Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Ultimatum Wife: Kabanata 51 - Kabanata 60

J: Handle him? You mean lie to him.E: It’s what I’m best at.There was a pause. Then Jace sent;J: Just be careful, El. Dante’s the kind of snake that doesn’t bite for sport. He bites to poison.Her lips curved faintly. “And I’ve danced with worse.”But the line between confidence and recklessness was razor thin, and she could already feel herself toeing it.Elena typed one last message.E: I’ll keep him busy. Just trace the call.J: Copy that. Stay safe, Specter.She powered the device off just as her regular phone lit up again, this time, her husband’s name flashing across the screen.Roman.Elena hesitated. Her heart gave one hard, traitorous beat. Then she answered, smoothing her tone into weary irritation, the perfect mask.“Roman.”His voice came through low and clipped, like gravel grinding beneath pressure. “You sound calm. Why?”Her brow arched. “Why shouldn’t I?”“Because,” he said, each word heavier than the last, “I just got a call from security saying Dante Valerio was s

Dante paced the length of his study like a caged animal, the marble under his shoes cool and indifferent beneath each sharp step. The call with Roman had ended ten minutes ago, and the aftertaste of it was still like bile in his mouth. He had expected Roman to flinch, to bark, to call him a liar and move on. Instead Roman had answered with the steel of a man used to taking blows and giving them back in kind, and worse, Elena had turned his words into honey and fed them back to his enemy.He had underestimated her.The thought scraped at him, a small, furious ember that flared into a fire. Elena Sinclair, the spoiled, lacquered heiress everyone enjoyed mocking, had the nerve, the wit, and the cold to twist him in front of Roman. She’d baited him, insulted him, and then turned his blade into Roman’s shield. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Men like Dante were never meant to be made a fool of in their own games.He stopped, clenching his jaw until his teeth ached, and stared down at

The car ride to Vargo’s mansion was heavy with unsaid words. Rain whispered faintly against the windows as the city lights blurred past.Roman’s reflection in the glass looked carved from tension, his fingers drumming once, then stilling on his thigh.“You don’t have to come if you’re uncomfortable,” he said at last, surprising her. “Vargo’s the kind of man who enjoys making people squirm. I wouldn’t hold it against you.”Elena smiled faintly, eyes forward. “And leave you alone in a den full of wolves?” She turned her gaze toward him, lashes low. “That doesn’t sound like me.”Roman huffed, the ghost of a smile curving his lips. “You’re not like most women, that’s true.”If only you knew how true, she thought, her stomach twisting.They lapsed into silence again, but Elena could feel him watching her from time to time, the way his eyes lingered on her neckline, the delicate curve of her wrist. He was battling himself again, she could tell. That dangerous attraction mixed with suspicio

They started moving through the crowd, his hand firm at her back. But he could feel his control slipping with every step. Every whisper of her movement beside him was like a match to his already raw nerves.The air outside hit him like ice, but it did little to cool the fire under his skin.“Roman,” Elena said quietly as the car approached, “you need to sit down. Whatever they gave you, it’s not just alcohol.”He didn’t respond, just looked at her, eyes dark, storming. “Vargo did this.”“Of course he did,” she said softly. “And he’ll regret it.”Roman’s lips curved into something dangerously close to a smirk, but his eyes were still wild. “I’m not sure I can wait that long.”Elena turned away before he could see the flicker of worry that crossed her face. She had seen what happened when men like Roman lost control, and if the drug didn’t kill him, the rage it triggered might.And worst of all, she knew exactly what kind of drug this was.It wasn’t meant to destroy him.It was meant

They made it to the car just before his knees nearly buckled. Elena caught him by the arm, steering him in, and signaled the driver with a calm, unbothered smile that betrayed nothing of the storm roaring in her head.As the door shut behind them and the car pulled away, Roman leaned back, his jaw tight, his breathing shallow. He turned his head slightly toward her.“What did he do?” he rasped. “Vargo.”She hesitated for a heartbeat too long before replying, “He underestimated you. That was his mistake.”Roman’s eyes slipped shut, his hand finding hers without meaning to. “And you?”“What about me?”His grip tightened faintly. “You’re not done surprising me yet, are you?”Elena looked down at their joined hands, the contact burning through her composure, and allowed herself the faintest smirk. “Depends on how many lives I have to save.”Roman’s lips curved faintly. “You’re not supposed to make me want you while I’m dying, you know.”“Then don’t die,” she whispered, looking out the wi