Semua Bab A Ruthless Revenge: the Billionaire's Ex Wife Is Back: Bab 131 - Bab 140

Celeste’s POVI froze in place, the air around me tightening like a noose.Break up with Theo.My mind reeled, struggling to even process what Damien had just said. My heart slammed against my ribs — not out of longing, not out of old love — but out of shock.I stared at him, barely breathing. Was he serious?For a split second, I almost laughed — bitter and breathless — at myself. How stupid was I to stand outside his door, thinking I owed him thanks? That maybe, just maybe, he’d changed. Maybe all of this wasn’t just about him playing the hero again, or worse, refusing to accept that I had really, finally, moved on.His voice cut sharply through the chaos in my head. “Celeste,” Damien rasped, eyes wild, voice cracking, “if you leave him—if you just leave him—I’ll give you everything. Anything. You want property? It’s yours. Shares? Done. You could walk out of here the uncrowned queen of this city, with every piece of the Vaughn empire, even the mafia, at your feet.”I took a step ba

Celeste’s POVI stared at my phone like it might magically tell me where he’d gone. The nurse’s words echoed in my head—He’s been discharged.Discharged? Already?He’d barely been able to stand up and walk yesterday without wincing. His injuries weren’t minor, and now he was… what, walking around like nothing happened?Unbelievable.I hit redial. Straight to voicemail. Again. I called a third time, pacing in the hallway outside the salon, my heart pounding like I was the one with fractured ribs.On the fourth try, the line finally clicked.“Celeste.”His voice was slightly hoarse, like he hadn’t spoken in hours—or had been speaking too much.“Are you insane?” I snapped before I could stop myself. “You just got discharged, Damien. You shouldn’t even be standing, let alone—what, leaving the hospital and disappearing without a word?”He sighed. “I didn’t disappear. I went where I needed to be.”I gripped the phone tighter. “Which is…?”“I’m back at the office.”I stopped in my tracks. “Y

Celeste’s POVDamien gave a subtle nod, and without a word, his suited subordinate stepped forward.Leighton looked at me, panicked. I gave her a slight nod, trying to be reassuring—even though my own nerves were rattling. She hesitated, then followed the man out of the office, wiping her face as she went.The door clicked shut behind them.The silence that followed felt loud. Too loud.I turned back to Damien—only to find him watching me.Just watching.Something about the way he stood there—half in shadow, half upright on sheer will—made my stomach twist. There was no boardroom voice, no quick sarcasm, no mask. Just... tension. A coiled weight in the room I didn’t know how to shake.I took a step back instinctively. And that’s when he spoke.“I’ll help you,” he said, calm and deliberate. “I’ll talk to Darrow, work with the mafia, and use my connections. I’ll make sure Leighton never hears from the Black Reapers again.”I narrowed my eyes, unsure where this was going. “Okay...?”“But

Damien’s POVI thought maybe we’d eat dinner together.That she’d sit across from me at the small kitchen table, maybe say something soft or unexpected. Maybe we’d talk. Laugh a little. Maybe there’d be a moment—just one—that didn’t feel so tightly wound.But instead, she handed me a plate of pasta, said, “I have things to do,” and disappeared down the hall.No eye contact. No pause. Just that neutral, composed tone she’d mastered to a blade’s edge.So I ate alone, listening to the quiet hum of her apartment and the occasional sound of cabinet doors opening and closing in the other room. I barely tasted the food, though it was good—of course it was good. Everything Celeste did, even when half-hearted, had a kind of effortless grace.Well... at least she’d made something for me.She hadn’t been cruel. Just distant. Polite. Efficient. The kind of cold that didn’t freeze you all at once—it let you feel the warmth leaving slowly, moment by moment.She finally emerged after I’d rinsed my p

Damien’s POVThe hot water did little to settle my thoughts.I stood under the shower longer than I should have, the sting on my chest reminding me of what was still healing—and what wasn’t. I need answers. Real ones and fast. If what Mark said was true—if the Black Reapers were somehow connected to that motorcycle nearly running down Celeste—then sitting around in this apartment, playing the obedient patient, wasn’t going to cut it.I dried off roughly, wrapped the towel around my waist, and stepped out of the bathroom. Darrow was already coordinating with the team. I just had to get dressed, make a plan, and—I stopped mid-thought as I turned into the hallway and nearly collided with Celeste.She froze right in front of my semi-naked self. And damn, it definitely had an impact on me. My heart raced and my body heated up. Her eyes flickered to my bare chest, then lower—to the taped bandage just below my ribs. Was she checking the wound?Or remembering how we used to be?Her expre