Semua Bab The billionaire brother's lost heiress : Bab 31 - Bab 37

CH 31 The Grand Gala Alexander’s POV The Hartwell mansion was illuminated in gold and crystal. Light spilled from every balcony, every tall arched window, washing the stone in a glow that felt almost unreal. The fountain shimmered like liquid metal. Music floated through the open ballroom doors. From the outside, it looked perfect. Untouchable. But the night before, there had been no music. In the private security room, the air felt tight. Alexander stood at the head of the table. He didn’t sit. He rarely did when something mattered. Julian stood beside him, arms folded, silent as always. The Chief of Security and his team waited, straight-backed. “Tomorrow night,” Alexander said, calm but firm, “no external guest enters the main mansion.” No one moved. “The ballroom stays open. Public halls stay open. The private wing is restricted.” A pause. “No exceptions.” The Chief nodded immediately. “Understood, sir.” “Double patrol around the staircase,” Alexander added. “Upper co

CH 33 Silence in the Ballroom Alexander’s POV The applause did not stop immediately. It continued for several seconds after Julian’s whisper, loud and confident, filling the ballroom with celebration that suddenly felt misplaced. “It’s not there.” The words echoed in Alexander’s mind. He kept his face neutral. His posture remained straight. Anyone watching would see nothing but composure. But something inside him had already shifted. Across the room, Sophia stood beneath the chandelier light, smiling, accepting congratulations from board members as if the position had already settled permanently on her shoulders. Alexander finally turned his head slightly. Not toward her. Toward Julian. Julian’s expression said enough. There was no mistake. Alexander’s gaze moved slowly to Sophia’s back. She turned again, laughing softly at something one of the guests had said. The silk shifted with her movement, revealing the smooth curve of her spine. Bare. Completely bare. No cres

CH 35 Slap Before the CrowdPOV: SophiaSophia gathered courage to speak up, even when her mouth felt heavy. She had to say something to defend herself. It wasn’t anger. It wasn’t confusion. It was something colder—something that sliced through the polished air of the ballroom and left a tremor in her chest. Every eye in the room followed her gaze, every whispered question amplified by the marble walls. The crystal chandeliers above reflected the tension like fractured light. For a moment, the music seemed to pause, holding its breath with the crowd.“I am your sister,” Sophia said, her voice trembling but loud enough for the front row to hear. Her chest heaved as she repeated the words, the rehearsed confidence she had clung to evaporating in seconds. “Isabella Hartwell. The rightful heir of the Hartwell estate and… the CEO of the Hartwell company. I'm your little sister.”There was a beat of silence so heavy it felt as if the chandeliers themselves might collapse under it. Guests

CH 37 The Real DNAPOV: Sophia / Alexander / GuestsThe ballroom felt impossibly quiet, as if the chandeliers themselves were holding their breath. Laniel Reeves stood near the grand staircase, a thick folder clutched in his hands, the weight of it almost tangible. Every guest, every investor, every socialite froze mid-motion, sensing the gravity of what was about to unfold.Alexander’s eyes narrowed. His posture rigid, perfectly composed, but beneath the calm, something stormed. Julian stood beside him, silent, calculating, every muscle taut with readiness. Sophia’s chest constricted, the sting of the previous slap still hot, her rehearsed confidence crumbling faster than she could catch it.Laniel opened the folder deliberately. The sound of paper sliding against paper echoed unnaturally in the silent room. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, voice steady, calm, carrying through the marble halls. “What I have here are the results of an official investigation conducted with the utmost