Alle Kapitel von The CEO's Toxic Placeholder : Kapitel 31 – Kapitel 40

My heart stopped. "What did you just say?" Marcus Reid looked uncomfortable. Like he regretted speaking. "The Blackwood arrangement. The marriage contract between your families." He glanced around the empty lobby. "Perhaps we should speak somewhere more private." "No. Tell me now." He hesitated. Then sighed. "There's a clause. In the formal agreement. A condition that both families agreed to." My hands went cold. "What kind of condition?" "If the marriage doesn't last five years, there are consequences." He paused. "Significant consequences for the Winters family." The floor felt unsteady beneath me. "What consequences?" Marcus looked genuinely pained. "Your family estate. Winters Manor. It was put up as collateral." I couldn't breathe. "Collateral for what?" "For the marriage commitment. If the union dissolves before five years, the Blackwood family gains controlling interest in the property." His voice was quiet. Careful. "It's a legally binding clause. Your father sign

The plane lifted off at exactly 8:47 AM. I watched New York disappear below me. The buildings getting smaller. The city fading into clouds. First class was quiet. Half empty. The flight attendant brought champagne. I declined. Took water instead. My phone was off. Had been off since last night. I didn't want to see the messages. The calls. The attempts to reach me. I needed silence. Space. Time to think without Jasper's voice in my head. Seven hours to London. Seven hours to figure out what I wanted. What I could live with. What I couldn't. I leaned back in my seat. Closed my eyes. But I couldn't sleep. My mind kept replaying the fight. Jasper's face when I told him we never started. The way he'd stood there. Frozen. As the elevator doors closed between us. Part of me wanted to feel guilty. Wanted to feel bad for hurting him. But I couldn't. Because he'd hurt me first. Kept secrets. Manipulated situations. Made decisions about my life without me. And then acte

I sat alone in my father's study. The envelope in my hands. My mother's handwriting staring back at me. Eleanor. I'd been sitting here for an hour. Maybe longer. Just staring at it. The seal was intact. My mother's seal. The Winters family crest pressed into dark blue wax. Unbroken for ten years. Waiting for this moment. I took a breath. Slid my finger under the seal. It cracked easily. The wax brittle after a decade. I pulled out the pages. Two sheets. Covered in my mother's elegant script. My dearest Eleanor, it began. If you're reading this, then you've discovered the truth about the arrangement. About the clause. About my involvement. And you're angry with me. I don't blame you. I would be angry too. My hands trembled. You're probably calling me controlling. Manipulative. You're probably wondering how I could do this to you. Let me explain. I paused. Wiped my eyes. When I was diagnosed, the doctors gave me six months. Maybe a year if I was lucky. I had so li

The words hit me like ice water. "She's in London?" "Yes." Jasper's expression was dark. "My security team confirmed it this morning. She arrived three days ago." Three days. Clarissa. His ex-fiancée. Was here. In London. "Why?" I asked. "I don't know. But Eleanor, there's something else." He pulled out his phone. "Have you been getting strange messages? Threats from unknown numbers?" I frowned. "What kind of messages?" "Threatening ones. About me. About our relationship." My stomach tightened. "I've gotten some weird texts over the past few weeks. I thought they were spam. Random harassment." "What did they say?" I pulled out my phone. Scrolled through my messages. I'd been deleting most of them. But a few were still there. Unknown numbers. Different each time. [You don't deserve him] [He'll realize his mistake] [I'll make you see] I'd assumed they were from angry fans of Henry's. Or random internet trolls who'd seen the news coverage. I showed them to Jasper. His

I stood up. "The meeting is over." Clarissa's smile widened. "Already? I thought we were just getting to know each other." I didn't answer. Just walked to the door. The officer opened it for me. "Ask him about the photos, Eleanor!" Clarissa called after me. "See what he says. Watch his face carefully!" I kept walking. Down the hallway. Through the station. Out into the cold air. Jasper was waiting by the car. He straightened when he saw me approaching. "Are you okay?" I forced a smile. "I'm fine." He studied my face. Concern in his eyes. "Did she say anything that—" "I said I'm fine. Let's go home." Jasper hesitated. Then said, "Let's get dinner first. There's a good restaurant nearby. I nodded. "Alright." We got in the car. He started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. The drive was quiet. I stared out the window. Watched the streets pass by. But I wasn't really seeing any of it. My mind kept replaying the meeting. Clarissa's confident smile. Her calm, a