All Chapters of Embraced By The Billionaire: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The short message Ashton sent to Oliver had become a cold declaration of war. The night passed in a state of alert tension, and for the first time, Avery felt a glimmer of control returning to her. The next morning, at breakfast, Ashton put down his coffee cup and looked at Avery with a firm gaze.“There’s a change of plans,” he said, his voice calm but final. “After the incident with Larry, I had the security team conduct a full audit of Sarah’s house. There are several vulnerabilities that need to be fixed immediately. The process will take time.”Avery paused her meal, a bad feeling creeping over her. “Vulnerabilities? You mean…?”“I mean, the place isn’t safe enough anymore,” Ashton continued, getting straight to the point. “While the security system is being completely overhauled, you will all be staying at my residence.”The idea was so shocking that Avery could only shake her head slowly. “No. Ashton, no. We can’t. We’ve been too much of a burden already. This house is more tha

Ashton pulled his hand back as if he had just touched fire. The warmth of Avery's soft lips still lingered on his fingertips, a sensation that sent an unexpected tremor through his entire body. For a brief, dangerous moment, he had been almost tempted. Tempted to lean in, to feel those lips with his own, to erase the traces of exhaustion from her face with a single kiss.With bated breath, he rose from the edge of the bed and retreated without a sound. After casting one last look at the peacefully sleeping Avery and Adelia, he quietly left the room and returned to the solitude of his own residence.Inside his spacious and minimalist bedroom, Ashton stood before the glass window, staring into the darkness of the night. His reflection in the glass looked foreign, a man whose emotions had nearly just overpowered his logic.“Get a grip, Ashton,” he whispered to his reflection, his voice hoarse. “Right now, your position is just that of a friend. A protector. You can’t cross that line. She

“You son of a bitch, Knight! What are you doing with my wife?! You’re keeping her there, seducing her, trying to make her forget her own husband! I want her back!” Oliver had screamed, his voice cracking with rage and impatience.Ashton simply listened, his silence a more powerful weapon than any retort. He held the phone slightly away from his ear, his expression unmoving. “Your definition of a husband seems to be the problem here, Reed,” he replied, his tone dangerously calm, each word a carefully aimed dart. “Avery is here because she is safe. Something she clearly wasn't with you.”“I’ll make you pay for this, Knight! I swear on my family’s name, you will regret this! You just wait and see! Fuc-”That was the moment Ashton decided the conversation was over. He had hung up without another word, cutting off Oliver’s empty threats. The line went dead, leaving Oliver’s furious shouts echoing into nothingness.Ashton calmly placed Avery’s phone back on the nightstand, his expression un

Ashton’s first command after the press conference ended was simple and absolute. “Kill it,” he said into his phone to the head of his PR team. “I want a total media blackout in this house. No news channels, no social media feeds, no online articles related to the Reeds are to be accessible on any device connected to our network. Avery is not to see a single frame of that performance. Is that clear?”He refused to let Oliver’s poisonous theatrics seep through the walls of his home and undo the fragile progress Avery had made. While the internet outside was buzzing with hashtags like #HeartbrokenHusband and #WhereIsAveryReed, inside the Knight mansion, a bubble of serene ignorance was meticulously maintained.Ashton took the brunt of the public speculation. News outlets, fueled by anonymous “sources” undoubtedly planted by Rose, began painting him as a powerful, predatory billionaire meddling in a private family matter. They called him a home-wrecker, a manipulator.Ashton, however, rem

Elena arrived at the Reed mansion under the cover of darkness, a ghost from Rose’s past summoned for a new, insidious purpose. She was a woman in her late forties, with a face that was plain and easily forgettable, but her eyes were sharp, missing nothing.She carried herself with an air of quiet competence, a demeanor she had perfected over years of service in the shadows. Years ago, Rose had saved Elena from a scandal that would have ruined her life, and in doing so, had purchased her unwavering, fearful loyalty.She was led not to the grand living room, but to Rose’s private study, a room that smelled of old books and secrets. Rose Reed was sitting behind her large desk, a queen on her throne, a file folder laid out before her. She did not waste time with pleasantries.“It has been a long time, Elena,” Rose began, her voice a low purr. “I trust you have been well?”“I have, Mrs. Reed. Thanks to you,” Elena replied, her voice respectful but devoid of warmth. She knew this was not a