《The Billionaire I Rejected Is My Boss》全部章節：第 51 章 - 第 60 章

Stay where you are. I stared at Ethan’s message, reading it twice even though the words didn’t change. A strange feeling settled heavily in my chest. Not panic. Something sharper than that. Instinct. The office still looked normal around me. People moved between departments carrying files and coffee cups. Someone near the printers laughed quietly at something on their phone. A meeting was starting in one of the glass conference rooms nearby. But beneath all of it, tension pressed against my skin like a warning I couldn’t ignore. “Ava.” Lila’s voice pulled my attention sideways. “That text didn’t look casual.” “It wasn’t.” Her expression tightened slightly. “What’s happening?” I looked toward the executive hallway again, my thoughts still stuck on the two men who had walked in earlier. “I think something’s wrong.” That was the simplest way to explain it. And somehow, the honesty in my voice seemed to affect her immediately. “Wrong how?” “I don’t know yet.” But deep d

I waited until Ava disappeared down the hallway before allowing myself to exhale fully. The moment the guest room door closed, the silence in the house felt different. Sharper. Heavier. I loosened my tie slowly, walking toward the kitchen while forcing my thoughts back into order. The security team had already doubled coverage around the property. Adrian was tracking the investor’s movements. Every possible entry point had been checked twice. Everything was handled. At least, it should have felt handled. Instead, tension still sat heavily beneath my skin. Because the real problem wasn’t outside these walls. It was the fact that Ava was inside them. I poured a glass of water and leaned against the counter briefly, staring out toward the dark windows overlooking the property. Rain still fell lightly outside. Quiet. Controlled. Nothing about tonight should have affected me this much. I’d dealt with corporate threats before. Aggressive investors. Failed deals. Men trying to

Marcus Vale enjoyed making people uncomfortable. That was the first thing most people noticed about him. The second was that he enjoyed watching them hide it. I saw both the moment I walked into the private lounge reserved for our meeting. He was already seated near the windows overlooking the city, expensive whiskey resting untouched beside him while two men stood several feet away near the entrance. Security disguised as assistants. Predictable. Marcus looked up as I approached, a slow smile forming across his face. “Blackwood.” “Vale.” I remained standing for a moment before sitting across from him calmly. Neither of us reached for a handshake. That alone said enough. “You kept me waiting,” Marcus said casually. “I considered not coming at all.” A quiet chuckle left him. “Still arrogant.” “And you’re still compensating for poor investments.” His smile thinned slightly. Good. For months, Marcus had hidden his frustration behind lawyers and corporate negotiations. P

Kissing Ava was becoming a serious problem. Not because I regretted it. Because I didn’t. That was the issue. The second my mouth touched hers, every logical thought in my head disappeared beneath instinct. The careful distance I’d spent weeks maintaining around her collapsed completely the moment she kissed me back. And Ava kissed like she felt things deeply. Honestly. Dangerously. My hand remained against her jaw while the other settled instinctively at her waist, pulling her closer until there was almost no space left between us. Too close. Still not close enough. The realization alone should have forced me to step back. Instead, it made me want more. Ava’s fingers tightened lightly against the front of my shirt, and the quiet sound that escaped her nearly destroyed whatever control I had left. I broke the kiss first. Barely. Only enough to breathe. My forehead rested briefly against hers while I forced myself to think clearly again. Bad idea. Very bad idea. “Yo

By the time I arrived at Blackwood Enterprises, I already knew two things. First—Marcus had underestimated me. Second—someone inside my company was about to regret every decision they’d made. The elevator ride to the executive floor was silent except for the low hum of machinery beneath us. Adrian stood beside me reviewing information on his tablet while two security personnel waited behind us. “Employee access logs confirm the number was pulled from internal records three days ago,” Adrian said evenly. “Who accessed it?” He looked up briefly. “Megan Holloway.” I recognized the name immediately. Senior executive assistant in corporate operations. Efficient. Quiet. Trusted. Or at least she had been. “How deep is she involved?” I asked. “We don’t know yet.” Not good enough. The elevator doors opened smoothly onto the executive floor, but the second I stepped out, the atmosphere shifted immediately. People noticed. They always noticed when I walked through the building