Semua Bab Terms and Temptations: The CEO spoils me silly: Bab 131 - Bab 138

Xander’s POV If I’d learned anything in the past few months, it was that peace was a luxury—not a guarantee. Not when your wife was being hunted by ghosts from her past. Not when those ghosts were still alive, breathing, scheming. And definitely not when one of those ghosts was Diane. She hadn't resurfaced publicly yet, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t moving. Every time something good happened—Emma’s pregnancy, her comeback at Belle & Hue, even our quiet evenings together—I felt her shadow slinking behind it all. I needed to know what she was planning. --- Danielle knocked on my office door. “I’ve got something,” she said, stepping inside and tossing a manila folder on my desk. I flipped it open. “What is it?” “Diane has been meeting with a private investor in secret. Guy’s name is Leonard Trace. Shady as hell. Multiple offshore accounts, history of aggressive takeovers, and—wait for it—he recently bought a controlling stake in Belle & Hue’s parent company.” I sat back in

Xander’s POV I hadn’t planned to visit my father’s grave that afternoon. But something in me needed quiet. Not silence. Quiet. The kind that wraps around your shoulders without pressing on your chest. The kind that lets your thoughts settle instead of suffocate. Emma had fallen asleep beside me during our drive back from the interview taping, hand resting on her stomach. Her body, so small, now carried two hearts. Two lives. And I knew that when she woke up, she’d pretend she wasn’t tired. She’d push herself. Smile through the storm. Be brave for the world. But I knew her brave came at a cost. So while she slept, I let the driver detour. The cemetery gates were open. The air held that bittersweet crispness that comes with impending fall. I walked the winding path to the plot I knew by heart. Alexander Blake Sr. Beloved husband. Respected entrepreneur. A man of vision. And underneath all that… A father I never fully understood. I stood there for a while, hands in my coat

Emma’s POV The Blake Estate looked like something out of a dream. Twinkling lights danced through the trees like fireflies. A string quartet played something soft and elegant under a white canopy adorned with wildflowers and golden drapes. There were crystal flutes of non-alcoholic rosé, gourmet finger foods shaped like tiny animals, and—because it was Danielle—three separate photo booths, each with its own “vibe.” Bohemian Luxe didn’t even begin to cover it. It was magic. “Tell me again this isn’t a wedding,” I muttered as I stepped out of the car. Xander chuckled beside me and took my hand. “Because you didn’t wear white this time.” I smirked, then immediately flinched. “Ugh. She’s kicking again.” “Or protesting all the attention,” he said. We walked through the garden arch together, hand in hand. Guests turned. Smiled. Cameras flashed, but for once I didn’t feel the need to flinch or duck away. This wasn’t like the forced events we used to attend. This felt… warm. Intent

Diane’s POV They think I’ve lost. They think I’m crawling in the shadows, licking my wounds. They think betrayal has finally caught up with me. Let them think that. Because when people think you’re broken, they stop watching your hands. And that’s when you strike. I watched from the tinted window of the black car as Emma’s face flashed across a news screen outside a storefront. Glowing. Smiling. Pregnant. Of course, they hadn’t announced it yet — but I could tell. Her face had changed. Softer around the edges. Protective. I knew that look. I had once worn it too. Before the world chewed me up and spat me out. Before I learned that kindness doesn’t save you. Power does. And I will never be powerless again. --- “She believes you betrayed Robert.” The voice beside me was smooth as silk. Male. Deep. Dangerous. I didn’t flinch. “Of course she does. That was the point.” “She doesn’t know what you’re planning, does she?” I turned to him — to him, the man I’d partnered with