Semua Bab The Billionaire's Proxy Bride : Bab 41 - Bab 50

Both women turned sharply toward the doorway to find Kleo standing there, framed by the soft light spilling from the hall. Her brows were drawn, eyes flicking between them — between Lena’s startled face and Lucinda’s frozen smile. Lena’s heart skipped, and for a moment, even the steady drip of the faucet sounded too loud. The dish towel slipped from her fingers and fell into the sink with a soft splash.Lucinda recovered first, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Oh hey, Kleo,” she said, turning back toward the counter and pretending to busy herself with the dishes again. “Didn’t hear you come in.”Kleo stepped further into the kitchen, her presence instantly grounding and heavy. She crossed her arms, one hip jutting slightly as her gaze landed squarely on Lena. “When who wakes up?” she repeated.Lena blinked, trying to find her voice. “Oh, um—” she started, but her throat felt dry. The air between them carried an unspoken electricity, one that made her feel like a ch

It had been a long while since Damon and Felix had driven alone together — no bodyguards trailing behind, no tinted convoys shadowing them through the streets. Just the two of them in Felix’s matte-gray Mercedes, the hum of the engine filling the quiet between them.They weren’t supposed to do things like this anymore. Not after everything that had gone wrong the last time. But when Richard called out of nowhere, saying he was in the country, urgency had beaten preference. And knowing Richard, going alone wasn’t an option.Felix’s hands tightened around the steering wheel as he maneuvered into the underground car park. His movements were fluid but edged with a layer of impatience unlike his usual laid-back demeanor. He was spotting on a black T-shirt and a tailored jacket, casual but sharp, the sleeves rolled just enough to show the faint line of a tattoo near his wrist. Damon, sitting beside him, was quieter, his posture straight, expression unreadable. He’d been like that the entire

Lena didn’t respond immediately. The silence stretched long enough for the air between them to hum — soft, uneasy, alive. Her eyes were still fixed on Kleo, though her mind seemed elsewhere, lost in the echo of those words.He must either hate you so much or he must like you.Her lips parted slightly, then closed again as if her body needed a moment to translate thought into sound. She blinked, slow and deliberate, as though allowing herself the space to understand what she’d just heard. Someone who liked her wouldn’t use her this way.Wouldn’t threaten her.Wouldn’t look at her with that cold, deliberate restraint that felt like punishment.Wouldn’t kiss her then act as if it never happened.Her throat tightened at the memory, the heat of his touch, the sting of his withdrawal. The confusion he left in his wake.Lena let out a shaky laugh, puffing a small raspberry through her lips — half exasperation, half disbelief. “Well,” she said finally, tilting her head and forcing a crooked s

Damon tilted his head slightly, a frown cutting across his face. “What are you talking about?” His tone was low, even, but there was a weight behind it — the kind that came with suspicion and controlled fury. Richard scoffed, the sound harsh and deliberate as he leaned forward, both palms pressing flat against the table. The gold ring on his right hand caught the light again, throwing a fleeting gleam across his knuckles. “Oh, don’t play dumb with me.” His voice dropped lower, mocking. “You have something I want.” Felix’s brows furrowed, his patience already wearing thin. He leaned forward just a little, elbows resting on his knees, voice steady but cutting. “The sooner you start making sense, the sooner we can all leave this place.” Richard chuckled — a dry, humorless sound that didn’t match the curve of his mouth. He sat back slowly, reaching into the inside pocket of his jacket with deliberate slowness, as though savoring the moment. Both men’s eyes followed the motion; Damon’s ha

“Speaking of Damon,” Evelyn began casually, reaching for her cup of hibiscus tea from the small side table beside her. She blew lightly on it before taking a careful sip. “I turned in the pictures you both took on the bike.”Lena froze for the briefest moment, her fingers tightening around the edge of the salon cape but Evelyn didn't seem to notice. She continued cheerfully, “But I did tell him I wanted videos.”Lena forced a small smile, her lips curving faintly though her mind scrambled for a response. She stayed silent instead, pretending to be distracted by the hairdresser’s motion behind her. The stylist had begun curling another section of her hair, carefully winding the soft strands around a large-barrel iron, and Lena nodded faintly as if she were simply focused on that.“But the good news,” Evelyn went on, setting her tea down with a soft clink, “is that the editor found the pictures sufficient enough.” She smiled proudly, adjusting her shawl slightly around her shoulders.“T