All Chapters of The Shadow Husband : Chapter 41 - Chapter 48

"You cannot keep avoiding me by locking me in like this, Julian."Claire’s voice trembled slightly, yet she forced herself to maintain the most defiant stare she could muster. The man in front of her showed no signs of being intimidated. Instead, Julian stepped forward, forcing Claire to retreat until her waist hit the hard edge of the wooden desk. The spacious room suddenly felt cramped, as if the oxygen between them was being sucked dry by Julian’s dominant presence.Julian placed both hands on either side of Claire’s body, completely pinning her in place. "I am not locking you in. I am simply ensuring you truly pay attention to what I am about to say."Claire gripped the edge of the desk, her knuckles turning white. "Then say it. Those luxury watches with nonsensical prices, the diplomatic badge, and your ability to erase a digital footprint overnight. Who are you, really? No ordinary man has access to things like that."Julian did not answer immediately. He lowered his head, bring

"Do you really think Grandfather Silas has forgotten about your failure at the Blackwood Tech project, Arthur?"Natalie slammed her makeup brush down onto her crystal vanity. She stared at her husband’s reflection as he adjusted his suit behind her. Her expression was tight, lines of anxiety visible even beneath her heavy foundation. Ever since the media began hailing Claire and Julian as a power couple, the ground beneath her feet had felt increasingly unstable.Arthur sighed deeply and turned to face his wife. "He is disappointed, but I am working on fixing it. Julian just got lucky. His PR team moved fast to clean up the mess.""Lucky?" Natalie stood up gracefully, but her eyes flashed with anger. "This is not about luck, Arthur. Grandfather Silas is starting to look at Claire as if she is the ideal daughter in law. If we do not act before the grand dinner tonight, our position as primary heirs will be gone. I refuse to watch that bitch take the throne in this house."Arthur steppe

"Are you heading home already, Claire?"Mila, Claire’s coworker at the café, greeted her while wiping down the counter. Claire simply nodded briefly as she untied her apron. Her face looked unusually pale, and her hands trembled slightly as she tried to organize her shoulder bag."Yes, Mila. I’m not feeling very well today," Claire answered softly.Mila paused her work and looked at Claire with a furrowed brow. "You’ve looked terrified since this morning. Is it something to do with Julian?"Claire shook her head quickly, forcing a smile that never quite reached her eyes. "No. I’m just exhausted from all the schoolwork piling up. Don't worry about it."In truth, Claire was lying. On her way from the campus library to work that afternoon, she had felt a piercing gaze fixed firmly on her back. Every time she turned around, she saw no one. There were only crowds of students and pedestrians busy with their own lives. She tried to ignore it, telling herself it was just lingering trauma from

"Hold still a moment, Claire. This might sting a little."Julian dabbed the small scratch on the back of Claire’s hand with a cotton pad soaked in antiseptic solution. His movements were slow and careful, as though he was handling the most valuable porcelain in the world, something that could shatter at any wrong touch. His eyes stayed fixed on the injury, his brow furrowed slightly in concentration. Claire could only look at her husband, her heart tangled with mixed feelings."You’re overreacting, Julian. It’s just a scratch from hitting the wall in that hallway earlier," Claire said softly.Julian did not reply immediately. He placed the used cotton pad back in the first aid kit, then blew gently over the skin before applying a clear bandage. He looked up, meeting her gaze with eyes that had turned warm and calming once more. The brutality Claire had witnessed in the dark hallway only hours ago seemed to have vanished without a trace."This is nothing to you, but to me it is proof I