The Antidote To His Ruin 의 모든 챕터: 챕터 81 - 챕터 90

Suzan's POV The ride back to the penthouse passed in heavy, suffocating silence.The moment the private elevator doors chimed open on the top floor, Edward was standing right at the threshold, coat in hand, his face a wall of tight, pale anxiety.Sarah had called him in tears from the park. The panic was still fresh on his face."Is she alright?" Edward demanded, stepping forward to scoop Emerald up into his arms the second she trod through the door."I'm fine, Uncle Edward," Emerald said with a slight huff, adjusting the strap of her small backpack. "Mama is holding my hand too tight.""She's fine," Eric answered smoothly, stepping between Edward and me, his tone designed to keep the rising panic from catching fire again. "Just a minor scare by the activity tables. Everyone is back in one piece."I didn't say a word. I couldn't.A sudden, sharp cramp twisted through my gut, a violent, physical revolt from the absolutevolume of adrenaline that had flooded my system over the last mi

Suzan's POV I didn't remember falling asleep.One moment, I was lying against Eric, listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing as the last of the afternoon's terror loosened its hold on me. The next, the room had darkened, and the faint glow of Manhattan's skyline spilled through the bedroom windows.For several seconds, I remained still.The city glittered beyond the glass. Somewhere outside, a siren rose and faded into the distance, swallowed by the hum of traffic far below.I turned my head.Eric was still beside me, one arm resting loosely around my waist. His hair was tousled, his expression softened by sleep. Without his usual confident smile, he looked younger. Almost boyish.I smiled.It was an unexpectedly tender sight.Then he stirred, opened one eye, and caught me watching him."You're staring, Dr. Wells."I immediately looked away."I was checking whether you were breathing."He opened his other eye. "How considerate.""Someone has to make sure you don't become a med

Draven’s POVThe penthouse was silent, a vast, suffocating tomb of glass and dark marble suspended high above the rain-slicked grid of Manhattan.It had been a week.Seven full days since I had pushed open the heavy mahogany door to Suzan’s study and had my chest ripped open. Seven days since I stood paralyzed on the threshold, watching Eric Northman’s broad hand resting flush against the bare skin of her waist. Watching her body arched toward his. Watching their lips hovering a hairsbreadth apart in the quiet, golden light.It wasn't violently explicit, but it didn't need to be. Either way the air in the space was thickened with desire.One I had never had the chance to experience with Suzan, it hurts seeing another man's hand on her bare skin but what right do I have? I swallowed.The quiet, effortless intimacy between them was loud enough to echo in my head every second of every waking hour. It was a slow, agonizing poison circulating through my veins, keeping me awake at three

87Draven’s POVThe call came in a few minutes past nine in the morning, I was reviewing a document.I almost ignored it.Three meetings had already been moved, the board had requested an emergency briefing, and my security strategist had sent another update about the suspicious transfers connected to Vanguard Holdings. My desk was covered in reports that seemed to multiply whenever I finished reading one.Sterling Pharmaceuticals is trying to recover, I thought quietly.The people trying to destroy it were still out there.And somewhere between those two realities, Cassandra remained a question I could no longer afford to ignore.My phone vibrated again.Miriam Cole head of regulatory affairs. She came highly recommended by Suzan.I answered."Good morning, sir. I'm calling with the formal regulatory update."I straightened in my chair."Go ahead.""The FDA has issued its decision on the corrected drug application. The review is complete, and the decision is positive. The drug is aut

Draven’s POVBy late afternoon, I had reviewed the financial reports, met with one of New York’s most sought for financial and stock market analysts, consulted my security strategist, and instructed the legal team to prepare for the possibility that the investigation would require formal action against a senior executive.The evidence was accumulating, but it remained incomplete.I refused to make accusations simply because the names attached to suspicious transactions belonged to people I distrusted. If Cassandra had been involved, I wanted proof that would withstand scrutiny. If Helena had knowingly participated, I wanted to understand precisely what she had done. And if someone had used their names to conceal the real source of the money, I wanted that exposed too.I had spent years making decisions that affected thousands of employees, investors, and patients. I wasn't about to let personal anger compromise an investigation of this magnitude.My assistant called to remind me tha