บททั้งหมดของ The Heiress Contract : บทที่ 71 - บทที่ 80

Cole arrived home much later. He loosened his tie, rolling his neck once, twice, as if that could ease the pressure that had been building there for hours. Amelia was waiting for him in the sitting room. She greeted him. Her posture was rigid, back straight and her hands clasped together. Cole noticed it instantly. He slowed his steps. "What happened?" he asked, already bracing himself. Amelia lifted her eyes to him. "Sylvie came to see me." Cole sighed and rubbed at his temple with two fingers. "She thinks she’s found a way out," Amelia continued with her tone tight. "She thinks she can avoid the marriage altogether." Amelia then explained what happened earlier in the day to Cole. Cole exhaled, the sound weary rather than surprised. He lowered himself into a chair across from her, leaning forward, elbows on his knees. "She’s upset," he said calmly. "That’s all. She’ll come to terms with it." Amelia scoffed. "You didn’t hear the things she said." "I can imagine,"

By the time the bottle was almost empty, Sylvie could no longer tell how long she had been sitting there. The bar felt hazy now. The low music blended into the murmurs of conversations around her, and the lights overhead seemed warmer and more blurry. Her head felt light, floating, but her head felt heavy. She poured another drink anyway. The alcohol wasn’t helping. Not really. If anything, it made everything louder inside her head. Every worry, every fear, every emotion she had been suppressing all week rose to the surface. Her parents’ voices echoed in her mind. Zade’s face followed shortly after. The confident smile. The way he looked at her like she was something already owned. The way he moved through the world without fear and apology. And then there was Ryan. That thought alone made her throat tighten. She blinked rapidly, lifting the glass again, and paused midway when the barwoman gently touched her wrist. "Hey," she said. "You sure you’re okay?" Sylvie nodded even t

He poured the water slowly and carefully and handed it to her. She reached out for the cup with her fingers brushing against his, it made his pulse jump. She didn’t hesitate. She lifted the cup and finished the water in one gulp. "Thank you," she murmured. She handed the cup back to him with a dazed and tired expression. Ryan nodded, unable to trust himself to speak just yet. She leaned back a little, her eyes fluttering, exhaustion finally claiming what fear had kept awake for hours. She looked smaller like that. The haze of alcohol was still clinging to her. She didn’t know where she was. Not truly. The house could have been anywhere, another city, another world entirely but none of that mattered. As long as Ryan was there, as long as she could feel his presence nearby, she felt safe. And that was enough. "I want to go to sleep now," she said quietly, almost apologetically, like she was asking for permission to rest. "Okay, I'll be in the next room in case you ne

Ryan was done with what he was preparing long before Sylvie realized she’d been watching him. It wasn’t deliberate at first. Her eyes had simply just followed the quiet rhythm of him moving around the kitchen, how comfortable he seemed in the space. She realized she’d been staring only when he turned. His gaze caught hers before she could look away. Her spine straightened instantly, as if she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t. She adjusted where she sat, pulling herself together, tucking her legs in closer, smoothing the sleeves of the shirt she was wearing, his shirt. He didn't act like he noticed anything. If he noticed at all, he didn’t show it. He simply picked up a glass, filled it with water, and brought it over to her. He set it down in front of her. She looked at the glass. Then at him. There was a very clear refusal sitting on her tongue, hovering right there, ready to be voiced. Her brows drew together slightly, her lips parted as if she were about to a

It was almost 1:00 p.m. when they finally entered the city they both lived in. Sylvie looked at her phone to check the time Sylvie noticed it immediately, the subtle shift in the air and the familiar turns of the road. The drive had felt endless, she started to wonder how she drove so far away. She sat up a little straighter in her seat, with her fingers tightening around the strap of her purse. For a moment, she simply watched Ryan’s hands on the steering wheel. It was just steady and controlled just like everything about him. To her, he always acted like he had no emotions whatsoever. "Ryan," she called out. He hummed in acknowledgment but didn’t look at her. "I think… I should return the car to my friend first," she continued. "After that, we can take a cab back to the house." There was a brief pause. Just long enough for her to wonder if she’d said something wrong. "Okay," he said finally. That was all. The quiet settled back between them again. Sylvie turned her gaze