Semua Bab Married to my Arrogant Sponsor : Bab 41 - Bab 50

Ava stared at the flash drive again. It sat on the nightstand, no bigger than her thumb, but it carried a weight she couldn’t name.She hadn’t opened it. Not fully. Not yet.But something about it haunted her the feeling that she was holding the match and the gasoline at the same time. That what lay inside had the power to burn down everything. Maybe even herself.Grayson walked into the bedroom, towel slung around his shoulders, hair damp from a shower. He paused when he saw her sitting there, back straight, eyes locked on the tiny silver device.“You okay?” he asked, voice soft but cautious.She looked up too quickly, blinking. “Yeah. Just thinking.”He gave her a slow nod, like he didn’t quite believe her, but didn’t want to press. “If you want to talk”“I know,” she cut in.And that was it. No more words exchanged.When he left the room again, Ava moved fast. Slipped the flash drive into her jacket

The press was ruthless.They called her the silent wife turned whistleblower. They labeled her brave, dangerous, calculating. Headlines painted her as both heroine and villain, a woman who’d torn the veil off an empire and bled truth onto the floor.Photos of Ava in long black coats, walking out of courtrooms and into cafés, flooded the internet. Paparazzi lined the streets outside the Wolfe estate. Online forums dissected everything from her voice to her motives. Some praised her courage. Others questioned her integrity. But no one was silent about her.Inside the mansion, everything felt still.Grayson hadn’t said much in days. He watched the news with the same detached expression he wore during board meetings. But his fingers twitched every time Ava’s name was mentioned. And it was always mentioned.Ava barely left the house.She turned off all her notifications. Deleted the apps. Refused to open any messages unless Luisa flag

Ava was invited to speak at a private panel hosted by women in media and law.She didn’t want to go.The invitation had arrived in a heavy cream envelope, with gold embossing and a handwritten note at the bottom that read, “Your voice matters more now than ever.”Still, Ava hesitated.She stared at it for two days, letting it sit unopened on the nightstand like a loaded weapon. The idea of standing in front of strangers again, being dissected, quoted, and spun into a headline it drained her.But then Luisa, always the grounding force in her life, looked her in the eyes and said, “You’ve come this far. You owe it to yourself to stand tall now.”Ava knew she was right.So she said yes.The day of the panel arrived, and the sky was grey, but not stormy. That strange kind of overcast that makes everything feel like it’s holding its breath.Ava wore a cream suit with a silk blouse beneath. No flashy colors.

The envelope was thicker than usual. Heavy with consequence.Ava stared at it for hours before opening it, her thumb tracing the return address again and again: State Judiciary Board. When she finally slid her nail under the seal and unfolded the papers inside, her breath caught.Subpoena to appear in closed court. Confidential. Anonymous testimony requested.Her name wasn’t printed anywhere, but she knew this was for her.The hearing was regarding corporate practices within Wolfe International and other linked subsidiaries. It was a quiet investigation, held behind closed doors to protect sensitive reputations, high powered legacies, and if Ava dared to hope women like her.The silence in the room felt suffocating. She folded the letter again and placed it in the drawer, burying it beneath the notebooks that once held wedding plans that were never real.Grayson was on the phone in the next room, voice low and distant. She knew h

The walls of the mansion were quieter than usual.Not the kind of quiet that soothes. The kind that hums beneath your skin, pressing on your ribs like a weight.Ava had barely seen Grayson all day.He’d spent most of it in his study, behind a locked door, taking calls in clipped tones, murmuring about crisis strategy and PR fallout. The fallout wasn’t just public anymore it was personal. Every hour brought another headline. Another angry investor. Another whisper that maybe the Wolfe legacy had finally met its reckoning.Dinner was set at the long dining table. But only two plates.Luisa had tried to light candles, hoping the softness would make something feel normal. But the light only cast longer shadows.Ava sat at the far end. Grayson took his seat across from her.The space between them felt like a mile.They ate in silence. Forks clinked against porcelain. Neither touched their wine.Halfway throu