Billionaire's Betrayal a contracted revenge (Aurelia) novel Chapter 114

Chapter 114

Chapter 114

Aurelia’s POV

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Selene left twenty minutes after Rieck walked out, polite goodbyes and a promise to see me at the office tomorrow, and still he hadn’t come back to the table.

I found him in our bedroom, jacket already gone, standing at the window with his back to the door.

“Is there something you would like to tell me?” I asked, closing the door softly behind me, my heart still unsettled from the strange energy at dinner.

“Like what?” He didn’t turn around.

“Anything at all.” I crossed the room slowly, stopping just behind him, close enough to feel the tension coming off him. “Her presence seemed to make you uncomfortable.”

“It’s nothing.” His voice stayed flat, controlled, though I saw the tightness in his jaw when he finally looked at me. “The meal didn’t agree with me.”

“What was wrong with the meal? We all ate the same thing.”

He hesitated, just a beat too long. “Probably my stomach.”

“Then you should see a doctor.” I reached out, my palm flat against his chest. “I can escort you tomorrow morning, before the office.”

“I’m fine.” He caught my wrist gently, pulling me closer instead of pushing me away, his eyes finally meeting mine. “No hospital visits.”

“Then talk to me.” My other hand rose to rest on his jaw, tilting his face fully towards mine, close enough now that I could feel the heat rolling off him. “You don’t have to carry everything alone, Rieck.”

Something in him cracked then, just a little bit, his grip on my wrist tightening as he pulled me the last inch closer, his forehead dropping to rest against mine.

“Not tonight,” he whispered, his voice rough, low enough it barely reached me at all, his thumb tracing slowly along my jaw like he needed the contact more than words. “Let me have tonight without it.”

Whatever question I had wanted to ask next went away the moment his mouth found mine.

One hand slowly moved to the small of my back and he pulled me against him, heat overwhelming everywhere our bodies met.

I studied him a long moment afterward, the heat of his hand still wrapped around my wrist, my heartbeat throbbing despite the suspicion in my chest.

The office buzzed with quiet energy the next morning, employees moving quickly between desks, several of

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Chapter 114

them stopping to greet me on their way past.

:

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I had grown into this role faster than I expected, the unofficial second in command of a company barely a month old, decisions funneling through me before they ever reached Rieck’s desk.

It felt strange, some mornings, how naturally the authority had settled on my shoulders, like a coat tailored specifically for me long before I ever knew I would need it.

Just then a soft knock sounded against my open door.

Selene stepped inside, two cups of coffee balanced in her hands, offering one across the desk with an easy smile. “Peace offering. I know I dropped by unannounced last night.”

“You didn’t have to.” I took the cup gratefully. “Rieck was just tired, I think.”

“He seemed more than tired.” Selene settled into the chair across from me, crossing one leg over the other, entirely at ease. “But I won’t pry.”

We fell into easy conversation after that, work mostly, staffing schedules and hiring pipelines, the kind of chatter that made the long hours pass faster.

Selene had a way of listening that made me talk more than I meant to, a warmth that felt real even if some instinct in my head kept me from fully relaxing into it.

“So,” Selene said eventually, stirring her coffee slowly, “what is it actually like, working for the man you are married to?”

“Never easy.” I laughed, surprising myself with how easily the truth came out. “But we are getting by.”

“That’s more honest than most answers I get around here.” Selene laughed warmly. “Most wives in your position would give me some polished version, all smiles and no substance.”

“I have never been very good at polished versions of anything, honestly.”

“I noticed.” Selene’s eyes softened slightly. “It’s refreshing, honestly.”

“What about you?” I asked, curious now. “Are you married? Seeing anyone?”

Something immediately changed behind Selene’s expression. “I should get back to my desk. Marketing meeting in ten minutes.” She stood up suddenly, coffee cup still half full, offering a tight smile on her way out. “We will catch up later.”

Selene returned the next evening, just as I was preparing to leave, a covered dish in both hands, her earlier tension nowhere in sight.

“I wanted to apologize,” she said, setting the dish gently on my desk. “For walking off so quickly earlier. It was rude of me, and you did nothing wrong asking.”

“You don’t owe me an apology. Everyone has questions they would rather not answer.”

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Chapter 114

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