Lahat ng Kabanata ng Until The Baby Is Born: CEO's Temporary Fiancee : Kabanata 81 - Kabanata 90

AT THE HOTELThe elevator doors slid open to the top floor suite, and Ivy stepped out first, her pace quick and rigid. Her spine was straight, shoulders tight, every movement controlled as if she were holding herself together by sheer will alone. The carpet beneath her heels felt too soft, too quiet. Behind her, Asher followed, his presence heavy and unmistakable, like a shadow she could not shake no matter how fast she walked.She had barely taken three steps down the corridor when a familiar voice called her name.“Ivy.”Christina came rushing toward her from the other end of the hall, worry written openly across her face. Her eyes scanned Ivy from head to toe, panic flaring the moment she noticed her pale complexion and red rimmed eyes.“Oh my God,” Christina breathed, reaching her in two strides. “Where have you been? Do you have any idea how worried we were?”Before Ivy could answer, Christina wrapped her arms tightly around her, holding her as if afraid Ivy might disappear agai

The conference room buzzed with low, controlled conversation as the final documents were slid across the polished glass table. The city skyline loomed beyond the windows, cold and distant, mirroring the mood inside. Jason sat rigid in his chair, shoulders squared, jaw set. Across from him, Christina leaned back slightly, composed, her pen resting between her fingers like a quiet challenge.One of the clients adjusted his glasses and leaned forward, fingers steepled.“So,” he said evenly, eyes sharp, “before we finalize, we need clarity. What is the final stance of Asher Cole and Eva Stone on these clauses?”Jason’s fingers stilled on the edge of the folder. The faintest muscle ticked in his jaw.Christina answered without missing a beat. “All revisions requested by Eva Stone have been accepted,” she said smoothly. “The risk distribution, exit terms, and control clauses stand as outlined. Asher Cole has agreed to proceed on that basis.”Jason’s head turned toward her, his gaze cutting.

Asher stopped just inside the doorway.For a brief moment, he did not move at all. His gaze took in the room with a soldier’s precision. Ivy stood near the bed, one hand resting on the edge of the mattress as if she had just steadied herself. Jason was a little too close, his body angled toward her in a way that immediately set something dark and possessive off in Asher’s chest.His shoulders squared slowly.“What’s going on?” he asked.His voice was calm, but the stillness in his posture carried weight. The kind that made people choose their words carefully.Jason straightened at once, as if pulled upright by instinct. He ran a hand down the front of his trousers, wiping his palms, grounding himself. Whatever raw emotion had been there earlier was gone now, locked away behind composure.“Nothing,” he said evenly. “We were just talking.”Asher’s eyes flicked to Ivy immediately, searching her face. Not Jason’s. Hers. He read tension in the tightness of her mouth, the way her fingers cu

The night air was thick with lingering music and the faint scent of expensive perfume. Ivy leaned against the hood of Asher’s car in the dimly lit parking lot, arms crossed, her eyes scanning the rows of vehicles. She was waiting for him. The party had been long, crowded, full of eyes and whispers she had no interest in. He was finishing up some last minute handshakes.Her thoughts barely had time to settle when a sharp, mocking voice cut through the night. “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Samantha stepped out from behind a black SUV, her high heels clicking against the asphalt. The grin on her face was cruel, triumphant.Ivy did not flinch. She rolled her eyes at the pathetic attempt to intimidate her. “We? As in you and your fragile ego?” Ivy replied, her perfectly arched eyebrows lifting in sarcastic challenge.“Bitch, I'm going to destroy you again. Worse than last time.” Samantha hissed, she was acting like a wounded cat. Ivy’s lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile.

“I can’t do without you,” he murmured. “Not tonight, not ever.”Ivy’s heart tightened at the words, emotions tangled, raw, and undeniable. “Then don’t,” she whispered, letting herself be pulled fully into him.Without a word, Asher wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her effortlessly into his embrace. Ivy's legs instinctively curled around his hips, her arms looping around his neck as she nestled against his chest. She could hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, strong and reassuring, as he carried her toward the hallway leading to the bedroom. The motion was smooth, protective, his hands supporting her with a firmness that spoke of possession, as if she were the most precious thing he held.Ivy pressed her cheek to his shoulder, inhaling the familiar scent of his cologne mixed with the subtle musk of his skin. “I've missed holding you like this,” she whispered, her breath warm against his neck. Asher's response was a soft hum, his lips brushing the top of her head in a ten