Semua Bab The billionaire's secret baby : Bab 21 - Bab 30

AVAI was picking at my breakfast when she sat down across from me. The woman was maybe forty, with graying brown hair and intelligent eyes that seemed too alert for someone in this place."You're the new one. The kidnapper."I looked up from my untouched eggs. "Excuse me?""That's what they're calling you in the files. Mother who tried to kidnap her own child." She took a bite of toast. "I'm Sarah.""Ava.""I know. Word travels fast here." Sarah leaned forward slightly. "How long have you been taking the medication?""Six days.""Still feeling foggy?""Like I'm swimming through cotton."Sarah nodded knowingly. "Risperidone and lorazepam, right? Maybe some mood stabilizers thrown in?""How do you know that?""Because we all get the same cocktail. Keeps us nice and docile for therapy sessions."I studied her face. Despite being here, Sarah seemed sharp, focused. Not like the other patients who shuffled around in medicated hazes."You seem pretty alert for someone on medication."Sarah

The penthouse felt different without Marcus. Liam stood at his office window, watching the morning traffic crawl through Manhattan streets below. The silence in the apartment was too thick, too empty. Marcus had been more than security, he'd been a steady presence, someone Liam trusted completely.Now he was gone, and Liam couldn't shake the feeling that he'd made a terrible mistake."Second thoughts?" Victoria's voice came from behind him. She entered his office carrying two cups of coffee, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor."No," Liam said, but his voice lacked conviction. "You were right. He was working against us."Victoria set a cup on his desk and moved to stand beside him at the window. "I know it's hard. You trusted him for years. But the evidence was clear, secret phone calls, unauthorized access to security areas, helping Ava plan her escape."Liam nodded, but something twisted in his gut. "The replacement starts today?""Derek Matthews. Excellent credentials. He work

AVAI woke up to the sound of water dripping somewhere in the darkness. My head felt like someone had split it open with an axe, and when I tried to sit up, the world spun sideways."Easy." A gentle hand pressed against my shoulder. "You've been unconscious for eighteen hours."The voice belonged to a woman I'd never seen before. She was Asian, maybe forty, with kind eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses. She wore scrubs, but not the sterile white ones from Willowbrook. These were soft blue, like the sky I hadn't seen in weeks."Where am I?" My throat felt like sandpaper."Safe. That's what matters right now." She handed me a cup of water. "I'm Dr. Sarah Chen. I used to work at Willowbrook until I discovered what they were really doing there."I drank the water slowly, trying to make sense of my surroundings. We were in some kind of underground room with concrete walls and exposed pipes along the ceiling. Medical equipment hummed quietly in the corners, and I could hear voices talking softl

AVADr. Chen led me down a different corridor than the one I'd seen before. This hallway had thicker doors with electronic locks, and I could hear the hum of serious computer equipment behind the walls."The women you met earlier are the ones we've helped escape," Dr. Chen said, stopping at a heavy metal door. "But there are others here. Women who've been fighting this network longer than you can imagine."She pressed her palm to a scanner, and the door clicked open. Inside was a room that looked more like a war room than a hiding place. Multiple computer screens covered one wall, showing security feeds, financial records, and what looked like surveillance photos. Three women sat at workstations, their faces illuminated by the blue glow of their monitors."Ladies, I'd like you to meet Ava Cross."The first woman to turn around made my breath catch. She was elegant, with silver hair pulled back in a perfect bun, wearing a pearl necklace that probably cost more than my old apartment. Sh

VICTORIAI stood over Liam's unconscious body, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. The tranquilizer dart had done its job perfectly. His face looked almost peaceful in sleep, nothing like the broken man who'd discovered the truth about his precious Isabella just minutes ago."Clean this up," I told my men, stepping over the scattered files. "And make sure he stays unconscious for at least six hours. I have work to finish."The apartment felt different now that all my secrets were out in the open. No more pretending to be the devoted mistress. No more fake tears or manufactured sympathy. After five long years of playing a role, I could finally be myself again.Anna Volkov. Not Victoria Cross, the identity I'd stolen from a dead woman in Prague.I walked to the window and looked out at the city sprawling below. Somewhere out there, Ava was probably celebrating her rescue, thinking she'd escaped the worst of it. Poor fool. She had no idea that her suffering was just beginning