All Chapters of Crown and Consequences- Falling for the hunted billionaire: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

182 Chapters

Chapter 51

Aria's PovI don’t think I slept more than twenty minutes at a time. I kept tossing around, turning left and right and flipping my pillow in different directions but nothing helped the anxiety. My body was tired, but my mind refused to settle and every time I closed my eyes, my brain started running around. The sun felt like it took forever to go down, and when it finally did, my restlessness doubled . I swung my legs off the bed, slipped into the first comfortable outfit I found, and walked out of the room before I could convince myself to stay put. The house was quiet as I padded down the stairs, and before I even reached the bottom, I knew exactly where I was going.Rico’s study. His door was partially closed and light spilled from underneath it. I knocked twice and pushed it open when he said, “Come in.”He was at his desk, sleeves rolled up and glasses halfway down his nose. And he looked up at me immediately I stepped in.“Hey,” I said. “Hey.”“I’m ready,” He blinked. “For w

Last Updated : 2025-12-04

Chapter 52 : The First Lie

Aria’s POVThe night didn’t end when the screams faded.It softened.That was the only way I could describe it, the way the lake continued to glow quietly under the stars, the way the breeze skimmed the surface of the water, the way Rico’s hand stayed warm and steady at the small of my back as if he were anchoring me to something real. Something safe.A girl.The word kept echoing in my head, folding into everything else, my heartbeat, my breath, the weight of my body leaning slightly into his. I kept one hand on my stomach, half-expecting something to shift, as if she might feel the joy too.Juno wiped her eyes dramatically and sniffed. “I knew it,” she said. “I felt girl energy.”“You say that every time,” I muttered, still smiling through tears.“And I’m right often enough to matter,” she shot back.The lawyer, quiet, observant, and far less intimidating out here than he had been in Rico’s world of glass offices and legal warfare cleared his throat politely. “I’ll give you all some

Last Updated : 2026-01-30

Chapter 53 : Dangerous Proximity

Aria’s POVI woke to the sound of breathing.Not my own.For a split second, panic flared sharp and instinctive before I remembered where I was. The weight behind me. The arm draped over my waist. The steady rise and fall of Rico’s chest against my back.Morning light filtered through the curtains in pale streaks, painting the room in soft gold. I lay still, afraid that if I moved too much, the moment would shatter. That I’d wake fully and the calm would disappear.But it didn’t.Rico slept deeply, his face relaxed in a way I rarely saw. No tension in his jaw. No calculation in his eyes. Just a man who had allowed himself rest. For once.Carefully, I shifted onto my back. His arm tightened instinctively, hand sliding to my stomach as if even asleep, he knew where it belonged. The gesture made my chest ache.A girl.The reality hit me again, fresh and overwhelming. I pressed my palm gently over his hand and closed my eyes, breathing through the wave of emotion.She’s real. She’s ours.

Last Updated : 2026-01-30

Chapter 54 : The Price of Trust

Aria’s POVThe first thing I learned about power was that it never announced itself.It slipped in quietly, disguised as routine.By the third day after the reveal, the estate no longer felt like a refuge. It felt like a headquarters. Men rotated shifts with clipped nods and quiet efficiency. Phones rang and stopped ringing. Rico’s presence shifted still gentle with me, still attentive but there was a sharpened edge beneath it, like a blade sheathed just under skin.I felt it everywhere.Even in the mirrors.I stood in the bathroom that morning, studying my reflection longer than usual. My stomach had begun to curve more distinctly now, no longer something I could hide behind loose dresses or posture. I rested a hand over it, breathing slowly.A girl.My girl.And somewhere out there, a man I had never met was already trying to use her name as leverage.The thought ignited something hot and unfamiliar in my chest.Anger, yes but also clarity.I dressed deliberately that day. Not for c

Last Updated : 2026-01-30

Chapter 55 : Beneath the Billionaire Mask

Aria’s POVThe announcement went live at precisely nine a.m.I watched the screen from the study as headlines populated one by one, the words sharp and unmistakable.ZANE DYNASTY LAUNCHES NEW FOUNDATION IN UNBORN HEIR’S NAME.ARÍA LANE STEPS INTO PUBLIC ROLE ALONGSIDE CEO RICO ZANE.TRANSPARENCY, EQUITY, LEGACY: A SHIFT INSIDE ZANE INDUSTRIES.My pulse thudded in my ears.Rico stood beside me, one hand braced on the desk, the other resting lightly at my back. He hadn’t touched the keyboard. This had been my moment to push the final button.“Are you sure?” he’d asked earlier, eyes searching mine.“Yes,” I’d answered without hesitation. And I’d meant it.Now the world knew.The foundation’s website was live clean, uncompromising, impossible to hijack without consequence. Independent trustees listed by name. Oversight committees. Clear language that left no room for shadows. My daughter’s name her name anchored to something good and untouchable.Juno appeared on the screen in a small win

Last Updated : 2026-01-30

Chapter 56 : A Deal with the Devil

Aria’s POVThe first rule of war, I learned quickly, was this silence was never empty.It was crowded with intent.By morning, the message from the night before had already done its work. Rico’s team moved with sharper urgency, voices low, steps measured. The estate felt like a held breath. I sensed it even before Dane confirmed it.“He’s testing perimeter access,” Dane said as we walked the east corridor. “Digital first. Then physical.”“Like a predator circling,” I murmured.“Yes,” Dane replied grimly. “Waiting for weakness.”I stopped walking and turned to him. “Then we don’t give him one.”Dane studied me for a second really studied me before nodding. “You’ve changed.”“So have the stakes,” I said simply.Later that morning, Rico and I sat across from each other in the study, legal documents spread between us like pieces on a chessboard. The foundation had triggered reactions exactly as we’d predicted. Asset transfers frozen. Proxy companies collapsing in on themselves. But with e

Last Updated : 2026-01-30

Chapter 57 : What Rico Isn’t Saying

Aria’s POVThe plan took shape in layers.Not rushed. Not emotional. Precise.That was the first thing Rico insisted on after I said the words draw him out. We didn’t argue not really. We circled the idea like predators testing distance, weighing consequence against necessity.By dawn, the decision had hardened into strategy.I would attend the gala.Publicly.Alone but not unprotected.The Zane Legacy Summit was scheduled for the following evening, an exclusive event dripping in power and optics. CEOs. Politicians. Philanthropists. Media carefully curated. It was exactly the kind of place a man obsessed with legacy and symbolism wouldn’t be able to resist.“He’ll come,” Juno said over video call, eyes sharp behind her glasses. “If not personally, then through a proxy.”“And Elena?” I asked.“She’s already confirmed attendance,” Juno replied. “Which means this is coordinated.”Rico stood behind me, hands resting lightly on my shoulders. I could feel the tension in him, coiled tight be

Last Updated : 2026-01-30

Chapter 58 : Corporate Games

Aria’s POVFear is loud when it first arrives.It crashes through your body, rattles your bones, makes everything sharp and too bright. But once you survive it once you stare it down and realize it didn’t kill you fear changes.It becomes quiet.Calculating.That was where I was the morning after the gala.I woke before dawn, the city still half-asleep beyond the glass walls of the penthouse. Rico lay beside me, one arm draped protectively over my waist, his breathing deep but restless. Even in sleep, he was guarding.I stared at the ceiling, replaying every word, every look from the third brother. The way his eyes lingered. The way he smiled when I didn’t flinch.He hadn’t come to threaten me.He’d come to measure me.And I’d passed his test.Carefully, I shifted, placing my hand over Rico’s. He stirred immediately.“You’re awake,” he murmured, voice rough.“I didn’t really sleep,” I admitted.He propped himself up on one elbow, studying my face. “Talk to me.”I turned toward him. “H

Last Updated : 2026-01-30

Chapter 59 : Lines in the Dark

Aria’s POVThe city was alive that evening, the streets glittering with reflections of streetlamps and neon signs, but I barely noticed. Every step toward the private terrace where Rico had arranged the security briefing felt heavier than the last. My stomach was tight, the kind of tension that came when you were standing on the edge of a cliff one wrong move and you could fall.I glanced down at my dress, dark navy with subtle gold embroidery, meant to be understated yet elegant enough to keep all eyes on me. My fingers smoothed it unconsciously as I walked beside Rico, who was already scanning the perimeter with Dane at his side. He noticed my hesitation, and without asking, his hand brushed lightly against mine. Just a touch, but enough to ground me.“You ready for this?” he asked quietly, his voice low so that only I could hear.“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” I said.He didn’t reply. Instead, he gave me a brief nod and gestured toward the terrace. The moonlight spilled over the g

Last Updated : 2026-01-30

Chapter 60 : The Woman They Underestimated

Aria’s POVThe morning air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of the city, the tang of steel, coffee, and something faintly green from the park below. I sat by the window of my study, the growing sun spilling light across my desk, yet the warmth didn’t reach the tension knotted in my shoulders.Rico hadn’t spoken much since last night, and neither had I. That encounter with the third brother lingered like a shadow across my thoughts. I could replay it endlessly, examining his every word, his measured movements, the subtle threats that hid behind civility. He wasn’t overtly dangerous not yet. But he had the kind of patience that made a predator terrifying. And I knew patience like that could wait years if necessary.“Aria,” Rico’s deep voice broke my train of thought. He was standing in the doorway, arms folded, a faint crease between his brows. “You’re thinking too much.”“I’m planning,” I corrected, without looking up. “Big difference.”“You’re obsessed,” he said softly, walking ove

Last Updated : 2026-01-30

...

4 5 6 7 8

...

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP