All Chapters of REBIRTH OF THE SUBSTITUTE BRIDE : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Chapter 61Three days.Three damn days, and I still couldn't blink without seeing her face, couldn't close my eyes without hearing that sharp, icy tone slicing straight through me.“Security, escort this man out.”I took a long breath, my chest rising and falling in a slow, heavy rhythm as I stood by the floor-to-ceiling glass of my hotel suite. Out there, the city was moving—cars crawling through mid-morning traffic, people living their mundane, predictable lives. Down on the marble coffee table behind me, a crystal tumbler of scotch sat untouched, the ice cubes long dissolved into flat, pale amber liquid. I hadn't slept more than two hours a night since I stepped foot inside Sterling House.Every time I drifted off, I was back in that top-floor office. I saw the cold, lethal tilt of her chin. The absolute lack of hesitation in her eyes. The way she had looked at me—like a nightmare that had become reality.Camille Sterling. I'd read about her.CEO of Sterling fashion house.The name

Chapter 63"Hold that left shoulder up, Maya—don't let the silk drop," I said, leaning my shoulder against the doorframe of the primary fitting bay.The room was a beautiful, chaotic hive of activity. It smelled like hot steam, expensive floral perfume, and fresh bolts of silk. Studio lights bounced off the floor-to-ceiling mirrors, illuminating two tailors who were crouched on the carpet with pins between their teeth, working around three of our lead models standing on the wooden pedestals."Miss Sterling, tell me this doesn't look incredible," Maya groaned in front of the mirror, keeping her arms perfectly still while the tailor pinned the waist. "I feel like I'm wearing actual liquid gold.""It looks incredible because the bias-cut is doing all the heavy lifting," I said, walking over to tug gently at the seam along her hip. "So don't ruin it by slouching. Clean lines, Maya. When you walk out onto that runway in two weeks, every single camera light is going to hit this seam. If you

Chapter 65The heavy double doors of my office slammed back against the mahogany frames with a crack that sounded like a gunshot.I was standing behind my desk, holding a stone-cold cup of espresso I hadn't taken a single sip of, but the moment I saw Alex, a strange sense of calm settled in my chest.He burst into the room like a hurricane. His suit jacket was unbuttoned, his tie slightly crooked—a sight so rare on Alex Maguire it should have been terrifying. His phone was pinched between his shoulder and his ear, his jaw set so tight I could see the muscle ticking wildly near his earlobe."I don't care what time zone he's in, get Arthur on the line now," Alex was barking into the phone, stepping over the threshold and tossing his briefcase onto the leather couch without looking. "Tell him it's an institutional emergency. Nevada corporate law, debt-equity bypass. I want an injunction filed before the market closes today. Do not call me back until you have the draft."He hung up withou

Chapter 67Frank slammed the door of my hotel room shut for the third time this week, not even bothering to knock first.I was sitting on the edge of the unmade king bed, staring at the floor with a glass of scotch dangling between my fingers. My head was pounding. Every single angle I’d pushed on Victoria and her inner circle had hit a brick wall. Tight lips. Airtight stories. Everyone acting like loyal little soldiers in Victoria’s camp, pretending nothing out of the ordinary had happened."You look like hell," Frank said, tossing his leather jacket onto the armchair and pulling out a tablet."If you came here to comment on my face, Frank, get out," I grunted, taking a slow sip. "Tell me you have something. Anything. Because I am running out of patience.""I do," Frank said, pulling up a chair and dragging it closer. "It took digging through three different security server backups that Victoria thought she had wiped, but I found something weird."I glanced up, my eyes narrowing. "Ye

Chapter 69My hands wouldn't stop shaking.I smoothed the crisp fabric of my crimson-red blazer for the hundredth time, taking a shallow breath that barely reached my lungs. Get it together, Camille. You are the CEO of Sterling House. You built this life. You are not that scared girl anymore."I must be completely insane," I muttered under my breath, my gaze fixated on the polished wood of our corner table. "Who willingly walks into a lion's den? On purpose?"Across from me, Alex let out a low, amused chuckle, taking a slow sip of his bourbon.I snapped my head up, scowling at him with zero heat. "It’s not funny, Alex. Do you have any idea how nerve-wracking it is to face Kade Lannister on my own terms after all these years? The last time I saw him, I was..." I swallowed hard, the memory choking me. "I was a ghost of myself."Alex set his glass down smoothly, his warm hazel eyes turning serious. "You don't have to go through with this, you know.""I'm already here," I whispered, wring