Semua Bab MY WAY TO THE BILLIONAIRE'S HEART : Bab 41 - Bab 50

"Fair," Carter said. "That's fair.""But I'm willing to find out," Maeve continued. "If you're willing to let me make that choice completely freely, with no contracts or coercion or manipulation. If you can accept that I might choose to leave. If you can give me that freedom without condition, then yes. I want to stay. Not because of the contract. Not because of obligation. But because I want to see who you become."Carter moved toward her, but slowly, giving her space to change her mind. When he reached her, he took her hand gently."I can do that," he said. "I can do that."The next three days were chaos.Cameron turned himself in with legal representation. He pled guilty to conspiracy and corporate espionage. Jade Kensington was arrested trying to flee to Mexico with forged documents. The SEC opened investigations into both the pension fund theft and the sabotage. Langston Appliances stock plummeted and then began a slow, steady climb as investors realized the company was being han

Angela's voice cracked. "Do you know what it's like to drop your kid off at a daycare you can't afford and hope they're being treated okay? Do you know what it's like to work a ten-hour shift and come home and have to choose between spending time with your son or doing laundry because you're too exhausted to do both?"Maeve felt something break open in her chest. These weren't abstract victims. These weren't numbers on a spreadsheet. This was a grandmother who couldn't retire and a mother who couldn't afford childcare and a three-year-old boy who would grow up not knowing his family was supposed to be there for him."No," Carter said quietly. "I don't know what that's like.""OF COURSE YOU DON'T!" someone else shouted. "You live in a penthouse!""You drive a car worth more than my house!""You've never worried about money a day in your life!"The accusations were coming faster now, overlapping, building into a wave of rage that threatened to swallow the stage whole.Sterling stepped f

Yes," Carter said."Are you angry?""No," he said. "I'm proud of you."They stood in that hallway for a long moment, neither of them moving, both of them trying to process what had just happened.Then Maeve's phone buzzed.A text from an unknown number: "Jade posted bail. She's holding a press conference in one hour. Thought you should know. - Cameron"Maeve showed Carter the message.His face went pale. "We need to get back to the penthouse. Now."They didn't speak in the car. Didn't speak in the elevator. They walked into the penthouse and turned on the television just as Jade's press conference began.She looked perfect. Hair styled, makeup flawless, wearing a cream-colored dress that managed to be both elegant and innocent. She stood at a podium with her lawyer beside her, cameras flashing, reporters shouting questions."I'll make a brief statement," Jade said. "Then I'll take a few questions."She paused for effect."I want to address the allegations against me regarding corporat

Sarah's apartment had become a fortress. Outside, reporters camped on the sidewalk, cameras trained on every window. Inside, Maeve sat curled on the couch, her phone face-down and silenced after the hundredth call from unknown numbers."You should eat something," Sarah said, pushing a mug of tea across the coffee table.Maeve didn't move. On the muted television, CNN was running a split screen, Carter's corporate headshot on one side, Jade's tearful interview on the other. The chyron read: "Montgomery Empire in Crisis: More Women Come Forward.""More women?" Maeve's voice was hollow.Sarah hesitated. "Three so far. Former employees. They're claiming he created a hostile work environment, made unwanted advances…""It's not true.""I know that. You know that. But…" Sarah gestured at the screen where a blonde woman was being interviewed, crying as she described Carter's alleged behavior. "The world doesn't care about truth right now. They care about the narrative."Maeve's phone buzzed d

The call came at midnight.Carter was still in his office, surrounded by forensic reports and legal documents, when his phone lit up with a name he hadn't seen in months.Mother.He almost didn't answer."Eleanor." He kept his voice neutral."I'm at the penthouse." His mother's tone could have frozen vodka. "We need to talk. Now.""It's midnight. Can't this wait until…""I flew twelve hours from Monaco to clean up your mess. The least you can do is meet me in your own home."The line went dead.Carter closed his laptop, a headache blooming behind his eyes. Of course Eleanor Langston had returned now, when the scandal was at its peak. His mother had always possessed impeccable timing for maximizing damage.Twenty minutes later, he stepped off the elevator into the penthouse to find his mother standing at the floor-to-ceiling windows, a glass of his most expensive scotch in her hand. She was sixty-three but could pass for fifty, her blonde hair swept into an elegant chignon, her black C