บททั้งหมดของ The Billionaire's Blueprint : บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

~031Secrets on the steps ---The Sorbonne looked exactly as she remembered.Stone steps worn by centuries of brilliance. Ivy curling along aged columns. And the distant hum of students rushing to futures they hadn't yet ruined.Bella stood near the base, coat wrapped tightly around her growing belly, eyes scanning the crowd.Then - she saw her.Celeste.Same honey-blonde hair. Same nervous posture. But older. Shadowed. Like someone who had lived through fire but wasn't sure if she'd come out whole.Celeste gave a tentative smile and nodded toward a bench off to the side.They sat in silence for a few moments.Then Bella broke it."Why now?"Celeste exhaled. "Because I should've told you back then. And because I know what you're about to do - and you deserve the full truth before you burn him."Bella's jaw tightened. "I already know enough. He drugged me. Sabotaged my pregnancy. Stole my work-""No," Celeste said quietly. "He stole you."Bella froze. "What?"Celeste pulled a small re

~033The Court of Public Opinion---Bella stood in front of the camera, her back straight, one hand resting on the curve of her belly.No lights.No makeup.Just her.Live.Streaming across the world."Good evening," she began, her voice low, deliberate. "I wasn't going to speak again. I thought my work, my words, my actions - would be enough. But clearly, truth needs a microphone."Thousands were already watching.The numbers ticked higher by the second."Last week, a video was released claiming I had a public breakdown. It showed a single moment - no context, no sound - edited to suggest I was unstable. That moment? Was me standing up to someone who threatened my child."Her jaw tightened."And the same person who leaked that video is the same one trying to take custody of my daughter."She paused.Then raised a printed page to the camera.An affidavit.Signed. Stamped. Traced."Lucien Louis. Margaret Bluefield. Multiple violations. Forged documents. Doctored reports. Illegal acces

~035The Press Conference That Never Was---The cameras were already rolling.A dozen reporters waited in the LV Group press room - microphones poised, phones blinking, hungry for Xavier Louis to make a statement that would define the company's future.Only... he wasn't there.Bella stood backstage, one hand on her belly, the other gripping the edge of the podium like it could anchor her."He said he'd come," she whispered to Clara.Clara, who had been checking her phone every ten seconds, said nothing. Her eyes were tired. Hollow.The stage manager signaled.Bella inhaled deeply - and stepped into the light.---Across the city, Xavier sat in a locked boardroom surrounded by polished shoes and silver-haired snakes.The emergency vote was underway."Mr. Louis," one of the board members said coolly, "if you refuse to distance yourself from Ms. Bluefield and her accusations, we'll be forced to reconsider your role as CEO."Xavier didn't blink."I'm not throwing her under the bus becaus

~037Trial by fire---The courtroom was colder than Bella expected.Marble floors. Glass-paneled walls. Too modern to feel like justice belonged here.But this was where her future - their future - would be decided.She sat at the defendant's table beside her attorney, nerves tightly wound beneath her emerald dress. Her fingers brushed over her stomach protectively as the judge entered.Xavier stood at her side, hand on her back. Not for show. For grounding.On the opposite side of the aisle: Margaret Bluefield, seated next to a man Bella didn't recognize - pale, severe, and wearing the unmistakable gleam of a corporate-hired lawyer.The judge, Honorable Francis LeRoux, adjusted his glasses."This hearing concerns the petition to assign temporary custody of the unborn child of Isabella Bluefield. The court will hear arguments regarding the mother's stability, living conditions, and risk factors."Bella's heart pounded. Her eyes met Xavier's for just a second.Then... the war began.-

~039When the Devil Returns---Xavier stood in the private arrivals terminal of Charles de Gaulle, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable.Outside, the night pressed hard against the glass, thick with mist and danger.Then the door opened.Darius Kane walked in like he owned the air.Tall, sharp-jawed, dressed in a dark overcoat with gloves he hadn't bothered to take off - he looked like the villain in every billionaire's worst nightmare."You look older," Xavier said dryly."You look like hell," Darius replied, flashing a grin. "We're even."Xavier didn't smile."You came fast.""You called late," Darius said, setting down a slim black duffel. "And for the record, I don't do charity. If I help you, there's going to be a price."Xavier's jaw tightened. "I'm not here to play.""No," Darius said, stepping closer. "But he is. And Lucien doesn't just play to win - he plays to bury."---Bella stood at the tall window of the penthouse, watching the city lights flicker.She couldn't s