Chapter 71

Chapter 71The Hawkins estate loomed before Ravyn like a monument to everything she'd spent five years trying to escape. The perfectly manicured lawns, the imposing architecture, the gates that were meant to keep the world out but felt more like they were designed to keep inhabitants trapped inside—all of it represented the suffocating control her family wielded over everything they touched.Including her.Ravyn pulled Dante's borrowed sedan into the circular driveway and sat for a moment, checking her appearance in the rearview mirror. She looked exactly as she'd intended—disheveled in ways that told a specific story. Her blouse was still slightly askew, her hair mussed from Dante's fingers running through it, the marks on her neck visible despite her attempts to arrange her collar strategically.Evidence. That's what this was. Evidence of a relationship that needed to look real, needed to be believable, needed to provide cover for the actual truth of her connection to Dante.She too

Last Updated : 2025-12-11

Chapter 72

Chapter 72She was standing her ground, refusing to show weakness, refusing to let them make her feel ashamed of a relationship that was actually a carefully constructed cover story designed to protect her real secrets.But she could see the frustration building in her parents' faces, the way Nathan and Jeremy were exchanging looks that promised this conversation wasn't over, that there would be consequences for her defiance."You're making a mistake," Garret said finally. "Dante Archer is not the man you think he is. He has his own problems, his own complications. Getting involved with him will only bring you more trouble."Ravyn wondered what her father knew. What information he'd gathered about Dante, what leverage he thought he could use to control this situation. Did he know about Miles's blackmail? About the photos? About the pressure Dante was under from his own family?"Everyone has complications," Ravyn said carefully. "That's life. I'm not looking for perfection. I'm looking

Last Updated : 2025-12-11

Chapter 73

Chapter 73"That's not true," Ravyn said, but her voice sounded weak even to her own ears. "None of that is true. I'm not jealous of you. I'm not plotting against you. I'm just trying to live my life.""By seducing my fiancé," Aspen shot back. "By using his brother to get close to him. By planning to drug him and—""I would never do that," Ravyn said, her voice strengthening with conviction. "I would never drug anyone. I would never force sexual contact on anyone. That's a vile accusation and you know it.""Do I?" Aspen asked, her voice dropping to something dangerously soft. "Because I don't know what you're capable of anymore, Ravyn. You were convicted of negligent homicide. You killed Caroline. Who's to say you wouldn't drug and rape someone if it served your purposes?"The comparison hit like a physical blow. Aspen had just equated Ravyn's conviction—the car accident that had killed their friend, the tragedy that had destroyed Ravyn's life—with premeditated sexual assault. Had dra

Last Updated : 2025-12-11

Chapter 74

Chapter 74"You exist," Aspen said simply. "That's what you've done. You exist, and as long as you exist, I'll never be enough. Miles will always be comparing me to you. Our parents will always be wishing I was more like you—smarter, more capable, more independent. Everyone will always see me as the lesser sister. The one who only got what she has because you were removed from the equation."The admission hung in the air, brutal in its honesty. This wasn't about Miles. Not really. This was about Aspen's lifelong competition with Ravyn, her desperate need to be seen as equal or superior, her fury at the fact that even after five years in prison, even after a conviction for negligent homicide, Ravyn was still somehow winning."I'm sorry you feel that way," Ravyn said, meaning it. "But I can't fix that for you. I can't make myself less to make you feel like more. I can't sabotage my own life to make you more comfortable. And I certainly can't accept being accused of planning sexual assau

Last Updated : 2025-12-11

All Chapters of The Secret Billionaire Heiress Strikes Back : Chapter 71 - Chapter 74

Chapter 71

Chapter 72

Chapter 73

Chapter 74