The Billionaire's Heir I Never Knew Was Mine novel Chapter 97

Chapter 97: I Was Protecting You

Zoey shook her head slowly, half amused and half astonished.

"If your father finds out who she is," she said carefully, her voice lowering now, "that woman won’t even be able to live a peaceful life in this city."

The atmosphere shifted immediately.

Riley stood from his seat. His movement was smooth and controlled, but the anger radiating from him was impossible to miss now.

"Don’t talk nonsense," he said flatly.

Zoey rose immediately after him, unwilling to let him walk away that easily.

"Only look at your reaction..." A smile softly played on her lips. "Do you really think I wouldn’t notice?"

"Your imagination is running wild."

"No, I know I’m not imagining things," Zoey replied softly. "You, mister, are hiding something from your family and from me."

His jaw tightened visibly. The tension around him became obvious by the second, as if he was forcing himself not to lose his temper completely.

"You came here angry because I asked them to remove you. But it was a calm and controlled anger." Zoey continued calmly, speaking to him with the same patient tone. "However, the moment I mentioned a woman, you reacted immediately. You snapped." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "That tells me enough."

"You don’t know anything," Riley shouted a little. His voice was sharper now, harsher than before. Finally, his emotional cracking.

But Zoey remained calm. Completely unintimidated by his anger.

"Then explain it to me," she said gently.

"I don’t owe you an explanation."

"No," she agreed softly. "You don’t."

That answer seemed to catch him off guard for a second.

Zoey watched him quietly before continuing.

"But I’ve known you long enough to recognize when you’re making reckless decisions because of emotions you refuse to admit out loud."

Riley laughed once, cold and humorless. "You always think you understand everything."

"No," Zoey said calmly. "I simply understand you better than you’d like me to."

His expression hardened further.

For several long moments, neither of them spoke.

Then Riley suddenly stepped closer.

The pressure in the room shifted instantly.

"You want to know why I’m angry?" he asked quietly.

Zoey didn’t move.

Riley’s eyes locked onto hers sharply.

"I’m angry because you made the decision for me," he said.

"Riley..." Zoey can’t finish her words as he interrupts.

"You always do this," he continued, frustration finally surfacing openly now. "You decide what’s best for everyone else without asking what they actually want. You just like him."

"I was protecting you."

"I never asked you to protect me." Riley’s voice rose this time. His breathing grew heavier as he looked away briefly, jaw tight with restraint.

And Zoey simply watched him silently, not with fear or annoyance, but with the quiet patience of someone dealing with a stubborn younger man who refused to admit the truth even to himself.

When she spoke again, her tone remained calm and mature.

"You’re angry at your father," she said softly. "You’re angry at yourself. And now you’re angry at me because I forced you to stop hiding here."

Riley’s eyes snapped back toward her immediately.

"I’m not hiding."

Zoey held his gaze steadily, calm despite the storm clearly raging inside him.

"Alright, stop being angry..." she said softly.

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