The Billionaire’s Secret Heir のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 11 - チャプター 20

Vivian had no idea she had already become the subject of someone's very focused interest.She lay in the guest room of the Harlow Residence staring at the ceiling for most of the night, turning the same thoughts over and over until they wore grooves in her mind. By the time pale morning light crept through the curtains, she had given up entirely on sleep. She sat up, caught a glimpse of herself in the vanity mirror, dark circles, tired eyes, hair that had opinions and decided the night had been a complete loss.She dressed quickly and slipped out of the room."Good morning, Miss Rong." The butler appeared at the foot of the stairs with the punctual cheerfulness of someone who had definitely slept."Good morning." She managed a polite smile. A beat. "Has the driver arrived yet?"The butler kept his gaze diplomatically forward. "It's still quite early, Miss Rong. The young master hasn't risen yet, and the driver typically arrives at nine. Perhaps Miss Rong would like to wait and have br

"Stop joking, Vivian." Rebecca's smile stayed perfectly in place, but her eyes had gone winter-cold. "If you actually had a recording, you'd have released it years ago. You wouldn't have waited until now." She lifted her chin, steady again, recalibrating. "Let go of me, or I'm calling security."Vivian raised an eyebrow.Released her chin.And smiled. "Go ahead."The confidence did it.Rebecca had been eighty percent certain the recording was a bluff. Now she was sixty. Now fifty.Because that was the thing about Vivian Rong, she had never once in her life bluffed without something to back it up. And the particular quality of her smile right now, unhurried and faintly amused, was not the smile of someone running a gamble.Rebecca's hand stayed at her side.Vivian watched the calculation play out behind her eyes and felt something loosen in her chest, not quite satisfaction, but close enough.She leaned in one last time, fingers pressing just slightly harder against Rebecca's jaw."I d

Nathan's flattery clearly wasn't landing."Are you trying to survive in this industry or not?!" His voice pitched upward sharply. "You couldn't hold back for five minutes? You pushed her, in public, in front of a full press pack! Vivian, I'm telling you right now, the Rong family will not let this go. Your scandals are going to be everywhere before the day is out."Vivian was leaning back lazily in the cab seat, one finger tracing idle circles on the armrest. "No need to wait," she said. "I just refreshed the feed. It's already out there."She scrolled as she spoke.It was thorough, she'd give Rebecca that. A pregnancy test at a hospital when she was eighteen. Allegations of sleeping her way into auditions. A "bullying younger sister" narrative complete with blurry, conveniently angled photos of Vivian raising a hand on what appeared to be a set.Hashtags already climbing:"#PityBecca. #VivianRongGetOut."Rebecca had clearly had the package prepared and waiting. The moment the cameras

The pressure of his lips against hers wasn't content with just grazing the surface, it wanted more, moving with a quiet insistence that sent a sudden flash of memory tearing through Vivian's mind. A hotel room. Darkness. Two people tangled together in desperation.She shoved him back."Mr. Hartwell." Her voice came out steadier than she felt. "What do you think you're doing?"There was nowhere to retreat. Her back was already against the door, and he hadn't moved far, just enough. His cologne drifted into the space between them, warm and clean and entirely too present to ignore.Ethan looked down at her. Her face was flushed, her breathing uneven, her eyes very wide and very direct. He was certain of one thing, the splitting tension that had been building behind his temples since morning had vanished the exact moment his lips touched hers.Gone. Completely.He held her gaze and said, with perfect composure, "If I told you I mistook you for someone else, would you believe me?"The ques

Victoria's smile widened as she beckoned Vivian forward with the warmth of a woman who had been waiting for exactly this kind of moment for years."Come in, come in, don't be shy, sweetheart. Come sit down." She patted the cushion beside her on the sofa. "I'll have someone bring fruit. What do you like? We have everything, just say the word.""Oh.. I" Vivian hadn't braced for this level of enthusiasm. She threw a sideways glance at the man beside her that said, quite clearly, help.Ethan received the distress signal and stepped smoothly forward."Mom." His voice was easy, unhurried. "Vivian is a traditional medicine practitioner. She studied acupuncture abroad, she's highly experienced in the field. I brought her here to take a look at Rosie. A TCM perspective might offer something the other specialists haven't." He glanced toward the staircase. "Where is he?"The effect on Victoria was immediate. The effusive hostess energy shifted, still warm, but now sharpened with genuine focus, t