Semua Bab The Heir Clause: Bab 71 - Bab 80

The waiter had just refilled their glasses when Caliste leaned back, finally allowing herself to relax. Leina was in the middle of a funny story about her disastrous fashion show abroad when a sudden shadow fell across their table.Caliste lifted her gaze.Caelum Vellaria stood there, tall and confident as ever, his tailored black suit fitting perfectly against his frame. The crisp afternoon light from the glass windows framed him like a portrait of composure and quiet authority."Caelum?" Caliste breathed, her tone a mix of surprise and confusion.Leina turned around, blinking in mild disbelief before a bright smile curved her lips. "Well, look who's here. I was just talking about you."Caelum's eyes softened at the sight of her. "Leina Montego," he said warmly, inclining his head slightly. "It's good to see you again. I wasn't expecting to bump into you twice in one day."Leina laughed lightly. "Seems like fate is insistent today."Then his gaze shifted... to Caliste. His expression

Caliste stepped out of the building, her coat pulled close around her. The streetlights reflected against the wet pavement as her heels clicked rhythmically.She was supposed to head home straight after her checkup, but her mind was elsewhere.. the result she still couldn't believe, the weight she now carried in secret.Across the street, in a black sedan parked near the curb, two men watched her closely."She leaves the office around this time every day," the driver murmured, adjusting the zoom lens of his camera. "The boss said she's under no surveillance from Velmore security. That makes our job easier."The man in the passenger seat ..the same one who visited Desmund Winslow in prison ...didn't respond at first. He simply stared at the photo of Caliste clipped to a file. "She doesn't look like a threat," he said finally.The driver smirked. "None of them do. Until they become the weapon."The passenger closed the file and said coldly, "We move soon. The order came straight from Wi

Lucian stood by the wide glass wall of his office, the city sprawling beneath him ...glittering lights, cars in motion, people hurrying somewhere they belonged.He once loved this view. It made him feel untouchable, in control.Now, it only reminded him how small everything was ...even his own heart that refused to listen to reason.He had lost.And it wasn't to another businessman, not to a rival empire... but to love."Sir," Elias, his loyal assistant, broke the silence as he entered the office, a folder in his hand. "These are the reports from the security assigned to Miss Winslow. They've been monitoring...""Stop."Lucian's voice was quiet, yet it carried the weight of finality.Elias froze, confused. "Sir?"Lucian turned, his face calm... too calm. "End it. Pull them back. No more surveillance. No reports."Elias blinked. "But… sir, your orders were to make sure she's safe. With all due respect, Miss Winslow's situation...""I said end it." Lucian's tone hardened. "She's not my

The silence that followed Lucian's departure was deafening.The heavy clang of the metal door still echoed in the vast, empty warehouse, and Caliste stared at it as if her eyes could burn a hole through it — as if she could somehow will him to come back.But he didn't.The footsteps that once brought her comfort were gone, swallowed by the night. All that remained was the faint hum of the cold wind slipping through the cracks and the suffocating weight of her own heartbeat.Her throat constricted.Her mind replayed his words again and again — She has nothing to do with me.Each time, they stabbed deeper.Each time, she felt another piece of herself crumble.She had endured betrayal, humiliation, heartbreak before… but nothing like this.This — being told she was nothing to the man she loved — tore through her like a blade of ice.Her body trembled as she struggled against the ropes. The coarse fiber dug into her wrists, but she barely felt the pain. Her tears blurred her vision until

Lucian sat in silence long after Caelum stormed out, the echo of his words replaying in his mind like a curse."The child is yours."He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, drowning out Victoria's trembling voice calling his name."Lucian… say something!" she pleaded.But he didn't.He couldn't.He turned to her slowly, his expression unreadable now — the hollow look in his eyes returning, colder than before. "Please, Grandmother," he said quietly, "I need to be alone."Victoria stepped back, worry creasing her features as Lucian walked past her without another word. His footsteps echoed down the marble hall until the heavy door of his study slammed shut behind him.He leaned against the door, shutting his eyes for a brief moment — before straightening, composed yet trembling inside. His mind raced back six weeks ago… the night everything blurred. The night he couldn't remember.He strode to his desk, grabbed his phone, and called Elia