บททั้งหมดของ The Rise Of The Betrayed Wife: บทที่ 21 - บทที่ 30

Isla's POV:I woke to unfamiliar luxury and for a moment had no idea where I was.The bed beneath me was absurdly comfortable, the kind of mattress that seemed to mold perfectly to my body while still providing support.The linens were soft and expensive, probably thread counts I couldn't even imagine. Sunlight streamed through floor-to-ceiling windows that took up an entire wall, offering a view of the city sprawling out below in a way that made me feel suspended in the sky.The guest bedroom was larger than my entire room at the Brennan house had been, decorated in soft grays and whites with minimalist furniture that managed to look both elegant and somehow impersonal. A dresser, a desk, a chair positioned near the windows. Everything clean and new and untouched by the toxicity of my old life.I sat up slowly and checked my phone from where it had been charging on the nightstand.The screen lit up with notifications that made my stomach drop.Hundreds of them, accumulated overnigh

Isla's POV:I retreated to my room after the business discussion feeling like I couldn't quite catch my breath.The door clicked shut behind me and I leaned against it, pressing my palms flat against the smooth wood while my heart raced with panic.The reality of my situation was sinking in properly for the first time since I'd signed those contracts in Margaret’s office.I was living with a man I barely knew, sharing a home with him and his daughter. I was pretending to be engaged in a relationship that was purely transactional and using knowledge from a timeline where I'd died bleeding out on a glass table, knowledge I couldn't explain without sounding completely insane.I sat at the edge of the bed to steady myself.I thought about the baby I'd lost in my previous life and my hand moved unconsciously to my stomach, pressing against the flat surface beneath my shirt. Six weeks pregnant when Sienna had shoved me. Six weeks of carrying a tiny life I hadn't even known existed until th

Callum's POV:The media team arrived at seven in the morning with equipment cases and lighting stands.Sarah Mitchell directed them to set up in the penthouse library, a room with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and large windows that let in natural light.The backdrop would convey intelligence and stability without being too formal or cold. Exactly the image we needed.I watched from the doorway as they arranged lights and tested camera angles, adjusting things by inches until everything looked exactly right.Sarah explained the plan to Isla, who listened carefully and nodded at each instruction.The plan was for Isla to communicate via sign language with subtitles overlaid on the video. She would maintain her silence while still being clearly understood.Sarah had consulted with experts on accessibility and presentation to make sure this approach would work effectively.Isla stood near the window while my stylist made final adjustments to her appearance. She wore a navy blue dress that

Callum's POV:My executive team was waiting in the conference room when I arrived Monday morning at seven thirty.James Porter, my head of security, sat at the table with his laptop open and files spread out in front of him.My CFO replacement, hired temporarily while Marcus Reid was under investigation, occupied the seat to his right. My legal counsel Sarah, Margaret's sister and equally sharp, sat across from them reviewing documents with focused intensity.“We have a problem,” James said as soon as I closed the door behind me.I poured coffee from the pot on the side table and took my seat at the head of the conference table. “Tell me.”“Gerald Hutchins is making moves,” James said, pulling up a schedule on the screen mounted to the wall. “He's requested private meetings with four board members this week. All of them are scheduled for the days leading up to the quarterly meeting.”“Which board members?” I asked, though I already suspected I knew based on Isla's information.“Patter

Isla's POV:The message came in Tuesday afternoon while I was sitting at my desk doing nothing in particular, just staring out the window at the city below and letting my mind wander.There was no greeting or explanation. Just a file attachment from the same unknown number that had sent me the hotel footage.I opened it.It took me a few seconds to understand what I was looking at.There were financial records, pages of them, going back almost four years. Transaction histories and account statements and transfers that started small and got bigger as time went on.Whoever had put this together had done it carefully, annotating certain entries and highlighting patterns that made the overall picture impossible to miss.Margot had been stealing from my father's company for years.Small amounts at first, tucked into routine expenses where they wouldn't stand out. Then larger ones once she realized no one was looking closely enough to catch her.The money moved through a few intermediate ac