A Woman Worth Billions Dated the Wrong Brother novel Chapter 158

+15 8chus

3/8

+15 Bohus

no exit

projection flickered once more before fading into darkness.

For a brief moment, the room felt still again.

Too still.

I straightened slightly, keeping my expression composed as I looked back at the camera.

“So what now?” I asked.

A pause.

“I won,” I added calmly.

My tone remained even, almost indifferent.

“Are you going to let the Beckers go?”

I tilted my head slightly, as if considering it.

“Or better yet,” I continued, “keep them restrained until I get there. I would prefer to deal with them myself.”

Silence.

Then-

Emilian laughed.

The sound cut through the room, sharp and wrong.

Not controlled.

Not measured.

Unhinged.

It echoed against the walls, stretching longer than it should have, breaking the calm that had defined him until

now.

For the first time-1

He sounded like he had lost control.

Completely.

The laughter faded slowly, leaving something darker behind.

“You think you won?” he asked.

His voice was different now.

Rougher.

Unstable.

I did not answer.

Because I already knew.

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There was always another layer.

Another move.

Another test.

“Phase three,” he said.

The screens flickered back to life.

New footage replaced the old.

My breath slowed. 1

Focused.

Prepared.

And then-

I saw it.

Multiple feeds.

Familiar locations.

Too familiar.

The Asher estate.

The Sun estate.

Different angles.

Different entry points.

And in each one-

A device.

Small.

Precise.

Hidden.

Bombs.

My chest tightened.

Just slightly.

But I did not let it show.

On the screen, Emilian watched me closely.

“Come and get me,” he said softly.

A pause.

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2/7

“Before I blow them up.”

Sence filled the room.

The weight of it settled slowly.

Deliberately.

Because this-

This was no longer just a game.

This was escalation.

Control through destruction.

I studied the screens carefully, taking in every detail.

Every angle.

Every placement.

Because panic would not help.

Only strategy would.

I lifted my gaze back to the camera.

“You’re getting sloppy,” I said calmly.

A flicker crossed his expression.

“Am I?” he asked.

I nodded slightly.

“You’re reacting now,” I said. “Not planning.”

Silence.

Sharp.

Because he knew it was true.

I stepped forward slightly.

“You lost control,” I added. “And now you’re compensating.”

His gaze darkened.

But I did not stop.

“Threats are not strategy,” I said. “They’re desperation.”

The room felt heavier.

Tenser.

Because now-

ོ་ད།

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3/7

He wasn’t just watching

was unraveling.

And that made him-

More dangerous.

But also-

More predictable.

I glanced once more at the screens.

At the bombs.

At the stakes.

Then back at him.

“Alright,” I said.

A small smile forming.

“Let’s finish this.”

Because now-

This wasn’t about winning.

It was about ending him.

Before he took everything else with him.

I turned away from the screens without hesitation.

If he wanted me to come to him, then I would-but not like this, not trapped, not controlled.

I moved quickly toward the main door and grabbed the handle, pulling hard.

It did not move.

Locked.

Of course it was.

C

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I did not waste time. I turned immediately and crossed the room toward the small door Jason had found earlier, the one where the mist had been coming from.

“Jason?” I called, keeping my voice low.

There was no answer.

I reached the door and tried the handle.

It did not move.

Locked.

I pushed harder, testing it with more force.

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Still nothing.

Sealed.

My jaw tightened, but I stepped back, forcing myself to think instead of react.

There had to be another way out.

There was always another way out.

I began to move around the room, checking every wall, every corner, every possible exit point.

I pressed against panels, searched for hidden seams, tested surfaces that could conceal mechanisms.

Nothing.

I moved faster, more urgently now, scanning every detail, refusing to accept what was becoming obvious.

There was no exit.

I forced myself to keep going.

I found an electrical panel and crouched in front of it, prying it open.

Inside, the circuits were burned.

The wiring was blackened.

Fried.

Deliberately.

I stilled.

He had not just locked the doors.

He had destroyed the system. 1

I closed the panel slowly and stood, my mind racing as the realization settled in.

Emilian had never intended to give me a real chance to win.

Not the bomb.

Not the puzzle.

Not the robot.

All of it had been a distraction.

A way to keep me here.

Contained.

Occupied. 1

While everything else moved forward.

I turned back toward the screens.

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The Asher estate.

The Sun estate.

The bombs.

Everyone inside.

Family.

Staff.

People who had trusted me.

My chest tightened.

At least the children were not there.

Alice.

Alex.

Rose.