Alle Kapitel von The Heirmaker's Bride: Kapitel 91 – Kapitel 100

The silence that followed was heavy and lethal.“You don’t belong in this room,” Damian said, voice low and dangerous. “You never have.”Lysandra gestured around them. “This is my future too.”Damian’s expression twisted, something raw flashing across his face.“Your future,” he said slowly, “will never be tied to her space.”She stepped closer, lowering her voice, trying a different angle. “I loved you when she was alive. I stayed when she disappeared. I waited.”“You waited for an opening,” Damian cut in. “Not for me.”Her eyes flashed. “You don’t know that.”“I know exactly that,” he said. “You enjoyed humiliating her. You enjoyed standing beside me while she broke.”Lysandra stiffened. “That’s not...”“You knew she was soft,” Damian continued relentlessly. “And you used it.”The maids pressed themselves against the wall, wishing to disappear.“I tolerated you,” Damian went on, his voice rising now. “I allowed your presence because I didn’t care enough to stop it. That was your mis

Nikolai yawned suddenly, the adrenaline fading. “Hey,” he said sleepily. “If someone wanted to… you know… pursue my mom…”Damian stiffened. “Pursue.”“Yes,” Nikolai said. “They’d have to bribe me first.”Damian blinked. “Bribe you.”“Obviously,” Nikolai said. “I’m important.”“What kind of bribe.”Nikolai thought. “Time. Respect. Not hurting her. And maybe a dog.”Damian laughed despite himself. “A dog.”“Yes,” Nikolai said. “A small one.”Damian shook his head slowly. “You’ve thought about this.”“Not really,” Nikolai said. “Just hypothetically.”Damian hesitated. “And Adrik.”“No,” Nikolai said again, firm. “Not him.”“Then who,” Damian asked quietly.Nikolai smiled into the darkness of his room. “Someone who listens.”Damian went still.“Someone who doesn’t talk over her,” Nikolai added. “Someone who looks at her like she matters.”The words landed squarely in Damian’s chest.Nikolai continued, oblivious. “Someone strong. But not loud.”Damian exhaled slowly.“You’ve got high stand

Two weeks later, the campus buzzed with a nervous kind of energy.Posters lined the hallways. Tables were being arranged and rearranged. Teachers moved with clipboards tucked to their chests, calling out reminders while students hurried past clutching folders, wires, boards, and half finished dreams.Nikolai sat on the floor of the science lab, surrounded by pieces of his project.To anyone passing by, it looked chaotic.To him, it was perfect.A lightweight frame lay spread out in front of him, sleek and compact, its joints carefully aligned. Thin cables ran through the structure like veins, connecting to a small processor mounted at the center. He had chosen neutral colors, nothing loud. Practical. Clean. Something that wouldn’t intimidate the people it was meant to help.He adjusted a sensor with careful fingers, brow furrowed in concentration.“Don’t rush it,” his project partner said from across the table, chewing nervously on a pen. “We still have time.”“I know,” Nikolai replied

The word cheap was never spoken aloud, but it hung in the air with every dismissal.When the room finally fell silent, everyone looked at Damian.Waiting.He stared down at his hands for a moment, then lifted his gaze.“These,” he said calmly, “are not bad ideas.”A ripple of relief passed through the room.“But they’re still thinking too small.”The relief vanished.He wheeled himself forward slightly, positioning himself squarely at the head of the table. The subtle shift commanded attention immediately.“You’re all approaching this like it’s a gift,” Damian continued. “It’s not.”The room stilled.“It’s an investment.”Confused looks exchanged quietly.“A boy like him,” Damian said, voice steady, “does not need entertainment. He needs an environment.”No one spoke.“He notices details. Patterns. Systems,” Damian went on. “He thinks in frameworks, not moments. You don’t give that kind of mind something to outgrow.”The older maid frowned slightly. “Sir… he is six.”Damian’s gaze fli

A tear slipped out before he could stop it, soaking into the pillow.He scrubbed at his face angrily, embarrassed even though no one was watching.“Stupid,” he muttered. “You’re stupid.”He reached for the phone again, hesitated, then set it back down. He didn’t want to bother Damian. What if calling again just proved he was clingy?The thought made his chest ache even more.He curled in on himself, arms wrapped tight around his middle, trying to make himself smaller, quieter, easier to forget.He hadn’t realized when it happened.When the calls stopped feeling like a fun secret and started feeling like something he needed.When Damian stopped being just a friend and became… steady. Constant. Someone he expected to be there the same way he expected the sun to rise.That realization scared him.He sniffed quietly, staring at the dark room.“I won’t do it again,” he whispered, not sure who he was promising. “I’ll be better.”The phone stayed silent.Outside, the city lights glowed faint