All Chapters of The Heiress Contract : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Sylvie froze for half a second when she saw her. Her mother, Amelia. It wasn’t dramatic, it was just that brief pause. Amelia turned her head slowly, her gaze landing on her daughter."Mom?" Sylvie exclaimed again "Sylvie." Her name left Amelia’s mouth softly, almost cautiously, as if she wasn’t entirely sure how close to step yet. Sylvie blinked once, then twice. And then all the questions she’d apparently been holding back for months tumbled out at once. "When did you get back?" she asked quickly, walking closer without realizing it. "How did you get back? I mean Why didn’t you call me? When did you arrive, today or yesterday? Are you staying long or..." "Sylvie," Amelia interrupted with a small laugh, lifting a hand. "Slow down. One question at a time." Sylvie stopped talking but didn’t stop moving. She reached her mother, dropped her bags by the side of the couch like they weighed nothing, and stood there awkwardly for a beat, suddenly unsure of what to do with her hands.

Her mother looked at her for a long moment, the kind of look that felt less like concern and more like calculation. Amelia had always had that look, sharp and weighing. "That scoff was not 'nothing' Sylvie, It couldn’t have been for nothing," Amelia finally said with her voice dropping into that low dangerous tone she used when she feels her authority being questioned. Sylvie didn’t answer immediately. She leaned back into the couch, her spine pressing against the cushions and her arms folding loosely across her chest. Her body already felt tired, not from the trip, but from this... this familiar tension that always seemed to rise whenever her mother was around. "Whether he seems like a bad person or not does not really matter, does it?" Sylvie said at last, her voice steady but stripped of warmth, "I know I don’t have a choice. Duty and all that. Isn't that the family motto?" Amelia shook her once, as though this was the correct answer. As though Sylvie had said exactly what

The weekend arrived so suddenly it felt unfair. Sylvie woke up with a frown already etched into her face. She lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, letting the weight of the day settle slowly into her chest. Earlier in the week, Zade had invited her to spend the day at one of his private auction house, an expansive property tucked far away from the city, surrounded by acres of land, guarded roads, and buildings that existed only for people like him. He’d said it casually, like it was nothing more than a change of scenery. A way to 'breathe.' He told her, he thought it was art and she would like it. She had agreed just as casually. Now, lying there on her bed, she was wondering why she did. The past week had blurred together strangely. Her mother had been around more than usual, moving through the house with quiet purpose, adjusting schedules, rearranging things that didn’t need rearranging, supervising staff personally. Amelia hadn’t been cold, exactly. But she h

Ryan studied Sylvie’s face. "Are you ready?" he asked quietly. She swallowed and nodded. "Yes, I'm ready." He didn’t move immediately. Instead, he looked at her for a few seconds longer than necessary. He needed to be certain she was really there with him. "You don’t have to worry," he said finally, his voice low but steady. "I’ll protect you. No matter what happens out there, I am getting you home." The way he said it made her feel relief. She nodded again. This time, slower. "I know." Ryan turned and unlocked the door. He paused, listening, his body already angled in front of her, shielding her without thinking about it. When nothing happened, he pushed the door open and stepped out first. The hallway beyond was eerily different from what they had left behind. The chaos had dulled. The shouting was distant now, reduced to echoes and muffled sounds that bounced faintly through the structure. Broken glass crunched softly beneath his shoes as he moved. Ryan sta

Sylvie reached the library in less time than she expected, she was a bit nervous and hoped that something good would come out of this. The library was quiet. Amelia was already inside. She sat at the long reading table near the window, with her glasses perched low on her nose. A slim folder was neatly arranged before her. She looked calm and in control. That alone made Sylvie’s stomach churn. "You sounded urgent on the phone," her mother said, lifting her head. "What is it?" Sylvie hesitated, standing there for a second longer than necessary. Her fingers curled slightly, with her nails pressing into her palm as she tried to steady herself. "I made a call," she finally said. Amelia closed the folder and folded her hands together. "A call? A call to whom?" "To someone outside the circle," Sylvie replied, moving closer but not sitting yet. "A potential investor. Not connected to Zade." She breathed. "Mr Lane." That made Amelia lean back slightly, her expression sharpeni