บททั้งหมดของ The Secret Heir’s Return : บทที่ 41 - บทที่ 50

The BulletThe gunshot echoed through the warehouse like a thunderclap.Isabella felt the impact before she heard the sound, a violent slam against her chest that knocked the breath from her lungs. She stumbled backward, her hand flying to the wound, expecting blood, expecting pain, expecting nothing.She looked down. The bullet had hit the flash drive in her pocket, the one Alexander had given her, the one containing Sebastian's files. The plastic was shattered, the fragments pressing against her ribs, but she was unharmed.Genevieve stared at her, disbelief warring with fury on her face. "Impossible."Isabella didn't wait to see if she would fire again. She lunged forward, grabbing Genevieve's wrist, twisting the gun away. It clattered to the concrete floor, spinning into the darkness."Now!" Damien's voice roared from the corridor, and suddenly the warehouse was flooded with light and men. Cole's team moved with practiced efficiency, surrounding Genevieve, disarming her, and forcin

The boardroom was a cathedral of power.Isabella stood at the back of the room, her hands clasped behind her back, her eyes fixed on the long mahogany table where the fate of Thorn Enterprises would be decided. Twelve men and women sat around it, the most powerful people in the company, the ones who held Damien's future in their hands.Damien sat at the head of the table, his expression carved from stone. He had dressed carefully this morning: charcoal suit, silver tie, his dark hair pulled back in its usual sleek bun. He looked every inch the CEO, confident and commanding.But Isabella could see the tension in his shoulders. The way his fingers drummed against the arm of his chair. The way his eyes flicked to her, just for a moment, as if drawing strength from her presence."Gentlemen. Ladies." Damien's voice was steady. "Shall we begin?"The vote was supposed to be about the quarterly earnings. That was the official agenda, the reason the board had gathered. But everyone in the room

The warehouse loomed out of the darkness like a tomb.Isabella stood at the edge of the parking lot, her breath fogging in the cold night air, her eyes fixed on the figure standing beneath the flickering security light. Margaret Chen hadn't moved since Isabella arrived, hadn't lowered the gun, hadn't smiled, hadn't done anything but wait.Behind her, hidden in the shadows, Damien and his security team waited. He had argued when she insisted on approaching alone. Had threatened to lock her in the penthouse. Had finally relented when she reminded him that Margaret wouldn't talk to anyone else."If anything happens " he'd started."Nothing will happen." She'd kissed him, quick and hard. "I'll signal if I need you."Now, standing in the cold, watching the woman who had once been her mentor, Isabella wasn't so sure."Margaret." She walked forward slowly, her hands raised, her voice steady. "I'm here. Just like you asked."Margaret's smile was thin, brittle. "I knew you'd come. You always w

Isabella didn't sleep.She sat on the couch, the booties still clutched in her hands, the photograph burned into her mind. Damien and Genevieve. Together. Her hand on his arm, her face tilted up toward his, her expression intimate in a way that made Isabella's stomach churn.She had trusted him. Had believed him when he said Genevieve was in the past. Had convinced herself that they could build a future together, despite the odds, despite the danger, despite everything.She had been a fool.The door opened at dawn.Isabella looked up as Damien walked in, his face haggard, his clothes rumpled, his eyes red. He stopped when he saw her on the couch, still in her dress from the night before, the booties visible in her lap."You're still here.""Where else would I be?" Her voice was flat.Damien crossed the room, lowering himself onto the coffee table in front of her. "I'm sorry. For walking out. For not answering your calls. I just needed to think.""Did you?" She pulled out her phone, sh

The penthouse felt like a prison.Isabella moved through the rooms like a ghost, packing her things when Damien was at work, hiding them in the guest room closet where he never looked. She had stopped sleeping. Couldn't eat. Couldn't think about anything except the recording Helena had played for her."Get rid of it. Make her get rid of it. Or do it yourself."Genevieve's voice was cold and sharp. Damien's response, barely a whisper: "I'll handle it."She had trusted him. Had believed him when he said he wanted the baby, wanted a future with her, wanted to be better than his father and his grandfather and everyone who had come before.It had all been a lie."Isabella?" Damien's voice came from the doorway. She turned, forcing a smile she didn't feel."Hey. You're home early.""Meetings ended sooner than expected." He crossed the room, his hands finding her waist. "You look tired. Have you been sleeping?""Not really. The baby keeps me up."His hand moved to her stomach, resting there