Semua Bab The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride: Bab 91 - Bab 100

Leo had asked me three different times not to come.He even leaned against the door with one hand on the knob, turning back to say, “Bella, just wait here. I’ll let you know everything.”But I didn’t say a word. I just grabbed my purse, brushed past him, and got into the passenger seat before he could argue again. By the time he got into the driver’s seat, I was already buckled in and staring straight ahead like it was final.He didn’t fight me after that.We had barely pulled out of the driveway when his hand slid across the center console, resting gently on my thigh. His thumb brushed small circles over the fabric of my jeans, and he didn’t say anything for a while. Just drove, one hand on the wheel, the other keeping me grounded.“You okay driving?” I asked, glancing at him from the side.His eyes stayed on the road, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.“I am,” he said. “I wasn’t, for a while. But since I saw you again, I don’t know. It doesn’t scare me anymore.”I l

The moment the handcuffs clicked around Leo’s wrists, the entire house fell into stunned silence. The staff that had been peeking from the corners stepped back quickly, whispering among themselves. His mother stood frozen at the bottom of the staircase, mouth slightly open but saying nothing. Bella couldn't move. Her legs felt stiff and her heart had dropped somewhere into her stomach. She reached forward as he was guided toward the door.“Leo,” she called out, her voice breaking. He turned to glance at her briefly, nodding once, like he wanted to reassure her, but it didn’t land. Nothing about this felt right.The officers didn’t manhandle him. They weren’t shouting. They didn’t drag him out. Everything about it was calm, cold, and terrifying.“Wait, what is this about?” Bella asked, following them quickly. One of the officers looked at her with a clipped expression.“We just need to bring him in for questioning,” the officer explained. “Mr. Rathore is a public figure. When someone o

The next morning started quiet.Leo had barely stirred when I slipped out of bed. I threw on one of his shirts and padded over to the window, tugging the curtain aside.That’s when I saw them.At first, it looked like a few people, maybe a delivery truck. But then I saw the flash of a camera. Then another. The long lenses. The crowd standing just beyond the gates. I stepped back slowly.They were here.He sat up in bed behind me, rubbing his eyes. “What’s wrong?”I looked over my shoulder. “They’re outside.”He stood immediately, walking over to the window. He didn’t speak. Just stared for a second before grabbing a shirt and pulling it on.By the time we got downstairs, Dennis was already pacing in the foyer, phone in one hand, frustration in his voice.“They must’ve gotten a tip. I’m already calling legal,” he said. “We’ll have to push the release forward. The more we wait, the more they spin.”Leo moved past him, straight to the front door. He opened it just enough to peek through.

I sat back down at the dining table, pushing my half-eaten pasta to the side. The screen in front of me blinked, waiting. I opened a new message thread, the one connected to my Le Deon team. My fingers hovered over the keyboard for a second before I started typing.“Start a full investigation into the current structure of Rathore Holdings,” I wrote. “Find out what shares are open, who’s pulling out, and what it would take to buy in quietly. I don’t want my name anywhere near it. It needs to be discreet.”I hit send and leaned back in the chair, dragging my hand through my hair.The replies started coming in quickly.“We can track institutional investors pulling back.”“Would you consider coming in as a silent partner through a holding entity?”“There’s a short window before the press catches on to the deeper losses. If we’re going to help, it has to be now.”I sat there reading every single message carefully. The deeper I scrolled, the more real it became. If I wanted to save Leo’s co

I stared at the door long after it closed.The food sat untouched on the counter. I didn’t bother putting it away. I just paced the kitchen a few times, then walked to the living room and sank onto the couch, curling my legs underneath me. I waited. Ten minutes. Then thirty. An hour. Still no call.My phone was right beside me silent. I picked it up and dialed and he picked up on the second ring.“Hey,” I said, sitting up straighter, “what’s going on now?”He sounded winded, like he was walking fast, “still outside the building. Security's keeping them from getting too close, but it’s loud, really loud.”“Did you talk to any of them?”He hesitated. “A few, they're claiming damages. Long-term health issues, birth defects, injuries from past product use.”“But that’s not true,” I said, eyebrows knitting together. “You’d know. You’d never allow-”“I know,” he said quietly, cutting me off. “Bella, I know but I can’t talk too long right now. I’ll call you when I know more.”Before I could