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Home / Romance / After the Divorce, My Ex Husband Came Crawling Back / Chapter 91 - Chapter 100

All Chapters of After the Divorce, My Ex Husband Came Crawling Back: Chapter 91 - Chapter 100

116 Chapters

91

ARIANABy the third hour of the Presidential Ball, I realize something deeply unsettling.This isn’t an event. It’s a marketplace, not for money, but for influence.People trade things here without saying it directly. Political favors disguised as harmless conversations. Business alliances hidden beneath laughter. Marriages evaluated from across the room like investment opportunities.And somehow, without noticing when it happened, I became part of it.“Ariana Grace Chase.”The senator smiling at me shakes my hand warmly.“I’ve heard impressive things about the hockey acquisition.”“Hopefully legal things.”He laughs politely, but not genuinely. Nobody here laughs genuinely unless they forget themselves for a second.The moment he leaves, I exhale quietly and reach for another glass of champagne.“I’m beginning to understand why Durrell hates these things.”A low voice answers from beside me.“He hates losing control of rooms.”I turn slightly to find Jonathan, my brother, standing bes

92

DURRELLI don't like the way Mason Grant looks at Ariana.It's not obvious enough for anyone else to notice. That's the problem. Men like Maxwell stare openly in a loud, emotional, and predictable way when they want something. But men like Mason watch quietly, like they're memorizing weak points.Across the ballroom, Ariana still stands beside him near the east wing windows, listening while he says something low enough that I can't hear. But I see her reaction. Confusion first, then unease.Good. At least she feels it too."You're glaring." Victor appears beside me, holding two glasses of whiskey. He hands me one without asking.I take it automatically. "I'm observing.""That's usually what people say before committing felonies."I ignore that. My eyes stay fixed on Mason.But Victor's presence beside me reminds me of something else. Something I've been trying not to think about since Harold Bennett opened his mouth.I turn to face him. "Who was she?"Victor's expression doesn't chang

93

DURRELLThe agents lead Victor out of the hall.I glance back toward the east wing windows. Ariana is watching us now, her conversation with Mason forgotten, concern flickering across her face. I gesture for her to meet us outside. She nods once.Good. At least she's paying attention."Come on," I say to Charles. "We're following in your car."We move toward the exit. Victor is already at the doors, flanked by Agent Reeves and her two colleagues. A black sedan waits at the curb, unmarked, engine running."We'll take our own car," Charles says to Agent Reeves.She nods once. "The BBI office in Lakebridge."Victor glances back at us before he ducks into the sedan. His eyes meet mine for just a second. There's something in them I can't name, it’s not fear, not resignation, but something else. Then the door closes, and the car pulls away.Charles is already on his phone, calling for his driver. I'm on mine, calling the family lawyer.He picks up on the second ring. "What's happened?""Vict

94

ARIANAI force myself to speak evenly. "You seem to know a lot about my family."Mason's mouth curves slightly. "Do I?"I hate that answer immediately. Before I can respond, Juliana appears beside us fast enough to feel unnatural."Ariana." Her voice is too smooth, too controlled for someone who's been on edge all evening. "Senator Vale was asking for you earlier."A lie. An obvious lie. Mason notices too and smirks at it. But Juliana keeps her eyes fixed on me instead, ignoring his reaction."Really," I say flatly."Really." Juliana repeats softly. There's something underneath it now, a warning, or fear. Maybe both."I wasn't aware Senator Vale knew my name.""People in power pay attention to anyone acquiring hockey teams." Her smile doesn't reach her eyes. "But that doesn't mean you're ready for every invitation that comes your way.""I manage fine.""Do you?" She tilts her head. "Because from where I'm standing, you've been stumbling through this evening like someone who wandered i

95

ARIANAWithout another word, Mason catches my wrist gently and pulls me backward into the darker section between a huge flowerpot and a stone column. My back hits cool marble. Mason steps close in front of me just as Jonathan and another man walk past the open window outside.Neither of them notices us."...Cox situation is becoming complicated," the unfamiliar man mutters quietly.Jonathan's voice stays calm. "Then handle it before Blackbridge loses patience."I feel my pulse slow dangerously as my heart pounds against my chest.The man exhales. "And the girl?"A pause. Then Jonathan says quietly, "She matters now."Their voices fade into the night.Mason steps out from where we're hidden and moves further into the hall, still a few feet away from me. I step out and stand beside him.My eyes find the exit. Victor is being led away by three people. Durrell is searching for me with his eyes as he follows them out of the hall."I have to go," I say.Mason nods once. "Be careful, Grace.

96

ARIANAThe Bindy estate sits on a hill overlooking Blackbridge. Even at two in the morning, it feels less like a home and more like a kingdom. The gates alone are larger than most houses.The drive seems endless. Old trees line both sides of the road with their branches stretching over us in the silence.The car is silent during the journey. By the time we arrive, exhaustion has settled deep into my bones. But sleep is impossible, not tonight, and not after everything.A maid leads us through halls lined with portraits. Generations of Bindys stare down from gilded frames. Politicians, industrialists, judges, and military officers. People who built cities and ruined others. The weight of their legacy hangs in every room.Finally, Eleanor leads me into a private sitting room overlooking the gardens, where tea is already waiting. She lowers herself into a chair, but I remain standing. "I'm not here for tea.""No," she agrees. "You're here for answers."I fold my arms. "Then start talkin

97

ARIANA"What about my father?"The question hangs between us. Eleanor doesn't answer immediately. She looks toward the window, toward the darkness beyond the glass. And suddenly, I realize something that should probably concern me.Eleanor Bindy isn't choosing her words carefully because she's trying to protect me. She's choosing them carefully because she's deciding how much she wants me to know."Your father never knew you existed."I stare at her. "Why?""Because nobody told him."Again, a simple, clean but cruel answer. I let out a hollow laugh. "Apparently, that's a family tradition."The corner of Eleanor's mouth twitches, not because of amusement but of acknowledgment that my word is true."Your father and Linda's relationship ended long before your birth.""Because of Juliana?"A pause. "Partly."Meaning it wasn’t entirely. I find that quite interesting. Even now, she's rationing information. Then I lean back slowly. "I'm starting to understand why everyone in this family talk

98

ARIANA"Very well. Not nothing."There it is.She gestures vaguely toward the house. "The Bindy family will continue after I'm gone."My stomach tightens. "Eleanor…""You are Matthew Bindy's granddaughter." Her gaze sharpens. "You carry Bindy blood whether you acknowledge it or not."I don't respond because honestly, I don't know how.She continues. "There is a place for you here if you want it."The room suddenly feels much quieter."What kind of place?""A legitimate one." She pauses. "Your inheritance."I blink. "My what?""You heard me."I definitely heard her but I just wish I hadn't.Eleanor studies my expression. "The matter has already been discussed."Of course it has. Apparently, everyone in Blackbridge enjoys discussing my future before informing me."If you wish it, your share will be formally transferred."The words sound surreal. Inheritance, family, blood. Everything I've never had. Everything I never expected. And somehow none of it feels real. Maybe not yet. Maybe not

99

DURRELLShe's lying on top of the covers when I get home, still in her gown from last night, shoes gone but everything else still on. The curtains are open and the early morning light falls across her in pale strips.I cross the room and sit on the edge of the bed. She doesn't open her eyes, but her hand squeezes mine when I take hers in mine. Like she knew I was coming before I even sat down.I hold on, and for a while neither of us speaks. The house is completely quiet. The twins are still asleep down the hall and the morning hasn't properly started yet. It feels like the world is holding its breath.Then she asks quietly, "How's Victor?""Okafor got him out before dawn. He's home."She exhales. "Good.""Yeah."Another silence. I watch her face. She looks exhausted in the specific way that has nothing to do with sleep. The kind that comes from carrying information you haven't figured out how to put down yet."Aria.""I know," she says, before I can ask anything."You don't know what

100

DURRELLThe morning light has shifted slightly now, growing warmer through the open curtains. Down the hall I hear the first faint sounds of the twins waking up. Small feet on hardwood, and a muffled thud that's probably a stuffed animal hitting the floor.Ariana hears it too, and something in her face softens immediately in the involuntary way it always does when it comes to them. Like her entire nervous system has a separate setting reserved specifically for those two."I should get changed," she murmurs."Probably."But neither of us moves immediately. She squeezes my hand once. "What exactly did they ask Victor?""Everything connected to the port accounts. The freeze you initiated two years ago. The subcontractor activity." I keep my voice measured. "Victor handled it the way Victor handles everything. Cleanly.""Did they ask about you?"I look at her. “Yes.” Needing to know whether she knows, I ask, "Why would they ask about me?""Because you ran the internal investigation."She

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