Semua Bab Married to the cold CEO: Bab 221 - Bab 230

Unease settled deep in Elena Harper’s chest as she stared at the unfamiliar building across the street. The address on her phone matched the one Adrian had sent, but nothing about the place felt ordinary. It was quiet in the way secrets preferred—polite, anonymous, forgettable. Exactly the kind of location chosen by people who didn’t want to be found.She hesitated only a moment before stepping forward.Leaving Damian had been painful, confusing, and necessary. Still, pieces of her life with him lingered everywhere—questions left unanswered, silences that felt intentional. The message Adrian sent earlier that morning had been brief but urgent.There’s something you need to see. Not at the office. Not at the mansion. Somewhere neutral.Neutral didn’t feel safe.Inside, the building smelled faintly of old paper and lemon cleaner. Elena followed the directory to the third floor, her heartbeat quickening with each step. When she reached the door marked Suite 3C, she paused, inhaled once,

Footsteps echoed softly across the marble floor as Vivienne Roth stepped out of the elevator, her posture immaculate, her expression perfectly composed. Cross Enterprises rose around her like a kingdom of glass and steel—one she knew intimately, even if it no longer belonged to her.Security recognized her immediately.That, more than anything, satisfied her.“Ms. Roth,” the receptionist said politely, though her smile wavered. “Do you have an appointment?”Vivienne returned the smile, slow and deliberate. “Not officially.”The receptionist hesitated, fingers hovering above the keyboard.“I won’t take long,” Vivienne added smoothly. “I’m here to see Mrs. Cross.”That name still tasted strange on her tongue.After a brief pause, the receptionist made the call.Vivienne waited, observing the quiet efficiency of the office—the muted voices, the controlled urgency, the invisible tension humming beneath polished surfaces. This place had always reflected Damian: powerful, disciplined, untou

Silence greeted Elena as she stepped into the abandoned Cross estate.Dust clung to the air like forgotten memories, sunlight slanting through tall windows that hadn’t been cleaned in years. The house carried a weight no corporate tower ever could—history pressed into its walls, whispers trapped beneath polished marble floors.Damian stood near the fireplace, sleeves rolled up, jaw tense. He looked less like a powerful CEO and more like a man bracing himself for judgment.“You came,” he said.Elena didn’t answer immediately. Her gaze drifted around the room, taking in portraits of men who shared Damian’s sharp eyes but not his restraint.“This place feels like a confession,” she finally said.“It is,” Damian replied quietly. “Every truth I buried started here.”Footsteps echoed behind her.Adrian entered last, closing the door with deliberate care.Elena turned sharply. “You said you were helping me.”“I am,” Adrian said. “But not the way you think.”Damian frowned. “What does that me

Pressure wrapped around Elena’s chest as the elevator doors slid shut behind them, sealing out the chaos of flashing cameras and shouting reporters.The car ascended in silence.Damian stood beside her, shoulders rigid, expression carved from stone. His phone vibrated endlessly in his hand, ignored. For the first time since she had met him, the unshakable CEO looked like a man bracing against a collapsing world.“Say something,” Elena whispered.His jaw flexed. “If I speak now, I might say the wrong thing.”The elevator chimed.The executive floor of Cross Enterprises felt unfamiliar—tense, hushed, alive with fear. Assistants whispered behind desks. Screens on the walls replayed the same headline on a merciless loop.CROSS ENTERPRISES UNDER INVESTIGATION: CEO AT CENTER OF STORMElena’s stomach tightened.Adrian emerged from a side corridor, face pale but determined. “Board members are assembling. They want answers.”Damian nodded once. “They’ll get them.”As they walked toward the con

Unease settled into the apartment long before either of them spoke.Elena stood by the window this time, arms folded tightly across her chest as if holding herself together required constant effort. Outside, traffic moved with indifferent purpose, unaware of how close everything inside this penthouse was to breaking apart.Damian watched her reflection in the glass. She hadn’t looked at him since dawn.“I’m holding the press conference at noon,” he said quietly.She didn’t turn. “I know.”“I’ll deny the rumors. All of them.”Her lips pressed into a thin line. “Words don’t erase damage.”“They stop it from spreading.”“Sometimes,” she replied. “Sometimes they just confirm what people already want to believe.”Damian moved closer, careful not to crowd her. “You don’t trust me.”Elena finally turned, eyes sharp with exhaustion. “I don’t know where I stand with you.”That hurt more than she intended, and she saw it land.“You stand with me,” he said firmly. “That hasn’t changed.”“But it