One Night Stand with the Secret Billionaire のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 30

The recovery room was quiet, except for the soft chirp of the heart monitor.Lucas was asleep, his face pale against the white pillows, looking far more vulnerable than he had ever been. Selene sat by his side, her fingers lightly brushing the back of his hand. She had fallen in love with him. It was a realization that hit her hard as she caressed his hand. She loved his hidden kindness, his silent protection, and the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn't watching.But as she looked at the heavy white bandage on his shoulder, the encounter with Richardson Yates echoed in her mind. Richardson was right about one thing—Lucas was a target. As long as she was by his side, he’d always be in trouble. Sarah had proven that. Her family had proven that. If she stayed, someone else would eventually pull a trigger, and next time, Lucas might not wake up."I can't be the reason you die," she whispered, her voice cracking.She stood up, her decision feeling like a knot in her stomac

The small town was the kind of place where time seemed to crawl. It was three states away from the glitz of Los Angeles, tucked between rolling hills and endless cornfields. For Selene, it was the perfect place to disappear. She had traded her silk robes for a polyester uniform and a name tag that read "Elena"—her mother’s name, the only thing she had left of her past.She lived in a tiny, one-bedroom apartment above a hardware store. It smelled like sawdust and old radiator steam, but it was quiet. Every day, she worked double shifts at a local diner, her feet aching just like they used to, and her heart numb. She didn't touch the five million dollars. In her mind, that money was blood money; it was the price of Lucas’s life. She checked the news online once a week, her breath hitching whenever she saw a blurred photo of Lucas looking thin and stern in a business suit. He looked like he was hunting for something. Or someone."Just a little longer," she would whisper to herself

The drive back to the city was quiet, the hum of the SUV’s tires against the asphalt acting as a soothing lullaby. Selene sat tucked under Lucas’s arm, her head resting on his shoulder. Every time the car hit a bump, his grip on her tightened instinctively, as if he were afraid she might evaporate if he let go. The penthouse, when they finally arrived, didn't feel too cold anymore. With the warm lights glowing and the fireplace crackling to life, it finally felt like a home.Lucas led her to the massive velvet sofa, refusing to let her walk on her own even though her legs were fine. He sat beside her, his dark eyes searching her face."I need to understand it, Selene," he said, his voice a low, rough murmur. "The hospital. The note. Why didn't you just wait for me to wake up?"Selene looked into the fire. "I did it for your safety, Lucas. Your grandfather... he didn't just offer money. He painted a picture of your future. He showed me the blood on your shirt and told me that as lon

The morning after the confrontation felt like the first day of a brand-new life. The penthouse was filled with a peaceful, golden light, and for the first time, Selene didn’t wake up feeling like a guest or a fugitive. She woke up in the center of Lucas’s world.As they sat on the balcony overlooking the waking city, sipping coffee in the quiet of the morning, Selene turned to Lucas. Her hazel eyes weren't filled with fear anymore; they were burning with a new, fierce ambition."Lucas," she said, her voice steady. "I don't want to just be the 'woman behind the billionaire.' And I don't want to just be the girl who found her mother’s locket. I want to finish what she started."Lucas set his cup down, his full attention on her. "Tell me.""I want to learn everything," she said, her hands gesturing with excitement. "I want to study the science of gemstones.My mother was a genius, but she was stopped before she could reach the top. I want to be better. I want to be so prominent and so s

Selene had moved beyond the curriculum, spending her days in the advanced labs experimenting with alloys and light refraction. She had perfected every stage of jewelry production. It wasn't an easy journey, but she did it. Her latest creations were unlike anything the industry had seen. She developed a way to weave gold into a fabric-like mesh that felt as soft as silk against the skin but held the strength of steel. It was revolutionary. The designs weren't just jewelry; they were wearable art.The training center’s board of directors, usually a group of stony-faced traditionalists, realized they had a once-in-a-century talent in their halls. On the day of her final assessment, the President of the Institute did not only give her a certificate. He offered her a contract."Selene," he said, standing before a room of her peers. "You have surpassed your trainers and that's a fact I'm not ready to hide.”We are officially appointing you as the Managing Director in Charge of Designs