Alle Kapitel von The Reclusive CEO’s Substitute Bride: Kapitel 51 – Kapitel 60

Elena’s POV The quiet tick of the grandfather clock fills the parlor as the steam from Alexander’s black coffee fades into the warm air. The old tension between us is completely gone, replaced by a calm, late-night stillness. He sits back against his velvet sofa, his dark eyes watching my face through his matte-black shield mask with a deep, relaxed focus."I have been reviewing our corporate share registries all week, Alyssa," Alexander murmurs. His low, rough baritone is quiet, completely lacking his old clinical coldness. He lifts his porcelain mug, taking a slow sip of the bitter coffee. "My uncle Marcus has spent thirty years forcing people to bow to his terms. Yet when you stood at that boardroom table with me this week, you did not blink once when he threatened your status." I lift my teacup, taking a small sip of my warm chamomile tea to keep my gloved hands perfectly steady against my white silk dress. "Your uncle is just a loud bully, Alexander. He thought he could frighte

Elena’s POV The bedroom is freezing cold tonight. After Harris leaves the parlor, the silence in the massive house makes it very hard for me to breathe. I lie awake inside the large bed for hours, staring up at the dark ceiling while the grand clock in the hallway ticks away.Outside, the heavy rain beats hard against my bedroom windows. Lightning flashes across the walls, throwing long, dark shadows over the furniture.But the storm is not what keeps me awake. It is the steady sound of car tires hitting the wet gravel in the courtyard below.I pull myself out of the sheets. My bare feet make no sound against the wooden floorboards as I walk over to the window. I press my forehead against the cool glass, looking down through the thick gray fog.Alexander’s black limousine is pulling through the front gates early. He is back from his city banking conference.The rear door opens, and Alexander steps out into the pouring rain. Even in the dark, his tall, broad body looks terrifying. He

Alyssa’s POV The disgusting yellow wallpaper of this cheap motel room makes me want to vomit. A fat roach crawls slowly across the cracked floorboards near my feet, but I do not even have the energy to crush it with my designer heel. Outside the grease-stained window, the heavy London rain beats a loud, relentless rhythm against the glass.I am Alyssa Vance. I belong in luxury penthouses in Milan, spending millions on high-end fashion lines and flashing my diamonds.Yet here I am, hiding like a common criminal in a filthy room on the edge of the city.To make things worse, the worthless man I ran away with is gone. When I dragged him out of the city to escape my forced wedding with Alexander, I thought my father would eventually forgive me and keep funding my lifestyle. I thought my family wealth would pay for our fun forever. But the moment my father blocked my luxury credit cards, that coward realized I was no longer a wealthy heiress. He did not want to rot in a cheap room with a

Elena’s POV Alyssa's eyes widen in pure disbelief as my refusal hangs in the freezing air between us. The smudged makeup on her pale face twists into an expression of total rage. Outside, a massive crack of thunder rattles the thick glass panels of the greenhouse ceiling, making the dark shadows move around us."No?" Alyssa whispers, her high pitch shaking with a wild fury. She takes a heavy step forward, her wet designer heels clicking loudly into the mud paths. "You dare say no to me, you penniless bastard? This estate is mine! That billionaire tycoon belongs to me! You are just a temporary tool we use to save our family assets from the liquidation banks.""Alyssa, listen to me," I gasp out, stepping backward until my spine hits the hard wooden edge of the plant workbench. I keep my bare hands open to calm her down. "I am trying to keep us alive. Alexander is not an idiot. He tracks every single habit. If you march into that house acting like your old self, he will throw you into a

Elena’s POV The heavy iron door clicks shut, and the sound of the security guards' boots completely fades into the pouring storm outside. The greenhouse is in total, suffocating darkness. The only noise left is the steady roar of the rain hitting the glass roof above my head.My chest is pressed flat against the wet dirt floorboards, my heart hammering wildly against my ribs."You can get up now, Alyssa," Alexander’s rough whisper vibrates through the quiet space again. "I know you are hiding under that bench."Panic freezes my limbs, but I force my body to move. I slowly slide out from beneath the wooden workbench, my bare, trembling hands dripping with wet mud as I stand up. I pull back my shoulders, trying to find my sister's proud posture in the pitch blackness, but my legs shake so violently I can barely keep my balance.I cannot see a single line of his face, but his massive, broad-shouldered frame stands just two feet away from me. His terrifying, cold presence fills my senses