A Wife For Seven Days のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 131 - チャプター 140

Xander buttoned his suit jacket, eyes briefly meeting Tatiana’s again — and something caught in his chest. For a moment, the world blurred into silence. His heartbeat — steady seconds ago — kicked up, a low thrum beneath his ribs. It wasn’t nerves. It wasn’t anger. It was something else entirely — something he couldn’t name. He looked at her — really looked at her. The woman standing by the projector wasn’t the same Tatiana he remembered — the quiet, composed employee who once avoided confrontation. This one — Evelyn Rathford — was fire restrained in glass. Controlled. Polished. Dangerous in the most elegant way possible. His stomach tightened, a strange flutter rising with every breath she took. The way she spoke — calm, deliberate, with an ease that silenced a room — it wasn’t just confidence; it was mastery. How did she know so much? How did she command an entire boardroom like she’d been born for it? This wasn’t Tatiana. It couldn’t be. Tatiana had been

The office door burst open before Xander could even ask the person to enter. Selena stormed in, heels striking the floor like gunshots. Her eyes were red, rimmed with exhaustion, anger, and something close to panic. “So this is it?” she breathed, her voice shaking as she slammed a folder onto his desk. “You humiliate me in front of everyone, Xander? You—my husband.” Xander didn’t say a word, but his jaw was tight as he sat in his chair. Selena’s voice was breaking. "That woman humiliated me..." “Leave Evelyn out of this!" His voice thundered. He gazed at Selena with an icy cold stare, which made Selena’s heart break. How he said it—that name alone—how could he defend another woman without a second thought? Apart from Tatiana, she had thought he had no ounce of protectiveness toward any woman. But the possessive demeanor he just used to defend Evelyn was nerve-wracking. “You humiliated yourself, Selena. I warned you about this project. You insisted you could handle it after

Xander’s expression softened despite himself, the corners of his mouth curving. For the first time all day, the hardness in his face cracked into something warm. He leaned back slightly, studying her — the sleek black suit, the understated gold accessories, the confident sway that said she hadn’t come back to ask for permission. His gaze lingered a second too long — tracing the scar of six years — before he caught himself. Freda caught it too. Her smile deepened. “Still the same, I see,” she said dryly. “Eyes first, then words later.” He coughed lightly, feigning composure. “You didn’t exactly give me time to adjust,” he said, a rare hint of humor threading through his cool tone. “I thought you were still overseas.” “I was,” she said, stepping closer, her tone turning businesslike but still teasing at the edges. “But when I got your message saying it was important I return, I didn’t think you’d want me delaying at the airport.” Xander’s gaze sharpened slightly. “You didn't sto

Freda’s hand lingered on the door.“You took me as your sister yet didn’t pick me up at the airport,” she said flatly, her voice sharp. “All in the name of that ‘meeting,’ I suppose.”Xander glanced up, his expression unreadable, though a flicker of curiosity passed through his eyes. “You never told me you were coming in the first place.”Freda blinked, disbelief crossing her face. “Oh, I didn’t? Maybe if you had been less busy staring at your phone, you’d have seen my messages. But what can I say…”Xander pulled his phone from his jacket pocket. Three unread messages from Freda blinked silently. His lips twitched in a faint, rueful grin.“I understand,” Freda added smoothly, masking the irritation in her voice. “I know you didn’t want distractions.”Xander leaned back in his chair, one ankle resting over the other. “If you’d allowed it,” he said, a teasing smirk tugging at his lips, “I could have sent someone to fetch you.”Freda’s brow arched, lips curling in a soft, sarcastic scoff

Liam’s eyes glinted. “You have something on you that I need.”Xander’s fingers tightened against the table’s edge. “You have nothing on me,” Xander said. “Never say never, little one, because you would end up regretting when you find out!" Liam replied smugly. Xander felt something cold crawl under his skin. "Stop being dramatic, Liam Ratford,” he demanded. He studied Xander with a strange expression — pride, bitterness, a hint of longing he quickly masked. He looks like her, Liam thought again. He has her strength. Her fire. Her stubbornness. And the memory hit him like a punch — his sister’s laugh, her warmth, her hand in his hair, telling him to “stop being dramatic,” the phone call the night she died, the silence afterwards. He pushed it down hard. This wasn’t the time to feel anything. Instead, he said, “Let’s talk business, Xander. Let’s cut to the chase. Learnt you have been looking for me. Why?” Liam’s voice cut through the stillness of the bo