《Beautiful Betrayal》全部章節：第 161 章 - 第 170 章

The worst part was how easy it had been for Hope Elara to walk away.In less than a minute, she had given up the job and future she had spent years building.Years of work.Years of surviving.And standing beneath the cold night sky, she still could not make herself regret choosing her children.Choosing Valduz.That frightened her more than losing the job.Hope Elara wrapped her arms around herself as the mountain air cut through her dress.What had she just done?She had spent most of her life making sure she never had to depend on anyone. Her career had been something she built with her own hands.Then Zenna threatened to take it away if Hope Elara refused to leave.And Hope Elara had simply let her.“There has to be something wrong with me,” she muttered.“Hope Elara…”Valduz’s voice came softly from behind her.The guilt in it tightened her chest.She did not turn around immediately.She needed a moment to think because one question kept getting louder in her head.Had she really

“Layouts,” Hope Elara said quietly. “Storage rooms. Design floor plans. That’s about as far as I got.”Sullivan looked down at the rolled blueprints she had handed him.“Thank you.”The sympathy on his face made Hope Elara want to look away.She hated sympathy.It made everything that had happened feel permanent.“Is there anything I can do?” Sullivan asked carefully. “Maybe I could talk to her.”“No.”The answer came too quickly and too sharply.Hope Elara took a breath.“Even if she changed her mind now, I wouldn’t go back.”And the frightening thing was that she meant it.Not after what Zenna had done.Not after seeing how quickly the career she had spent years building could be used to control her.“It would take a lot to fix this.”Sullivan nodded.He seemed to understand that some things could not be repaired with an apology.Then he stepped away without pushing her.Hope Elara appreciated that more than any attempt to comfort her.Packing took much longer than she expected.Eve

Hope Elara grabbed Valduz’s hand before he could walk away.The moment her fingers closed around his, Valduz turned sharply toward her.Her breath caught.His eyes were completely black.Not just angry.Predatory.Every person around them immediately went still.The air itself seemed to change.“She could have killed Zenep.”Valduz’s voice came out as a low growl.Hope Elara’s hand trembled around his.“But she didn’t.”His entire body remained tense beneath her touch, barely controlled.“Please don’t go.”Valduz stared at her.“I need you here,” Hope Elara whispered. “Not out there hunting someone while you’re this angry.”She swallowed.“The twins need us here.”Something flickered across his face at the mention of their children.Pain.For one brief second, his rage weakened.Then it returned.“Hope Elara…”He tried to pull his hand away.Panic shot through her.“Valduz!”Her voice cracked across the front drive.Several men nearby immediately stepped back as red flashed through Va

“Ready?” Valduz asked quietly.Hope Elara looked up at the towering birch doors in front of them.Then she nodded.Not because she truly felt ready.There was simply no turning back now.Together, they walked toward the entrance.Before either of them could knock, the door opened.A young man stood there.Desmond.Valduz’s youngest brother.He had sharp features and cold eyes that immediately made Hope Elara think of everything she had heard about Arnold.“Des,” Valduz greeted.Desmond nodded, then looked at Hope Elara.Recognition flashed across his face almost immediately.Then amusement.Hope Elara stared at him.“I know you.”A small smile appeared on his face.“It’s good seeing you again.”Then came the faintest smirk.“How was Paris?”Hope Elara blinked before smiling despite herself.“Good. How was Austria?”Desmond looked completely unimpressed.“Not good.”They both laughed.Beside Hope Elara, Valduz immediately frowned.His eyes moved between them.The suspicion on his face

Hope Elara waited.For an apology.For regret.For anything.Her father finally looked at her.And said one word.“Nothing.”Just like that.Nothing.The answer hurt more than anger ever could.For one humiliating second, Hope Elara almost wished he had shouted at her. At least anger would have meant something.This felt worse.It felt like being erased.Arnold slowly straightened.“Pack it up.”Then he looked at Valduz.“Give my regards to your mother.”A cruel smile appeared on his face.“And make sure your stepfather hears too.”A laugh escaped Hope Elara before she could stop it.Valduz immediately looked at her.There it was again.That dangerous little smirk he always seemed to have when chaos was close.Zenep giggled too, even though she clearly had no idea what was funny.Something shifted inside Hope Elara.Arnold terrified her. There was no question about that.He was cruel, violent, and dangerous.But she was beginning to understand why people still followed him despite kno