All Chapters of The Billionaire's Rebirth Bride: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Daniel met me at a diner on the edge of the city.It was the kind of place that didn't ask questions. Vinyl booths. Cracked tiles. A waitress who'd seen everything and cared about none of it. I ordered coffee. Daniel ordered nothing. He just sat across from me, his hands wrapped around a napkin he hadn't touched."You said you found something," I said.He nodded. He reached into his jacket. He pulled out a photograph.I looked at it. A man. Older. Gray hair. Tired eyes. I didn't recognize him."Who is this?""His name is Victor Hale."I looked at the photograph. Then at Daniel."Victor Hale. Mom's attorney.""You know him?""I know the name. He's the investigator Julian hired."Daniel's face tightened. "That's not all he is."I waited."He was there," Daniel said. "The night Mom died. He saw what happened."I set down the photograph. My hands were steady."How do you know?""Because I found him. I tracked him down. I talked to him."I stared at my brother. He looked older than he had

I brought Daniel to the penthouse on a Friday.Adrian wasn't happy about it.We were in the living room. Daniel was sitting on the couch, looking out the window at the city. He hadn't said much since he arrived. He just kept staring.Adrian pulled me aside. His voice was low."You should have told me.""I'm telling you now.""He's a liability. If Julian finds out he's here—""Julian won't find out. Sloane has security on the floor. No one comes in or out without her knowing."Adrian looked at me. His jaw was tight."You should have told me," he said again."I know. I'm sorry."He didn't respond. He just looked at me. Then he turned and walked to the couch. He sat across from Daniel."I'm Adrian," he said."I know who you are.""Then you know I don't trust easily."Daniel nodded. "Neither do I."They stared at each other. Neither of them blinked.I sat beside Daniel. I looked at Adrian."He's my brother," I said. "He's been running for fifteen years. He's earned the right to be here."

Felix found Claire Bennett before I asked him to.He brought her file to my office on a Tuesday morning. A photograph. A resume. Three pages of notes. He set it on my desk and stepped back like he expected me to throw it."She's been investigating Henry for two years," he said. "She's careful. She's thorough. She hasn't published anything yet because she can't verify her sources."I opened the file. Claire Bennett. Thirty-two. Columbia graduate. Former financial analyst. Now an investigative journalist for a magazine that didn't print gossip. Only facts."Can we trust her?""I don't know. But she's not connected to Henry. She's not connected to Volkov. She's not connected to anyone who could hurt us."I closed the file. "Set up a meeting."We met at a hotel bar two blocks from her office. Public. Neutral. No one would look twice at two women having drinks.She was already there when I arrived. Dark hair pulled back. Simple blazer. She didn't stand when I approached. She just watched m

Felix called me at seven in the morning.I was already awake. I'd been awake since five. The photograph of my mother was still on my nightstand. I'd looked at it three times before the sun came up."Volkov is moving," Felix said.I sat up. "What do you mean?""He's transferring assets. Closing accounts. Pulling out of investments. He's liquidating."I was already out of bed. Already reaching for clothes."How much time?""A day. Maybe two. Once he's liquid, he's gone.""I'm on my way."I hung up. I dressed in four minutes. I walked to Adrian's office. He was already there. He was already on the phone.I waited. He hung up."Volkov," he said."I know.""He's running.""We can't let him."Adrian looked at me. His jaw was tight. "We won't. I'm moving the team now. We freeze what we can. We track what we can't.""I want to be there.""No."I stared at him. "What?""You're not coming. It's too dangerous. Volkov has people everywhere. If he sees you—""He won't see me. I'll stay in the car.

The routine returned slowly.Not all at once. Not like before. But slowly. Carefully. Like two people learning to walk on ice.I made coffee in the morning. He drank it. He left tea on my nightstand. I drank it. We ate dinner together. We didn't talk about Volkov. We didn't talk about Henry. We didn't talk about the plan. We just talked about nothing.It was enough.On the third night, I found a book on my nightstand.Not tea. Not coffee. A book. A novel I'd mentioned once, weeks ago, in passing. I'd said I wanted to read it. I'd forgotten I'd said it. He hadn't.I picked it up. I read the first page. Then the second. Then the third.I read until three in the morning. I finished it in two days. When I was done, I left it on his desk with a note.Thank you. It was perfect.He didn't mention it. But the next day, there was another book on my nightstand.I almost smiled.---Felix noticed the shift."You two are talking again," he said."We were always talking.""You were talking about w