Lahat ng Kabanata ng I LEFT MY EX HUSBAND AND MARRIED A BILLIONAIRE : Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 80

~MAX’S POV~The rain had stopped sometime before dawn. Meanwhile, I was standing by the window of my study, hands clasped behind my back, watching the gray light creep slowly across the skyline. I couldn't sleep all night. Every time I closed my eyes, Elena's face surfaced—angry, wounded, defiant—and behind it all, Ryder's smug smile lingered like a stain I couldn't scrub off.A soft knock on the door broke the silence.“Come in,” I said without turning.Clint stepped inside, his expression grave, a slim tablet tucked under his arm. He looked like a man who had spent the night chasing ghosts and had finally cornered one. The door closed quietly behind him.“I have it, sir,” Clint said.I turned slowly, my eyes sharp. “Everything?”Clint nodded. “More than enough, sir.”He crossed the room and placed the tablet on the table, tapping the screen until a video file opened. I leaned forward instinctively, tightening my jaw as the footage began to play.The video was grainy but unmistakable

~ELENA’S POV~Max had told me about the company's win last night. And that his father, Charles Dickson, invited the whole family to celebrate it. At first, I wanted to decline, remembering what happened the last time I appeared at the family's gathering, but then, I realized this was a sensitive situation and could signal wrong thoughts to the family if I didn't attend. So I agreed to go with him.When we arrived at the Dickson mansion, luxury cars lined the circular driveway. Laughter and music drifted from the open terrace, where the family gathered for what Charles had insisted on to be an intimate celebration—only family, no press, no outsider.I wore a deep emerald gown that hugged my frame elegantly, understated yet striking. My hair was swept back, exposing the quiet confidence in my composure. And Max wore a tailored black and red suit. He rested his hand lightly at the small of my back as we stepped into the warm glow of the gathering.The moment we entered, attention shifted

~MAX’S POV~The city lights blurred past the tinted windows of the car as it pulled away from the Dickson estate, leaving the echoes of raised voices, shattered lies and stunned faces behind us.Inside the vehicle, a heavy silence settled—ome that wasn't uncomfortable, but reflective.Clint drove with a quiet focus, both hands steady on the wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. He didn't intrude. He understood moments like this—moments that belong only to people sitting behind him.I leaned back against the leather seat, my shoulder finally relaxing for the first time that night. The tension I had carried through the gathering, through Ryder's accusations, through the gamble of my improvised defense, began to ease. Slowly. Carefully.Elena sat beside me with her hands folded in her lap, her gaze fixed on the city outside. Her reflection flickered gently against the glass—thoughtful, tired, but unmistakably relieved.We hadn't just survived it, we also won at the same time.I turned

~ELENA’S POV~“Did you sleep at all last night?” Mom asked softly, her voice a little raspy but warm, eyes staring at me carefully with the kind of concern only a mother would carry.I forced a small smile and pulled the chair close to the hospital bed. “I slept,” I replied. “Just… not deeply.”Mom sighed, shifting against the pillow. “That means something happened.”I hesitated for a second, then reached out and held my mother's hand. “Remember, I told you I was going somewhere last night?”“Yes, you did.” She replied. “So what happened?”“A lot happened, Mom,” I said.“That family gathering,” Mom said carefully. “It didn't go smoothly, did it?”I let out a slow breath. “It was fine… until it wasn't.”I leaned back in my chair as I gathered thoughts in my head. The memories of the night before came rushing back—the laughter, the champagne glass clinking, the praise Max received, the pride that had warmed my chest. And then Ryder's voice, slicing through it all like a blade.“That's b

~MAX’S POV~I took Clint, my personal assistant, out for lunch. But the sole purpose for this outing wasn't only to eat but to discuss business and other issues at hand.I needed to find a better spot because, for now, the office isn't a safe space to discuss delicate issues, knowing very well that the enemy were at every corner waiting for the opportunity to devour their prey. So I sourced a Chinese restaurant, sitting tucked between two glass towers in the heart of the city, discreet and understated, the kind of place where deals were discussed in lowered voices and decisions were made over porcelain cups of tea rather than loud celebrations. Red lanterns glowed softly above the polished wooden tables, their lights reflecting off dark lacquered walls etched with ancient calligraphy. The air carried the warm scent of ginger, soy, and star anise—comforting, steady, and deliberate.I sat in a private booth near the back. My posture looked relaxed, but my eyes were on alert, always tak