I HEARD HIM SAY " DADDY" のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 91 - チャプター 100

AIDEN The boardroom was quieter than usual when I stepped in that morning. Conversations dipped instead of paused, as if my presence required adjustment rather than respect. Chairs shifted softly against the polished floor. Papers were aligned with unusual precision. The air felt heavier than routine tension. It was not the sharp anxiety of a failed quarter or the impatient energy before a major announcement. It was something slower. Anticipation. Uncertainty. The kind that seeps under doors before anyone names it. I walked to the head of the long mahogany table and took my seat without rushing. The wood beneath my fingers felt cool and solid, grounding. I adjusted the folder in front of me, though it was already perfectly aligned. Across from me sat regional partners, key investors, and senior executives—men and women I had negotiated with for years. People who prided themselves on discipline. Faces that rarely betrayed emotion. Today, they did. Their expressions were carefully c

SAM I turned my head slightly, ignoring the sharp protest that shot down my neck and into my shoulders. The room tilted for a moment before settling into place. White ceiling. Fluorescent lights. A faint antiseptic smell that clung to the air and made my stomach turn. The steady beeping beside me was slow, deliberate—proof that my heart was still beating whether I liked it or not. Hospital. The realization didn’t bring relief. It brought anger. My throat burned when I tried to swallow. It felt as though I had inhaled shards of glass instead of smoke. Every breath scraped against my lungs, shallow and fragile. I shifted slightly, and pain flared across my ribs. My muscles felt heavy, sluggish, like they didn’t belong to me. “…oxygen levels stabilizing…” “…mild smoke inhalation…” “…he’s lucky…” Lucky. The word echoed faintly in my head, and irritation flared before my eyes were even fully open. Lucky implied chance. An accident. Fate stepping in at the last second. T

ANNALISE/LISA When I arrived at the office, the building loomed tall and uncompromising against the gray morning sky. Glass and steel reflected a city that never truly slept, a city that demanded perfection, that thrived on power. I stepped out of my car and inhaled deeply, letting the cold air fill my lungs, steadying my racing heartbeat. Today was not a day for weakness. Today was not a day to falter. Today, I would meet this battlefield head-on. The moment I walked through the revolving doors, I felt it immediately: the stares. The subtle shift in energy, the quiet buzz that stopped the instant my heels clicked against the marble floor. Whispers died midair. Eyes lingered. They were watching me. Judging me. Waiting to see how I would falter. Tala appeared almost immediately, as if she had been there all along, standing at the perfect angle to witness my entrance. Her heels clicked toward me with the precision of a metronome, her smile carefully painted on her lips. “Ohhh, you a

AIDEN When I got to my office, the silence felt heavier than usual. It wasn’t the normal quiet that came after a long meeting—it was dense, pressing in on me like invisible hands. I closed the door behind me and loosened my tie, walking slowly toward my desk as though the few steps required more effort than they should. The meeting with the foreign investors had gone well—at least on the surface. Smiles had been exchanged, hands shaken firmly, polite laughter shared across the long polished conference table. Their suits had been immaculate, their accents smooth and controlled, their eyes sharp. On paper, everything looked promising. But I knew better. Good meetings didn’t always mean secured trust. I had grown up watching my father conduct negotiations. I had learned early that the most dangerous opponents were the ones who smiled the widest. And today, there had been too many smiles. Trust was what I needed. Not courtesy. Not temporary interest. Trust. As I walked back into my

TALA I smiled at Sir Aiden’s assurance as I walked down the long, echoing hallway. On the surface, the smile was warm, soft, the kind that made me seem composed, reasonable, even approachable. But beneath it, a storm raged. My mind refused to let me relax, wandering back to my former office—the one now occupied by the woman who had so casually taken my place. My chest tightened at the thought. Not for long, I muttered under my breath, letting my fingers clench instinctively at my sides. I would find a way to reclaim what was mine. I always did. The hallway felt longer than usual that day. The cold, sterile walls reflected my own agitation, mirrored back at me like some cruel trick of perspective. Every step echoed harshly against the marble floor, sounding louder than it should have. I forced my shoulders to remain straight, my gait calm, but inside, my heart pounded with anticipation and something darker—something resembling fury, though I dressed it as controlled patience. I remin