From substitute bride to CEO 의 모든 챕터: 챕터 81 - 챕터 90

The ballroom remained alive with conversation. Waiters moved through the crowd carrying trays of champagne, journalists exchanged business cards with investors, cameras flashed from different corners of the hall, and designers stood proudly beside their displays, discussing collections with potential clients.Only Chloe wasn't paying attention anymore. From across the room, her eyes still rested on Lucien.He was speaking with one of the summit organizers, his expression calm as he accepted a handshake. Another executive joined the conversation, and Lucien greeted him politely before they began discussing something that made the others nod.Four years. It had been four years since she had last seen him.He looked different, not dramatically, his shoulders seeming broader, his features more defined, but that wasn't what caught her attention. It was his expression. Once, there had always been certainty in his eyes. Now... there was something quieter, something more restrained. She wonde

The morning after the summit, Chloe sat across from her lawyer in a quiet office room overlooking the busy streets. A neatly prepared folder rested between them.The lawyer adjusted his glasses before opening it. "I've made the final revisions."Chloe nodded. "Thank you."He slid the documents toward her. "I've included everything we discussed, no financial claims, no request for property, and no demand for compensation. The dissolution is straightforward."She picked up the papers and slowly turned each page, her expression remaining calm. When she reached the final page, she uncapped her pen.The lawyer looked at her. "Would you like more time?"Chloe shook her head. "No. I've already taken four years."Without another word, she signed her name.Chloe Campbell.She placed the pen down quietly. The lawyer glanced at the signature before looking back at her. "You're using Campbell.""Yes.""It suits you."A faint smile crossed her face. "I think so too."The lawyer carefully gathered

The following morning, Grey Group Limited was already alive with activity. Employees hurried through the corridors carrying files and tablets, phones rang one after another, meetings were already underway, and the executive floor remained as busy as ever.Inside his office, Lucien sat behind his desk reviewing a proposal. At least... he was supposed to be reviewing it. His eyes had remained on the same page for nearly five minutes.A knock came at the door. "Come in."Caleb stepped inside carrying a folder. "The contracts from London have been finalized."Lucien nodded without looking up. "Leave them there."Caleb placed the folder neatly on the desk. "There are also updates from Mexico.""I'll review them later."Caleb studied him briefly. "You haven't read the first proposal."Lucien finally looked up. "I was thinking.""I noticed."Silence settled between them. Caleb didn't leave.Lucien noticed. "What is it?""There is one more thing."Lucien leaned back slightly. "Go on."Caleb c

Lucien remained alone in his office long after the magazine slipped from his hands onto the desk. The room was quiet. Outside, New York moved as it always did. Cars filled the streets below, people hurried between buildings, and the city carried on without knowing that one man's world had just shifted.His eyes stayed fixed on the article. "A single mother of two." The words refused to leave him.He reached for the magazine again and read the paragraph for the fourth time. Nothing changed. The sentence remained exactly the same, of cause it would.Slowly, he closed the magazine. He leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath. His gaze drifted towards the window. Then back to the desk. Then to the magazine again. His thoughts refused to settle.He remembered the night Chloe had called him. Her voice had been shaking. "Lucien..." He remembered telling her he would come. He remembered arriving at the hospital. He remembered seeing her being wheeled towards the ward. He remembered

Lucien walked through the streets of Manhattan without paying attention to where he was going. The afternoon sun had begun to sink lower, stretching long shadows across the sidewalks as people hurried home from work. Taxi horns sounded in the distance, conversations drifted past him, and storefront windows reflected the endless movement of the city.He noticed none of it. His hands remained in the pockets of his coat as his mind replayed the same memories over and over. The hospital. The empty room. The article. Four years. Twins. Every step seemed to carry another realization he wished had come years earlier.He stopped only when he reached a busy intersection. The pedestrian light changed. People walked around him, weaving past without a second glance. He finally lifted his head.There was only one place he wanted to go. Not because he expected forgiveness. Not because he believed he deserved another chance. He simply couldn't carry the weight of silence any longer.A taxi slowed be