Semua Bab The Lost Billionaire’s Lover : Bab 21 - Bab 30

LENA'S POV There are moments when the entire world halts—not in chaos, but in silence. When I turned toward the corner of the office and my eyes landed on him, I knew instantly. My throat closed. My heart missed a beat, then another. Time didn’t slow—it slammed to a stop. Kian. Standing there like a stranger dressed in something that didn’t belong to him, yet fit too well. Confident. Composed. Like he hadn’t disappeared. Like he hadn’t shattered me. And yet, his eyes held no flicker of recognition. None. I stood frozen, the weight of my presence anchoring the room. The chatter died. Even the buzzing fluorescent lights seemed to dim. Staff members glanced from him to me, then back again, unsure whether they were witnessing an accident or a miracle. But no one dared to speak. I swallowed hard, locking my spine straight, painting calm on my face like war paint. “Who,” I said slowly, carefully, “approved the hire of this gentleman?” My voice didn’t tremble. It sliced

KIAN'S POV I trailed behind Lena as she walked with brisk purpose, every stride sharp and steady, her heels echoing off the glassy tile of the company building. Whatever awaited us outside, I could feel it humming at the edge of tension. Lena hadn’t said much—she didn’t have to. The urgency in the assistant's voice had already spelled enough. We reached the ground floor, and through the glass doors, I saw the crowd. Dozens of people loitered outside the building. Some held signs. Others gripped sticks. And in front of them, like a wall, stood three men with arms folded and expressions carved from stone. Tattoos curled up their arms and peeked from the collars of stained work shirts. They didn’t just look angry. They looked ready. Lena stepped through the doors first. I followed. One of the tattooed men stepped forward. “We were working on your East Wing extension. The structure collapsed two days ago. We lost equipment. Nearly lost men. And no one from your side’s reached out

KIAN'S POV I hovered over Mr. Alcante, my hand pressed against his shoulder, feeling the faint tremor of his body as he struggled to stay conscious. His breathing was shallow, rattling, and every second that ticked by gnawed at my composure. “Mr. Alcante, can you hear me?” I said, voice low but urgent. His eyelids fluttered open. Bloodshot eyes met mine, and for a brief moment, they sharpened recognition, pain, and a kind of stubborn defiance all rolled into one. “Thought... you weren't... coming back,” he rasped out, his voice no more than a breath. “I got your medicine,” I said quickly, holding up the brown paper bag like it was proof that everything would be fine. He chuckled briefly, before he tried to sit up. “Don’t move,” I ordered, pressing him gently back to the floor. “I’m calling an ambulance.” “No!” His hand shot up, grabbing my wrist with surprising strength. His skin was dry and thin, the bones underneath sharp as stone. “No hospital... not yet.” I stared

KIAN'S POVThe moment the nurse waved me into the room, I didn’t hesitate.I pushed through the door with a force that startled even myself.There he was.Mr. Alcante, alive, breathing, propped up in bed with more monitors around him than I could count. He looked pale. Smaller somehow. But when his eyes met mine, that old stubborn glint was still there, and it knocked the breath clean from my lungs.I crossed the room in three steps."You stubborn bastard," I muttered, half laughing, half choking on something thicker than air as I grabbed the side rail of his bed. "You scared the living hell out of me."He grinned, a lazy, exhausted grin. "Takes more than bad plumbing to send me packing, kid."I sat down hard in the chair beside him, my hands braced on my knees. It was overwhelming relief, anger, fear all twisting together in a storm inside my chest."You had me thinking." I started, then stopped because my voice betrayed me. It cracked in the middle, made raw by the pounding inside m

KIAN'S POV Her breath hovered inches from mine, the warmth of it grazing my lips, but neither of us moved. Not forward. Not away. We were suspended in that delicate space between longing and restraint, the hum of the truck’s engine whispering beneath the tension. Then, as if summoned by the universe just to mock me, my phone buzzed violently in my pocket. Lena blinked, then laughed softly, a breathy sound that stung with its suddenness. I muttered a curse under my breath and pulled away, glancing at the screen. DANNY (NEIGHBOR) I answered with a sigh. “Give me one sec.” Turning slightly away from Lena, I pressed the phone to my ear. “Yo, Kian,” Danny’s voice crackled through. “Just got the figures from the beach committee. You still good for that loan you promised? The event’s getting bigger than we thought.” I stiffened. “Yeah, it’s fine. Consider it covered.” “Cool. Just wanted to make sure before I finalize everything tomorrow.” “I’ll confirm later. Gotta run.” I hu