บททั้งหมดของ Married to the cold CEO: บทที่ 171 - บทที่ 180

A shiver of silence filled the office after the board meeting. Papers still trembled on the polished mahogany table as if they, too, felt the tension that had rippled through the room. Elena remained seated long after everyone else had left. Her hands, clasped tightly in her lap, trembled slightly. Damian’s words still echoed in her mind—sharp, cold, deliberate.“You think loyalty is earned through pity?” he’d said, his voice a blade that sliced through the air. “I built this empire on control, not compassion.”But behind his icy stare, Elena had seen something flicker. Regret, maybe. Or fear. Whatever it was, it vanished before she could name it.She rose slowly, her chair scraping softly against the floor, and crossed to the window. The city below glittered like a thousand little lies, all reflecting light but hiding the dark beneath. She pressed her palm against the cool glass. The reflection staring back at her wasn’t the same woman who had signed that contract months ago. That gi

Whispers rose like wind through the corridors of Cross Industries. Every employee could feel it—the tension, the thick electric air of something about to shatter.Elena pushed through the sleek glass doors of the executive boardroom, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor. The table was already full—men and women in expensive suits, faces pale under the weight of uncertainty. But all eyes turned toward the empty seat at the head of the table.Damian wasn’t there.“Where’s Mr. Cross?” one of the directors demanded, his voice tight with restrained panic. “We were told he’d be leading this emergency meeting.”Julian Crane, Damian’s rival and the current acting partner, leaned back in his chair with a smirk that didn’t reach his eyes. “Perhaps the great Damian Cross finally realized the empire he built is sinking faster than he can save it.”Elena’s jaw tightened. “Watch your words, Julian. Damian doesn’t run away from storms—he creates them.”A few of the board members excha

A soft hum filled the quiet of Damian’s private office—the sound of the city vibrating through glass and steel. The skyline stretched endlessly beyond the tinted windows, yet it felt distant, like everything else in his life lately. Papers littered his desk, signatures half-done, decisions waiting. But for once, the man who always had answers couldn’t move his pen.The storm had passed outside, but inside him, it was just beginning.Elena’s words still echoed in his mind from earlier that night: “You built your empire on secrets, Damian. But I can’t live in the shadows anymore.”He hadn’t followed her when she left. Not this time. He just watched her walk away, her figure fading against the glass corridor like a ghost escaping the mansion that had become their cage.The door creaked open, breaking his spiral. Adrian Cole stepped in, holding a file that looked heavier than it should have been. His usual composed expression was replaced by quiet unease.“It’s worse than we thought,” Adr

Cold wind brushed through the half-open balcony doors, stirring the curtains like ghosts that refused to settle. Damian leaned against the marble railing, his eyes lost in the city lights far below. The skyline looked peaceful, almost deceivingly so—because everything inside him was chaos.Behind him, Elena stood silently, her hands clasped before her, her breath trembling. Neither spoke for several minutes. The distance between them wasn’t measured in meters—it was measured in lies, half-truths, and words left unsaid.Finally, she broke the silence. “You told me Marcus was gone.”Damian’s grip on the railing tightened. “He was. Or at least, I believed he was. Until tonight.”Her voice was low but sharp. “You believed? Damian, he just tried to destroy your entire company—again—and you’re telling me you believed he was gone?”He turned slowly, meeting her eyes. There was exhaustion in his gaze, but also a flicker of regret. “I wanted to believe it, Elena. He’s my brother, even if I wis

Clouds hung low over the Cross Enterprises tower, their reflections distorting in the sleek glass as if the world itself were struggling to hold its shape. Inside Damian’s penthouse, silence reigned. Papers lay scattered on the marble floor, a casualty of the night before—his confrontation with Marcus.Damian stood before the wide window, hands buried in his pockets, eyes hollow with exhaustion. The city stretched endlessly before him, but it felt like a cage. Every victory now came with blood on his hands. Every truth unearthed revealed another lie beneath it.Behind him, Elena emerged quietly from the bedroom, wearing one of his shirts. Her hair was still damp, her eyes shadowed with worry. She stopped a few feet away, studying the tension in his shoulders.“You didn’t sleep,” she said softly.“I couldn’t,” Damian replied without turning around. “Marcus isn’t the only one I have to deal with.”“Julian?” she guessed.His jaw tightened. “He’s moving faster than I anticipated. He leake