All Chapters of Crown and Consequences- Falling for the hunted billionaire: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

I sat back in my chair rubbing my face. My mind wouldn’t stop racing. This whole Cassian thing was messing with my head and I genuinely wished we could just close the chapter. “I have a feeling… something isn’t right. I need to know if there’s anything I should be concerned about. Any… irregularities.” There was silence on the line. Then Javier’s tone shifted, becoming serious. “Look, I’ve gone through what I could. I checked transactions, communications, and reports. There’s nothing concrete… nothing I can point to and say ‘this is it.’ But…” His voice trailed. “There are rumors. The patterns don’t make sense but people say he might have had a hand in things that… let’s just say, don’t match your family reputation. I can not confirm anything, Rico, but… it is worth keeping an eye on him.” I ran a hand through my hair. “So, you are saying he could be involved with something dirty but you can’t prove it?” “Exactly,” Javier said. “I’ve got nothing solid. But if you want my advic

Rico's PovI stayed in the study long after Marco had left. The blinds were down so the room looked dark except for the dim desk lamp, but my mind wouldn’t settle enough to turn it off. Marco's words kept replaying in my head, sinking into my bones like ice. I needed to find a solution. Of all the things I expected tonight, this situation was nowhere on the list.I rubbed the back of my neck, pacing between the desk and the window. I should have gone back to Aria, at least to reassure her, but I couldn’t. My head wasn’t in the right place, and the last thing I wanted was to let her see me like this.I pulled out my phone and scrolled to the one name that always meant reliability. He picked up almost immediately.“Boss? Is everything alright?”“No,” I said. “I need you back here as soon as possible.”“Alright… but what happened?”I exhaled slowly and sat on the edge of the desk. “There’s a situation, I would brief you but this isn't a secure line so I can't speak about the intimate de

Aria’s POV I was in bed, eyes wide open, hand resting on the small curve of my stomach, when I heard the front door open and voices speaking. My heart started pounding so hard I felt it in my throat. All I could think was that something was happening, and if something happened to Rico, it wouldn't be good for me. There had been so much tension lately and I was worried something bad might happen. So bracing myself, I went looking. The study door was shut and the whole house was quiet. I pushed the door to his room slightly but he wasn't there so tip toeing, I wade for the stairs, terrified but determined. Just as I stepped on the last step, the door burst open. First, I froze and my eyes sharply rolled to the door but it was just Rico. He still had his still on and his hair messy. The second I saw him, relief washed over me and my knees almost buckled with relief. He looked up and saw me and something shifted in his eyes. And the next minute, he was climbing the stairs. I shou

Aria's povMy phone rang while I was still sitting on the edge of the bed trying to pull myself together after everything that happened with Rico. I reached for it lazily because I was tired and still angry, but when I looked at the caller ID, I froze.Favourite girl.That was Juno. For a second I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me and I even blinked twice to be sure. Juno had been gone for six months and the training she went for did not allow phones or calls or any kind of communication, so the last thing I expected was for her to be calling me. My throat tightened and I rushed to pick up.“Juno,” I breathed out, already sitting straighter.“Yes, baby girl, it is me,” she said and her voice was so bright and familiar that my eyes filled up immediately. “Surprise.”“Oh my God, when did you get back, Juno, what is going on, where are you, how are you calling me?” I asked everything at once and I almost laughed at how desperate I sounded.She giggled. “Calm down and breathe. I g

Rico’s POVI sat behind my desk staring at the scattered files in front of me but nothing registered, none of the numbers made sense, my mind was stuck replaying what had just happened with Aria and the confrontation earlier, her storming out of the house like I didn’t matter, like my warnings didn’t exist, like she had her own will and her own rules and I wasn’t allowed to touch them. A part of me wanted to rage, part of me wanted to call her back immediately and drag her home myself, part of me just wanted to pull my hair out and try to figure out how everything had spiraled so fast while I had been busy pretending I was in control, because clearly I wasn’t.She had said she would send me the location once she got it but nothing came, not a single message. So I tried to call her instead. But for everytime I tried,it went straight to voicemail, each time I felt my chest tighten, my stomach churn, each time the frustration edged closer to panic and I gritted my teeth and realized I co