Semua Bab The CEO’s Vengeful Bride: Bab 41 - Bab 50

The shadows of the city outside the small, dimly lit café wrapped around me like a suffocating cloak. I kept my back straight, my hands clenched around the coffee cup in front of me, trying to steady my breath as I waited. The air was thick with uncertainty, my heart was pounding in my chest, and every tick of the clock seemed to stretch further than it should have. I hadn’t seen him in years. My father, the man who had vanished without a trace, leaving me with nothing but whispers and rumors. He had disappeared after my mother’s sudden departure. One day, he was just... gone. I never understood why. Not until now. The door opened, and a chill swept through the room. He was here. I didn’t need to see his face to know it was him. The energy in the room shifted as if the very air recognized him. And when I turned, there he stood, older, colder, but undeniably my father. The man who had once been larger than life in my eyes now looked like a shadow of what I remembered, stooped should

The world spun in a haze of flashing lights and the relentless clamor of voices. I had barely stepped outside the Crest building when it hit, an avalanche of cameras, microphones, and a swarm of reporters jostling for position. The press had found their next story. I didn’t understand how it had escalated this quickly, how the fake marriage between Damien and me had turned into something that could destroy everything.“Elena! Is it true? Were you working with Damien all along?”“Did you orchestrate the fall of Montrose Industries?”“Are you the mole inside Damien’s operation?”I barely heard the questions over the chaos, my mind whirling. The crowd pushed in tighter, and I felt the air suffocate around me. Someone grabbed my arm, tight like they were trying to pull me into the mass of bodies. A shout rang out, and suddenly I was on the ground, knees scraped, hair yanked painfully from my scalp.A camera flashed too close, blinding me. My breath hitched, but I could barely get a word

The room was silent when I woke up. No birds chirping outside. No voices in the house. Just the overwhelming quiet that felt heavier than it had any right to be. I reached for Damien, my hand searching for the warmth of his body beside me, but the space next to me was cold.I sat up, disoriented, blinking away the remnants of sleep, my mind slowly catching up to reality. The soft sheets rustled as I swung my legs over the side of the bed. The room was empty, completely still. I had expected the soft hum of his presence, but instead, there was nothing. No movement. No Damien.Panic swirled in my chest as I stood, my heart racing. I pulled on the first thing I could find, my robe, and hurriedly made my way out of the room. The rest of the house was eerily quiet. The staff wasn’t bustling about, the house felt abandoned, as though I was the only person who remained.I pushed open the door to the study, his office, and my breath caught in my throat.There was a note on the desk.I froze. M

The ballroom was dressed in grandeur, every crystal chandelier casting flecks of light that glittered against champagne flutes and polished shoes. Elena stood near the edge of the gilded balcony, her figure cloaked in a deep burgundy gown, her expression unreadable. It had only been a week since Damien’s funeral.The world still mourned him, black-and-white headlines screamed about the Crest Empire’s loss. Speculation swirled about his rivals. Fingers pointed at Viper in hushed tones. But tonight… tonight the real betrayal would make itself known, dressed in silk and diamonds.Elena had come because the invitation was impossible to ignore.‘“You’ll want to be there for this”,’ it read, unsigned.And now, as the crowd stirred and whispered, she watched her godmother glide across the room in an obsidian dress that shimmered like oil under the lights. Viper was radiant, timeless, every movement deliberate, every glance a warning.“Ladies and gentlemen”, the announcer’s voice echoed. “You

The wine in Viper’s crystal glass caught the golden glow of the chandelier above. Elena sat across from her godmother in the drawing room of the Montrose estate, her back straight, her face carefully neutral. She was playing a role again, just like she had when she'd first married Damien. But this time, the stakes were higher.She had come back under the guise of remorse, feigning regret and heartbreak over Damien’s death. Viper had welcomed her like a long-lost daughter, arms outstretched, smile polished but empty."I knew you’d come back", Viper purred, taking a sip from her glass. "Grief brings clarity. And clarity brings loyalty."Elena didn't flinch. "I realized you were right all along. Damien’s world... was never mine."Viper's lips curved. "And now, you're ready to claim the legacy your mother never had the strength to."Elena nodded, every word laced with the bitter irony of truth. "I'm ready."But inside, her chest burned.She had received Damien’s secret message two nights a