Semua Bab Falling for the Disgraced Heir: Bab 11 - Bab 20

The silence felt heavier than the rain outside. Brandon sat at the edge of his unmade bed, phone glowing in his hand as the voicemail replayed for the third time.“Mr. Hughes, this is HR. Effective immediately, your suspension is active pending review. Please do not return to the office.”A hollow beep. Then nothing.His chest tightened. Suspension. Not termination—yet. They were giving him time to fall apart quietly, the kind of courtesy reserved for heirs with famous last names. He pressed the phone to his forehead, trying to breathe through the ache burning behind his eyes.James’s smirk flashed through his mind—mocking, triumphant—the look of a man who’d won before the game even started. The echo of it pulled Brandon to his feet. His reflection in the mirror stopped him cold. The crisp, arrogant executive from two weeks ago was gone. The man staring back wore a week’s worth of exhaustion and shame.He grabbed his jacket and left the apartment.The lobby of Hughes Corp was still bu

The office buzzed with an unfamiliar tension, the kind that made silence dangerous. Julia could feel it even before she stepped out of the elevator—whispers following her like static.By the time she reached her cubicle, the email was already waiting. “URGENT: Internal Audit—Hughes-Related Accounts.” Her breath caught as she scrolled. Every line was a blade. Brandon’s name appeared five times. The projects he’d overseen, the budgets she’d approved.Her coworkers didn’t look at her directly, but she caught the sidelong glances, the muttered half-sentences. “You think she knew?” “Protecting him, probably.”She straightened her back and kept typing. She would not give them the satisfaction. But her hands trembled when she reached for her coffee, the surface trembling like it knew she was lying to herself.===By noon, the rain had found the windows again—steady, relentless. Julia was halfway through the report when she felt it. The weight of someone standing behind her.She turned.Brand

The diner was nearly empty by the time Julia slid into the booth across from him. The rain outside had softened to a dull whisper, pooling along the windows like melted glass. Brandon stared at the cup between his hands, dark liquid rippling each time his thumb tapped the ceramic.“You shouldn’t be here,” he said, not looking up.Julia tilted her head. “You said that last time. It didn’t stop me then either.”He sighed, a low, tired sound. “You’re not my babysitter.”“I didn’t come to babysit.” She reached into the paper bag she’d brought and set a plastic container on the table. “You haven’t eaten properly in days. Don’t argue.”He gave her a look sharp enough to cut glass. “I don’t need charity.”“Good,” she said, unfazed. “Because it’s leftovers. I’m not generous enough to waste new food on your pride.”For a second, silence lingered—then the corner of his mouth twitched. It wasn’t quite a smile, but close enough that she felt something in her chest loosen.He picked up the fork an

The metal door clanged behind him, sealing the echo of the holding cell in his spine. Brandon stepped into the narrow hallway, squinting against the harsh light. Freedom shouldn’t have felt this heavy.The clerk slid a manila envelope across the counter—his watch, his wallet, his phone. “You’re free to go. For now,” she said, eyes flicking to the paperwork she’d just stamped.He didn’t respond. He was too busy staring at the figure waiting by the exit. Julia stood there, arms crossed over her chest, coat still damp from the drizzle outside.She’d actually come.“Bail?” His voice was rough. “Who—?”“Me,” she said simply.

The sound of shattering glass cut through the music like a scream.Brandon’s fist met the jaw of a man twice his size, sending him reeling into a table of half-empty bottles. The bar erupted—chairs scraped, curses flew, someone shouted for the bouncer. Brandon didn’t hear any of it. He only saw Miller’s lifeless eyes in his mind, replaying like a broken reel.“Brandon, stop!” Julia’s voice sliced through the noise. She pushed through the crowd, grabbed his arm as he swung again. His knuckles were already raw, blood bright against the pale skin. “You’re done. Let’s go!”He shook her off, chest heaving. “He lied to me, Julia! He said he’d fix it. Said the truth would matter!” His voice cracked, half-rage, half-collapse.