All Chapters of Her Return : The Billionaire's Contract Wife: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

I panicked. I threw Tanya in the car, I muttered some lie about a 'board meeting' or a 'site visit' to Nova later, and I immediately buried myself back in the documents. I didn't mean to lie; I just didn't have the time or the emotional bandwidth to deal with a confusing question about my whereabouts when I was facing a corporate disaster that could cost me my position, which meant failing my grandmother.That’s the thing Nova didn't get, and what I didn't think to explain: I trusted her. After the island, after that whole stupid slap mess, I thought we were a unified front. She knew the score. She knew that the reason she was here, the reason her mother was safe, was because I was securing my own position. I figured she knew, instinctively, that I wouldn't throw away my marriage, the cornerstone of the strategy, for Tanya. We both had too much to lose. We were playing a game for everyone, and I thought she knew I wouldn't ruin the game.The stress was killing me. I was getting cold s

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. The weight of his corporate world seemed to crush his shoulders."And what am I supposed to believe, Nova?" He asked, his voice hollow, laced with exhaustion. "That the person who made the transfer, the one I trust completely with my career, who has been loyal to my family for years, who sacrificed her own standing for this alliance, is committing corporate fraud and framing you? Or that you, who desperately needed money for your mother, decided to secure your financial independence through a questionable channel, using your friend's address as a shield?" he asked.The cold, unforgiving logic of the CEO and the absolute, unwavering trust he had for his loyal friend, Tanya, made his argument terrifyingly convincing. He wasn't seeing the betrayed lover; he was seeing the financial risk."I don't know the answer, Killian," I whispered, tears of frustration stinging my eyes. "But I need you to trust me. The intimacy we shared and the commitment

"You're not staying here, no way," she said firmly, wiping her eyes after I'd calmed down a little. "We're checking you out. You're coming back to the apartment. We'll be safe there." I nodded weakly. Being in that hospital felt like being trapped in a crime scene.Vera handled the paperwork, the discharge instructions, and the prescription with efficiency. She was the logistics chief I desperately needed. We left as soon as the doctor cleared me.The drive back to Vera's tiny, messy apartment was quiet. It was small, noisy, and cramped, but it was real. It smelled like cheap coffee and incense, not cold marble and betrayal. It was the only safe harbor left.The first few days at Vera’s were a blur of sleep, low-grade fever, and the devastating pain of mourning. I couldn't move. I couldn't think. I couldn't even look at a photo of my mom without crumbling. Then the lawyers called.They were Killian’s lawyers, of course, coldly confirming the dissolution process had begun. They needed

"You're tired, Killian," she'd say, bringing me a fresh coffee at 2:00 a.m. "But you're winning. You closed the merger. Camille would be proud."I relied on her completely. I never questioned her loyalty, her motives, or her proximity. She was my friend, my shadow, and my safe zone. She was the only one who seemed to understand that all I needed was work and silence.My mother kept up her low-grade war of attrition, constantly reminding me that I needed to find a 'suitable' bride now that the contract disaster was cleared up. I just ignored her. I couldn't stomach the thought of another relationship, real or fake. I was emotionally dead. That was the only way to survive.I was working late one night, going through old security reports with Marcus, the kind of reports Grandmother always insisted on reviewing personally. I was tracking down a few loose ends related to the freak accident at the equestrian estate. I still had a nagging feeling about the crane, but Marcus assured me the in

But Arnold Green was quick to step in, a slight smirk playing on his lips. “Ms. Davis, I believe there is a misunderstanding. Ms. Vale isn't mine or anyone’s assistant. Ms. Vale is one of our senior executives, and she is the lead for Meridian Capital on Project Helios.”I watched Tanya's mask slip. The shock was clear, swiftly replaced by a forced, sickly sweet smile. But I barely registered it. I was focused on the feeling of Tanya's hand on my arm.Tanya's touch was my trigger. It snapped me out of the intoxicating moment of Nova's unexpected beauty and slammed me back into the cold, hard memory of the betrayal.Best friend and always honest.Wife and deceitful.The contract, the forged papers, the offshore account linked to her friend, the convenient disappearance the second my grandmother died Tanya's presence was the immediate, unshakeable reminder of why I had walked out six years ago. Nova was a beautiful lie. Tanya was the ugly truth of my life, but at least she was reliable.