Semua Bab THE BILLONIARE UNWANTED SUBSTITUTE BRIDE: Bab 131 - Bab 140

The sun filtered through the linen curtains, casting golden streaks across the polished oak floor of the penthouse suite. Scarlett stood by the window, arms folded tightly across her chest, her eyes tracing the horizon with a conflicted intensity. New York buzzed beneath her, indifferent to the storm brewing in her heart.Sebastian had left early that morning, his usual stern goodbye muted by the ghost of last night’s confrontation. She could still feel the echo of his words not in anger, but in raw vulnerability. That wall he kept so firmly constructed had begun to crumble, and it terrified her.Scarlett turned as the door creaked open. Damien stepped inside with measured steps, a file in his hand, dressed impeccably as always."Good morning," he said with his usual composed tone, but his eyes flickered with something deeper concern."Morning," Scarlett replied, her voice low.He walked over and set the file on the coffee table. "The report on EmTech’s internal security breach. Sebas

The morning after Sebastian returned home with his mother’s letter felt different.Scarlett woke to the weight of his arm draped around her waist, his breath steady against the nape of her neck. Sunlight spilled lazily through the window, catching on the strands of his tousled hair, making him look far younger vulnerable, even. For the first time since she'd met him, he wasn’t wearing his armor. The cold detachment that once defined him had melted away during the night, replaced by something gentler… raw and unguarded.She turned carefully, facing him. His eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, they simply stared at each other in silence. No masks. No bravado. Just truth."Morning," she whispered."Morning," he replied, voice hoarse. "Did you sleep?""A little."He gave her a slow nod, his hand brushing her cheek. "Thank you… for not running."Scarlett’s brows furrowed. "Why would I run, Sebastian?""Because I’ve given you a thousand reasons to," he said, voice barely audible. "And st

The boardroom at EmTech’s top floor had been transformed.Where once billion-dollar deals were made over champagne and silver pens, now satellite maps flickered on digital walls, heat maps of cyber intrusions pulsed like warning beacons, and code streamed like blood through the veins of a dying empire.Sebastian stood at the head of the long glass table, arms crossed, eyes hard.“Evelyn Hale wants a war,” he said. “She’ll get one.”Damien was on his right, silent, studying the digital blueprint of the NOVA system. On his left, Scarlett stood tall, in control—her engagement ring catching the light as her fingers typed commands into the tablet like a soldier issuing battlefield orders.“She’s rerouting data packets through encrypted shadows,” Scarlett muttered. “Even with deep scan protocols, we’re only tracing half of what she’s accessing.”“Then we use bait,” Damien suggested. “A false version of NOVA. Let her steal it.”Scarlett’s brow lifted. “She’s not just any hacker. She’ll know

The winter sun poured golden light over the hills of Tuscany, warming the frost-kissed ground as if the earth itself had been waiting to exhale.Sebastian Hale stood beneath an arch of wild roses in a quiet vineyard chapel, dressed in a tailored black suit. No fanfare. No flashing cameras. Just the soft strum of strings, a breeze humming through olive trees, and a woman walking toward him like a dream he’d once thought he’d lost forever.Scarlett.Her gown flowed like melted moonlight, the silk clinging to her curves, her wild curls dancing over her shoulders. Her eyes locked onto his no hesitation, no doubt. Only fire. Only love.Damien stood off to the side as best man, unusually solemn.“You sure about this?” he’d asked earlier, teasing but sincere.Sebastian had smiled then really smiled.“For the first time in my life, yes.”As Scarlett reached the altar, her hand slid into his, and silence fell like reverence.The officiant spoke, but neither heard much of it.They were speaking

Thunder rolled across the sky like a warning drumbeat as rain poured down the glass windows of EmTech’s command center. The city beyond faded into a blur of lights and shadow, while inside the sleek, dimly lit war room, tension hung thick like smoke.Scarlett sat at a glass terminal, her fingers dancing across the backlit keyboard. Her brows were furrowed in concentration, lips pressed into a thin line. Damien stood behind her, eyes glued to the shifting code that scrolled down the monitor in electric blue lines. On another end of the room, Sebastian paced, his hands tucked into the pockets of his tailored suit, but his storm-gray eyes held a different kind of unrest one not even power could ease.“This isn’t just another system breach,” Scarlett murmured, voice laced with suspicion. “This code isn’t from the outside. It’s built on our own architecturemodified, yes but it started here.”Sebastian paused mid-stride. “You’re saying this was an inside job?”“Worse,” she whispered. “It wa