Semua Bab THE BILLIONAIRE SECRET TWIN HEIR : Bab 71 - Bab 80

Three exclamation points. From Elizabeth Walton. The world had truly gone mad."Your mother moved up brunch," I told Michael. "And she's bringing swatches.""What's a swatch?" Austin asked."Little pieces of fabric," Alex informed him. "For deciding on colors and textures."Austin made a face. "Sounds boring.""It won't be boring," Michael assured him. "Grandma also mentioned something about cake tasting."That got Austin's attention. "We get to eat cake? For breakfast?""For research," I corrected, but I was smiling.Samantha checked her watch. "And that's my cue to leave. Good luck with Hurricane Elizabeth." She hugged me quickly. "Remember what I said," she whispered. "Prenup."After she left, Michael raised an eyebrow. "Prenup?"I felt my cheeks flush. "Sam's just being protective.""She's right." His voice was steady, no offense taken. "We should talk to the lawyers next week. Set everything up properly."The tension in my shoulders eased slightly. "You're not...offended?"Michae

*Two years later*I watched the sunset paint the ocean in brilliant oranges and pinks, my bare feet sinking into the warm sand. The private beach stretched out before me, empty save for our little family and the memories we were building with each passing day."Mom! Look!" Alex called, standing waist-deep in the gentle waves, his hair slicked back and dripping. "I caught another one!"He held up a small translucent crab, pride radiating from his face. At ten years old, my son had grown taller, his features more defined—a perfect miniature version of his father with my stubborn determination."That's the fourth one!" I called back, shielding my eyes from the setting sun. "Remember to put it back gently!"Austin sat nearby on a blanket, focused intently on the intricate sand castle he'd been constructing for the past hour. Unlike his brother who charged headfirst into everything, Austin approached life with methodical precision. He looked up at me, squinting against the light."Do you t

"Don't." I raise the letter opener, and he flinches back against the door. "Don't make this worse by lying to my face.""Okay! Okay, yes, I was planning to... to maybe use some of it to get money if I needed to. But I kept detailed files! Names, addresses, schedules, financial records—everything you'd need to—""To what? Destroy them properly this time?"He nods frantically. "The files are in the safe. Everything's there. Take them. Take it all. Just... please, Jess. Please don't—""Don't what?" I lean closer, close enough to smell the fear-sweat on his skin. "Don't give you exactly what you gave me?"The letter opener catches the light from the bedside lamp. Such a small thing to hold so much power."I kept your picture," Miller whispers. "On the nightstand. I looked at it every night for ten years. That has to count for something."I glance at the crumpled photo. Young faces full of arrogance and false promises. The girl in that picture believed in forever. Believed in him."It coun

The mirror in the seedy motel bathroom reflected a stranger's face back at me. Good. That was exactly what I needed.My fingers traced the surgical tape still covering my nose. Three weeks since the procedure, and the swelling had finally gone down enough to see the surgeon's handiwork. The woman staring back at me bore no resemblance to Jessica Campbell—the broken, desperate creature who'd walked into that prison ten years ago.This woman had cheekbones that could cut glass. A nose that belonged on magazine covers. Lips that had been plumped to perfection. Even my eye color had changed—contacts transforming brown to striking green. The final touch would come when the bruising faded completely, but already I could see she was beautiful. Dangerously so.*Victoria Sterling.* I'd practiced saying the name until it felt natural rolling off my tongue. Until I could sign it without hesitation. Until I could become her completely.The identity had cost me nearly two hundred thousand of Mille

~ ARIA POV ~The coffee mug trembled in my hands as I stared at the headline on Michael's tablet. The black letters seemed to blur and sharpen, blur and sharpen, like my mind couldn't quite process what they meant.*"Jessica Campbell Released Early on Technicality"*"Aria." Michael's voice cut through the white noise in my head. "Look at me."I couldn't. The words kept swimming on the screen. Ten years. She was supposed to serve twenty, but some lawyer found a loophole, some procedural error that—"Aria." Firmer this time. His hand covered mine, warm and steady. "Breathe."I sucked in air like I'd been underwater. The kitchen came back into focus—the marble countertops Austin had fingerprinted yesterday, Alex's calculus homework still scattered by the coffee maker, the morning light streaming through windows that suddenly felt too exposed."When?" The word scraped out of my throat."Few weeks ago." Michael's jaw was tight, that muscle jumping the way it did when he was holding back fu