All Chapters of The Billionaire Replaced Me With My Assistant : Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

Richard's POV The thirty year old whiskey had no taste. I swirled the glass, watching the amber liquid form tiny vortices, but the usual satisfaction I felt from savoring an expensive drink had evaporated. My office, once my sanctuary of absolute control, suddenly felt suffocating. The call I had been eagerly awaiting from my contact at the Chicago courthouse had come ten minutes ago. And it brought news that made my stomach clench with icy fury. "Someone from the top pressured us, Senator. Sophia Morgan released." Released. Before the crucial 72 hours. Before I could assemble the perfect dossier to present to the probate court. My masterstroke, my shortcut to the Morgan fortune, had been intercepted. The door to my office opened without a sound. Irina entered, her face a mask of professional calm, but I knew her well enough to detect the minimal tension around her eyes. She had heard. "It seems our pawn has left the board earlier than planned," I said, my voice soundin

Sophia's POV"Michael," I said, my voice coming out harsher than I intended. "Do you have any idea what this means? Now... now it all makes sense."He looked at me, his eyes still dark from the revelation about the attack on Emma."I knew there were negotiations for Holdings to form a business partnership with PetroMax," I continued, standing up and starting to pace the room, nervous energy coursing through my body."That's one of the reasons I accepted Mark's job offer. As CEO, I would be leading the negotiations. I could... strangle that partnership from the inside. Find loopholes, create obstacles, make it such a resounding failure they'd never dare suggest anything like it again."I stopped, staring at him. "But to know that PetroMax has shares in Pierce Holdings? That they're literally inside the company? This... these people are disgusting. They literally tried to kill my best friend..." My voice failed me, anger mixing with a growing nausea.Michael watched me, his face a mask

Sophia's POV The kiss was an explosion of everything we had been and everything we could no longer be. His lips were a living memory, a ghost from the past that insisted on haunting my present. For an instant that felt like an eternity, my body betrayed my mind, responding with a painful familiarity to the touch it had once known so well. But then reason returned, stronger than anything. I pushed him away with a force that surprised us both, breaking the contact. My fingers brushed over my lips, wiping away his taste, erasing the betrayal. "Never again," I said, my voice trembling but firm. "Don't you ever kiss me again, do you hear me?" Alexander took a step back, a triumphant smile still on his lips. "Leave? Your body says otherwise, Sophia. It always knew the truth, it has always been this way and always will be." My heart was pounding in my chest, but it wasn't from desire - it was from anger. Anger at him, anger at myself, anger at that moment of weakness. I walked over

Sophia's POV "Sophia!" They both shouted at the same time.Michael reached me first, his arms wrapping around my shoulders. "My God, Soph, are you okay? Where did he hit you?"Alexander stood still a few meters away, his face pale. "I didn't mean to... it was an accident.""Get out," Michael said, his voice low but laden with threat. "Get out now before I do something we'll both regret."Alexander seemed to hesitate, his eyes fixed on me. "I need to know if she's okay.""She is none of your concern," Michael snarled, standing up and facing Alexander again. "You've done enough for one day. For a whole lifetime."The two men stared each other down, both breathing heavily, both marked by the fight. Alexander with a bleeding lip, Michael with a cut above his eye."You're going to pay for this, Reed," Michael promised, his voice trembling with contained anger. "Breaking into a house. Assault. I'm going to bury you."Alexander didn't answer. Instead, his eyes met mine over Michael's should

Emma's POVThe smell of the hospital had become a part of me. Cleanliness, medicine, sadness... that's what I breathed every single day.My mother, sitting by my side, adjusted my pillow for the tenth time, as if fixing the bed would fix my life too."You need to get more comfortable, my dear," she said, with that voice that sounded like honey, but was clearly becoming too cloying.I closed my eyes for a second, tired. "It's fine, Mrs. Wilson. I'm okay like this.""You are not okay, Emma." Her hand on my forehead was light, but it weighed heavily like lead."The doctor agreed with my idea and stressed that Florida would be good for you. It's warm there, it has beaches, fresh air..."I pretended to be sleepy, turning my face away. It was my new weapon - amnesia.Everyone thought I didn't remember anything, and I let them, because it was better that way. As long as they thought I was broken, no one would break me more than I already was.At that exact moment, the door suddenly opened, a