MasukShare
Chapter 23
Tanggal publikasi:
2026-02-14 01:46:59
Bab terbaru
The CEO’s Contract Bride Chapter 114
ETHAN'S POVThe first photo appeared on a Tuesday.It came through my morning press digest under industry appearances.A charity event for a children's arts foundation. Kane Rourke's foundation was co-sponsoring. Isabella had mentioned she would attend on behalf of ISMARA.The photo showed them standing together at the edge of a reception room.Professional.Composed.Not touching.Simply talking.Kane was looking at her while she spoke.I noted it, dismissed it as irrelevant, and continued through the digest.At lunch, I opened the photo again.I told myself I was conducting due diligence. Kane Rourke was a known rival with a documented pattern of strategic moves against Dexter Corp, and Isabella was now publicly attached to my name. Monitoring his proximity to her was a reasonable precaution.I almost believed it.~~~~The second appearance happened four days later.A private business dinner hosted by a European retail consortium.I heard about it from Caleb during a routine indust
The CEO’s Contract Bride Chapter 113
ISABELLA'S POV Lucia spent two days reviewing Kane Rourke's proposal before calling me into my office at ISMARA.That alone told me something was wrong.When I arrived, she had several folders spread across my desk, arranged in the precise order she used when building an argument."Sit."I sat.She opened the first file."Kane Rourke. Thirty-three years old. Built Rourke Industries from a single European fashion house acquisition twelve years ago. Current portfolio includes three fashion houses, a luxury hotel group, two retail networks, and a logistics company that services most of his own holdings." She turned a page. "Clean record. No litigation beyond standard commercial disputes. His reputation is aggressive but fair. His partners generally stay his partners.""That matches what I found," I said."It does." She closed that folder and moved to the next one. "This is his acquisition and partnership history for the last five years. Fourteen deals. I want you to look at the column o
The CEO’s Contract Bride Chapter 112
ISABELLA’S POV I arrived two minutes early to the restaurant Kane and I agreed to meet up at.He was already there.He stood when he saw me cross the room, and I took those few seconds to finish my assessment. Tall, well-built, dark suit, no tie. "Ms. Moretti-Dexter." He extended his hand. His grip was confident. "Thank you for making time.""Mr. Rourke." I sat across from him. "Your timing was interesting."He smiled, settling back into his chair. "I wondered if you'd open with that.""Did you think I wouldn't?""I thought you might wait until later. Most people do." He picked up his water glass. "You called me on it immediately. I respect that.""The morning after a press conference is a deliberate choice," I said. "I'd rather we both acknowledge it.""Fair." He set the glass down. "The honest answer is that I've been watching ISMARA for months. The press conference was the moment it became clear that a conversation would be welcome. You've been navigating significant personal co
The CEO’s Contract Bride Chapter 111
ISABELLA'S POVThe morning after the statement felt too normal.I stood in the kitchen reviewing reports on my tablet while Ethan helped Brahms with breakfast. It should have felt routine.It didn't.I kissed Brahms's forehead before leaving."Tu pars?" he asked."Just to the office."He nodded and returned to his mango.At ISMARA, Lucia was already waiting with coffee and a laptop."The response is mixed," she said. "But stable. No major investor panic. Some media skepticism, nothing serious.""ISMARA?"She smiled slightly. "Engagement is actually up. Especially in Europe. The transparency statement helped more than it hurt."That hadn't been the plan.But I wasn't complaining.The morning passed quickly. By ten, I had approved supplier contracts, reviewed design revisions, and finalized communications strategies. The press conference had bought us time, and I intended to use every minute of it.At 10:17, my phone rang.Unknown number.I almost ignored it."Ms. Moretti-Dexter," a wo
The CEO’s Contract Bride Chapter 110
ISABELLA’S POV We prepared the statement in four hours.Lucia joined by video call from ISMARA's legal team. Caleb handled Dexter Corp communications. We went through drafts at the dining table, Ethan and I on opposite sides, passing documents back and forth, finding the register that sounded candid without giving anything real away.Brahms stayed with Abby in the hotel suite we'd booked adjacent to the conference room. He knew something important was happening. The conference room held thirty-eight journalists. I counted them while the communications team did final checks on the podium setup, a habit I'd developed years ago in boardrooms when I needed something concrete to focus on. Thirty-eight people with cameras and recorders and the specific alertness of press who had been given a story and were waiting to see how much more they could extract from it.Ethan stood beside me at the podium. Close enough that we read as a unit. His shoulder was two inches from mine and he was compl
The CEO’s Contract Bride Chapter 109
ETHAN’S POVMy phone started at two-seventeen in the afternoon.We'd been back from the park for less than an hour. Brahms was on the living room floor with his puzzle, still wearing his coat because he'd refused to take it off, hot chocolate cooling on the coffee table beside him. Isabella was in the kitchen. I was reviewing contracts at the dining table when the first notification hit, then the second, then the phone stopped managing them individually and just began vibrating in a continuous, sustained way that meant something had broken.I opened the screen.Sixteen notifications from PR. A message from Caleb that was a link and nothing else. Four board communications flagged urgent. Two from legal.I clicked Caleb's link.The headline read: *Dexter CEO spotted in Central Park with wife Isabella Moretti and mystery child.*The photos were clear. Three of them, sequenced. The first showed Brahms at the fountain, face partially turned, features visible enough to work with. The second
The CEO’s Contract Bride Chapter 17
ETHAN'S POV The office was quiet in a way that felt intentional.I sat alone at my desk, jacket draped over the chair, sleeves rolled to my forearms. The building’s lights were dimmed to night mode, but my floor remained lit. I had asked for it that way. Silence helped me think. Or at least it use
The CEO’s Contract Bride Chapter 16
ISABELLA’S POVI woke early. Despite living here for weeks, the room still felt unfamiliar every time I opened my eyes.It was the weekend, so I didn’t rush to get ready. I put on something light and went downstairs for breakfast.The table had already been set.I sat, carefully placing my phone be
The CEO’s Contract Bride Chapter 15
ISABELLA’S POVMy phone buzzed on the table.Once.Twice.Then again.Lucia glanced at it.“Do not answer it.”I picked it up anyway.An email notification sat at the top of the screen.Emergency Board Session Scheduled. Attendance Mandatory.Beneath it was another message from an unknown number.“
The CEO’s Contract Bride Chapter 14
ISABELLA’S POVThe charity event was impossible to ignore.Every major outlet covered it. Cameras lined the entrance. Branded banners carried Dexter Holdings’ logo in clean, understated lettering. The guest list was strategic. Philanthropists, politicians, investors, and social figures who knew ho
Anda juga akan menyukai
Once a Doormat, Now Untouchable
Lean1.3M DibacaCan't Win Me Back
Ginger Sue2.9M DibacaAddicted to Loving You: The Paranoid and Domineering Boss's Convicted Wife
Gu family's Little Bamboo688.2K DibacaForceful Marriage: Young Master's Mute Wife
A Lake’s Depth1.2M DibacaMarried to My Enemy's Son
Precious26 DibacaThe Billionaires 10th Bride
Riche 32 DibacaTHE CEO'S MIDNIGHT VOW
Yourlazyblackcat75 DibacaDaddy'S Sex Toy
Pen Addictress881 Dibaca
