Alle Kapitel von The Billionaire’s Abandoned Wife : Kapitel 11 – Kapitel 20

The anchor’s voice was calm, professional, the same practiced neutrality Bianca had heard deliver a hundred stories that had nothing to do with her life. “Sources close to the Harlow Foundation confirm an internal financial review is underway following allegations of misused funds. The foundation, known for its work with pediatric cancer patients, has not issued an official statement, though board members are expected to meet in an emergency session tomorrow.” Zoe’s photo didn’t appear. Ethan’s did, an old one, professional and composed, nothing like the man who’d sat across her kitchen table three nights ago with his hands shaking slightly around a mug of tea he never drank. Bianca muted the television and sat very still in the dark living room, phone still warm in her hand from Kemi’s call. “How did this get to the news already,” Bianca said. “The board hasn’t even met yet.” “Somebody leaked it,” Kemi said, voice tight through the speaker. “Somebody who wanted it out before Etha

“They’re ready for you.” The assistant’s voice was quiet, professional, holding the door open onto a room lined with dark wood and eight unfamiliar faces already seated around a long table. Bianca smoothed her hands down her skirt once before walking in, Kemi’s folder tucked under one arm, heavier than its actual weight. Ethan was already at the head of the table, jacket on, tie straight, every inch the director who’d built something from almost nothing. He looked up when she entered and something in his face steadied slightly at the sight of her, like her presence alone was ballast against whatever this room was about to do to him. “Ms. Adeyemi.” An older woman at the far end gestured to an empty chair. “Thank you for joining us. Mr. Harlow indicated you have documentation relevant to this review.” “I do.” Bianca sat, setting the folder down without opening it yet. Her hands were steady. She’d practiced that on the drive over, the specific stillness she’d learned holding Zoe’s han

“He can’t just request those. Can he?” Bianca was pacing her kitchen by the time Kemi picked up, phone pressed hard against her ear, Zoe finally asleep down the hall after a Sunday that had ended nothing like it started. “He can request them. Doesn’t mean he gets them.” Kemi’s voice was steady, the particular steadiness she used when she needed to be the calm one. “Custody records review is standard when either parent files a formal request. It doesn’t mean anything’s wrong.” “Kemi, he’s never once requested anything through official channels in ten years. He shows up. He ambushes. He doesn’t fill out forms.” Bianca stopped pacing, staring at the email still open on her phone. “Why now.” “Because he’s scared.” Kemi said it plainly, no hedging. “You went to his apartment asking about his finances. Now he’s making a move that looks procedural but isn’t. He’s establishing a paper trail. Something he can point to later if he needs it.” “Needs it for what.” “I don’t know yet. But men

Daniel froze at the sound, glass halfway to his mouth, something like fear moving fast across his face before he could smooth it away. “Are you expecting someone?” Bianca asked. “No.” He set the glass down carefully, too carefully, the particular stillness of a man doing math in his head. “Stay here.” He crossed to the door and looked through the peephole, and whatever he saw made his shoulders drop half an inch, some tension leaving him that Bianca couldn’t quite read as relief or dread. He opened the door, and Ethan stepped through it. Bianca’s whole chest seized. “What are you doing here?” “You texted me you were coming.” Ethan’s eyes swept the room once, taking in Daniel’s loosened tie, the glass, Kemi’s crossed arms, before landing back on Bianca. “I wasn’t going to sit at home while you walked into whatever this is.” “I told you I had it handled.” “I know.” His jaw was tight, but his voice stayed even. “I came anyway. You can be angry with me about it later. Right now I w

“She can’t actually win this. Can she?” Bianca’s voice was hoarse, worn thin from a night with almost no sleep, sitting across from her lawyer’s desk with Kemi rigid in the chair beside her. Ethan stood by the window, arms crossed, having refused to leave despite Bianca telling him twice he didn’t have to be here for this part. “She can’t win it,” the lawyer said carefully, sliding a folder across the desk. “But she can delay things. Force a hearing. Make you sit in a courtroom answering questions about your fitness as a mother while a woman who stalked your daughter’s bedroom window gets to sit there looking composed and reasonable.” “That’s not justice.” “No,” the lawyer agreed. “It’s procedure. And procedure doesn’t care whether the accusation is true. It only cares whether it’s filed correctly.” Bianca pressed her fingers to her eyes, exhaustion pulling at every part of her. “What do we have.” “Everything.” The lawyer opened the folder, pages of documentation spread across th