All Chapters of The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride : Chapter 71 - Chapter 75

The gunshot echoed through the tunnels.The sound bounced off the stone walls and traveled through the underground passageways like a living thing.For a second, nobody moved.Aria felt her heart slam painfully against her ribs.Then Victor was already moving.“Let’s go.”His voice cut through the shock.Everyone followed.The narrow tunnel suddenly felt smaller than before. The walls seemed to close in as they hurried forward.The stale underground air filled Aria’s lungs.Questions raced through her mind.Sophia.The letter.Elias.The person her mother had protected.Nothing made sense.Nothing fit together.And yet every answer seemed to be leading them toward the same place.Toward the same person.Her.The realization made her uneasy.Ahead of them, Victor rounded a corner.Then another.The tunnel branched twice before narrowing into a passage lit by old industrial lights.Most of them flickered.Some had burned out completely.The result was unsettling.Alternating stretches o

For several seconds after the stranger spoke, nobody moved.The words lingered in the air.Your mother trusted me.Aria couldn’t explain why that statement bothered her more than everything else she’d heard tonight.Not the hidden tunnels.Not the lies.Not the photographs.Not even the fact that this man was supposedly dead.No.It was the certainty in his voice.He hadn’t said it like a claim.He’d said it like a fact.Sophia’s reaction only made things worse.The woman looked genuinely shaken.As if she wanted to deny what he’d said but couldn’t bring herself to do it.The silence stretched.Then Sophia laughed.A short, bitter sound.“That’s convenient.”The stranger looked at her.“You know it’s true.”“No.”Her answer came immediately.Too quickly.Too emotionally.The stranger noticed.So did everyone else.Sophia looked away first.Victor stepped forward.“Enough.”His voice cut through the room.“We don’t have time for twenty-year-old arguments.”He wasn’t wrong.The footstep

For several long seconds after the voice faded into the darkness, no one spoke.The ancient chamber seemed to hold its breath with them. The only sound was the slow, rhythmic drip of water somewhere beyond the stone walls. It echoed through the underground passages, making it impossible to tell how large the network really was.Aria stood motionless beside Sophia, her heart still racing from the voice that had called her name.It hadn't sounded threatening.Nor had it sounded friendly.It was simply... familiar.That was what unsettled her most.She couldn't explain why, but the voice had stirred something deep inside her, like hearing the opening notes of a song she hadn't listened to in years. The memory was there, just beyond reach, refusing to reveal itself.Victor slowly lowered his weapon but didn't return it to its holster."Did anyone recognize it?" he asked quietly.No one answered.Daniel looked around the chamber before rubbing both hands over his face."I'm starting to thi