Lahat ng Kabanata ng Claimed By My Best Friend’s Daddy: Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 47

Alicia’s POV Weeks later, I got a text from Rhys saying he got me something cute. The package arrived at the dorm front desk just after my afternoon lecture, wrapped in plain brown paper with no return address. I knew who it was from the second I saw it, my heart did a traitorous flip as I carried it upstairs, glancing over my shoulder like Mirabel might appear at any moment. I slipped into our room, locked the door, and tore it open on my bed. Inside was a small wooden box. Nestled in velvet lay a rare first-edition copy of Jane Eyre, the cover worn but beautiful, it pages edged in gold. My breath caught. I’d mentioned it once during the holidays, of how it was my ultimate book boyfriend fantasy in physical form. Rhys had remembered. I opened it carefully. Tucked inside the front cover was a handwritten note on heavy cream paper, his strong, decisive script unmistakable. Sunshine, Some stories deserve to be claimed again and again, just like you. I hope you enjoy this. —R My

Alicia’s POV The ride back to campus felt too short. I stared out the tinted window, my body still humming with the warmth of the weekend. I kept replaying Rhys’s steady voice telling me I wasn’t alone in this, the way he’d held me like I was something precious he refused to lose again. I was glowing differently, even when exhaustion tugged at my edges, and guilt sat heavy in my stomach like a stone. Mirabel was waiting when I pushed open the dorm door, legs crossed on her bed, eyes lighting up the second she saw me. “You’re back!” She jumped up and pulled me into a tight hug. “How was the literature retreat? Tell me everything. Was it amazing? Did you meet famous authors? Did you read until your eyes fell out?” I hugged her back, forcing a bright smile as I dropped my bag. “It was incredible, actually. Super intense but so much fun. We talked about classic romance tropes for hours, analyzed different books… and I took so many notes. You would’ve loved it. Next time they do one, I

Rhys’s POV I arrived at Connell Tower, rhe executive floor was already buzzing with the usual morning energy, but the moment I stepped out of the private elevator, the atmosphere shifted. Conversations died mid-sentence, a few board members who had arrived early for the strategy session stared openly, as if I had grown a second head. I had never been late, not once. Mark was already seated in the main conference room, his sharp eyes narrowing with unmistakable satisfaction as I walked in. He leaned back in his leather chair, steepled his fingers, and let the silence stretch just long enough to be uncomfortable. “Rhys,” he drawled, voice dripping with false concern. “Late start today? That’s unlike you. Family emergency? Or perhaps something… more personal keeping you occupied?” I ignored the jab and took my seat at the head of the long table. “Let’s begin. We’re already behind.” Hayes, ever the loyal right hand, jumped in immediately, redirecting the conversation to the qua

Rhys’s POVThe house was quiet when I finally walked through the front door.It was past ten already, the house was so quiet and that only felt heavier. I set my keys on the entry table, loosened my tie, and stood for a moment in the dim foyer, listening to the silence. No laughter, no footsteps on the stairs, no soft voice calling my name from the kitchen. Just the low hum of the air system and the distant ticking of the grandfather clock that had belonged to Elena’s father.I should have gone straight upstairs, instead I found myself walking toward the study.I didn’t turn on the main lights, the small desk lamp was enough. I sat in the leather chair I had occupied for more than twenty years and stared at the dark wood surface without really seeing it. My mind kept drifting back to the night before, with Alicia’s face when she told me she was scared of becoming someone’s secret forever. The way her voice had cracked on the word and the quiet honesty in her eyes.‘You’re my secret b