Semua Bab When the Billionaire Loved Her Back: Bab 11 - Bab 20

The next morning, Elena woke to a silence that felt almost unnatural. The city outside the Vale Residence gleamed in early sunlight, but the calm was deceptive. Every morning since the auction, she had felt a quiet tension lurking in the corners of her life—like danger waiting just beyond the glass walls of the penthouse.She rose, moving to the balcony, wrapping a silk robe around herself. The city stretched endlessly below, but she couldn’t shake the sense of being watched, of every move being calculated. Her hands trembled slightly as she sipped her coffee, the steam rising in curls that mirrored her thoughts.Sebastian entered the room, sharp and commanding even in the casual morning light. His navy suit was crisp, perfectly tailored, and his expression was unreadable. But Elena could see the faint tension in his jaw, the way his eyes flicked toward her, assessing.“We have a situation,” he said without preamble.Elena set her cup down, heart tightening. “Another leak?”“No,” he r

The drive back to the Vale Residence passed in tense silence, broken only by the muted hum of the engine and the steady rhythm of Elena’s breathing as she tried to calm herself. Sebastian sat beside her, one hand resting on the center console, the other clenched into a fist he hadn’t yet relaxed.Victor’s voice still echoed in her head.You don’t belong to him. You belong to no one.Yet the memory of Sebastian pulling her into his arms in the lobby felt just as real.When the car finally stopped, Sebastian didn’t wait for the driver to open the door. He stepped out first, extending a hand to Elena—not as a formality, but as an anchor.She took it.Inside the penthouse, the doors closed with a soft click that sounded far too final.Sebastian turned to her, eyes dark, controlled fury simmering just beneath the surface. “Sit,” he said—not as a command, but as a plea.She sat on the edge of the sofa.“I failed you today,” he said quietly.Elena looked up sharply. “No. You didn’t.”“I left

Elena sat alone in the quiet lounge of the Meridian Hotel long after Victor had left. The air felt heavy, dust motes drifting lazily through shafts of pale afternoon light. Her reflection stared back at her from the darkened window—calm on the surface, breaking underneath.Leave Sebastian.The words echoed like a curse.Her phone buzzed again.Sebastian (3 missed calls)Her chest tightened painfully. She pressed the phone to her palm, resisting the urge to call him back. Victor’s threat replayed in her mind with merciless clarity. If you tell him, the deal disappears.Hart Industries wasn’t just a company. It was her father’s legacy. His life’s work. The one thing she had sworn to protect.But Sebastian…He hadn’t promised her love. Not yet. What he had given her was trust, protection, and a space to grow stronger. And somehow, in the midst of strategy and danger, her heart had chosen him without asking permission.She closed her eyes.I have to be smarter than Victor.Sebastian knew

Morning light spilled softly across the penthouse, pale gold and unhurried. Elena woke with the unfamiliar sensation of peace—and the even more unfamiliar weight of an arm around her waist.She froze for half a second.Then memory returned.The kiss.The truth.The end of the contract.Sebastian stirred beside her, his breathing slow and steady. In sleep, the sharp edges of his control softened; he looked younger somehow, less guarded. Elena watched him quietly, heart full and uncertain all at once.This is real now, she thought. No clauses. No escape.She shifted carefully, but Sebastian’s eyes opened instantly.“You’re awake,” he said, voice low with sleep.“Yes,” she replied. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”“You didn’t,” he said, tightening his arm slightly. “I just don’t sleep deeply anymore.”She studied his face. “Because of the past?”“And because of the present,” he said, meeting her gaze.A small smile touched her lips. “That doesn’t sound reassuring.”“It is,” he said. “I’m awa

The private jet waited on the tarmac, sleek and silent, its polished surface reflecting the pale morning sky.Elena stood at the foot of the stairs, her coat pulled tight against the cool wind. This was it—the meeting Sebastian couldn’t attend, the first real test of the rules they had set only days ago.Sebastian stood a few steps behind her.“You’re sure about this,” he said, not as a question, but as a quiet acknowledgment of the risk.She turned to face him. “If I hesitate now, those rules mean nothing.”He nodded once. “Then I’ll be right here when you land.”She smiled, touched his arm briefly, and ascended the stairs without looking back.The meeting took place in Geneva, in a glass-walled conference room overlooking the lake. The setting was calm, almost serene—an intentional contrast to the sharp minds gathered inside.Three representatives sat waiting.Mr. Laurent, silver-haired and composed.Ms. Kovács, sharp-eyed and observant.And Mr. Hale—young, smiling, unreadable.“Ele