Billionaire Boss? Nah, Just A Possessive Husband! のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 221 - チャプター 230

The air was cold and sharp, carrying the scent of damp earth and woodsmoke.Nicky, looking even smaller and more out of place in her stark white dress, led us along a footpath on the north side of the river.The houses were quiet, curtains twitching. It was the kind of place where outsiders were noted, catalogued, and discussed over tea.We were passing a particularly overgrown garden when hell itself announced its presence from behind a rusted gate.It was a dog.A massive, shaggy-haired beast with teeth that looked like they could open tins without a can opener.It hurled itself at the fence with a loud roar, barking so ferociously its whole body shook.The sound was volcanic, and the initial shock was absolute.A scream, high and undignified, tore out of me. I’m not ashamed to admit it.Portia echoed it with a colourful swear word.Even Josh jumped back, throwing an arm out in front of Portia on pure, golden-retriever reflex.Nicky just froze, a pale statue.The gate shuddered viole

I watched Hyacinth walk away.Every instinct screamed to call her back, to fold her into my arms and lock her somewhere safe until this was over.But I’d already made that mistake once, making decisions for her without her input. It had cost me dearly.So I just stood there and watched her walk straight into the lion’s den.Kai materialised at my elbow, his voice low. ‘Now that Hyacinth is involved, do we alter the plan?’‘No,’ I said, my gaze still fixed on the empty lane. ‘We proceed. In fact, her showing up like this could work in our favour. Makes the bait more convincing. It’ll draw Soraya out faster.’I turned and walked back into the overgrown garden. Bruno was pacing in his reinforced steel cage, a low whine in his throat.His handler, a wiry man in his fifties named Donnelly with a face like weathered oak, gave me a grim nod. ‘I don’t know what got into him, sir. He’s never reacted like that, unprovoked. It’s not his training.’I studied the dog. Bruno, a Belgian Malinois, mus

The darkness wasn’t complete.It was a thick, cottony haze where sound came first.The crunch of tyres on gravel, close by.Then the creak of the shed door opening.A damp, rain-smelling draught.A tense silence stretched, broken by a woman’s voice. It was light, easy, and laced with a venom so casual it was chilling.‘Nicky Forrester. Long time no see. You’re still as grimly predictable as ever. I suppose I should thank you for not disappointing me.’Nicky’s response was a strained, hoarse whisper. ‘I did what you asked.’‘Ah, yes. The bait. And you want your payment, I suppose? How much?’‘No.’ Nicky’s voice cracked. ‘I don’t want money. I want you to give him back to me.’A beat of silence, then a soft, incredulous laugh. ‘What?’ The laugh grew, full of mocking pity. ‘Darling, he’s a skeleton. Because of you, he’s sleeping with the fishes in that icy pond. What exactly am I supposed to hand over? A souvenir rib?’‘It wasn’t me,’ Nicky mumbled.‘Not you? Did you get a head injury alo

‘Was this your original plan?’ I asked him.‘No. The plan was simpler. I’d found the orchard. I was going to use the cadaver dog to locate the remains, then tip off the police anonymously.’ Lochlan looked back at me with disapproval. ‘I knew you were looking into Nicky. I just didn’t expect you to put it all together quite so fast. I thought I’d be digging up bones before you’d even found the right village. You shouldn’t have put yourself in the middle of it.’‘There was no real danger,’ I countered.‘She tried to drug you.’‘But you warned me. And I was already suspicious of her. We were on guard. She didn’t succeed.’ I was tired, cold, and in no mood for a lecture.He looked like he had a whole checklist of my reckless behaviours to run through, but I cut him off.‘Besides,’ I said, nodding towards where Nicky was now sitting up, shivering and vacant, ‘she was so eager to show us the way. The stage was set. I couldn’t very well walk off in the middle of the performance, could I?’Loc

The week of the fourteenth. Valentine’s Day.He didn’t say it. He just laid the date out like a card on the table, watching to see if I’d pick it up.My heart gave a single, hard thump against my ribs. I kept my expression neutral. ‘I’m not much for tiny sandwiches and scones. All that fuss.’‘It doesn’t have to be fuss.’ He turned back to me, and his eyes were far too perceptive in the soft light. ‘It could just be… quiet. A pause. After everything.’ He took a half-step closer, and his voice dropped, losing its casual edge for something more intimate. ‘Hyacinth, about us—’‘Lochlan.’ I cut across him, my own voice sounding strangely flat. ‘I’m exhausted. My brain is full of holes and the only thing I want to commit to right now is my mattress. Goodnight.’I walked to the door, opened it, and stood holding it, looking fixedly at the opulent corridor wallpaper.For a second, he didn’t move. I could feel the weight of his gaze on my profile, the unasked question hanging in the air betwee