All Chapters of The CEO Who Won’t Let Me Go: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Valeri came home glowing—happy, energized, practically radiant. Apparently, my leaving had done her some good, and I honestly couldn’t figure out why she’d insisted I come in the first place. Hopefully, after this weekend, she wouldn’t get another brilliant idea like dragging me along to see her fiancé again.All evening, she wouldn’t stop gushing to Mom about how amazing her future husband was and what an extravagant gift he’d given her. It felt like overnight, Alan had gone from “fiancé” to “future husband,” and pretty soon even that last label would disappear.I couldn’t quite explain it, but something inside me felt… off. Sour. Uneasy. Almost disgusted. As I picked apart my life—and the image I’d so carefully built for everyone else—I had to admit I wasn’t completely innocent in everything that had happened. I wasn’t ready to overhaul my entire wardrobe, but I did start dialing back the makeup.I softened my brows, brushed on a little gloss, and left it at that. I hid the bruises

AlanDid I mind? Yeah. I fucking minded.After everything we’d been through—how many times had we walked into danger together, covered each other, put our lives on the line without hesitation? And still, not once—not once—had I ever wanted to strangle Rinat the way I did right now.Lunch with Valeri had turned into slow, drawn-out torture.Not because I had to sit there with my fiancée—but because my head wouldn’t shut up about what those two were doing.Zoe smiled at him.Open. Warm. Real.She had never smiled at me like that.That was it. That was the crack. The moment the wall I’d spent days building around myself just… gave way.Valeri was the better match. The right choice. The perfect fiancée.I knew it.I kept telling myself that. Over and over, like it meant something.Until that stubborn blonde pushed her way back into my thoughts again.“Alan.”Valeri’s voice cut through, and it took me a second to realize she’d been calling me more than once. I finally looked at her.We wer

AlanWhere is she? Where the hell is she? Why isn’t Zoe with her parents?I leaned in toward Valeri and lowered my voice. “Why isn’t your sister here?”She pulled away from an overly chatty woman—the mayor’s wife—and glanced over at her parents, who were standing off to the side with a group of business partners.“I honestly don’t know,” she said. “She came with us. Dad took her in through the back entrance. She has to be here somewhere.”I scanned the room again—for what had to be the hundredth time—but still couldn’t find the one face that mattered.Jesus, you’ve lost it, Shulgin. She’s your enemy’s daughter. The whole point of this wedding was to take Levina down—him and his entire family. You need to get a grip. Get her out of your head.Rinat was right. If I’m the one who gets pulled in, this whole plan falls apart.What did he say? Focus on the good things about your fiancée?Fine. I’ll try.“Hey, Shulgin!” Rinat called, tapping his watch.That was all the reminder I needed. I r

My gaze flicked from the man to the woman, and I couldn’t make sense of what I’d just heard. Had this Konstantin really said our daughter—or was my brain playing tricks on me? It had to be the latter. There was no other explanation.Konstantin’s sharp stare slid from my mom to me… and softened. Warmed. Opened. Something lit up in his deep brown eyes, bright and unsettling. A faint smile touched his lips.“Zoe… that’s a beautiful name. And you’re beautiful too, like—”“Stop!” my mom cut him off, stepping in front of me like she could block him with her body. “She’s not your daughter! That’s just your sick imagination!”“How did you live with this all these years, Zhanna?” Konstantin’s voice hardened again, his gaze going cold. “I don’t doubt for a second that she’s mine. But if you don’t even know who you were with nineteen years ago—while your husband was lying helpless after the accident—then fine. We’ll do a DNA test.”The room felt unreal. The shouting, the crying, the words—they b

The shock of realizing I’d fallen asleep in Shulgin’s arms had me jerking upright in bed.A chill skated over my skin when I noticed my dress—neatly folded on the chair beside me. No. This couldn’t be happening. Not again. My hand drifted to my stomach, trembling—and right then, his voice cut through the silence, making me flinch.“Nothing happened, Zoe.”I turned slowly. He was sitting at the edge of the bed, shoulder braced against the headboard, watching me. I dragged the sheet higher, instinctively covering myself under his gaze. My underwear was still on. And there was no lingering soreness, none of that raw, burning reminder from the first time.“You should go. Valeri could walk in any—”“She’s already home. I dropped her off half an hour ago.”Something cold and heavy settled in my chest. The danger wasn’t hypothetical. It was sitting right in front of me.“And Rinat? Is he—”“Your fearless bodyguard’s still here. He’ll take you home whenever you want.”That tone—too casual, to