All Chapters of Blood Ties and Billionaire Lies: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

The night hadn’t ended when I left Richard’s apartment. Hours later, a knock came. I jolted from where i sat wrapped the sofa, my face blotchy with tears. I already knew who it was.“Selena,” Richard’s voice was rough through the wood, urgent, like gravel dragged across steel. “Open the door.”I pressed my palms against my thighs, torn between slamming the door shut in his face and throwing myself into his arms. Against my better judgment, i twisted the lock.The door flew open before i could step back. Richard filled the doorway.“You can’t just walk out on me like that,” he rasped, stepping inside, his presence swallowing the small space of my apartment.My throat burned. “I should. You’ve already decided everything for us.”“No.” His hands framed my face suddenly, thumbs brushing over my damp skin as though he could erase the tears he had caused. “Don’t twist this. I’m begging you, Selena, come with me. To Milan. Start over. With me.”I pushed his hands down, shaking my head. “I c

The airport terminal buzzed with life—rolling suitcases, clicking heels, the hum of departures and arrivals. But to me, all of it blurred into white noise. My entire focus narrowed to Richard, standing before me, his jaw tight, his eyes a storm of conflict.He was leaving.My chest squeezed painfully at the thought, but I forced myself not to crumble—not yet. I wanted to remember him like this: heartbreakingly handsome, the man who had consumed my soul.Richard’s hand lingered on my waist, his thumb brushing over my hip as if he was trying to memorize me. “Say something, Selena,” he murmured, his voice thick, the kind of voice a man used when he was holding himself together by a thread.My throat burned. Words fought to climb out, but nothing seemed enough. So instead, I surged forward, pressing my lips to his in a kiss that stole the air from my lungs.The world around us disappeared.It wasn’t just a kiss—it was desperation. His mouth devoured mine, fierce and unrestrained, his tong

The elevator dinged and i stepped out, forcing a smile I didn’t feel. Roth Enterprise buzzed around me, but every step towards my office felt like walking into an unfamiliar world. Richard’s absence was a hollow echo in every corner of my life, and the office…the one place I had always found stability suddenly felt like torture.Alia’s desk was empty, but I spotted her across the room, leaning too casually against the edge of Emma’s desk. They laughed.. quiet, and the sound made my chest tighten. Something in the air had shifted.“Selena,” Emma called smoothly, her voice syrupy, sweet in a way that made my skin crawl. “Good morning.”I forced my lips into a polite smile, nodding. “Morning, Emma.” my eyes flicked to Alia, but Alia didn’t look up. Not even a flicker of recognition.I swallowed the lump in my throat. Something was wrong, and i could feel it, every nerve screaming it. Alia’s gaze, once warm and mischievous, was now cool, distant. Alia didn’t even blink at my passing, didn

The house was too quiet.It was the kind of silence that pressed against my chest, heavy and sharp, like it wanted to remind me that someone was missing. Richard’s jacket was still hanging by the door. His coffee mug sat on the counter. I couldn’t bring myself to move them. If I touched them, maybe it would feel like I was admitting he wasn’t coming back.I sat on the couch with my knees pulled to my chest, staring at the floor. The clock ticked, steady, cruel. My chest ached in that slow way that comes when you’re not only sadyou’re empty.He had left because of Damien. That truth cut me deeper every time I thought about it. Damien’s selfish games, his way of trying to pull me back when I was finally happy, had pushed Richard away. And yet, I couldn’t even put all the blame on Damien. I kept asking myself if I’d done enough, if I’d said the right words when Richard stood at that door. Did he know how much I loved him? Did he know I would’ve chosen him again and again, no matter what

The office was unusually quiet that Monday morning, the kind of silence that sets your skin ablaze, as though the building itself were holding its breath. Selena stepped off the elevator, her heels clicking against the floors with a rhythm that echoed in the empty hall. She had expected a routine start, but the energy in the air told her something was already off.She froze mid-step when she saw them, Alia and Emma…lleaning close by the conference room door, heads bent together in what looked like conspiratorial conversation. Even from across the floor, Selena could see the faint curl of Emma’s lips, a smirk that was all too knowing.Selena’s stomach tightened. She had felt tension before in their trio of friendships, but this was different. It wasn’t casual or coincidental. It was deliberate, targeted.“Morning, Alia,” Selena called softly, attempting the usual warmth, the friendly ease she had always used to bridge the slightest distance.Alia barely glanced up. Her smile was polite