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Semua Bab Back in His Arms, Back in His Game... a Billionaire's Price: Bab 81 - Bab 90

237 Bab

Choose Family Over Power

Silent steps, heavy heart. Emilia Vaughn paused at the VIP pediatric wing, not as a Vaughn, but as a grandmother kept in the dark for six years.The security guard stiffened at her approach, recognition flashing across his face, but he didn’t stop her. No one stopped Emilia Vaughn.She pushed the door open.The room smelled of soap and lemon. Sunlight warmed Charlotte, propped on pillows, her blue eyes following the lines of her picture book.Nathaniel sat in an armchair, tablet on his knees. When the door opened, he looked up at Emilia, his hazel eyes, green and gold like Alina’s studying her calmly. He stayed still, never looking away.For a long beat, no one spoke.Charlotte looked up and saw the woman standing in the doorway. Her face bright with quiet curiosity, she asked without hesitation, “Are you... Daddy’s mom?”Emilia's breath caught. The question held no blame just a child trying to understand. Nathaniel's jaw tightened. He stood and moved in front of his sister, not in an

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Hands Clasped, World Watching

Natasha stood in her studio, eyes fixed on Sebastian and Alina as they descended the hospital steps. They didn’t falter. The city buzzed below, but for her, the game had begun.A small smile touched her lips, not warm, but calculated. Her phone blinked on the desk. She answered the phone without hesitation.“Vino,” she said calmly. “We have a situation.”On the other end, Vino's voice was steady but cautious. "They've been seen. Publicly. You mean Alina and...?"“Yes. And Sebastian. Together.” A pause. “A display of strength. A declaration of family.”Her lips curved again. “Perfect. Let the world admire it. Let them think it untouchable. Then we dismantle it.”The line went quiet. Even through the phone, Vino could sense the patience in her tone, the kind that killed slowly."Your orders?"“Leaks first. Let the press ask questions they’re not ready for. Social media will turn. Stir doubt. Scrutinize her image. His name. Let public opinion fracture.”“And Emilia?”Natasha’s voice stay

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Only Me From Now On

In a polished, warm Atheria café, Emilia sat by the window with Martina and Rebecca, her phone glowing on the table.The press conference played on the screen. Sebastian’s voice was steady, Alina beside him, cameras flashing.Rebecca whispered, “He actually said it. In front of everyone. That's... I mean, this changes everything."Martina laughed. “Arthur finally cracked. I thought he’d keep that secret forever.”Emilia stayed still. Arthur’s words echoed: “This family does not require approval to exist.”Her phone vibrated. Natasha. She let it ring. And ring. And die.Martina leaned back, fingers drumming the glass. "So what now for Natasha? Sebastian’s still married to Alina. No place for her, fiancée or whatever she was."“I don’t know,” Emilia said, steady but with clenched hands.She opened the comments: Why now? Where was she? Perfect families don’t exist. Guilt pricked her, she’d been part of this silence, letting secrets linger.Rebecca glanced at the screen, smiling. “Honestl

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Lines in the Shadow

The Fairfax mansion was quiet, but it wasn't peace.Celeste stood by the marble fireplace, gripping a crystal glass. Fury shook her voice."I watched the entire thing," she said. “In front of the country, Natasha. In front of everyone.”Natasha stood at the foot of the stairs, calm and unreadable, her black coat still draped over her shoulders.Celeste’s voice sharpened. “You’ve been with him for years, Natasha. You gave him everything and he stood there with her like you were nothing.”Natasha’s throat tightened. “I know.”“No,” Celeste snapped. “You don’t. You wasted your best years, Natasha. You could’ve built a life of your own, away from their shadow. And now?”She slammed the glass on the mantel. It didn’t break, but the sound was sharp. “Now they humiliate you.”Natasha stared at her phone. “I tried calling Emilia. She’s not answering.”Celeste laughed bitterly. “Of course not. She's protecting her perfect little family.”The study door opened. Gideon stepped out, calm but comm

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Even Perfect Plans Break

"If they break, make sure you break with me."Lucien stepped into the night. The house behind him buzzed with soft voices and clinking glasses, but he needed a moment alone. Hands in his pockets, he walked toward the garden’s edge.The sky was clear, stars faint. It reminded him of summers when life felt simpler.He thought of Clara, her laugh, her loose hair when she didn’t bother fixing it, the way she said his name without weight. She’d always been there, Julian’s sister, Sebastian’s closest friend. Maybe that was why he’d never spoken up.For years, it had been polite nods, quick hellos. Nothing more. Lately, that wasn’t enough.His mother’s voice echoed: “You’re not getting any younger, Lucien.”She wasn’t wrong. It wasn’t the years that held him back, it was everything else.He pulled out his phone, thumb hovering. Call her? Text her? What would he even say?Lucien exhaled. He could handle boardrooms and pressure, this quiet fear was different.“Coward,” he muttered. Then he tho

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Home, After All

The next morning, Adam stepped into Charlotte’s room, a faint smile softening his usually serious face.“Well,” he said, glancing around, “seems someone’s finally escaping my hospital.”Charlotte giggled. “I’m not escaping. Mommy said I’m going home.”Adam chuckled. “That’s what everyone says right before they run off and forget to visit.”Alina, helping her daughter into her shoes, smiled. “Don’t worry. We’re not going far, you’ll see her again.”Felicia, at the bedside, adjusted Charlotte’s coat. “You’ll need to rest a few more weeks. No climbing, no running...”Nathaniel grinned. “No fun.”Felicia sighed but smiled. “Maybe a little fun. Just careful fun.”Charlotte hugged her suddenly. “I’ll miss you, Nurse Felicia.”Felicia froze, then smiled softly. “I’ll miss you too, sweetheart.”Adam cleared his throat. “You know, if you’re thinking of returning to Marlowe, that’s fine, but Atheria Medical could use someone like you. You’ve been here since Charlotte arrived. Everyone trusts yo

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The Fragile Peace of Home

Later, when the hall grew quiet, Alina paused outside the room that had once been theirs.Sunlight spilled in. The drapes she had hated were gone, replaced by pale linen. The bed was new, but it was the mantel that stole her breath.A single marigold glowed in a vase, golden, defiant, the first flower she’d planted after their wedding, a fragile spark meant to make the house feel like home.Beside it a photograph, the same one from her bedside in Marlowe: the twins as babies, curled against her chest, tiny hands peeking from a soft blanket. Just her and them, a mother holding onto all she had left.Sebastian’s reflection appeared in the glass as he stepped behind her.“Agnes gave this to me,” he said quietly. “I’ve missed it... at least now I have a memory of it. And I know it matters to you too.”Her fingers brushed the frame. “They were only a few weeks old,” she murmured. “The first night they both slept at once.”“You did it all without me,” he said, not bitter, only understanding

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Tessa

The house was quiet. Garden lights flickered against the dark windows.Sebastian lingered long after Alina had gone upstairs, a glass untouched in his hand. Natasha’s words echoed in his mind, a quiet threat wrapped in civility.He set the glass down and moved to his study, pulling an old, sealed envelope from a drawer. The paper was yellowed, corners softened by years. Inside lay a photograph and a folded letter, handwriting he hadn’t seen in ages.In the photo, three figures stood outside university gates: Sebastian in the middle, confident and unaware; Natasha at his side, smiling for the camera; and Tessa Rowan, quiet, clever, a strength that needed no words. Everyone thought Natasha held his heart. But it had always been Tessa.On the back, Tessa’s neat handwriting read: “For luck. Always, S.” He remembered her pressing it into his palm. “You’re my good luck.”He traced the faded ink, her voice returning from a time when love still felt simple. Beneath the words was a date, the w

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Chaos and Magic, All at Once

The clock struck again, echoing through the dark hall. Alina paused outside the study.“Sebastian?” she called softly.No answer.She opened the door slightly. He sat in the armchair, elbows on his knees, staring into the fading glow, the faint scent of burnt paper in the air.“Still awake?” she asked.He looked up, startled. "Couldn't sleep."She stepped inside, tightening her robe. "Are you all right?""I'm fine," he said easily. The lie came without effort.Her eyes lingered on the desk. "What did you burn?"He hesitated. "Old files."She didn’t press. Silence grew heavy. She nodded and turned toward the door."Alina," he said softly.She looked back. He opened his mouth, closed it. Too many truths hung between them."Good night," he said finally.She studied him a moment, then nodded. "Good night."When the door closed, he exhaled slowly, head in his hands. He had wanted to tell her, but fear, guilt, and the fragile peace he fought to maintain always stopped him. If she ever learn

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A Place to Begin Again

The weekend morning started with laughter.Charlotte moved carefully into the kitchen, still in her pink pajamas, her bear tucked under one arm, a sleepy smile on her face. Nathaniel followed, calm and collected, the picture of an old soul in a child's body."Nana Agnes!" Charlotte called, climbing onto the stool beside the counter. "Pancakes please! The ones with chocolate chips!"Agnes shook her head, smiling. "I should’ve known you’d come running the moment you smelled pancakes."Charlotte grinned at Nathaniel. "See? I told you she'd say yes."Sebastian helped her settle onto the stool, quietly watching as the house filled with their voices, the giggles, the clatter of breakfast. This kind of morning still felt new.Alina passed with a tray of juice. "You can sit, you know. You don’t have to stand like a guest."He smiled faintly. "Just taking it all in."Charlotte turned to him. "Daddy, do you like pancakes?""I do," he said, "but only if Nana makes them."Charlotte beamed proudly

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