Married to the Billionaire Who Betrayed Me novel Chapter 53

Chapter 53 The Broken Billionaire Watches Her

The acquisition of the Port Sterling Shipping Hub is complete,” Mateo stated. He did not look at his tablet. He memorized the details. “We absorbed the three primary regional fleets. Our coastal distribution network operates at maximum capacity/The

Whitmore family expressed satisfaction with the merger progress.”

‘I do not care about the Whitmore family,” Tristan snapped. The sharp edge in his voice echoed in the empty suite. What about the

girl?”

Mateo’s jaw tightened. “We lost the scent.

Tristan lowered the crystal glass. The muscles in his neck strained. “You assured me the trap was set at the apartment building.”

“We established the perimeter,” Mateo explained. He maintained his neutral tone, refusing to show weakness. “She did not return to

the location. She abandoned the room.”

“She has zero capital, Tristan argued. He paced across the thick carpet. “She possesses no network in Port Sterling. She cannot

vanish without a trace.”

“She is resourceful, sir.”

“Resourceful does not buy a ghost identity!” Tristan slammed his hand against the mahogany bar. The crystal glass rattled. “Someone is hiding her. Find the connection. Tear apart the secondary logistics firms. Bribe the port authority. I want her located.”

Mateo nodded. “I deployed additional assets to the coast this morning. We will canvas the garment district and the smaller

warehouses.”

“Do it,” Tristan ordered.

Mateo turned toward the door. He stopped. He looked at the silver tablet in his hand. He hesitated.

Tristan noticed the break in protocol. Mateo Castillo never hesitated.

“What is it?” Tristan demanded.

“A secondary situation developed this afternoon,” Mateo said. He turned back around. He held the tablet out. “The public relations department flagged a viral anomaly on the primary social networks. It concerns a new independent cosmetics brand.”

Tristan scoffed. “Why are you bringing cosmetics to my attention? Forward it to the marketing division.”

The founder of the brand conducted a live broadcast interview today,” Mateo continued. He did not lower the tablet. “The interview generated engagement metrics. The subject addressed the Johnston Group directly.”

Tristan froze. The air in the executive suite turned cold.

6

|||

1/3

16:26 Wed, Jul

Chapter 53 The Broken Billionaire Watches Her

He crossed the room in three long strides. He snatched the tablet from Mateo’s grip.

The screen displayed a high-definition video feed.

Tristan hit play.

The video opened on a stark, makeshift set inside a concrete warehouse. Matte black shipping crates formed the background. A

woman sat in a metal chair.

Tristan stopped breathing.

Minerva.

She did not look like the terrified, desperate woman he watched get dragged from the Grand Hawthorne Hotel. She did not look like the weeping girl sitting on the wet pavement in the service alley.

She looked terrifying.

She wore blazer. Her dark hair sat cut into a sleek, severe bob. The angry red scar on her cheekbone was barely visible beneath a layer of flawless makeup. She sat with perfect posture. She looked directly into the camera lens with dominance.

“When a man requires a scapegoat to protect a corporate merger, he hides behind a wall of silence and expensive lawyers,” Minerva’s voice carried through the tablet speaker. The tone was lethal. It stripped the flesh from his bones. “He feeds a woman to the press to save his stock price. I did not steal data. Thieves hide in the shadows. I am sitting in front of a national broadcast. Does this look like

hiding?”

Tristan stared at the screen. His heart hammered a brutal rhythm against his ribs.

He watched her speak. He watched the strength radiating from her posture. He watched the absolute lack of fear in her eyes. The naive, fragile girl he kept hidden in a penthouse was dead.

“I built a new supply chain,” Minerva continued on the broadcast. “I launched a profitable company in six months. Aegis does not exist to make women look pretty for high-society dinners. Aegis exists because the world requires women to wear armor.”

The video ended. The screen faded to black.

Tristan stood frozen in the center of the massive office. The crystal glass slipped from his fingers. It hit the thick carpet with a dull thud. The amber whiskey soaked into the fibers.

He could not breathe.

He spent seven months tearing the coast apart to find a broken bird. He wanted to rescue her. He wanted to bring her back to the capital, lock her in a gilded cage, and protect her from the world. He convinced himself he acted out of necessity. He convinced himself the cruelty of the gala was a necessary sacrifice to secure his empire, and he could fix the damage later.

He was wrong.

W

|||

O

Г

2/3

16:26 Wed

KICA

Chapter 53 The Broken Billionaire Watches Her

He looked at the black screen of the tablet. His reflection stared back at him.

He lost her.

Tristan dropped the tablet onto the nearest leather sofa. His hands shook. He grabbed the edge of the mahogany bar to steady

himself.

“Mr. Johnston?” Mateo asked. The security chief observed the physical reaction with silent alarm.

“The brand is called Aegis,” Mateo provided. He maintained his professional distance. “The corporate registration lists a ghost LLC. We are tracing the financial backing. The broadcast originated from a warehouse in the Port Sterling industrial district.

Tristan closed his eyes. The image of her face burned behind his eyelids.

He could not stop watching her. The desperation clawed at his throat. He needed to see her. He needed to stand in front of her.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify