All Chapters of My Groom Abandoned Me, So I Married His Brother: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The late-night quiet inside the penthouse was absolute. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, rain brushed against the glass in a soft, steady rhythm. The bright lights of Manhattan flickered down below, but inside the spacious apartment, the world felt small and still. Serena sat cross-legged on the dark velvet sofa in the private library. A single floor lamp cast a soft glow, casting warm shadows across the wooden floor. In her lap lay the heavy, leather-bound photo album she had found days ago. She turned a page slowly. The paper made a faint scratching sound in the silence. Her fingers paused over a faded photograph taken more than twelve years ago. In it, a younger Asher stood near the gardens of the old Blackwood estate. His shoulders were straight, his chin was held high, and his eyes were clear and full of life. He did not look like a man carrying the weight of the world. He just looked like a young man with a bright future ahead of him. She heard quiet footsteps approach

The small paper bag sat on the marble kitchen counter, looking completely out of place.Serena stared at it, her brows pulled together in frustration. Inside was a jar of expensive dark chocolate spreads made with sea salt—the exact kind she had seen Asher eat on his toast two mornings ago."Why did I buy this?" Serena muttered to herself, tossing her car keys onto the tray. "He has his own food."She had gone out to a boutique market near her studio to buy fresh flowers for her office. She had not gone out to shop for her husband. Yet, the moment she saw the small glass jar on the shelf, her hand had moved on its own."Why did you buy what?"Serena jumped slightly, turning around. Asher was standing in the doorway of the kitchen. He wore a dark grey sweater with the sleeves pushed up, holding a tablet in one hand. He looked relaxed, his dark eyes fixed on her with quiet curiosity."Nothing," Serena said quickly, trying to move t

The wooden gavel struck the block with a sharp, hollow crack that echoed through the marble interrogation room. Evelyn Blackwood sat upright, her hands folded neatly over her designer leather handbag. Across the polished oak table sat two lead fraud investigators from the Serious Fraud Office, surrounded by stacks of bank ledgers, video transcripts, and digital audit logs. "Mrs. Blackwood," Investigator Harris said, tapping a thick blue folder. "We have traced thirty-two separate wire transfers from Blackwood Capital’s primary offshore accounts. Every single transaction bears your digital authorization key—alongside your son Cassian’s signature." Evelyn raised her chin, her expression cold and entirely unbothered. "Those transfers were internal reallocations to protect family holdings during a volatile market. I was protecting my family." "You were transferring company assets into unlisted shell accounts while framing your late husband Arthur's eldest son for corporate embezzlemen

Asher did not wear his usual tailored navy suit; he wore a heavy black wool coat, his long hands thrust deep into the pockets as he stood motionless before the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse.Serena stepped into the living room, holding two steaming ceramic cups. The rich aroma of dark roast filled the space, but she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw his silhouette framed against the bruised, gray morning sky. His shoulders were locked rigid, his jaw set, his dark gaze fixed on something far beyond the Hudson River."What's wrong?" Serena asked gently, crossing the hardwood floor to offer him a cup.Asher didn't take it. He turned his head slowly, the shadows beneath his high cheekbones deepening. His dark eyes held an unusual, heavy stillness that chilled her far more than any cold boardroom glare ever could."Come with me," he said softly.Serena set the cups down on the marble island without asking a single question. "

The rain outside the Manhattan Federal Courthouse fell in relentless, icy sheets, matching the grim atmosphere inside Court 4.Evelyn Blackwood stood behind the glass partition of the dock, her posture unyielding, her silver hair styled into its signature immaculate chignon. But for all her practiced composure, the pale tightness around her mouth betrayed her. She did not look at the packed gallery, nor did she look at the team of high-priced defense barristers gathering their papers at the table below."Evelyn Blackwood," the judge announced, his voice echoing off the high wood-paneled walls. "On the counts of corporate fraud, conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, and the systemic falsification of Blackwood Capital's financial registries, this court finds you guilty on all charges."A collective murmur rippled through the gallery. Evelyn’s jaw clenched, her hands tightening on the ledge of the dock until her knuckles turned translucent, but she utt