Semua Bab Married To My Billionaire Stepbrother: Bab 11 - Bab 17

Ravien’s POVI stood outside her door for longer than I should have, the image of her wet hair clinging to her shoulders, droplets tracing paths I had no right to follow, burned behind my eyelids. My hand hovered over the knob again, but I forced it down. I’ve already crossed one line tonight by barging in. I wasn’t going to make it worse.Instead, I retreated to my own room, slamming the door harder than necessary. The sound echoed through the penthouse. I stripped off my shirt, tossed it across the chair, and dropped onto the edge of the mattress, i kept my elbows on my knees, and my head in my hands.What the hell was I doing?This was supposed to be simple. A contract.A mutually beneficial arrangement. She got protection and revenge. I got the board off my back and a shield against my mother’s endless matchmaking. Six months, it should be clean and controlled.But nothing about Elise Anderson was clean or controlled.Every time she was near, the air thickened. Every accidental br

Elise’s POVThe boardroom doors opened with the soft hiss of mechanized air.Twenty-three pairs of eyes turned toward us as Ravien and I stepped inside. The long polished table gleamed under recessed lighting. With glasses of water on top of it. At the far end sat Maxwell Drayton, with two empty chairs on either side, clearly meant for us.I forced my spine straight. Ravien’s hand brushed my lower back...just once, it was barely there, before dropping away. The touch lasted less than a second, but it was enough to remind me I wasn’t walking into this room alone.We took our seats.The silence was suffocating.Then a silver-haired man in his late fifties cleared his throat. Victor Langston, chief financial officer. I’d memorized the names from the company directory Sophia had grudgingly emailed me this morning.“Mr. Drayton,” Victor began, addressing Ravien but looking at me, “perhaps you’d like to introduce your… fiancée to the board.”Ravien’s voice came out smooth, and practiced. “T

Ravien’s POV The elevator chime had barely faded when Elise’s phone buzzed again in her pocket. She flinched a little bit, almost imperceptible...but I caught it. The way her shoulders drew up, the quick press of her lips together. Something was wrong. Something had been wrong since the hallway outside my grandfather’s office. I crossed the room in four strides. “Who is it?” She pulled the phone out slowly, as if it might bite. The screen lit her face in cold blue. I saw the color drain from her cheeks before she could steady her expression. “Unknown,” she said. Too quickly. “Show me.” For a second I thought she would refuse. Then she turned the screen toward me. The photo first, was grainy, old, and unmistakable. Catherine Morgan walked beside my father, the younger versions of both, their fingers laced on each other like they had never planned to let go. Then the messages below. They never stopped looking. You’re next unless you walk away from him. Tonight. My blood tu

Elise’s POVThe pasta bowls sat empty between us, but neither of us moved to clear them.The silence wasn’t empty anymore. It was thick with everything we hadn’t said yet...about the photo, about the threat, and about the fact that in three days we would stand in front of a clerk and sign papers that would bind us in the eyes of the law, even if the truth between us was still a tangle of half-formed trust and unspoken want.Ravien’s phone vibrated again in his pocket. He ignored it the same way he ignored the first one. His eyes stayed on me.“You’re thinking too hard,” he said quietly.“I’m thinking exactly the right amount.” I traced the rim of my water glass with one finger. “Someone knows. About my mother. About your father. About us. And they’re watching close enough to time that message perfectly.”He nodded once. “Which means they’re either inside the family or they have someone who is.”“Your mother?”“Possible.” His jaw tightened. “But she’s not subtle. If she wanted to scar