The Don’s Dangerous Addiction のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 161 - チャプター 170

The half-hour ultimatum had been delivered. What remained now was the internal power struggle and negotiation among the factions within the conglomerate—the desperate scrambling of executives who had been caught off guard, the frantic phone calls to lawyers and fixers, the hushed arguments behind closed doors about how much they could afford to concede. Avery pulled the heavy alloy door of the consultation hall shut behind her and stepped out alone to clear her head. The air in the corridor was cooler, carrying the faint scent of antiseptic and something metallic.The corridors of the Heinrich Sanatorium stretched deep and long, winding through the mountain like veins through a body. The afternoon sun filtered through the clouds that had gathered after the storm, casting broad patches of shadow across the polished floor. The light shifted with the clouds, creating a dance of shadow and gold that moved across the walls like something alive.As she rounded a corner

The elevator plunged downward at breakneck speed, the metal cabin groaning softly as it cut through the earth. The descent felt endless, each second stretching into an eternity of silence. The only sounds were the faint hum of the machinery and Margaret's ragged, labored breathing—each exhale heavy with barely suppressed fury.Avery kept her hands in her pockets, her gaze fixed on the descending floor numbers as they flickered past in rapid succession. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Margaret's temples, veins bulging with barely contained rage. A silent, cold smirk flickered across her lips. The woman's composure was cracking, and Avery was enjoying every second of it.Ding.As the elevator doors slid open, a wave of stale, frigid air, tinged with the faint, metallic scent of machine oil, rushed out to meet her. The cold hit her exposed skin like a slap, raising goosebumps along her arms and the back of her neck. The temperature here

The car raced through the downpour, the sound of tires slicing through standing water mingling with the drumming rain on the roof. The steady, rhythmic hiss filled the cabin with a muffled roar that only seemed to deepen the silence within.The rear seat had fallen into a prolonged, heavy silence. The cabin was dim, lit only by the blurred streetlights passing outside, their intermittent glow casting shifting patterns of light and shadow between them. The world beyond the windows was nothing but streaks of gold and darkness, the city reduced to a smeared watercolor painting.Avery stared out the window. Droplets of rain streaked across the glass, racing backward, reflecting the tense line of her lower lip. This was their first real meeting in over forty days. Forty days of separation, of silence, of wondering. Now, sitting together in this enclosed space, the air around them had grown thick and heavy, pressing down on her chest until it was hard to breathe. Every shall

Avery's lashes trembled involuntarily, her near-sleeping nerves snapping to full alert in an instant. Her body went rigid beneath the covers, every muscle tensing as the fragile veil of sleep shattered completely.She didn't open her eyes. Her senses magnified in the darkness, every sound sharp and distinct—the whisper of fabric, the soft shift of weight, the faint creak of the floorboards beneath careful footsteps.A faint draft carried the scent of cold cedar and tobacco, accompanied by deliberately light footsteps approaching the bed, inch by inch. The sound was almost imperceptible, meant to be silent—but she had learned to read him in the dark.It was Dominic.A moment later, the mattress beside her dipped slightly under his weight. The springs groaned softly, a sound that seemed deafening in the quiet room. She could feel the heat radiating from his body, even through the layers of blanket and sheet between them.Avery's fingers t

Old Winster's condition had stabilized completely. His vitals were holding steady, the jagged peaks of his brainwaves smoothed into a gentle, even rhythm. For the remaining follow-up treatment, Avery had handed over supervision to Lin and the other Diamond City psychiatrists, walking them through the next steps with clinical precision.Outside the ward, the corridor stretched long and quiet. The fading light of sunset spilled through the windows, casting warm amber streaks across the polished floor. The alarms and chaos had faded, leaving behind a silence so thick it felt almost suffocating—a stark contrast to the frantic energy that had filled the space just hours before.Jessica walked up to Avery, her eyes still red-rimmed and swollen, her usual sharp composure completely shattered. The heiress who had always carried herself with aristocratic arrogance—whose very presence demanded attention—now looked stripped of every layer of protection, vulnerable and raw in a way Avery had neve