Runaway Heiress: The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 281 - チャプター 290

The screen on the wall was a window into a world where Aurora Vale-Cross used to exist.She lay on her side, the pillow damp against her cheek, watching the live stream of the AVA quarterly town hall. It was taking place in the atrium—the space she had designed to flood with light at exactly 10:00 AM.On the screen, the light was perfect. Golden. Triumphant.Claire stood at the podium. She wasn't wearing one of Aurora’s hand-me-down blazers anymore. She wore a new suit, sharp navy wool, tailored to fit her own shoulders. She looked confident. She looked like a CEO."The restructuring is complete," Claire told the assembled staff—and the shareholders watching via webcast. "Thanks to the bridge financing secured by the Vale-Cross Foundation, and the renegotiated terms with our domestic partners, AVA is projecting a profitable Q4 despite the Tokyo suspension."Applause broke out. Enthusiastic, relieved applause.Aurora watched the faces in the crowd. Sarah, the textile lead. The junior a

The lobby was the border.Ethan knew this because Uncle Marcus had explained it. Upstairs was the Safe Zone. Outside was the Danger Zone. The lobby was the "neutral territory" where packages came and people signed clipboards.Ethan held Marcus’s hand. Marcus’s hand was rough, like sandpaper, but it felt strong. Stronger than Papa’s smooth hands."Stay close, kid," Marcus said. He wasn't looking at Ethan. He was looking at the revolving doors, his eyes scanning back and forth like a radar dish."I'm close," Ethan promised. He clutched his velvet cape with his free hand. He wasn't wearing his helmet today. It was too hot.They walked to the front desk. Henderson, the nice security man who always gave Ethan lollipops, was talking on the phone. He looked sweaty."Package for Cross," Marcus said to the other guard, a new guy named Steve."Right here, Mr. Sterling," Steve said, lifting a big brown box onto the counter. "It's heavy. Lego shipment?""Something like that," Marcus grunted.Etha

The study in the penthouse had been reclaimed.It wasn't a bunker anymore. It wasn't a command center for a bedridden patient. It was a war room.The blackout curtains were open, revealing the Manhattan skyline glittering in the night. The city lights were no longer indifferent; they were witnesses.Liam stood at the whiteboard, a marker in his hand. He was wearing a fresh shirt, his sleeves rolled up, the bruises on his knuckles fading to yellow.Aurora sat in his leather chair. She was still pregnant, still huge, but the lethargy was gone. Her hair was pulled back in a severe knot. Her eyes, slate-blue and terrifyingly clear, scanned the documents spread across the desk.Marcus leaned against the window, arms crossed. His split lip had healed into a thin white line.And sitting on the sofa, looking uncomfortable but professional, were Arthur Vance and the lead criminal defense attorney, a woman named Harper with eyes like a hawk."Okay," Liam said, uncapping the marker. "Let's revie

The image on the television screen was grainy, shot through the telephoto lens of a news helicopter, but to Aurora, it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.Isabella Voss, flanked by detectives, being led out of her building in handcuffs.She wasn't hiding her face. She wasn't weeping. She looked cold, regal, and utterly defeated."Turn up the volume," Aurora whispered.Liam, standing by the mantelpiece, pressed the remote."...charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping, wire fraud, and multiple counts of corporate espionage," the anchor announced. "The District Attorney has labeled this one of the most extensive criminal enterprises in New York's corporate history. Bail has been denied due to flight risk."Bail denied.Aurora let out a breath she felt she had been holding for six months. She leaned back against the sofa cushions. The iron ring on her finger felt lighter. The air in the penthouse felt cleaner."She's gone," Ethan said.He was sitting on the floor, legs cro

The recovery room was white. Not the soft Cloud White of the nursery, but the harsh, antiseptic white of a place where things are sanitized.Aurora woke up.Her first sensation wasn't pain. It was emptiness.She reached for her stomach. It was a reflex, honed over eight months of constant contact. Her hand landed on... softness. Flab. A deflated balloon where a planet used to be.The panic hit her instantly. A cold, sharp spike that pierced through the morphine haze."Where is she?" Aurora gasped, trying to sit up.Pain ripped through her abdomen. A searing line of fire across her bikini line. The incision."Whoa, easy," a nurse said, appearing at her side. She pressed a button on the bed, raising the headrest. "You just had major surgery, Mrs. Cross. You need to stay still.""My baby," Aurora choked out. "Where is my baby?""She's in the NICU," the nurse said gently. "Your husband is with her. She's stable."Stable. Not good. Not thriving. Stable.Aurora looked around the room. It wa