All Chapters of The Rise From Betrayal: Chapter 111 - Chapter 120

153 Chapters

Chapter 111 : His Favourite Things

The drive back to Rowan’s estate was quiet. Not the awkward kind. The comfortable kind that only came after a day well spent. Shopping bags filled the back seat. Emma smiled to herself at a memory. “What?” Rowan’s eyes stayed on the road. “You know exactly what.” “You’ve been smiling for the last five minutes.” “I have not.” “You have.” She folded her arms dramatically. “I was simply remembering Stephanie.” He nodded thoughtfully. “Ah.” “What does ‘ah’ mean?” “It means she’s a bad influence.” Emma let out a soft laugh. “On me?” “Very much so.” “I think she’s improving me.” “I noticed.” She turned toward him. “That sounded suspic

Chapter 112 : Where I belong

Morning arrived quietly. A pale ribbon of sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtains, stretching across the bed until it found Emma’s face. She scrunched her nose. “…Rude.” The sunlight, unsurprisingly, ignored her complaint. Emma cracked one eye open. The first thing she noticed was Rowan’s arm around her waist. She smiled. Carefully, she tried to slip out of bed. His hold tightened. “Nice try.” His voice was still thick with sleep. Emma glanced over her shoulder. “I thought you were asleep.” “I was.” “You don’t sound asleep.” “I woke up when someone started escaping.” “I wasn’t escaping.” “You were leaving.” “I was going to brush my teeth.” “I would’ve missed you.”

Chapter 113 : With My Heart

Rowan pushed open the door to his office, waiting for Emma to walk in first. The door clicked shut behind them. He had barely taken two steps toward his desk when Emma reached for the front of his tie. He looked down at her hand. Then back at her. “…What are you doing?” Instead of answering, she gave his tie a gentle tug. He moved closer without resistance. Close enough to see the tiny smile playing on her lips. “Emma?” She rose onto her toes. A soft kiss landed on his cheek. Just one. Warm. Quick. Completely unexpected. For a heartbeat, Rowan forgot how to breathe. Emma lowered herself back onto her feet, looking entirely pleased with herself. His eyes stayed on her. “You…” He touched the spot she’d kissed as though making sure it had actually happened. “…Did you just kiss me?” She blinked innocently. “I believe I did.” “In my office?” “Mhm.” “During work hours?” “I don’t remember seeing a rule against it.” He stared another seco

Chapter 114 : The Wrong Questions

Emma stepped out of the conference room, glanced at the three missed calls, and pressed Call. Victor answered almost immediately. “Emma.” She smiled. “Uncle Victor. You called three times. I thought something had happened.” “I seem to have worried you.” “A little.” “My apologies.” His voice was as warm as ever. “Everything’s fine. I was hoping to catch you before you disappeared.” “You succeeded.” “Barely, from the sound of it.” “I was trapped in a meeting.” “I figured as much.” A comfortable silence settled between them before he spoke again. “I wanted to invite you to tea tomorrow evening.” Emma blinked. “Tea?” “Have I made it sound like a board meeting?” She laughed. “A little.” “Then allow me to clarify. No agendas. No business. Just tea.” “That sounds much better.” “I was hoping you’d think so.” “I’d love to come.” “Wonderful.” “And I’d like Stephanie to join us as well.” Emma’s smile grew. “She’ll be thrilled.” “Good. It’

Chapter 115 : The Important Parts

Rowan hadn’t said much since they’d left the office. Emma noticed before they even reached the elevator. Usually, he’d have made some comment about the day’s meetings or complained that someone had once again parked across two spaces in the garage. Today, he said nothing. The elevator doors opened. They stepped into the underground parking garage, their footsteps echoing between rows of cars. Emma glanced at him. “You’ve been awfully quiet.” “I’m driving.” She smiled. “You aren’t driving yet.” That earned her the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth. Progress. He unlocked the car and walked around to the passenger side before she could reach the handle. She stopped beside him. “I drove here this morning.” “I know.”

Chapter 116 : The Call

Emma frowned. “Carter…?” “Yes, Ms. Laurent.” The man’s voice was unmistakably professional. But beneath it— Something was wrong. “I’m the house manager at Blackwood Mansion.” Emma sat up a little straighter. “Yes?” “I… I apologize for disturbing your evening.” He paused. Long enough for her stomach to tighten. “Mr. Blackwood returned home a little while ago.” “And?” “He became unwell shortly after.” Her fingers tightened around the phone. “What happened?” “He has a very high fever.” Another pause. “He’s been sick several times.” Emma was already on her feet. “Sick?” “He’s been vomiting, Ms. Laurent.”

Chapter 117 : By His Side

The bedroom door clicked shut. Emma stood where she was, her hand still resting on the doorknob. For a moment, she considered opening it again. The doctor had asked for a few minutes alone. Just a few minutes. It shouldn’t have felt this long. She took a step back instead. The hallway was quiet. Too quiet. A maid approached hesitantly, holding out a glass of water. “Ms. Laurent…” Emma accepted it automatically. “Thank you.” She never took a sip. Her eyes never left the closed bedroom door. Her phone vibrated. Alexander Whitmore. She stared at the screen until it stopped ringing. A second later, it rang again. She pressed Decline. Another vibration. Stephanie.

Chapter 118 : What Love Looks Like

Morning arrived quietly. A pale ribbon of sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtains, stretching across the wooden floor before slowly climbing toward the bed. The rain had stopped. The mansion was silent. Only the soft ticking of the clock broke the stillness. Rowan stirred. His eyes opened slowly. For a few seconds, he simply lay there, letting the room come back into focus. The bedside lamp was still glowing. The medicine box remained open. An untouched cup of coffee sat beside an empty glass of water. A folded blanket had slipped from the chair onto the floor, forgotten sometime during the night. Then his gaze found her. Emma. She was asleep in the chair beside him.

Chapter 119 : I’ll be Here

Emma hadn’t realized she’d hurried all the way upstairs… Until she found herself standing outside Rowan’s bedroom again. She wasn’t afraid to open the door. The room was quiet. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, spilling across the wooden floor before climbing slowly toward the bed. Rowan was still asleep. His breathing was slow. Even. Peaceful. The sight alone eased something inside her. She walked over quietly, careful not to wake him. The memories of yesterday lingered far too vividly. His body going limp. The doctor calling his name. Without realizing it, she reached out and gently rested the back of her hand against his forehead. Cool. A breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding escaped her lips.

Chapter 120 : The First Statement

The NICU corridor was unusually crowded. Not with doctors. Not with nurses. With security. Two uniformed officers stood outside the double doors while another spoke quietly into a radio. Dominic Sterling stepped out of the neonatal intensive care unit, sanitizing his hands out of habit. “Mr. Sterling.” The hospital’s head of security approached immediately. “We’ve secured every entrance to this floor.” Dominic frowned. “What happened?” “The media has learned about today’s press briefing.” His expression darkened. “They’re gathering outside the hospital.” “They’re hoping someone catches a glimpse of baby Ethan.” The words had barely left the man’s mouth before Dominic answered. “No.” His voice was calm. Cold

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