All Chapters of The Secret Billionaire Heiress Strikes Back : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Chapter 22Ravyn felt ice flood through her veins. "Did the charge go through?""No, my limit wasn't high enough. But the attempt registered in their system, and apparently the Archer family monitors all their kids' credit activity. Catherine wants Miles to investigate why I was at an expensive private hospital in the middle of the night.""What did you tell him?""I haven't told him anything yet—he hasn't called me. But Miles being Miles, he'll probably show up at my apartment tomorrow demanding answers. I'll tell him I went to the emergency room for something minor, maybe a sprained wrist or a bad cut. Something that required immediate attention but wasn't serious.""Will he believe that?""Probably not," Dante admitted. "But he won't have any reason to connect it to you, and he definitely won't have any reason to suspect Rhysand exists. As far as anyone in either family knows, I'm a single guy with no kids and no commitments.""Dante," Ravyn said, her voice heavy with guilt, "I'm s

Chapter 24The table was laden with an elaborate breakfast spread that could have fed thirty people: fresh fruit, pastries, eggs prepared three different ways, bacon, sausages, pancakes, waffles, yogurt, granola, fresh-squeezed juice in crystal pitchers, and coffee in a silver service that probably cost more than most people's monthly rent.It was a display of wealth and excess that would have been obscene even if they hadn't been forcing their daughter to eat scraps in a basement."Ravyn," Eleanor said as she entered, her voice carrying the false warmth of a hostess greeting an acquaintance she didn't particularly like but had to be polite to. "How lovely of you to join us. Please, sit."She gestured to the empty chair beside Aspen, and Ravyn felt her stomach sink. Of course they'd seat her next to Aspen. Maximum discomfort, maximum opportunity for conflict, maximum chance for Aspen to make subtle digs that would set Ravyn off while making it look like Ravyn was the unreasonable one.

Chapter 26"Even if that's true," Eleanor said doubtfully, "do you really think you're qualified to work for someone like Rhys Larsen? The man is a billionaire, Ravyn. His companies employ some of the best technical minds in the world. What makes you think you have anything to offer him?"Before Ravyn could respond, Aspen jumped in again, her voice saccharine sweet and dripping with false sympathy."I don't want to be cruel, but Mother has a point. Ravyn, honey, you've been away for five years. Five years while the rest of us were building careers, developing skills, making connections. Aspen graduated summa cum laude from one of the best law schools in the country. I've been working at Morrison & Associates for three years now, building my reputation, making senior colleague. I have real qualifications, real experience."She paused, letting the comparison sink in. "You have a high school diploma and five years in prison. I'm not trying to be mean—I'm just being realistic. What could

Chapter 28At his gesture, two security guards appeared from the hallway—large men in dark suits that Ravyn recognized as her brothers' personal security detail. Men who'd been hired to protect the Hawkins family's interests, whatever those interests might be."Escort Ravyn to the car," Garret instructed. "We're all going to the office together. As a family. And Ravyn is going to start her new position today, whether she wants to or not."Ravyn felt her phone buzz in her pocket—probably Dante, wondering why she'd stopped responding. She didn't reach for it, didn't give any indication she'd felt it. Instead, she looked at her family members one by one, memorizing the expressions on their faces.Her father's cold determination.Her mother's righteous fury.Her brothers' smug certainty that they'd won.Aspen's satisfied smile, barely hidden behind her mask of concern.And then she looked at the security guards approaching her—men who probably had families of their own, who probably took

Chapter 30The effect was instantaneous and electric. Every head turned. Every conversation stopped. The air itself seemed to change, charged with the kind of dangerous energy that preceded storms.Rhys was dressed in a perfectly tailored charcoal suit that probably cost more than the entire Hawkins family's collective wardrobe. His dark hair was styled with casual precision, his gray eyes scanning the room with the kind of cold assessment that made strong men nervous. He moved with the fluid confidence of someone who'd never questioned their right to occupy any space they chose.And he was furious.Ravyn could see it in the tension of his shoulders, the set of his jaw, the way his eyes went flat and hard when they found her at the end of the table. Not furious with her—furious for her."Mr. Larsen," Garret recovered first, standing with his hand extended as if this were a normal business visit. "What a surprise. We weren't expecting—""No," Rhys interrupted, his voice cutting through