Lahat ng Kabanata ng Her Return : The Billionaire's Contract Wife: Kabanata 81 - Kabanata 90

The look on Killian's face was worth the entire ambush. He had been completely outplayed by the woman he thought was merely a chess piece.Elara, realizing she had been rendered powerless, sputtered something incoherent, but Killian had already seized the moment.He grabbed Elara by the elbow, his strength startling. "The meeting is over for you, Elara. You will leave now." He practically marched her out of the room without another word, his face a mask of controlled fury. The door clicked shut behind them.I used the silence to turn to the Millers."Again, my apologies for the demonstration of internal volatility," I said smoothly. "But I hope it serves to reassure you. We don't just manage external risk; we ruthlessly manage any threat to focus. My team is scheduled to deliver the next round of metrics on Monday morning, forty-eight hours ahead of schedule."Mrs. Miller gave me a slow, assessing look. "Impressive, Ms. Vale. You certainly handled that... challenge with remarkable com

She didn't look at Nova immediately. She poured herself a glass of water, then casually took her seat. It was only when she glanced across the table to locate her briefing materials that her eyes landed on Nova. Nova, oblivious, was leaning forward, stacking her notes with clinical precision, and the movement pulled the collar of her dress down just enough.Tanya saw it.Tanya’s eyes narrowed slightly, fixing on the spot above Nova’s collarbone. I watched her perfectly composed face shift, the subtle tightening around her mouth that only I knew meant she was calculating destruction. She clearly recognized it for what it was, a hickey, but she wouldn't assume it came from me. Why would she? She probably figured Nova was doing something desperate with some other guy to cope with the stress.Nova, completely focused, didn't notice the silent exchange between Tanya and me. She just adjusted her monitor, ready for the start. The air was thick with the imminent clash, and I knew I had to de

We ate slowly, silently. It was the best meal I'd had in years, purely because there was no expectation, no lie, and no weapon disguised as small talk. He watched me, always watching me, but now it felt less like surveillance and more like desperation.When the plates were cleared and the waiter finally melted away, we were left with just the sound of the soft music and the vast, glittering city below.I finally broke the silence. "That was awful today. What you did to Tanya.""It had to be done," he said, leaning forward, resting his elbows on the table. "I told you this morning, Nova. I choose you. I meant it. That was just my first public confirmation. I won't let her or anyone else touch you. Not even with a condescending question about a... mark."My cheeks felt instantly hot, and I touched the area above my collarbone self-consciously. "You didn't have to be that dramatic.""Yes, I did. I needed everyone in that room, including you, to understand that the rules have changed. The

I swore under my breath. "Jesus. Doesn't anyone on my team sleep?" I hesitated, but Elara rarely called this late, especially after I publicly disciplined her. I picked it up, flipping the phone to my ear, forgetting the speaker was probably still active from the meeting earlier."What, Elara? Make it fast," I said, my voice sharp with annoyance.Elara’s voice came through instantly, loud and choked with panic."Killian! Thank God! Tanya... Killian, Tanya had an accident. We're at St. Jude's Hospital. She's unconscious…they think maybe a concussion and a broken arm. I had to call you! I’m here, but you need to come down. I don't know who to talk to! She keeps asking for you!"The air on the terrace went instantly cold. I felt Nova’s body, which had been warm and pliant against mine a second ago, go rigid. I didn't need to look at her to know she had heard every word.I felt the immense weight of six years of obligation crash into the one night of freedom. Tanya was in the hospital, an

NovaThe moment Killian hung up the phone this morning, I was already moving. I didn't need to ask if the rumor was Tanya's work; the surgical precision of the timing right after Killian publicly sided with me made it obvious. She was testing him again, trying to force him to choose his company's stability over me.I walked into Arnold Green's office and put the financial blog printout right on his desk. Arnold, who treated emotions like unnecessary leverage, glanced at it over his half-moon glasses."Ah, the expected splash," he drawled, not looking concerned in the slightest. "The past is predictable, Nova. Someone is digging into your old marital affairs to leverage the Helios merger.""It's targeted, Arnold," I insisted, pacing his office. "They dropped the original fraud allegation linked to my contract marriage. But they are preparing a follow-up hit focusing on my overseas assets, trying to imply my Zurich and London earnings are 'untraceable.' It's an attack on my professional