to bury,”Alexandra replied, pulling a chair closer but not sitting yet.“May I?” Ashley hesitated, then nodded once. Alexandra sat, folding her hands together, unusually restrained. “I owe you both an apology,”Alexandra said

  • The Billionaire's Legal Wife    Chapter 73: Staying

    “You should sit down for this.”the doctor said quietly, folding the chart against his chest.Ashley stayed standing, her fingers clenched around the back of the chair as if letting go would send her to the floor. “Just tell me. I’ve been through worse than medical jargon.”her voice tried to be steady but failed at the last word.Duke lay on the hospital bed, pale under the fluorescent lights, lashes resting against his cheek. Machines hummed softly around him, their rhythm too calm for the storm in her chest.“It’s autoimmune fatigue syndrome.”the doctor continued, watching her carefully.“Chronic. Progressive if unmanaged. It explains the collapses, the exhaustion, the immune crashes. Stress worsens it.”Ashley’s breath left her in a thin, broken sound. “How long?”she asked.“That depends on treatment and lifestyle. With proper care, patients live full lives. Without it…”he paused.“The body simply gives up.”She looked at Duke then, really looked. The faint shadows under his eyes, the

  • The Billionaire's Legal Wife    Chapter 72: Hospital Records

    “I don’t think I’ve ever heard this place so quiet,” Ashley said softly, breaking the stillness as she stood by the window. Duke looked up from the couch, where he sat with his sleeves rolled up, jacket forgotten somewhere on the floor.“It’s quieter when the world is waiting to decide if you deserve it,” he replied, attempting a faint smile that did not quite reach his eyes.Ashley turned, arms folding loosely over her chest. “You keep saying that like we’re standing trial for loving each other.”Duke exhaled. “In some ways, we are.”She crossed the room and sat beside him, close enough that their shoulders almost touched. “We’ve survived worse than judges and headlines.”Her voice was steady, but her fingers twisted together in her lap.He glanced at her hands. “You’re nervous.”“I’m human,” she answered. “And tired.”Duke nodded slowly. “So am I.”He leaned back, staring at the ceiling. “Do you ever think about how strange it is that after everything, we ended up here again? Same wal

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