All Chapters of The Billionaire's Rebirth Bride: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Adrian asked me the question on a Thursday.We were in his office. Felix had just left. The door was closed. The city hummed outside. I was standing by the bookshelf, scanning titles I'd never read, when he said my name."Elena."I turned. He was sitting at his desk. He wasn't looking at me. He was looking at his hands."What?"He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "What do you want?"I frowned. "What do you mean?""I mean after this. After Volkov. After everything. What do you want?"I walked to the chair across from his desk. I sat."I don't know," I said."Then figure it out.""I'm trying."He looked up. He looked at me. His eyes were dark. Unreadable."You've spent two lifetimes fighting," he said. "First against Julian. Then against Henry. Then against Volkov. You've had a target. A purpose. A reason to wake up every morning.""And now?""And now there's nothing. No target. No purpose. No reason."I didn't respond. I didn't know how."So I'm asking you," he said. "What do you

My first client walked through the door on a Wednesday morning.I didn't know she was coming. Claire had given her my address. Claire had told her I could help. Claire had vouched for me before I'd even proven I could do the work.Her name was Sarah Chen. She was thirty-four. She was a journalist. She was scared.She sat across from my desk. She held her purse in both hands. She didn't speak for a long moment."I don't know where to start," she said."Start at the beginning."She nodded. She took a breath."My husband. Marcus. He was investigating a company. A shipping firm. He thought they were moving more than cargo. Weapons. Drugs. People.""And?""And he disappeared. Three months ago. The police said he ran off. They said he abandoned me. They said he was probably having an affair.""But you don't believe that.""No."I leaned back in my chair. I studied her. She was telling the truth. I could see it in her hands. In the way she held her purse. In the way she couldn't look me in t

The letter arrived on a Tuesday.Felix brought it to my office. He didn't open it. He didn't scan it. He just set it on my desk and stepped back."No return address," he said. "No stamp. Hand-delivered."I picked it up. A plain white envelope. My name on the front in handwriting I didn't recognize. I opened it.Inside was a single sheet of paper. Folded twice. The handwriting matched the envelope.Elena,I know you've been looking for me. I know you've been tracking me. I know you've been planning to use Marlowe Shipping as bait.I'm not going to let that happen.But I'm not going to kill you. Not yet. Because I want you to know something first.Your mother wasn't the only one investigating Henry Ashford. There was someone else. Someone closer to you than you realize. Someone who fed her information. Someone who protected her. Someone who failed.Ask your father.He knows.—V.I read it three times. Then I set it down.My hands were steady. My heart was beating normally."Where did th

I didn't go to my office the next morning.I woke up early. Earlier than usual. The sky was still gray. The city was still quiet. I lay in bed for a long time. I stared at the ceiling. The cracks hadn't changed. The shadows hadn't moved.But something was different.I got up. I showered. I dressed. I walked to the kitchen. Adrian wasn't there. He was still asleep. Or working. I didn't check.I made coffee. I didn't drink it. I just held the cup. The warmth seeped into my hands. I didn't feel it.I thought about my mother.Not the way I usually thought about her. Not the way I'd thought about her for two lifetimes. Not the anger. Not the grief. Not the revenge.I thought about her laugh. The way it filled a room. The way it made you want to laugh too, even if you didn't know what was funny.I thought about her hands. The way they moved when she talked. The way they felt on my forehead when I was sick. The way they held a pen when she wrote.I thought about her voice. The way she said m

Adrian came back to the penthouse at seven that evening.I was in the kitchen. I was making tea. I didn't hear him come in. I didn't know he was there until he spoke."You're still up."I turned. He was standing in the doorway. He looked tired. More tired than he had that morning. His suit jacket was draped over his arm. His tie was loose. His eyes were dark."I was waiting," I said."You didn't have to.""I know."He walked to the island. He sat down. He didn't speak. He just sat there.I poured him a cup of tea. I set it in front of him. He looked at it. Then at me."You made tea," he said."I did."He picked up the cup. He drank. He didn't say thank you. He didn't need to.We sat there. The kitchen was warm. The city hummed outside."How was the trip?" I asked."Long.""You said that.""It was longer than I expected."I looked at him. He looked at me."What happened?"He set down the cup. He folded his hands on the island."The deal closed. But there was a complication.""What kind