Todos os capítulos de The Billionaire's Bargain: Capítulo 11 - Capítulo 20

~XAVIERBy the time I stepped into my study, Joe was already there, waiting beside the desk with a tablet in one hand and a slim file in the other.He did not speak immediately, which was one of the reasons I trusted him. He had worked with me long enough to know when silence was more useful than questions.I crossed the room, loosened the knot of my tie, and set the untouched coffee cup I had carried from breakfast on the desk. Through the tall windows behind me, the city stretched wide and confident beneath the morning light, but my attention was no longer on the skyline or the meeting I was meant to prepare for.It was upstairs.On the woman sitting at my dining table with bruises she had not yet stopped trying to hide.“She ate a little,” Joe said at last.I looked up. “A little is better than nothing.”He gave a small nod. “She seems calmer than yesterday.”“She is not calm,” I said, pulling a file toward me without reading it. “She is trying.”Joe said nothing, but the silence b

~SHARONAfter the call ended, I remained seated on the edge of the bed with the phone still pressed against my ear, even though the line had already gone dead.Those words would not stop circling in my head. I had always known James had taken something from me. He had taken my confidence, my peace, my freedom, and the part of me that still believed life could be kind. But hearing Sia say he might have stolen my songs too made the damage feel larger. It meant the loss had not only been emotional. It had been deliberate, planned, and profitable.I lowered the phone slowly and stared at the floor. This was James, the same man who smiled when I cried and locked me away while calling it love. Still, the thought struck me differently because music had once been the only place where I felt most like myself. Even after I stopped singing in public, I kept writing. I told myself it was enough to pour everything into words and melodies and let the world hear them through someone else if I had to

~SHARONMy fingers tightened around the phone until they hurt.You can block the others, Sharon, but hunger always brings you home.For a second, I could not breathe. The room seemed to shrink around me, and every ugly memory attached to James’s voice came rushing back. He did not need to stand in front of me to make my body remember fear. He only needed a screen, a few words, and the confidence that I still belonged to him in some broken way.Xavier took one look at my face and knew something had changed.“What is it?” he asked.I did not answer immediately. I simply held the phone out to him because I did not trust my voice. He took it, read the message once, and lifted his eyes back to mine. His expression changed quietly, like a door shutting somewhere deep behind his face.“He’s using other numbers now,” I said at last.“Yes,” Xavier replied.“He keeps finding me,” I whispered. “Even here.”Xavier set the phone aside. “He is finding your number, not you.”“That does not feel very

~XAVIERThe moment Sharon left the sitting room, I opened the file again.Joe remained near the door, silent as always, but I could feel his attention fixed on me. He had already read enough of the report to understand why it mattered. The problem was that I understood it too well.Inside the file were copies of payment trails, contract transfers, and hidden ownership records connected to James Wick’s label over the past three years. Most of it looked clean at first glance. James had always been careful with appearances. But underneath the polished surface, patterns were beginning to show.And Sharon’s name was buried inside too many of them.“She does not know any of this yet?” I asked.Joe shook his head. “No, sir.”I looked down at the pages again.Three songs credited to different artists. Two unreleased demo recordings transferred through a shell company. Royalty payments redirected through false production accounts. It was all fragmented enough to avoid attention unless someone

~SHARONThe door opened slowly.I found myself holding my breath without realizing it.Two men stepped into the room, both dressed in dark business suits. They looked to be in their forties, carrying leather document cases instead of briefcases. Neither of them appeared surprised to find Joe standing where he was.In fact, they seemed relieved."Joe," the taller man greeted quietly.Joe gave a respectful nod."Mr. Carter."The second man acknowledged Joe before his eyes shifted toward me.For only a moment.Then both men lowered their heads politely."Mrs. Combs."The title still felt unfamiliar.I returned the greeting with a small nod."Good morning."Neither man moved farther into the room.Instead, they waited.Joe glanced toward me."Ma'am, these gentlemen work closely with Mr. Combs. They weren't expected this morning."Something in his tone made me understand there was more he wasn't saying."I see."The taller man spoke carefully."We apologize for disturbing you. We only need