The Secret Billionaire Heiress Strikes Back のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 61 - チャプター 70

Chapter 61The conference room at Archer Industries felt like a battlefield disguised as a boardroom. Everyone had taken their positions with the careful strategy of soldiers arranging for combat—Rhys and Ravyn on one side, the Archer family and their team on the other, and Dante occupying the uncomfortable middle ground of someone who belonged to neither camp but was trapped between them both.Conrad Archer led the meeting with the aggressive confidence of a man who'd built his fortune through intimidation and calculated risk. He outlined Archer Industries' proposal for a joint venture with Larsen Enterprises—something about combining their respective technologies for a new product line that would supposedly revolutionize their market sector.It all sounded legitimate on the surface. Professional. Reasonable.But Ravyn could feel the undercurrents of tension, the subtle jabs and carefully worded insults that had nothing to do with business and everything to do with the complicated pe

Chapter 63"I know," Dante said. "But it's necessary. I can't bring Rhysand around my family. Can't risk anyone seeing him, asking questions, making connections. So I'm paying whatever it takes to keep him safe and hidden while I play this ridiculous game with Miles.""How long do you have to work here?" Ravyn asked. "What exactly does Miles want?""He wants me integrated into the family business," Dante said bitterly. "Wants me working here full-time, giving up my teaching, becoming a proper Archer son. He's framing it as an opportunity, a second chance, but really it's just control. It's him reminding me that he has power over my life because he has those fucking photos.""We need to get those photos," Ravyn said. "Delete them. Eliminate his leverage.""I know," Dante agreed. "But I don't know how. Miles is paranoid—he's got them backed up everywhere. Cloud storage, external drives, probably physical copies. Even if I could hack his phone—""I can hack his phone," Ravyn said. "I can

Chapter 65The SUV felt emptier after Ravyn left, which was ridiculous. Rhys had driven in this vehicle hundreds of times, with and without passengers, and it had never felt particularly full or empty—it was just transportation, a mobile office, a necessary tool for navigating the city efficiently.But now, watching Ravyn drive away in that modest sedan that was probably older than his son, the back seat felt cavernous. Quiet in a way that made him hyperaware of his own thoughts, his own breathing, his own completely irrational irritation at the situation he'd just witnessed."Back to the office, sir?" Orion asked from the driver's seat, his tone neutral and professional as always."Home," Rhys said instead, surprising himself. He had work to do, reports to review, calls to return. But the idea of sitting in his office right now, surrounded by the sterile efficiency of Larsen Enterprises, felt suffocating."Understood," Orion said, smoothly redirecting their route without question or

Chapter 67"When would it become relevant?" R asked with the persistence that made him simultaneously delightful and exhausting.When I figure out if I'm actually interested in her or just responding to the challenge of her being unavailable, Rhys thought. When I determine if there's any possibility she might be interested in me despite apparently being involved with Dante Archer. When I get my head sorted out about what I actually want versus what's practical and appropriate."When work situations change," he said instead. "Now, how about you and I work on cleaning up this library before Violetta gets home and has a heart attack?"R allowed himself to be distracted, beginning to carefully replace books on shelves while explaining to Rhys about the fort's strategic design and why each element was crucial for defense against imaginary dragons.Phoenix moved closer to Rhys while R was occupied, his voice dropping to a murmur only Rhys could hear. "I'm sorry. We really did think he was a

Chapter 69"I'm fine," Miles said automatically. "Just thinking about work. The Larsen proposal. There are complications.""Then stop thinking about work," Aspen said, moving to straddle his lap, her dress riding up her thighs. "Think about me instead. Think about us."She kissed him, and Miles responded mechanically, his body going through motions while his mind remained elsewhere. This was wrong. He shouldn't be thinking about his ex-fiancée while kissing his current one. Shouldn't be imagining Ravyn in Aspen's place, shouldn't be wondering what Ravyn had done with Dante in that bathroom, shouldn't be trying to recreate whatever had made Ravyn walk with that slight, barely noticeable limp afterward.Wait. Had she been limping?Miles's attention sharpened, focusing on a detail he'd barely registered in the moment but that now seemed significant. Ravyn had been walking differently when she'd emerged from that bathroom. Not obviously injured, but careful, as if something hurt or felt t