Semua Bab Tangled Hearts: In Love With My Ex Husband's Boss: Bab 31 - Bab 40

Caspian's POV I couldn't get her out of my mind.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her—standing in that emerald green dress, the fabric hugging her body like it was made for her. I saw the way her lips trembled after our kiss, the fire in her eyes when she stood up to me, the way her voice cracked when she confessed her fears. I hadn’t planned for any of this.She was supposed to be a means to an end—a strategic pawn in a revenge game I had spent years crafting. But now, she has become something entirely different. She was a storm that ripped through the walls I had spent so long building, and I was starting to realize that I didn’t want to put them back up.I had planned to hurt Hector Woods. I didn’t expect to fall for the woman he had tried to break.The thoughts were too loud in my head. I needed to quiet them, even if just for a night. So I texted Jameson, my best friend.The bar we used to hit back in the day was dimly lit and smelled of bourbon and old wood. The kind of place

Avery’s POVThe soft clinking of glasses and the low hum of music filled the dimly lit bar. It was early evening, and the place wasn’t too crowded—just the way I liked it. The amber lighting wrapped around the space like a quiet embrace, but nothing could still the restlessness inside me.I wrapped my fingers around the rim of my untouched drink, stirring the melting ice with the straw. I had texted Desmond a few hours ago, needing to talk to someone who wasn’t tangled in the drama of my life—someone who didn’t want anything from me.Desmond walked in just as I was about to check my phone again. He wore his usual dark jeans and a black T-shirt, his brown hair a little messy like he’d run his fingers through it too many times. When his eyes found mine, he gave a half-smile and made his way over.“Avery,” he said, sliding into the booth across from me. “You know how I have this weird habit of reading a tone into a text, right?”“Yeah, and?”“Your text sounded like you have been so worri

Avery’s POV I didn’t want to go.I didn’t want to see her face, sit across from her fake-smiling lips, or listen to whatever disgusting offer she was about to throw on the table. But I had no choice. Not when she held a ticking bomb over my head, ready to blow up everything I had just started to rebuild.When Debby waved me over to the small restaurant across the street from the office, I followed stiffly, feeling like a prisoner walking toward her own execution.The moment we sat down, she skipped all formalities."I’m not going to waste your time, Avery," she said, leaning forward with that smirk I was beginning to hate with my entire soul. "You know what I saw. I know what I saw. And I’m guessing you know what it would mean if someone else saw it too. Most especially your dear loving husband, Hector."I clenched my jaw. "You said this wasn’t about ruining lives, just business. So say what you want to say and get it over with."Debby chuckled like I amused her. "Right. Business. Le

Avery’s POVI don’t know how long we stayed like that—curled into each other on his couch, hearts racing, skin buzzing from too much emotion and not enough air.After I told him I might be falling in love, the room felt quieter. Still, but not heavy. Caspian didn’t move away, didn’t rush to say something dramatic. Instead, he just stayed there—his arm around me, his thumb gently tracing slow circles on my arm.It was enough.No man had ever made me feel like that—seen, held, steady. Not Hector, with all his slick charm and empty promises. Caspian didn’t have to say anything more. He made me feel safe, like I didn’t have to prove myself, or pretend I was okay when I wasn’t.After a while, he broke the silence.“You haven’t eaten dinner, have you?”I blinked, slowly pulling away from the crook of his shoulder. “No. Not really hungry.”“That’s not an option,” he said, standing and offering me his hand. “You’re not going to let some greedy blackmailer starve you.”I smiled faintly and let

Avery’s POVThe glass door of the cafe across from the Sterling Global headquarters chimed softly as I pushed it open. To anyone else, it was just a crisp, ordinary morning. But as I stepped inside, the leather strap of the heavy black duffel bag cut into my shoulder like a block of lead.Beneath the silk fabric of my emerald blouse, right against my collarbone, the miniature audio transmitter felt like a brand on my skin. Every breath I took felt shallow, hyper-monitored. I knew that less than a block away, in the tinted surveillance van parked curbside, Caspian was listening to the frantic cadence of my heartbeat.“Just breathe, Avery,” his deep, gravelly voice had promised me in his office before I left. “Let her do the talking. Let her hang herself.”I scanned the room, and there she was. Debby was seated in a secluded corner booth near the back exit, a position undoubtedly chosen so she could watch the entrance. She looked remarkably ca