Lahat ng Kabanata ng The CEO secret Heir: the phoenix return: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

Chapter 12: The Green-Eyed Monster​The velvet box stayed open between us, the diamond catching the harsh overhead lights of the boardroom. I didn't take the ring, but I didn't pull my hand away either. I could feel Lucius’s gaze burning into the side of my face, his breathing heavy and ragged. The silence in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife.​"Nina, you cannot be serious," Lucius said, his voice trembling. He took two steps toward us, his hands balled into fists. "You don’t even know this man’s middle name. You’re going to let him stand there and insult us like this?"​Julian didn't even stand up. He looked over his shoulder at Lucius with a bored expression. "I’m not insulting anyone, Valentine. I’m making an investment in a woman who clearly has more talent in her pinky finger than your entire board has in their heads. And as for my middle name? It’s Alexander. Not that it’s any of your business."​"Investment?" I asked, looking back down at Julian. "Is that all

Chapter 14: The Golden Cage​The gates to Julian Vane’s estate in Greenwich didn't just open; they retreated. If the Valentine Manor was a house for old money, this place was a fortress for a king. The driveway was nearly half a mile long, lined with trees that looked perfectly shaped by a ruler. At the end sat a house made of white stone and glass, glowing under the security lights.​"We’re here," Julian said, leaning back in the leather seat of the limo. He watched my face, looking for a reaction.​"It’s big," I said flatly. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of acting impressed. I had spent enough time being intimidated by big houses.​"It’s safe," Julian corrected. "That’s what matters right now."​The car stopped, and the door was opened by a man in a dark suit who looked like he had been trained in the special forces. I stepped out, holding Leo’s hand tightly. Leo looked up at the massive pillars and tucked himself behind my leg.​"Mama, is this another museum?" Leo whi

Chapter 16: The Forged Truth​I sat in the hospital waiting room, the smell of burnt coffee and floor wax making my stomach turn. Lucius was in surgery, and Julian was pacing the narrow hallway like a predator in a cage. Every few seconds, Julian would stop and look at me, his eyes full of a cold, quiet fury.​"You believe him, don't you?" Julian finally asked. He stopped in front of my chair, blocking my view of the swinging double doors.​"I don't know what to believe, Julian," I said, rubbing my temples. "But if Beatrice forged my signature and hid the letters... if he really didn't know..."​"It changes nothing," Julian snapped. "Even if it’s true, it means he was too weak to check on his own wife. He’s a billionaire, Nina. He has private investigators on retainer. If he wanted to find you, he could have found you in twenty-four hours. He chose to believe the lie because it was easier than fighting his mother."​I looked up at him. Julian was right. That was the logical, cold trut

Chapter 18: The Paperwork of the Heart​I woke up to a world that looked different. On the nightstand, my phone was blowing up with notifications. I didn't even have to open them to know what they said. The photo of Julian and me on the rooftop was everywhere. The "Placeholder" was now the fiancée of the city’s most eligible bachelor.​I looked down at the ring. It was heavy, a constant reminder that I had made a choice. I had chosen security. I had chosen a side.​I headed downstairs to find Julian and Leo in the breakfast nook. The morning light hit the white marble, making everything look like a magazine spread. Julian was dressed in a crisp white shirt, looking every bit the powerful man the news was describing. Leo was sitting across from him, picking at a bowl of strawberries.​"Good morning, beautiful," Julian said, standing up to kiss my cheek. He lingered for a second, his hand resting on my waist. "Have you seen the news? We’re the only thing people are talking about."​"I s

Chapter 20: The Silent House​The car ride back from the hospital was silent. Julian sat next to me, his fingers tapping a rhythmic, satisfied beat on his knee. He looked like a man who had just closed a billion-dollar deal, while I felt like I had just walked through a storm. The image of Lucius gasping for air as the monitors shrieked stayed behind my eyelids every time I blinked.​"You did the right thing, Nina," Julian said, breaking the silence as the limousine pulled through the massive iron gates of his estate. "Lucius needed to hear the truth. It’s the only way he’ll stop fighting the inevitable."​"I just want it to be over, Julian," I said, looking out the window. "I want the wedding to happen so the lawyers stay away and I can just live my life with my son."​"And you will," Julian promised, reaching over to squeeze my hand. His grip was firm, as always. "In ten days, everything changes. You’ll be a Vane. And no one touches a Vane."​The car pulled up to the front of the ma