Semua Bab I REGRET GETTING MARRIED TO A MOMMY'S BOY CEO: Bab 41 - Bab 48

The packing was done with quiet, methodical precision.In the sunlit nursery of our stone cottage, I folded Clara’s small woolen coats into a soft leather suitcase. She was over two year old clocking three by Winter, walking with erratic, joyful steps, her dark eyes wide with curiosity as she watched me pack her favourite wooden toys."Going on an airplane, Clara," I whispered, lifting her into my arms and kissing her soft cheek. She babbled happily, her small fingers tangling in my hair.My mind remained anchored to the heavy cream card sitting on my nightstand. The double-headed falcon crest seemed to loom over every decision I had made in the last forty-eight hours.I wasn't naive. A prestigious European institution like St. Laurent Asset Management didn't randomly invite a Midwest infrastructure manager to their exclusive private gala in Geneva without a motive. Whether it was a corporate acquisition attempt, a bid to leverage Vance & Sterling’s new supply routes, or something far

The grand ballroom went so still you could hear the soft fizzing of champagne bubbles in crystal flutes.I kept my spine straight, my breath slow and even, accepting the silent stares of European nobility with the same unyielding composure I used in boardrooms. Beside me, David moved with easy, grounded confidence, his presence an invisible shield against the sudden shift in the room's energy."Emma," David murmured under his breath, his eyes subtly scanning the crowd. "Don't look now, but half the room just forgot how to breathe.""Let them stare, David," I replied quietly, keeping my gaze fixed on the central rotunda. "We came for the infrastructure briefing."Then the crowd parted at the base of the marble staircase, and my words died in my throat.A woman was descending the steps. She wore an emerald gown of nearly the exact shade as mine, her dark hair swept up in a flawless twist. But it wasn't the dress that sent a sudden, ice-cold shock tearing through my chest.It was her fac

The hotel room in Geneva felt suffocating, despite the brisk Alpine draft seeping through the balcony doors.On the bed lay the cream invitation, the side-by-side photos from the Swiss society pages, and the sudden, damning regulatory alert on my phone: Emergency Audit Hold Issued by Swiss Financial Authority.My chest heaved as a cold, sharp rage replaced the lingering disbelief of the night before. I had flown across the Atlantic thinking I was expanding Vance & Sterling, completely oblivious to the spiderweb I was stepping into.I grabbed my phone, pressed Martha's speed dial, and held the receiver to my ear. My hands were shaking, not with fear, but with an overwhelming feeling of betrayal.The line rang three times before Martha’s soft, hesitant voice answered. "Emma? Sweetheart, is everything okay over there?""Who is Beatrice de la Tour, Mom?" I demanded, my voice cutting through the speaker like a blade.Silence. Heavy, suffocating, absolute silence deadened the phone line. I

The private holding room behind the grand auditorium was suffocatingly quiet.Julianna stood near the arched stained-glass windows, her pristine ivory jacket trembling as she stared down at the polished floorboards. Baron Henri sat in a high-backed leather chair, his hands clamped over the silver head of his cane, his chest rising and falling in deep, ragged breaths. Count Philippe stood by the heavy mahogany doors, his face an unreadable mask of iron."You used an executive clearance code," Henri whispered, his raspy voice shaking with a contained fury. "To fabricate a fraud report against a guest of this house... on the open floor of the European Summit.""Grandfather, please!" Julianna gasped, dropping to her knees beside his chair, tears of panic streaming down her cheeks. "She is an outsider! I was trying to protect what I’ve spent my entire life building for this family! You can't just give her everything!"Henri looked down at her, his expression a bitter mix of disappointment