Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Billionaire's Forgotten Bride : Kabanata 191 - Kabanata 200

Chapter 192The word ‘wife’ hit the ballroom like a physical shockwave.Agatha Cole’s knees finally gave out. She collapsed into the plush velvet chair behind her, her cane clattering uselessly to the floor. "Impossible," she wheezed, her eyes darting to the massive, flawless diamond catching the light on Zara’s finger. "He didn't marry you. The wedding never happened!""It happened five years ago in our hearts, Agatha," Zara said, her voice dripping with lethal grace as she ascended the steps to the stage. "But legally? It happened three weeks ago. Ethan and I signed a confidential marriage registry, sealed by a federal judge. And as his legal spouse, I possess the sole, irrevocable right to his proxy."It was a lie, of course.The ring was the one Ethan had bought for her five years ago, the one he had secretly kept in his study safe. Zara had slipped it onto her own finger before walking into the ballroom. The "registry" was a brilliant, airtight forgery cooked up by her lawyers ov

Chapter 194Ethan stared at the ring on Zara’s finger, his chest heaving as the weight of her words crashed over him.We are already standing together.For a man who had spent his entire life relying on his sheer physical presence, his dominance, and his intellect to protect the things he cared about, being helpless was a fate worse than death. He wanted to push her away. His male pride screamed at him to release her, to spare her the burden of caring for an invalid.But as he looked into Zara’s eyes, he didn't see pity. He saw a fierce, unyielding devotion that burned hotter than the sun."You put it on," Ethan breathed, his voice barely a rasp. His hand trembled as he reached up, his large, rough thumb lightly tracing the diamond on her finger."I did," Zara said, her voice steadying. "I wore it into the gala tonight. I told Agatha, Julian, and the entire board of directors that we signed a secret registry. I told them I am your legal wife."Ethan’s eyes widened slightly. "You claim

Chapter 196Zara didn't cower in the bunker.She left Marcus and four heavily armed guards outside Ethan’s ICU with strict orders to shoot anyone who came down the elevator, and she took the remaining six guards with her topside.When the private elevator doors opened into the grand foyer of Frost Manor, the silence was deafening. The massive, bulletproof glass front doors of the estate were wide open.Standing in the center of the foyer, examining a priceless Renaissance painting on the wall, was a man.He was strikingly handsome, perhaps in his early forties, wearing a bespoke, silver-gray three-piece suit that cost more than most people's homes. His hair was perfectly coiffed, entirely white despite his youthful face. And pinned to his lapel was the unmistakable silver snowflake.At his feet, bound and gagged, were two of Zara’s elite perimeter snipers."Who the hell are you?" Zara demanded, stepping out of the elevator. Her guards fanned out, training their assault rifles squarely

Chapter 198Two Days LaterThe ICU no longer looked like a hospital room. It looked like the war room of a cyber-command center.Four massive holographic monitors hovered over Ethan’s bed, casting a sterile blue light across his pale, fiercely concentrated face. His fingers flew across a wireless mechanical keyboard resting on his lap with blinding speed. Lines of green code reflected in his sharp gray eyes.Despite the IV lines still taped to the back of his hands and the heavy compression blankets over his motionless legs, Ethan was in his element. He was an apex predator hunting in the digital deep.Sitting cross-legged at the foot of the bed, holding his own heavily modified tablet, was Leo."Dad," Leo piped up, his brow furrowed in intense concentration. "I isolated the proxy servers Silas Frost used to route the payroll for the traitor guards. But it bounces through three different European firewalls. It’s a dead end.""Nothing is a dead end, Leo," Ethan murmured, his eyes never

Chapter 200Six Months LaterThe sun was setting over the Amalfi Coast, casting a brilliant, golden glow over the sprawling terraces of the restored 16th-century villa.The air smelled of sea salt and crushed white roses.There were no press. No board members. No politicians.The only people seated on the pristine white chairs overlooking the ocean were a handful of fiercely loyal friends, Marcus and his security team (who were currently wiping away tears), and a highly exclusive string quartet playing a soft, beautiful melody.Standing at the altar, beneath an archway of woven ivy and white lilies, was Ethan Cole.He was breathtaking. He wore a razor-sharp, bespoke midnight-blue tuxedo that perfectly accentuated his broad shoulders. But the most magnificent thing about him wasn't the suit, or the arrogant, devastatingly handsome smirk on his face.It was the fact that he was standing on his own two feet.The neurotoxin had been neutralized, and after six grueling, agonizing months of