Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 51 - Chapitre 60

The blinding crest of their shared climax left them breathless and tangled together in the damp, tangled silk sheets long after the sun dipped below the Atlantic horizon.Wrapped in William’s broad arms, her cheek resting over the heavy, steady thud of his heart, Jane had fallen asleep feeling utterly safe—for the first time in four long years.By sunrise, the suite was bathed in a soft, golden light.William was already awake, lying on his side with his head propped on his hand, lazily tracing the delicate curve of Jane’s bare shoulder with his thumb. A silver tray bearing two cups of steaming black coffee sat on the nightstand, sending the rich aroma of fresh espresso into the crisp morning air.Jane stirred with a soft, cat-like stretch, a faint, contented smile gracing her lips as she blinked up into his dark blue eyes."Morning, CEO," she murmured, her voice delightfully raspy from the night before.William leaned down, pressing a slow, warm kiss against her lips."Good morning, m

A few hours later… The high of closing the three-billion-dollar Kyoto contract still echoed down the executive corridor, but inside the main office, Jane was finally catching her breath.She leaned against the edge of the assistant desk, tossing a blue file folder toward Allan, who was slumped in his chair, fanning himself with an expense report."I’m telling you, Allan, my life is a walking comedy of errors," Jane said, letting out a soft, wheezing laugh as she rubbed her temples. She was exhausted, lightheaded from the adrenaline crash, and completely unconcerned with who was nearby. "Do you remember the birthday gift? Before... whatever this madness is?"Allan looked up, his eyes lighting up with gossipy glee. "How could I forget? You got drunk and were smirking over giving William a stupid, boring necktie again, and ended up giving him my gift! Gosh, I'm still dreaming about that red lace you were so proud of letting me wear—my boyfriend would have brought me to heaven and back!""

The second the door locked, the dam inside me broke.Tears burst from my eyes, hot and unstoppable, streaming down my cheeks as a jagged, heartbroken sob tore out of my throat. I sank against the breakroom counter, burying my face in my hands."He heard us, Allan," I cried, my voice cracking into pieces. "He... he heard everything we said about the birthday gift. He overheard the red lace. He overheard the note."Allan’s jaw dropped, his hands flying to his mouth in sheer, horrified realization. "Oh... oh, no.""He was so mad," I whimpered, my chest aching so hard I could barely draw air into my lungs. "I've never seen his eyes look like that. It wasn't just anger... he looked completely broken, Allan. His pride, his feelings... he thought I gave him that gift because I wanted to date him a year ago. He thought the note was written for him!""Jane..." Allan whispered gently, stepping forward to wrap his arms around my shaking shoulders."I broke his heart," I sobbed into Allan’s chest

"Mrs. Reynold, please! Stop!" Jane gasped out, her voice a desperate, frantic whisper. "Please do not tell him anything! Do not hint that we spoke, do not mention the gift, and please, I beg you, do not bring up anything else! He is so furious right now... if he thinks I went running to his family to fix this, he will fire me before the sun goes down!"A heavy pause hung on the line. On the other end, Eleanor exchanged a swift, knowing look with Victoria and Sophia in the elevator lobby. Sensing the absolute terror in Jane’s voice, Eleanor let out a long, quiet sigh."Very well, Jane," Eleanor conceded softly. "We will handle him with extreme discretion. But this isn't over."Jane practically collapsed against the breakroom counter in relief.An hour later, the heavy double doors of the corner suite slammed open. William returned from his brief downstairs meeting with his family, his face a thundercloud of pure rage and deep, scowling annoyance. He didn't even take off his suit jacke

Cruel, public humiliation. In two years, William had never raised his voice at her in front of the board, let alone called her incompetent.Across the long table, two senior executives leaned toward each other, their whispered murmurs cutting through the quiet room like poison."I thought there was something going on between them," one old executive whispered behind his hand, shaking his head. "Remember how he was acting around her last month? People were saying they were an item.""You thought wrong," the other quietly replied, pity evident in his eyes as he glanced at Jane. "It was never the secretary. Did you see the news this morning? He's back with Jessa White. A girl like Jane was never in his league anyway."The pity in their eyes felt worse than William's cruel i