บททั้งหมดของ The Billionaire's Blueprint : บทที่ 41 - บทที่ 50

~042The Serpent's GalaA storm brewed over Versailles the night of the gala. Rain misted the ancient stone of the Laurent estate-an opulent château surrounded by hedges too manicured to be natural. Security drones buzzed overhead, subtle but constant.Bella stepped out of the car dressed in a sapphire silk gown that clung to her curves and spilled to the floor like liquid midnight. Beside her, Xavier wore a sharply tailored black tuxedo, his presence commanding even before they stepped into the light.Inside, the ballroom glittered with chandeliers and danger. Crystal glasses clinked, and the air was heavy with perfume and pretense. Power brokers and socialites whispered in corners, their laughter tight, their smiles sharper than any blade."Keep your comms hidden," Elodie's voice whispered through the earpiece concealed in Bella's earring. "And stay in line of sight. No hero moves unless necessary."Bella didn't respond. She scanned the room with a gaze trained in both fashion and t

~044Ghosts in the GlassXavier stood in front of the mirror, half-dressed and scowling at his own reflection. His tie refused to cooperate."You look like a billionaire James Bond having a bad tie day," Bella said, stepping into the room with her tea in hand and a smirk dancing on her lips.He shot her a playful glare. "This tie is defective."Bella set her cup down, walked over, and began retying it. "It's not defective. You're just impatient. And possibly a little dramatic.""I'm not dramatic.""You say, while frowning at a necktie like it owes you money."Despite the tension humming beneath the surface-plans to confront the board, a missing sister, threats still looming-there was something grounding in the way they moved together. Even in chaos, there was comfort."You tied this on our first day at LV," he murmured.Bella nodded, smoothing the knot. "And you scolded me for touching you without permission.""You were in my personal space."She leaned in. "And now I live in it."He

~046 Looking GlassThe descent to the lowest levels of the LV Tower was unlike anything Bella had experienced. The freight elevator groaned with age, dim emergency lights casting flickers across the walls as it sank below sub-basement levels. With each clank of the gears, the temperature dropped.Xavier stood beside her, silent, focused. Darius and Elodie were behind them, both armed. No one spoke.Finally, the elevator shuddered to a stop.A steel door greeted them, marked only with a barely visible engraving: "Project Looking Glass."Bella stepped forward. The biometric scanner blinked red, then shifted green as Xavier's hand pressed to it. The door slid open with a hiss.Inside was a corridor made of smooth white panels, lit by cold blue light. The silence was oppressive. Their footsteps echoed.At the corridor's end, a laboratory unfolded-vast, sterile, gleaming. Rows of sealed glass capsules lined the walls, some empty, others pulsing faintly. Holographic interfaces hovered over

~048Echo ChamberThe conference room was dark, except for the soft glow of a dozen screens and the pulsing lines of code flowing like blood vessels across each one. Mirabel sat at the head of the table, her hair swept back into a tight braid, fingers flying across a backlit keyboard like she was conducting a symphony.Bella stood behind her, arms crossed protectively across her bump. Xavier hovered nearby, watching the interface unfold with barely concealed tension."This is more than just data," Mirabel said after a while. "It's an imprint.""What do you mean?" Xavier asked."She encoded a living version of her mind," Mirabel said, tapping a screen to bring up a scan. "Celeste didn't just store memories-she preserved herself. Thoughts, emotions, instinctual reactions. This isn't just a record. It's an echo of a person.""An echo that thinks," Bella murmured.Mirabel nodded. "And maybe even evolves."The room went silent.Finally, Ghost leaned over the table. "So we're talking about

~050Ghost ProtocolThe waves rocked gently beneath the hull of the speedboat as the team drifted toward the marina on the French Riviera. Dawn streaked the sky with soft pinks and oranges, casting gold over the water's ripples. Smoke from Château Alvaine still curled in the distance, a pillar marking the fall of one empire.Bella sat wrapped in a thick coat, her eyes closed, one hand resting on her belly. Every movement of her daughter felt like a tiny rebellion against everything they had just witnessed.Xavier watched her silently, his own thoughts storming behind tired eyes. Darius stood near the stern, scanning their rear with binoculars, while Ghost worked the boat's controls with impressive focus for someone who hadn't slept in over 36 hours.Elodie approached with a tablet. "We've scrubbed the footage from every security feed, and Clara purged the metadata from our jump location. No trace. As far as anyone knows, Château Alvaine collapsed due to structural failure."Darius gru