Все главы The Billionaire Replaced Me With My Assistant : Глава 171 - Глава 180

Eleanor's POVHer hands found mine, not with affection, but with a decided, cold strength.She pried them away from her body, breaking the embrace I was clinging to so desperately. And then, a sound escaped her: a laugh.It was not of joy; far from it. It was a sharp, disbelieving thing, loaded with a cynicism that hurt with every chuckle."Forgive me," Sophia said, the smile still on her lips, but her eyes cold. "But do you really think I'm going to believe what you just said? Do you think I'm that naive?""I understand you must be confused," I tried, my voice still hoarse from tears, trying to find a rational tone amidst the chaos I myself had created. "I would be too, if I were in your place.""Enough!" Her shout echoed off the glass and wood walls. It was a pure sound of exhaustion and accumulated rage."Enough of the lies!Are you another one? Another one of those women hired by that wretched Pierce? What a low blow. Honestly, this time I'm not even ashamed I almost fell for it. I

Michael's POVVanessa picked up the fallen silk robe from the floor and wrapped it around her body with deliberate slowness, as if each movement were meticulously calculated.She wiped her tears with the backs of her hands, leaving wet stains on the sleeves. When she looked up at me, there was no more despair. There was a cold, calculating lucidity that I knew all too well."Mickey," she began, her voice surprisingly steady, just a bit hoarse from crying. "You think I'm sick. You think I don't notice the way you look at me? As if I were a burden, a mistake from your past? You know me. Know me better than anyone." She took a step forward. "And yet, you insisted on staying with a woman who doesn't know the value of the man you are. Look at you now... lost, alone. You're here."The anger I felt was a hot liquid in my veins, but along with it came that seed of doubt, the same one she always planted with mastery.I stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders with a pressure that made her st

Sophia's POV"Soph…" Michael choked out, his eyes red from exhaustion and emotion."I know how absurd this sounds. It's what I thought. And I'm almost certain she's making it up. It's exactly the kind of thing she would do. But I… I have no way to prove it's a lie. Not yet.""Michael…" My voice came out a thread of disbelief. "You can't… that's not – "A knock on the door interrupted us: firm, decisive. Someone was in the corridor, at our door.We both froze, because no one visited us at that hour. No one we wanted to see.Michael instinctively took a step towards the entrance.My body reacted before thought, I crossed his path, blocking him with my outstretched arm."Stay where you are," I said, my voice low and cutting. Don't protect me. Don't pretend you still care for me like before. "Whoever it is… it's better if it's me."He stopped, his face pained and resigned. He took a step back, ceding the territory for me to walk to the door, each step a conscious effort. The anger gave me

Victoria's POVThat imbecile has crossed every line. Who does he think he is? Some second-rate oil magnate thinking he can make Victoria Reed lower herself? In front of all these people? Shit!But the rule is clear: let the predator think it has tamed the prey. Then, spring the trap. He'll learn that threatening me has a price. And I will personally collect it.I took a deep breath, trying to recover my composure. Lucas was still there, with that smile of someone holding all the cards."Vicky," he said, his voice too smooth to be genuine. "Are you really going to sue the poor woman? Or fire Magda? She seems so dedicated to Liam..."The audacity of him using my son's name, of feigning concern... It boiled my blood, but I kept my face blank. I needed to get Liam out of there. Now."Magda," I called, with forced sweetness. "Come here, darling. Hold Liam for a moment, please."The nanny approached, hesitant, and I passed my boy into her arms. Liam, distracted by the little airplane, didn'

Alexander's POVThe morning in Manhattan was gray and humid, promising a rain that never came.I was leaning against the hood of a parked car, across the street from the imposing marble building of Sterling Bank. I wore a black hoodie with the hood up, large sunglasses, sweatpants. Disguised as a ghost, as nobody. It was an irony: the Reed heir, hiding in plain sight.I saw her exit through the great bronze gates. Vanessa Sterling. Thinner than I remembered, the beige tweed coat seeming too big for her shoulders. Her eyes, even from a distance, seemed to have purple shadows beneath them. The bank's security, two men in suits with imposing airs, maintained a discreet but vigilant distance.She headed towards a sleek black SUV. That was my window.I crossed the street quickly, reaching the sidewalk just as she got to her car door."Excuse me, miss," I said, keeping my voice low and rough, a caricature of a homeless person. "Spare some change? Or maybe a ride?"She didn't even look at