The Billionaire's Silent Wife (Ryan and Eve) novel Chapter 100

Chapter 100 The Gathering of Wolves

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The tension between Ryan and Bruno still hung in the air like a storm that refused to break. The noise of Frenando’s bustling evening crowd swelled around them, clattering plates, bursts of laughter, music thumping from the speakers, yet their table remained an island of quiet hostility.

Ryan didn’t look at Bruno again.

He didn’t need to.

His words had landed cleanly, cutting exactly where they needed to, leaving no doubt about where he

stood, or who he stood for now.

He lifted the glass of water in front of him and took a slow sip, his gaze drifting past Bruno as if the man

had already ceased to exist.

Bruno shifted slightly in his seat. The bravado he entered with had dissolved into something smaller, less

sure, less comfortable. He leaned back, let out a breath, and glanced away, an unspoken concession that

he had overstepped.

Moments later, the door burst open and Tevin strode inside, loud and energetic as always. Maxwell

followed behind him carrying the weight of his usual seriousness, though his eyes lit up slightly when he

spotted Ryan.

“There he is!” Tevin called across the room, weaving through the tables. “Look at you, sitting like a man

who has secrets and zero intentions of sharing them.”

Ryan smirked faintly. “Hardly.”

Maxwell slid into the chair beside him, shrugging off the cold outside. “We thought you’d chicken out.”

“Was tempted,” Ryan replied, reaching into his jacket to loosen the collar. “But a promise is a promise.”

Tevin dropped into the chair opposite Maxwell without acknowledging Bruno. He signalled for a waiter,

then turned back to Ryan with raised eyebrows.

“You look good,” he said. “Shockingly so.”

Ryan arched a brow. “Shockingly?”

Tevin leaned forward. “Considering your family is at the centre of the country’s favourite scandal right now? Yes. Shockingly.”

Maxwell nodded. “Everyone else in the Ashbrook family looks like they’ve been dragged backwards through a hedge.” He sipped from the water the waiter had just placed down. “But you… you look like a man at peace.”

Ryan simply shrugged. “I am.”

Tevin blinked. “No. No, you’re not allowed to say that casually. Did you not hear Maxwell? There’s a

Chapter 100 The Cathening of Wolves

scandal. A big one. The kind that ruins reputations and ends political careers.”

Ryan lifted a shoulder. “It’s not mine to carry.”

Maxwell frowned. “Meaning?”

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“It means,” Ryan said calmly, “the mess my parents created is theirs to deal with. Not mine. Not Eve’s.” He nudged his glass slightly aside, clearing space on the table. “Steven isn’t after me. He’s after them.”

Tevin’s eyebrows shot up. “So it’s true, then?”

Ryan gave a brief nod.

Maxwell let out a low whistle and shook his head. “Unbelievable. And you, after everything, still brought

Eve back?”

Ryan didn’t flinch. Didn’t tense. Didn’t waver.

He simply turned his head toward Maxwell with a quiet steadiness that made both men fall silent.

“Eve didn’t bring the storm to my doorstep,” he said. “She was caught in it.”

Maxwell opened his mouth as if to argue but closed it again when he saw the seriousness in Ryan’s eyes.

“And before either of you says anything else,” Ryan added firmly, “Eve had nothing to do with Steven’s motives. She’s as much a victim of him as I am.”

Tevin exhaled slowly, leaning back. “You really mean that.”

Ryan nodded.

Maxwell tapped a finger lightly against his glass. “So you’re telling us Steven isn’t using her to get to you?”

Ryan’s lips curved in a tight, humourless smile. “If anything, Steven is trying to punish her too. Because he

can’t use her.”

Tevin studied him for a moment. “And your parents still refuse to come clean?”

“Yes.”

“That’s dangerous, mate,” Maxwell said. “Secrets that deep… they rot people.”

Ryan looked away briefly, the harsh overhead lights reflecting off the polished bar counter. “Let them rot, then. I’m done forcing open doors that don’t want to be opened.”

Bruno cleared his throat from the far end of the table, but no one acknowledged him.

Maxwell took a sip of his drink. “So what’s the plan? Sit back and watch everything burn?”

Ryan’s laugh was short. “For now? Yes.”

Tevin let out a breath. “Bloody hell.”

Maxwell scratched his chin thoughtfully. “You’re playing a dangerous game, mate. The Reynolds are

Chapter 100 The Gathering of Wolves

Ryan glanced at his watch, already feeling the pull of home tugging at him.

But then,

The restaurant door swung open.

Two familiar figures stepped inside.

Luan.

And Kimberly.

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Tevin groaned quietly. Maxwell muttered something rude under his breath. Ryan’s jaw clenched, his eyes

narrowing ever so slightly.

He didn’t need to guess who invited them.

Bruno sat a little straighter, not meeting anyone’s eye.

Luan spotted them first. Her expression brightened, then faltered when she saw Ryan sitting stiffly beside Tevin. Kimberly stood beside her, arms folded tightly, her face composed but her eyes burning with

tension.

They approached the table.

“Hi everyone,” Luan said, forcing a smile.

Kimberly remained silent but scanned the table as if she were looking for weaknesses.

Ryan didn’t bother speaking.

Tevin gave a strained greeting. Maxwell barely lifted his chin.

Luan stepped forward slightly, twisting her fingers nervously. “Ryan… can I talk to you for a moment?”

Ryan didn’t answer.

She took it as permission anyway.

“I know there’s nothing between us,” she said quietly, voice trembling at the edges. “And I’m not here to start drama. I just…” She looked down. “I want to believe we’re still friends.”

Tevin rolled his eyes. Maxwell muttered something unrepeatable.

Ryan remained motionless.

Luan’s eyes glistened. “Could you please tell your wife not to target me again? She humiliated me at the butcher’s shop. People recorded it. It’s all over social media.”

A faint swell of chatter came from a table nearby as someone laughed loudly, but Ryan’s focus didn’t shift.

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