Semua Bab HEIR OF PAIN: Bab 101 - Bab 110

Immediately Arden stepped out of the car, Kyle—who had clearly been waiting—grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the guards. “So?” Kyle asked the moment they were a safe distance away. His voice was low but filled with impatience. “How did it go? Was she sent out?” Arden exhaled slowly. “Yes… and no.” Kyle stopped walking. “What do you mean yes and no?” he asked, confused. “That doesn’t make sense.” Arden glanced around to be sure no one was paying attention before turning back to him. “She was exposed,” he said quietly. “Everything came out. But she wasn’t sent out of the mansion.” Kyle frowned. “Why? After everything she did? How is that even possible?” Arden lowered his voice even more. “Because Ryder killed her.” Kyle froze for a second, then slowly shook his head. A short laugh escaped his lips. “Wow,” he said. “Your mafia boyfriend really lives up to the title.” Arden rolled his eyes. “This isn’t funny, Kyle.” Kyle raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. But li

Arden and Kyle, as usual, walked out of the faculty building. “We finished lectures faster than usual,” Kyle said with a smile, adjusting his bag on his shoulder. Arden tapped on his phone and checked the time. “What early? We are only done thirty minutes early,” he said. Kyle rolled his eyes. “You always complain, even when you get free time.” They stopped at their usual spot near the faculty , where students gathered to wait for rides or talk in small groups. Arden leaned slightly against the low railing, scrolling through his phone without really focusing. Just then, a familiar car slowed down and stopped in front of them. Arden lifted his head and frowned the moment he recognized it. The driver’s door opened, and Kellan stepped out. Kyle noticed the change in Arden’s face immediately. Arden folded his arms across his chest as Kellan walked toward them with calm, confident steps. “You don’t visit the mansion again, and suddenly you are here, at my faculty,” Arden said, hi

As Corner drove the car toward the mansion, Ryder sat silently in the back seat, his gaze fixed on the dark road ahead. Streetlights passed by in slow flashes, reflecting faintly in his eyes, but his mind was far away.Earlier, he had tried to call Arden. He called the first time, there was no answer, he tried the second time, no answer too.On the third attempt, the call didn’t even ring. The phone was switched off.Ryder sighed and leaned back slightly, rubbing his temple. Today had been exhausting. Meetings had dragged longer than planned, and a few urgent problems had demanded his attention. He had stayed late to handle them personally, unwilling to leave loose ends behind.His thoughts drifted again, this time to the invitation he had accepted. The university gala. Arden’s university.A small smile tugged at his lips.He imagined Arden standing beside him, nervous at first, then slowly relaxing as Ryder introduced him. He imagined the way people would look at Arden with respect .

The first thing Eunice saw when she opened her eyes was Ryder’s face. His eyes were fixed on her, dark and steady, just inches away. They were the same eyes she remembered but, older and harder now. The softness that once lived in them had faded with time. She blinked rapidly, her vision blurry as she tried to adjust to the light filling the room. A dull ache pulsed at the back of her head. The smell of disinfectant lingered faintly in the air. “You are finally awake,” Ryder said quietly. “How are you feeling?” That voice. Eunice’s fingers twitched beneath the blanket. She hadn’t heard his voice in years, yet she would have recognized it anywhere. It was deeper than she remembered, colder too, stripped of the warmth it once carried when he used to call her name. She swallowed. Slowly, she pushed herself up. Ryder moved immediately, sliding an arm behind her shoulders and helping her sit against the headboard. His touch was careful, distant, as if he was afraid she might break.

Eunice never knew that the pictures she sent were actually very valuable and it gave Dinte Deluca more information about Ryder. Unusual things started happening to Ryder. Three of his warehouses had been bombed, foreign mafias suddenly withdrew the deals they had signed with him, and contacts he had trusted for years began avoiding him. It was like everything in his world was suddenly unraveling. Ryder, who had always been one step ahead, couldn’t even begin to figure out where the problems were coming from. Meanwhile, Eunice kept up her act of innocence perfectly, hiding the truth behind her gentle eyes while slowly, carefully, stabbing him in the back. Ryder sighed as he sat on the bed in his room. He picked up a picture frame and stared at it. It was a picture of his father, looking calm and strong, the kind of man whose words carried weight even after years. He could still hear his father’s voice in his mind: “Ryder, trust only yourself, but never lose sight of who you are