Semua Bab Once my Wife: Bab 121 - Bab 130

The War Room, once Jason’s fortress of control, now felt like a graveyard of broken promises. The hum of the servers was the only sound left after hours of shouting, accusations, and silence heavy enough to crush a man’s chest.Jason stood in the middle of it all—his tie loosened, his eyes bloodshot, his expression stripped of command. He looked less like a CEO and more like a man who had lost everything except the guilt holding him upright.He spoke softly, the words trembling out of him like a confession.Jason: “You’re right, Bella. You’ve always been right. I’m sorry.”His voice cracked. “I let the fear consume me. I thought I was protecting you—protecting us—but all I did was destroy the trust holding this together.”He walked over to the central computer, the screen reflecting his worn face like a mirror he could no longer avoid. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, trembling. Then, with slow, deliberate motions, he began wiping the drives one by one. Files disappeared, years

They met Elena in a glass tower that pretended not to stare at the river. Her office smelled of polished wood and iced water. She never smiled unless a plan needed polishing.“Elena,” Bella said, sliding into the chair opposite the lawyer. “We have a problem that’s legal on the face of it, and lethal behind the curtains.”“Talk,” Elena said, putting down her glass. She didn’t have the theatricality of shock; she had the efficiency of judgment.“Cerberus,” Bella said. “And Bannon.”“Elena’s eyebrows didn’t move. She had read richer crime novels for relaxation. “Cerberus is a ghost, Bella. It’s a web of shell companies, trusts, and private foundations. It looks like a fortress because its couriers are invisible.”“How do you attack that?” Bella asked. “We can’t sue a phantom.”“You embarrass it.” Elena said the word like it was a surgical tool. “Every ghost has a face when it wants to show off. They throw parties. They like to vet people. They need theatre.”“You mean a black-tie event?

The handshake looked warm from a distance — practiced, polite, even friendly. But up close, it was anything but.Robert Bannon’s grip was firm and deliberate, the kind of handshake meant to send a message: I’m in control. His smile didn’t reach his eyes, and the calm in his tone was the kind that made Jason Reed’s instincts flare red.The room itself mirrored that tension — polished marble floors, golden chandeliers, champagne glasses glinting beneath soft jazz. Every conversation felt rehearsed, every laugh a performance. The launch event for the Bannon Foundation’s “New Cities Initiative” wasn’t about charity or progress. It was about power — and tonight, Jason and Bella had walked right into its nest.Robert turned slightly, the movement smooth, almost predatory. “A genuine pleasure, Jason,” he said, his voice carrying that rich, velvety authority of a man who owned every room he entered. “Lila is a remarkable young woman. Ethan speaks highly of her vision. We believe strongly in f

The café was quiet enough to hear the spoon clink against the edge of a coffee cup. Outside, the low hum of city traffic mixed with the rustle of leaves from Central Park. Bella sat near the back corner, hidden from the crowd. The smell of roasted beans filled the air, but she barely tasted her drink. She’d been waiting—heart tight, mind racing—when Elena finally slid into the seat across from her.Elena didn’t waste time. Her sharp eyes darted once toward the window before she reached into her leather bag and pulled out a thick, sealed folder. She set it down gently, like a bomb waiting to go off.Elena (quietly): “You were right to ask about Bannon. I’ve been digging into his periphery—every hidden record, every sealed settlement. The man’s not just powerful, Bella. He’s engineered that way. Legally bulletproof. Financially sterile. A fortress in a suit.”She pushed the file across the table.Bella (hesitant): “And you found a crack?”Elena leaned back, folding her arms.Elena: “Twe

The elevator doors opened with a sharp hiss, and Jason burst into the penthouse like a storm breaking glass. His breath was shallow, his pulse hammering against the edge of control. The world outside glittered—towers of light and power—but inside, everything was still. Too still.His sleek Italian loafers made no sound on the marble floor. Every step was a quiet explosion of dread.“Jason—” Bella’s voice caught in her throat as she hurried in after him, her heels clicking once before she kicked them off to move faster. “What are you doing?”Jason didn’t answer. He went straight for the bookshelf.That damned, elegant bookshelf. The one that hid their War Room—their secret heart, their digital fortress, their home.But now it was poison.Robert Bannon’s voice echoed in Jason’s head like the echo of a loaded gun:“Every time you open that shelf, my network receives a ping.”A ping.A heartbeat.A signal to their enemy.Their safe haven had been a silent bomb all along.Jason’s hands wer