บททั้งหมดของ The Return Of The Betrayed Bride : บทที่ 151 - บทที่ 160

SOHO APARTMENT ~ NEW YORK They sat in silence for a minute, the snow tapping softly against the window like impatient fingers. The city outside was muffled under a fresh white layer, but inside the apartment the air felt thick with strategy and unspoken fear.Gabriella’s mind raced images flashing like a bad movie reel: Alejandro furious in his hotel room, jaw clenched as he stared at the broken pieces of his old phone; Amelia shattered in her penthouse, Leo clinging to her leg while reporters shouted questions outside; the press circling like sharks, headlines screaming “Affair Scandal Rocks Favino Marriage” and “Blackwood Wife Files for Divorce Hours After Photos Leak.” look.She felt a pang of guilt, sharp and unexpected, right under her ribs. It stole her breath for a second.“Do you ever think we’ve gone too far?” she asked quietly, almost to herself.Sofia looked at her, expression unreadable in the low lamplight. “Every day. But regret is for people who lose. We’re not losi

Alejandro looked at the envelope. He could go to his lawyer. He could go to a PR crisis manager. He could call his mother and read her the medical terms.But there was only one person who needed to see this first.“The Stone-Favino building,” he said. “And step on it.”---THE STONE - FAVINO BUILDINGThe elevator ride to Amelia’s penthouse felt like a journey to the gallows. He still had his key. He used it, the soft click sounding like a gunshot in the silent foyer.The apartment was dark, the blinds drawn. He could hear soft voices from the living room. He walked in.Amelia was on the sofa, still in a silk robe. Leo was curled up next to her, watching a cartoon on a tablet with headphones on. She was stroking his hair, her face pale and exhausted. When she saw Alejandro, her hand stilled. Her eyes went from his face to the envelope in his hand, then back. They were empty. All the fire from the morning was gone, burned out.“Leo, sweetheart,” she said, her voice soft. “Go see Mari

Her fingers hovered. “Of course,” she muttered.She tapped it. Password required.She tried his birthday. Wrong. “Cortex.” Wrong.“Ariadne.” Wrong.Access denied.She was about to curse when something else caught her eye. Even locked, the file details were visible. One line stood out like a warning flare.Linked Entity: Stone HoldingsKatherina froze.“No,” she whispered. “That’s not possible.”Stone Holdings wasn’t just any company. It was Amelia Stone-Favino’s private investment arm. Quiet. Discreet. Dangerous. Nicholas had once brushed it off over dinner her little war chest. he’d joked.So why was it here?Why was it tied to Ariadne’s most secret files?Why was it buried inside the merger that had destroyed Blackwood?Her hands trembled. She pulled out her phone and snapped a quick photo of the screen. Then she closed everything, carefully, leaving the tablet exactly as she’d found it.The shower turned off.She slid the tablet back into place, smoothed her dress, and walked towar

“Or what?” Damien taunted, taking a casual step further into the room. “You’ll freeze me with a look? File a restraining order? You always did prefer paperwork to people.”“That’s enough,” Alejandro growled, his temper snapping. He moved fully in front of Amelia. “You don’t speak to her like that.”Damien’s eyes gleamed as he took in the scene Alejandro shielding her, Amelia frozen behind him. “Oh, this is rich. You’re still defending her? The woman who just told you she doesn’t want you? Who’s trying to divorce you while the ink on your cheating scandal is still wet? Tell me, Alejandro, what’s the point? Why fight for someone who’s already packed your bags in her head?”Alejandro’s jaw was so tight it ached. “You know nothing about it.”“I know everything about it!” Damien shot back, the lazy pretense dropping, replaced by a raw, personal venom. “Why would you cheat on her with Gabriella, anyway? After the whole dramatic Favino family law? She was mine to marry after her late husban

“We made her into one!” Vivian shouted back, her own guilt turning to anger. “You think she was born this cold? We helped freeze her! You and me! We created this!”“I DON’T CARE HOW SHE WAS MADE!” Alexander bellowed. “I CARE THAT SHE IS DESTROYING ME,!”The room fell into a heavy, panting silence.Katherine, heartbroken for herself and horrified by the story, was the one who spoke next, her voice quiet but clear. “So what do we do? Go to the police with this? It’s financial, it’s complex…”“No,” Alexander said, his voice dropping to a terrifying calm. He straightened his shirt, his eyes glinting with a new, deadly purpose. “The police are for common criminals. This is a war. And you don’t send policemen to a war. You send a soldier.”“What are you talking about?” Vivian asked.“We don’t expose Hale,” Alexander said, a grim plan forming in his eyes. “Exposing him is a legal battle. It’s slow. It’s noisy. And it still leaves her untouched, protected by layers of corporate paperwork and