Semua Bab The Billionaire's Contract Wife : Bab 121 - Bab 130

Calder Hayes had never believed in losing.Not in business. Not in family. Not in war.So when the courtroom emptied and the murmurs of reporters faded into the marble halls, he did not retreat. He recalculated.From the back seat of his car, Calder stared through the tinted glass as Grace and Jordan disappeared into the swarm of cameras. His fingers rested calmly on the head of his cane, but his jaw was locked so tightly it ached. The girl—no, the woman—had stood in open court and dismantled him piece by piece.And worse… she hadn’t flinched.“Sir,” his attorney murmured carefully, “we need to prepare for the injunction hearing tomorrow.”Calder didn’t look at him. “No,” he said quietly. “We need to remind the world who pays the price for disobedience.”The attorney stiffened. “With respect, this is no longer a matter of influence. The evidence—”“—can be buried,” Calder snapped, finally turning his cold gaze on the man. “Evidence is only powerful when people are alive to present it

The fallout didn’t come like a wave.It came like shrapnel.By morning, Grace’s name was everywhere—spoken with awe, anger, admiration, and disbelief. News anchors dissected her past. Analysts debated her motives. Comment sections split violently between calling her a hero and branding her a traitor.Grace didn’t read any of it.She stood in the shower, water running hot over her skin, trying to wash away the lingering tremor that still lived in her bones. The moment of exposure had passed—but the weight of it remained, heavy and undeniable.When she stepped out, wrapped in a towel, Jordan was already there, seated on the edge of the bed, his phone face-down in his hands.“They’ve frozen three offshore accounts,” he said quietly without looking up. “Two more arrests overnight. And my father’s lawyers are scrambling.”Grace nodded, drying her hair slowly. “That won’t stop them.”“No,” Jordan agreed. “But it slows them.”He finally looked at her, eyes dark with something close to fear.

The first consequence arrived before dawn.Grace woke to the sound of Jordan’s phone vibrating relentlessly on the nightstand. He silenced it once, then twice, then finally answered with a low, tense, “What happened?”She sat up instantly, heart racing.Jordan didn’t speak for a long moment. His jaw tightened. A muscle in his cheek twitched.“When?” he asked quietly.Grace reached for his arm. “Jordan?”He ended the call and turned to her, eyes dark and focused. “They froze your personal accounts.”Her breath caught. “All of them?”“Yes,” he said. “And they’ve petitioned to restrict your travel.”Grace stared at him, stunned. “They can’t—”“They can,” Jordan interrupted. “And they did.”The room felt suddenly smaller, the walls pressing in. Not because of fear—but because of the precision of the attack. Calder Hayes wasn’t lashing out blindly. He was cutting supply lines. Testing endurance.“They want me dependent,” Grace said slowly. “Vulnerable.”Jordan nodded. “And silent.”She swu

There was no dramatic announcement when the world crossed the point of no return.No thunder. No sirens.Just a quiet understanding that nothing could be undone.Grace realized it as she stood at the kitchen counter the next morning, coffee untouched, watching Jordan read through overnight briefings with a stillness that felt heavier than panic. This wasn’t urgency anymore.This was commitment.“They’re issuing warrants,” Evan said from the doorway. He hadn’t slept. None of them had. “Not for Calder. Not yet. But for three intermediaries.”Jordan nodded once. “That’s the fracture point.”Grace turned slowly. “Meaning?”“Meaning,” Jordan said, eyes lifting to meet hers, “someone’s going to talk.”“And Calder knows it,” Grace finished.A silence fell.The house felt too quiet. Even the walls seemed to listen.Grace’s phone vibrated again. She didn’t look at it immediately. She already knew it wouldn’t be support or reassurance. Those had stopped coming hours ago.Jordan watched her care

The room smelled like old wood and quiet control.Grace noticed it the moment she stepped inside—how the air felt heavier, insulated from the outside world. No windows. No clocks. Just paneled walls, a long polished table, and two chairs facing each other like opposing truths waiting to collide.Jordan stopped at the door.“This is as far as I go,” the security officer said politely, firmly.Grace turned to Jordan.His eyes searched her face, memorizing it—as if preparing for the possibility that this room might change her. He took her hands, squeezing once.“One hour,” he said low. “If anything feels wrong—”“I leave,” she finished.His thumb brushed over her knuckles. “And I’ll be right there.”Grace nodded, then stepped away.The door closed behind her with a soft, final click.Calder Hayes was already seated.He looked… ordinary.That unsettled her more than rage would have.Gray at the temples. Perfectly tailored suit. Calm posture. The kind of man people trusted instinctively be