Semua Bab The Billionaire’s V1rgin Ex-Wife II: Bab 31 - Bab 39

“Who locked the door?”Chiara stood outside, voice sharp with panic and fury. She had seen Alexander follow Serena into the hallway moments ago, and a knot of jealousy had coiled in her chest. Her imagination ran wild—Serena, that woman, always seemed to lure men into her web wherever she went.“Serena! Open the door!” Chiara shouted, pounding on it with both fists. The rhythmic thuds reverberated through the bathroom walls.Serena turned toward Alexander with a wry, mocking smile. “Well, your girlfriend’s here,” she said softly, her tone edged with venom. “Let’s see how you explain this one.”Alexander didn’t flinch. He simply released her wrist, his expression twisting into something dark and cutting. “I think you shouldn’t have a child,” he said coldly. “If the kid inherited your intelligence, it wouldn’t survive long anyway.”Serena’s temper snapped. She raised her hand to slap him again, but he caught her wrist mid-air, his grip unyielding.For a long, tense moment, neither spoke

Edmund was speechless. His throat tightened as if an invisible hand were crushing his heart.Across from him, Serena stayed silent. She could read Miriam too well to be fooled by her theatrics. Miriam wouldn’t truly harm herself—not yet. She had made a promise: to finish the film, to reverse the tide of public opinion. She wouldn’t abandon that before it was done.Still, the sight of her trembling hand and pale face made Edmund’s eyes redden. His lips parted, but no sound came out. For the first time, the weight of what he had done to her pressed down with unbearable force.He had always believed she loved him more than anything—that her world revolved around him. How arrogant he had been.Perhaps once, a younger, naive Miriam had truly believed in fairytale happiness. But that girl had died the day her parents did.Now, in this cold silence, Edmund felt an ache that bordered on self-loathing. He regretted everything—his cruelty, his silence, his deception. He should have told her who

After hanging up, Alexander stepped into his Manhattan villa. The house was quiet, the kind of silence that felt almost accusatory. He went straight to his room, showered under scalding water until the steam fogged the mirror, and then—without hesitation—blocked all of Chiara’s phone numbers.When he finally collapsed onto the bed, his hand instinctively reached toward the other side, as if expecting someone to be there. But his fingers met only the cool, empty sheet. A faint ache tugged at his chest. He brushed his fingertips over his lips—still faintly remembering the taste of rain and Serena.At least he’d kissed her tonight. For that alone, getting drenched had been worth it.But sleep refused to come. After a few minutes of tossing in bed, he got up, restless, and went back into the bathroom. He turned the water tap to the coldest setting and stepped into the bathtub. The icy shock bit into his skin, a punishment and a release all at once. He stayed there the whole night, submerg

Back in the car, Serena finally turned on her phone.Several unread messages from Alexander lit up the screen.[My head is still dizzy, but I have an international meeting tonight.][Are you planning to ignore me forever?][Since Grandpa passed away, you haven’t visited his grave. How about tomorrow?]Her fingers paused.She could ignore the first two. She had been doing that for days already.But the last message pressed down on her chest like a weight.Tomorrow was Saturday.After a long moment, Serena typed a short reply.[10 a.m. tomorrow.]On the other end, Alexander had assumed the vibration was just another system notification. He glanced at his phone absentmindedly—then froze.The documents in his hand nearly slipped from his fingers.He stared at her reply for several seconds, as if afraid it might disappear if he blinked.[Okay!]The single word looked almost childish on his screen.He immediately followed up.[I know it wasn’t you who did that to Grandpa. I was just too ang

Autumn had settled in quietly, but tonight the sky seemed intent on making itself known.Rain lashed against the world in relentless sheets, the heaviest storm of the season. Weather alerts had already been issued across several districts, warning of flooding and dangerous conditions. The sound of rain drumming against rooftops and stone pathways created a steady, almost hypnotic rhythm.Serena let out a soft sigh as she stepped out of the car, her gaze lifting toward the softly lit hot spring retreat ahead.So this was where Alexander had brought her.“Last time, during the hike, there was a natural hot spring you didn’t get to enjoy,” Alexander said, his tone unusually gentle. “So I found this place. You can soak, relax… and afterward, dinner’s already arranged.”The private hot spring area was secluded and elegant—just large enough to feel intimate without being confined. Clear mineral water shimmered beneath a thin veil of rising steam, and the surrounding stonework blended seamle