I LEFT WHEN HIS EX CAME BACK WITH HIS SON のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 61 - チャプター 70

THALIAThe words hung in the air like something had just cracked open that shouldn’t have.Brandon’s head snapped toward me immediately.“What?”His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried sharp disbelief, like the idea itself physically offended him.I didn’t rush to answer. I just held his stare for a second longer than comfortable, then exhaled slowly.“Yes,” I said simply. “Vale Biotech offered me a position, and I accepted.”Brandon blinked once, like he was trying to reset what he had just heard.“You’re working for him?”I shrugged slightly, forcing my expression to stay steady even as I felt the weight of his reaction pressing into me.“They’ve been very accommodating,” I added evenly. “And I’m part of their team now.”The silence that followed tightened instantly.Across the table, Adrian remained composed, one hand resting casually near his drink like none of this was affecting him at all. Then he leaned back slightly and added, almost casually…“Thalia is leading the recovery te

THALIABy nine the next morning, the conference room on the thirty-second floor of Ravens Elite headquarters felt tense enough to choke on.Three members of the Ravens executive board sat across from us with tablets, printed reports, and unreadable expressions while two performance consultants stood near the screen reviewing the final slides from our presentation package. Behind them, the massive glass windows overlooked the city skyline, but nobody in the room cared about the view anymore.This was the final stage.And every person sitting at that table knew it.Let’s do this!I stood beside the presentation screen with a remote in one hand while Adrian remained seated near the center of the table, calm as ever, his attention fully fixed on the board members across from us.One of the executives flipped through a document slowly before looking back at me.“So your proposal focuses primarily on accelerated muscular recovery and metabolic adaptation?” he asked.“Yes,” I answered immed

BRANDONBarely five minutes after Nia left my office, my phone started vibrating against the desk again.I looked down, expecting another board member or investor calling to ask questions about Ravens Elite, but the second I saw my mother’s name across the screen, I already knew this conversation was about to become exhausting.I leaned back slowly in my chair before answering.“Mom.”“Brandon Langford, what in God’s name is going on?”I pulled the phone slightly away from my ear for half a second before bringing it back.“Good afternoon to you too.”“Don’t play smart with me,” she snapped immediately. “Why am I seeing your wife standing beside Adrian Vale on national television like she suddenly works for Vale Biotech?”I rubbed slowly at my jaw and glanced toward the muted television still replaying clips from the press conference in the corner of my office.“There was a misunderstanding.”“Oh please,” my mother replied sharply. “I raised you. I know exactly how you sound when you’r

THALIABy the time Olivia dumped another pile of clothes on my bed, my apartment looked like a boutique had exploded inside it. Dresses hung off the chair beside my vanity, heels were scattered across the floor, and one of my blouses was somehow dangling from the lamp near the couch.“This is getting ridiculous,” I muttered as I yanked a black dress over my head and threw it toward the growing pile. “Who even wears this to a club?”Olivia snorted from where she sat cross-legged on the floor. “People who want attention.”“I don’t want attention.”“That’s your problem.”I shot her a glare before grabbing another dress from the rack. “No, my problem is that every single thing I own either looks like I’m going to a business dinner or looks like Knox bought it to embarrass me.”Olivia burst out laughing. “Please wear the silver one. I’m begging you.”“The silver one has half the back missing.”“And?”“And I enjoy breathing without feeling exposed.”“You’re dramatic.”“You’re insane.”She

THALIAI cleared my throat, still slightly overwhelmed by the noise of the club and the attention from earlier, and forced a small smile.“Thanks,” I said.Adrian nodded once, his expression calm but warm in a way that still made it hard to look away for too long.“Congratulations again,” he said. “I’ll join you inside in a minute. Just finishing up a call.”I nodded, adjusting my grip on my clutch.Olivia immediately leaned closer to me the second Adrian turned slightly aside.“He cannot take his eyes off you,” she muttered under her breath.I shot her a warning look.“Olivia.”“What?” she whispered back, already grinning. “I have eyes. I use them.”Adrian glanced back at us briefly, then gestured toward the entrance.“Go ahead,” he said. “Our colleagues are already inside.”We stepped away from the valet area together, moving through the entrance of Eclipse where the music immediately wrapped around us. The lights were dim but golden, bouncing off mirrored surfaces and glass tables,