All Chapters of The Billionaire's Blueprint : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

~022The Vote That Breaks the Empire---Rain pelted the windows of the London LV executive suite like war drums.Bella stood at the long boardroom table, staring down at a digital dashboard that tracked shareholder movement in real time.Percentages fluctuated by decimals.Red and green flashed like a countdown to detonation.Lucien: 48.1%Xavier: 47.4%Only 4.5% remained in play.Three minor shareholders. One legacy trust. And one unknown swing vote - someone operating through a proxy with high-level clearance."They're stalling," Clara said, pacing. "Waiting to see who blinks first.""We can't blink," Xavier replied. "If Lucien crosses 50%, he triggers an emergency provision that lets him call for leadership restructuring even without a formal takeover."Bella's eyes didn't leave the screen.Her voice was quiet."Then we need to move faster."Clara looked up. "Unless you've got another high-net shareholder stashed under your coat, we're out of time."Bella didn't answer.Instead, s

~024Bloodlines & Boardrooms---"You're telling me this child is going to carry the Louis name?"Margaret Bluefield's voice sliced through the grand salon like glass on marble."Yes," Xavier said calmly, standing with his hands in his pockets, spine straight despite the weight in the room."Unacceptable," Henri Louis said from the opposite end, barely glancing at his son. "Not while the bloodlines are diluted with ambition."Bella, sitting in the center of the two families, felt like a chess piece trapped between two kings - both unwilling to lose and too arrogant to fold.She took a breath."I'm not a virus, Henri," she said. "And this child? It won't be your heir. It'll be ours."Henri's eyes narrowed."Do you even understand what's at stake here, girl?"Margaret bristled. "Watch your tone, Monsieur Louis.""Oh please," Henri snapped. "You Bluefields married into textile fortune and decided it made you royalty. But this-" he waved a hand toward Bella's stomach, "-is not the merger

~026The Ring & the Revelation---Paris glittered below them like a spilled box of diamonds.Bella stood barefoot on the penthouse balcony, Xavier behind her, holding the box.She hadn't spoken since he knelt.Now she turned slowly, face illuminated by city lights and emotion."This isn't a distraction, is it?" she asked softly.Xavier met her gaze, unwavering. "No. It's an anchor."He opened the box.The ring inside shimmered: a single emerald surrounded by white diamonds. Bold. Unapologetic. Like her.She stared at it for a long beat, then said-"You're sure?""I'm sure of you."She held out her hand.And for the first time in all their chaos, she smiled without hesitation."Then let's burn the world together."He slipped the ring onto her finger.---The next morning, Dr. Elara Voss returned with a full diagnostic suite.She moved silently, efficiently, a shadow in pale blue scrubs and unreadable eyes."Your vitals are fluctuating," she told Bella. "I want to run additional hormon

~028Vows & Vendettas---The chapel was nearly empty.No press. No cameras. No gold-plated invitations.Just the echo of footsteps on marble, the scent of lilies, and the soft rhythm of Bella's breath as she stood beside Xavier in white silk.It was midnight.Paris slept.But in this small, candlelit chapel hidden beneath the city, they were awake in every possible way.The priest's voice was barely above a whisper."Do you, Xavier Alain Louis, take Isabella Bluefield to be your lawfully wedded wife?"He looked at her.Not the designer.Not the heiress.Not the scandal.Just her."I do."Bella blinked back tears."And do you, Isabella Bluefield, take Xavier Alain Louis to be your lawfully wedded husband?"She smiled, soft and trembling."I do."No grand applause.Just the wind against stained glass.And the quiet, sacred moment when their foreheads touched, and they whispered:"We did."---They returned to the penthouse in silence, fingers intertwined, the weight of the world moment

~030Heartbeats & Homecomings---The soft whoosh of the ultrasound machine filled the room.Bella lay still, eyes fixed on the screen as the technician guided the wand across her growing bump. The room was quiet - reverent - like a cathedral echoing with a heartbeat.Then, it came.Thump-thump. Thump-thump.The baby's heart, strong and steady.Bella smiled, her eyes glossing over.Xavier stood beside her, hand gripping hers, eyes locked on the screen like it was a galaxy unfolding in real time."She's perfect," the technician said.Bella's breath hitched. "She?"Xavier blinked. "We're having a girl?"The technician laughed. "Did you not want to know?""No," Bella said quickly. "I just... I didn't expect to cry over it."And yet - there she was, crying anyway.---Later that afternoon, the penthouse was unusually quiet.Bella sat at her design desk, sketching newborn gowns with little embroidered stars. The past weeks had drained her - emotionally, physically - but the sound of her da