Accueil / Romance / I Came Back To Ruin You / Chapitre 31 - Chapitre 40

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ESTATE

Chapter 31: The EstateTessa’s POV "Julian, I don’t care about your excuses," I snapped, my voice cold enough to freeze the air inside the armored SUV. "Do not call this phone again."I ended the call and shoved the device into my purse before he could utter another pathetic word. My hand trembled not from fear, but from the adrenaline of finally cutting the last frayed thread of my old life.Felix sat beside me, his gaze fixed on the road ahead. He hadn’t said a word while I spoke to Julian. He didn’t reach out to soothe me, either. He simply allowed me the space to be lethal."He’s terrified," Felix said, his voice flat, devoid of sympathy. "He knows the moment he loses control of the narrative, he loses his leverage.""He doesn't have any," I replied, looking out the window at the blurred city lights. "He’s a ghost haunting a house I’ve already burned down."The car didn’t slow down for the city’s residential districts. It surged forward, taking us to the outskirts where the concre

CAMERA

Chapter 32: The CameraFelix’s POVI watched Tessa stand there in the foyer, her chin up like she owned the damn fortress already. Good. That fire was exactly why I’d brought her here. No more running around the city like a target.“Felix, I meant what I said,” she told me, voice sharp. “I’m not hiding forever. I have meetings. I have a company to run. Julian doesn’t get to dictate my schedule.”I crossed the room in three strides and stopped right in front of her. “You think I’m locking you in a cage? Wrong. I’m giving you the high ground. But first, we make sure there are no more surprises.”She narrowed her eyes. “What kind of surprises?”“The kind that end up in leaked photos. The kind that make investors call you at midnight screaming. We’re sweeping every place you’ve been. Starting with your office at the Crown.”Tessa laughed once, short and bitter. “My office? Julian hasn’t been inside it in months. I changed the locks myself.”“People like Julian don’t need keys,” I said. I p

RULES

CHAPTER 33: Rules of the HouseTessa’s POVThe heavy doors of Felix’s estate slammed shut behind us. I kicked off my heels right there, not caring where they landed. My blood was still boiling from those cameras. Fourteen months. The bastard had been watching me for fourteen months.“Markus, double the perimeter tonight,” Felix barked into his phone as we walked. He didn’t even glance at me yet, but his free hand stayed glued to the small of my back, steering me like I might vanish if he let go. “No one in or out without my direct approval. And get the night crew on the roof access points. I want thermal scans every hour.”I rolled my eyes and pulled away, heading straight for the wide staircase. “Felix, we just spent three hours tearing apart my office. I’m tired. Can we skip the war room briefing until morning?”“No.” His voice cracked. He ended the call and caught up in two strides, grabbing my wrist not hard, but firm enough that I stopped. “We do this now. Upstairs. My study.”I y

PANIC

CHAPTER 34: Julian’s PanicJulian’s POVI slammed my laptop shut so hard the screen cracked. “What the hell do you mean it’s gone? The article. The photos. All of it—deleted!”My assistant’s voice trembled over the speaker. “Sir, every link is dead. Sites are showing 404 errors. Even the cached versions got wiped. Whoever did this has serious pull.”I paced the living room, phone gripped tight. “Find out who. Now. I want names.”Lila slipped in wearing nothing but my silk robe, hair tousled like she’d just rolled out of bed. She slid her arms around my waist from behind. “Julian, baby, come back to bed. Let me help you forget all this stress.”I shoved her off, harder than I meant to. “Not now, Lila. Tessa’s article vanished. Someone’s shielding her. Felix? Has to be that bastard.”Lila’s face twisted. “Again with Tessa? She’s done with you. Move on.”“Move on?” I laughed, sharp and ugly. “She’s mine. She was always mine. I watched her for through those feeds. Every tear, every meetin

APOLOGY

Chapter 35: The ApologyLila’s POVI tapped out the message fast, smirking at my phone screen.“Hey Tessa, it’s Lila. I know things have been horrible between us. I was wrong. Completely. Can we meet? I want to apologize in person and offer whatever help you need with the hotel mess. Family should stick together. Let me make it right.”I hit send, then blocked and unblocked her number so it would look fresh. Julian was still pacing downstairs like a caged animal. I didn’t care. Let him stay desperate. I needed Tessa to bite first.My phone buzzed almost immediately. Tessa.“What game is this, Lila? After cheating with my husband.”I grinned and typed back. “No game. I’m done fighting. Julian’s losing it and I see how wrong we both were. Lunch tomorrow? My treat. Please.”Three dots. Then: “One hour. Public place. Don’t waste my time. If you bring Julian along with you, I'll have you both arrested for stalking and luring.”“I swear, Tessa. Julian doesn’t know about this.She replied alm

SURGERY

CHAPTER 36: The SurgeryTessa’s POVI pushed through the estate gates at six sharp, keys in hand. “I’m heading to the Crown. Tell Felix I’m back at my desk and I expect no interference.”The head of security stepped forward. “Ma’am, Mr. Vaughan said—”“I don’t care what he said. Move.” I didn’t wait for an answer. My driver pulled up and I climbed in, already dialing Francesca.“Morning. Pull every billing file from the last quarter. Red flags only. I’m walking in at nine.”“Got it, Tessa. Three accounts look off already.”“Good. Have them ready.”I hit the office running. Francesca met me at the door with a thick folder.“These vendors,” she said. “Payments don’t match deliveries.”I flipped it open. “Get the leads on the line. Now.”First call, I didn’t waste breath. “This is Tessa Averton. You overbilled the Crown by forty-two thousand. Wire it back within the hour or I send the auditors and your name hits every industry blacklist by lunch.”The man sputtered. “Ms. Averton, there m

DINNER

CHAPTER 37: The First DinnerFelix’s POVI set the table myself in the smaller dining room. No staff hovering. Just the two of us. Tessa walked in wearing a simple black dress, hair still damp from the shower she’d insisted on taking despite the nurses’ protests.“Sit,” I said, pulling out her chair.She dropped into it without comment. “Smells good. You cooked?”“Chef did. I told him to keep it light.” I sat across from her and poured wine. “How’s the head?”“Still attached.” She picked up her fork and started eating. No compliments. No wide eyes. Just straight to the food.I watched her. Most people in this house trip over themselves to tell me how impressive everything is. Tessa chewed like she was at a diner.“You’re quiet tonight,” I said.“Recovering from brain surgery tends to do that.” She took another bite. “This is decent. Thanks for dinner.”Decent. I almost laughed. “You’re the first person who’s ever called my chef’s work decent to my face.”She shrugged. “I call things l

FENCE

CHAPTER 38: Watching the FenceTessa’s POVI stood by the reinforced glass of the master suite, staring into the dark tree line of Felix’s estate. Sleep was a luxury I couldn't afford tonight. My head throbbed, a dull reminder of the surgeon’s blade, but my mind was too loud to rest.A shadow shifted against the wrought-iron perimeter fence.I didn’t step back. I simply pressed my hand against the cool glass and tracked the movement. It wasn’t a guard. Felix’s men moved with purpose; this figure lingered, testing the boundary.I picked up the intercom on the nightstand. "Markus.""Yes, Ms. Watson?" The head of security answered instantly."South perimeter, just past the oak trees. Someone is testing the fence line.""Locking down. Stay away from the windows."I didn't move from the glass. The feeling of being hunted—the same crawling sensation I had in my past life when Julian's lies began closing in—rushed back. But I wasn’t the prey anymore.The bedroom door opened behind me. Felix

WARNING

CHAPTER 39: The Warning CallJulian’s POVMy study was suffocating. I paced the length of the Persian rug, my phone pressed so hard against my ear that the plastic dug into my skin. The ice in my whiskey glass had melted hours ago, leaving a watered-down mess that tasted exactly like how I felt: diluted, weak, and bitterly cold.My man had failed. A simple perimeter check at Felix Vaughan’s estate, and he was chased off into the ravine like a frightened dog within minutes. Vaughan’s security was suffocating her, walling her off from me.But Tessa was mine. She had always been mine.I hit redial for the sixteenth time that night. The line rang. I expected it to go to voicemail—she had been ignoring me since she woke up from that damn brain surgery. But then, a sharp click echoed in my ear."What do you want, Julian?"Her voice was flat. No anger. No venom. Just a dull, exhausted irritation."Tessa," I breathed, stopping dead in my tracks. A frantic rush of relief hit my chest, quickly

HAND

CHAPTER 40: A Hand Across the TableTessa’s POV"To the Crown Hotel," Felix said, raising his crystal glass.I clinked my glass against his. "To the Crown."We sat in the private dining alcove of Le Vrai. The official launch of my hotel had wrapped up hours ago, a whirlwind of press, investors, and flashing cameras. Felix had whisked me away the moment the last ribbon was cut."You handled the press like a veteran," Felix noted, setting his glass down. "No fatigue?""None. The surgery feels like a lifetime ago, even if it was just last week." I sliced into my steak. "I told you I was ready.""I never doubted it. But I'll always check." His eyes held mine, steady and intense.I smiled, the warmth in my chest undeniable."Excuse me," a sharp, familiar voice cut through the ambient jazz of the restaurant.I turned my head. Standing near the entrance of our alcove was Arthur Collins, Julian's father.A genuine wave of relief washed over me. Despite my separation from Julian, Arthur had al

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