Contract Marriage With My Billionaire Boss (Venus and Aaron) novel Chapter 163

Chapter 163

VENUS

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Two weeks.

That’s how long it had been since I’d watched Martha’s body burn into ash and smoke, since I stood by that pit of fire with Gianna at my side and Aaron’s chest at my back, refusing to fall apart. Two weeks since I faced Dain across steel bars and chains and told him he deserved to rot.

And five months since anyone had seen Gerald.

That number was the one that clung. Five months of silence. To most, silence meant safety. To me? It meant he was breathing somewhere nearby. Gerald didn’t vanish. He burrowed. He blended. He bided his time until the world stopped looking for him-then he struck.

I knew in my bones: he wasn’t gone. Not yet.

One night, I whispered it to Aaron in the dark, my voice raw against his shoulder. He didn’t answer. Just held me tighter, lips pressing against my temple like he could erase my words. But his silence was an answer of its

own.

He was hiding something. Him, Connor, Colton-their clipped tones and closed-door meetings were too sharp, too careful. And while Aaron promised me truth in everything that mattered, I could taste the lies he swallowed.

Soon, I’d rip them out of him.

But for now, there was today.

The day Aaron finally took what was his.

Sinclair HQ gleamed like a fortress dressed in glass. Sleek, cold and intimidating in the morning light. Once, I might have hated it. This place was a monument to Dorian’s smug face and the branch of the family that tried to choke Aaron into nothing. But walking through its polished halls at his side, watching how every head bowed and every spine stiffened as he passed? A thrill curled in my chest.

This was power. His power.

And today, he was claiming it.

The boardroom was already set for the takeover. Twenty minutes until the meeting. Connor trailed behind us, phone in hand, lips moving silently as he scanned reports. He’s been distant since the kidnapping. He was there in everyway that mattered but I just feel the distance. I’ll make time to talk to him about it. Aaron was calm on the surface. To everyone else, he looked unshakable. But I’d learned to read him. Beneath that steel, a storm rolled, sharp and restless, coiled in his veins.

He leaned down, his breath brushing my ear. “Don’t wander. Stay with me.”

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Chapter 163

“I’ll stay close,” I promised, sliding my hand down his arm. I kept the snide remark to myself. “But I need water before I faint and ruin your big moment.”

His

eyes

narrowed, suspicion cutting through. “Princess…”

“I’ll be two minutes.” I softened it with a smile. “I’ll be right back.”

He muttered something under his breath, but finally, he nodded. “Hurry.”

I slipped away, heels clicking against marble. The corridor curved toward the small staff lounge where I knew there’d be water. But as I neared the doorway, I slowed.

Voices.

Low. Sharp. Familiar.

Caroline. Aaron’s stepmother. And Rosemary. His mother.

Two women who could level empires with their tongues, locked in a venomous whisper-fight.

“You always find a way to ruin my life, don’t you, Rosemary?” Caroline’s voice dripped with venom. “First you tried to snatch Richard from me, and now-now your son is after mine.”

Rosemary’s voice rose in protest,.but Caroline cut her off with a hiss.

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“I should’ve thought of it sooner. Getting rid of him. Just like I did with your other bastard in the womb all those years ago.”

My blood froze.

What?

For a heartbeat, I thought I’d misheard. That grief, exhaustion, or paranoia twisted her words. But Rosemary’s sharp, indrawn breath told me I hadn’t.

And then-crack.

The sound of a slap, loud and raw, echoing down the lounge.

“You dare,” Rosemary spat, her voice shaking with fury.

But I barely heard her.

Caroline’s words splintered through my head like glass.

Just like I did with your other bastard in the womb.

She was the reason.

The miscarriage that shattered Rosemary. The coma that followed.

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Chapter 163

Caroline had done it.

My stomach lurched. My legs trembled.

Did Aaron know?

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I staggered back, hand pressing to the wall for balance. My pulse thundered so loud it drowned out the rest of their fight. Caroline’s venom, Rosemary’s fury-it all blurred together until the click of heels cut through.

I darted behind a pillar, holding my breath.

Caroline swept out, chin high, mask of control pinned on her face. She didn’t see me.

But Rosemary did.

The moment her gaze landed on me, I knew my face gave me away. Shock. Horror. Rage.

Her expression crumpled. “Venus—”

“You knew?” My voice cracked like splintering ice. “You knew all this time?”

Her silence was answer enough. But she nodded anyway.

“Does he know?” My voice was barely a whisper, but it felt like it shook the walls. “Does Aaron know?”

Her lips trembled. “No. And it should remain that way.”

I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.

But when she stepped closer, I reached for her anyway. Wrapped my arms around her tight. She trembled against me, strong and fragile all at once.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

Because she was the strongest woman I knew. And Caroline’s words had cut her deeper than any blade.

And now, I was the one carrying the secret.

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