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Todos os capítulos de The Rich Man's Proxy Marriage: Capítulo 21 - Capítulo 30

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Chapter 19

The night air felt colder now—too cold for a city that never slept.Police sirens wailed in the distance, but Holden had already dismissed them with one sharp call to his security director. No outsiders were allowed to interfere. No one would touch Elena or Yuna tonight. Not after what just happened.Holden’s men arrived silently, efficiently, like shadows peeling away from the dark corners of the alley. They inspected the bomb, the truck, and the perimeter—but their presence only sharpened the tension.Elena stood beside Yuna, holding her mother’s arms as Yuna trembled uncontrollably.“It’s over,” Elena whispered. “You’re safe now.”But Yuna’s eyes… were not filled with relief.They were filled with terror.Not fear of death.Fear of someone.Holden noticed.“What happened before we arrived?” he asked quietly.Yuna flinched at his voice.Elena stepped forward. “Mom, look at me. Who came to the club earlier? Who tried to drug you?”Yuna’s lips trembled. She shook her head, refusing to

Chapter 20

The corridors of the Golden Pine Club were unusually silent, as if the entire building was holding its breath. Elena walked quickly, heels tapping with a rhythm that matched the disquiet in her chest. Yuna’s confession still echoed in her mind—President Wang wasn’t after her… he was after Elena.He had simply mistaken the girl hiding behind her in the dim room.This is getting dangerous.She needed to get Yuna out first. Everything else—Holden, President Wang, the fake marriage contract, the jealousy she kept pretending not to notice—could wait.But as she approached the private lounge, she halted.Holden was standing inside, one hand braced against the back of a leather sofa, the other gripping President Wang’s collar. The businessman’s usually arrogant face was pale. Holden didn’t raise his voice; he didn’t need to. His silence carried enough threat to make the air vibrate.“Mr. Lu,” Elena said, stepping in quickly, “I told you I’d handle this—”Holden didn’t even glance back.“He t

Chapter 21

The villa was still humming with leftover tension when dawn finally arrived.It was the kind of morning where fog clung to the edges of the glass windows, where the walls felt too silent, and every small sound echoed as if the house itself were listening.Elena sat alone in the dining hall, hands wrapped around a cup of warm tea. She hadn’t slept. Not even for a moment. Her mind replayed the messages, the photo, the threat—the stranger who had been close enough to capture a moment meant for no one else.Close enough to touch her.Who are you?What do you want from me?Her pulse quickened again.“You’re awake.”Holden’s deep voice came from behind her.She didn’t flinch. She’d sensed him long before he spoke. His presence carried a quiet gravity, a stillness that filled entire rooms. He walked toward her, wearing a charcoal-gray shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. His hair was slightly unruly—evidence he hadn’t slept either.He took the seat beside her. Close enough that his

Chapter 22

The Xia family mansion stood tall in the pale morning light, its stone pillars shadowed against the dull sky.To anyone else, it looked dignified—majestic even.To Elena, it felt like a coffin.Her steps across the marble driveway were slow, deliberate, controlled. Yet every footfall sent a tremor up her spine. She hadn’t returned here in months, and even then, it had been merely for formal obligations.This place was not a home.It was a stage built for pretense, cruelty, and the performance of a “family” that had never included her.A maid opened the door.“Young Miss Elena,” she greeted stiffly. “They are waiting in the study.”They.Not her parents.Not her family.Just they.Elena nodded and entered.The study was dim, the curtains drawn tight. Dust hung in the air like forgotten secrets.Her father, Xia Zhengnan, sat on the leather sofa. His shoulders sagged—older, weaker, guiltier than she remembered.Beside him sat her stepmother.Madam Xia, Lin Wei.Elegant. Composed. Eyes sh

Chapter 23

The Xia mansion stood like an immovable block of marble—cold, polished, and expressionless. Elena had always felt something uncanny about the place, but after last night’s revelations, the walls themselves seemed to whisper secrets.She stood before the iron gates with a straight spine, her chin raised.She had decided: no more entering this house as a helpless pawn.Today, she walked in as someone different.Someone who asked questions.Someone who fought back.She pressed the doorbell.A soft chime echoed, followed by hurried footsteps.The door opened.Xia Mother—Madam Xia—stood before her, wearing an expression Elena couldn’t decipher. It wasn’t anger. It wasn’t joy. It wasn’t guilt.It was something eerily close to fear.“Elena.” Madam Xia clasped her hands together. “You’re early.”“I came as soon as Assistant Jian called,” Elena replied, voice calm. “He said you wanted to speak privately.”Madam Xia stepped aside. “Come in. Quickly.”Elena hesitated only for a second before wal

Chapter 24

The Xia mansion had never felt smaller.Elena stepped outside into the cold afternoon air, drawing in a steady breath. The conversation with Madam Xia echoed inside her skull, every word sharp as broken glass.Adopted.Dangerous family.Secret identity.And now—Someone out there knows.Her phone vibrated again. A message this time.Holden:Stay at the gate. Don’t move.Elena looked at the towering iron fence and exhaled slowly. It wasn’t fear that twisted in her stomach—it was the strange mixture of anger, betrayal, and the dawning realization that she had just stepped into a much bigger game.A game she had never been told she was a part of.Footsteps rushed from behind her.“Elena!”Xia Mother appeared at the door, breathless, eyes wide with panic. “Please, wait—don’t leave like this. I need to explain more.”Elena tightened her grip on her bag. “I don’t think there’s anything left to explain.”“Yes, there is.” Madam Xia approached her slowly, her voice trembling. “You have to unde

Chapter 25

The rain had just stopped when Elena stepped out of Holden’s study. The windows of the Lu residence were covered with a thin film of condensation, making every light in the mansion look blurred—soft, almost dreamlike. Yet nothing in the house felt soft tonight.Everything felt watchful.As if the walls themselves were listening.Elena wrapped her arms around her body. She didn’t tell Holden, but her chest had been tight since dusk—like a warning she couldn’t explain.Her footsteps echoed lightly through the polished wood corridor, her heels clicking in a slow, thoughtful rhythm.A strange heaviness tugged at her thoughts.Why do I remember that lullaby?Where did I hear it?That melody—soft, haunting—had reappeared twice in her dreams in the last three nights. In the dream she was tiny, probably four or five. Someone—warm, gentle—was humming it while brushing her hair.But when she tried to see the woman’s face, the world dissolved into white.Who was she? Mother? Someone else?Why ca

Chapter 26

The scent of blood and broken glass lingered long after the intruder vanished into the storm-drenched night.Elena sat on the edge of the couch in Holden’s private lounge, hands trembling faintly as she stared at her palm—the palm that had thrown a needle she didn’t remember aiming.Her pulse beat fast and unsteady.Holden stood at the far side of the room, speaking quietly to someone through an encrypted earpiece. His silhouette was tall, rigid, controlled, but the tension radiating from his posture told a different story.He was furious.Not at her.At whoever had dared to come for her.The moment he ended the call and turned toward her, Elena instinctively straightened. She hated the way her body reacted to him—how safe she felt when she shouldn’t. How warm she became without meaning to.Holden walked toward her and knelt so they were at eye level.“Elena,” he said softly, “look at me.”She lifted her gaze.“Are you hurt?”“No.”“Anywhere?”“No.”Only her mind.Only her memories.H

Chapter 27

The drive toward the outskirts of the city was long, the air heavy with cold wind and the faint scent of rain. Elena sat silently beside Holden in the back seat of the dark sedan. His presence, usually icy and controlled, felt different today—tense, heightened, as if he were bracing for an impact he could not yet name.Neither of them spoke for nearly half an hour.Holden was the first to break the silence. “You’re shaking.”“I’m not,” Elena replied softly, though her hands were clasped tightly, knuckles pale.Holden didn’t argue. He simply reached over and rested his palm over her fingers. Warm. Steady. Unmoving.It was enough to make her breath catch.“You don’t have to do this today,” he said. “I can send my team to investigate. You don’t have to step inside that place again.”Elena stared ahead at the blurred silhouettes of abandoned factories and half-collapsed storage buildings. “If there’s something in the orphanage that connects to me… I should see it myself.”“And if what we

Chapter 28

The air in the basement thickened, almost vibrating with the echo of the alarm that had started blaring somewhere above them. Elena felt every thump of her heartbeat in her throat. Holden grabbed her wrist—firm, steady, grounding.“Stay with me,” he said, low but sharp enough to slice through the panic.The metal door behind them shook again. Someone was trying to break in. Not the guards. Not the staff. The rhythm was too controlled. Too purposeful.Holden pulled Elena toward the narrow maintenance corridor he’d spotted earlier. Pipes lined the ceiling, dripping occasionally, the smell of rust and cold concrete filling their lungs.Elena swallowed hard. “Do you even know where this leads?”“No,” Holden answered without hesitation. “But it’s away from that door.”A loud crack exploded behind them. Elena didn’t look back. She couldn’t.Holden pushed her forward. They ran.The corridor twisted like a serpent, every corner darker than the last. Their footsteps echoed—their breaths even l

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