The Billionaire's Silent Wife (Ryan and Eve) novel Chapter 118

Chapter 118 Eyes on the Throne

Ryan leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking slightly, and let his eyes drift for a moment as a memory slid in uninvited.

The gala.

The chaos.

The jealousy.

The way he had taken Eve away, his jealousy, a living thing under his skin. The way she had giggled,

surprised and alive, until all that jealousy had turned into something fierce and desperate and grounding in

the dark intimacy of the car afterward.

Heat slid low through his chest, sharp and vivid.

He let the memory sit there for a beat, then exhaled.

He hoped, very much hoped, to repeat something of that intensity soon. Perhaps after Steven’s party. Perhaps before. Perhaps simply because being near her now made self-control feel optional.

The door opened again without knocking this time.

Only two people in his life did that.

Tevin strolled in first, suit jacket unbuttoned, tie already loosened as if formality had personally offended him. Maxwell followed with a more polished grin, shutting the door behind them with the easy familiarity of men who had known him before the world called him Mr Ashbrook.

“Well,” Tevin said, giving him an exaggerated once-over, “it’s official.”

Ryan raised a brow. “What is?”

“You,” Tevin said, pointing at him. “You look like a man who sleeps well at night. Happily married. Smug.

Annoying.”

Maxwell laughed as he moved to one of the chairs. “He’s glowing. I told you marriage would either ruin him or refine him. Looks like we got the refined version. Irritating.”

Ryan snorted. “Get out of my office.”

They ignored him completely and sat down anyway.

Tevin crossed one leg over the other, hands clasped behind his head. “So. On a scale of one to ten,” he

said, “how bad is the damage outside?”

Ryan leaned back. “Six.”

“Only six?” Maxwell asked. “They’re slipping.”

“Give them time,” Tevin said. “They’ve only just had their morning coffee. Once the afternoon headlines hit,

Chapter 118 Eyes on the Throne

they’ll be at a solid nine.”

+25 Points

Maxwell nodded in mock seriousness. “The headline writes itself: ‘Heir to Ashbrook Throne Chooses Wife

over Blood. Shares Skin Care Secret: Happiness.””

Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose. “You both exhaust me.”

Tevin grinned. “Bruno nearly combusted yesterday, by the way.”

Ryan’s lips twitched. “Because of Eve?”

“Because of Eve,” Maxwell confirmed. “Apparently Luana hasn’t stopped complaining since the butcher

shop incident. Bruno spent half the night sulking about how you ‘allowed’ your wife to humiliate his sister.”

Ryan’s expression cooled instantly. “Allowed?” he repeated. “Eve doesn’t need my permission to defend

herself.”

Tevin raised his hands. “Relax, king. We’re on your side.”

Maxwell nodded. “Bruno isn’t. Clearly.”

“Good,” Ryan said flatly. “Then he can stay on his own side and keep his sister there with him.”

Tevin chuckled. “I like this new version of you. Less apologising. More fire.”

Ryan shot him a look. “I don’t recall apologising to you.”

“You didn’t,” Tevin said. “That’s why we’re still friends.”

Maxwell shifted forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Jokes aside, she really did handle Luan well,

you know. The whole room saw it.”

“I know,” Ryan replied. His voice softened almost imperceptibly. “She told me.”

Tevin’s grin widened. “Speaking of Eve, listen, about the cooking competition, can we be part of it?”

Ryan blinked. “We?”

“Yes, we,” Tevin insisted. “Imagine it, Tevin and Maxwell, guest judges. I’ll be the charming one, he’ll be the

strict one. We’ll fight over who gets the last dessert.”

Maxwell made a face. “You’ll eat the last dessert before anyone even scores it.”

“That’s how I show commitment to the process,” Tevin protested. “Anyway, can we?”

Ryan considered it. “That’s up to her,” he said. “It’s her project, not mine.”

Tevin nodded approvingly. “Good answer. I’ll ask her, then.”

Maxwell raised a brow. “Careful. Her husband might stab you.”

Ryan waved a hand. “It’s fine. As long as neither of you flirt with her.”

Tevin placed a dramatic hand over his chest. “Please. I saw the way you looked at her last night. I value

Chapter 118 Eyes on the Throne

my life.”

Maxwell chuckled. “And my bones.”

The laughter settled.

The mood shifted, subtle, but real, as Ryan leaned back, fingers steepled.

“Have you found anything new about Steven?” he asked.

+25 Points

Tevin’s expression sobered immediately. “My men are digging,” he said. “Slowly. Carefully. The man’s covered his tracks well, but not perfectly. We’ll have something eventually. I’d rather be thorough than

reckless.”

“Nothing that helps us leverage him yet,” Maxwell added. “But we did confirm what we already suspected: he’s not embarrassed. At all. Shameless. He wears the scandal like perfume.”

“It’s hard to shame a man who thinks he’s already above consequence,” Tevin said. “Which is why your parents might just have to take the hit. Publicly. Steven isn’t the type to bow, not even when it’s smarter.”

Ryan’s gaze darkened, jaw tightening for a fraction of a second. “I know.”

He was quiet for a beat, eyes dropping briefly to the invitation still lying on the desk.

Maxwell followed his line of sight. “Is that from him?” he asked.

Ryan nodded. “Party.”

Tevin’s brows shot up. “Let me guess, you’re going.”

“Yes,” Ryan said.

Maxwell whistled softly. “Bold.”

Tevin smirked. “Of course he’s going. He loves drama. He just pretends he doesn’t.”

“Drama follows me,” Ryan corrected. “I don’t chase it.”

Tevin tilted his head. “You’re attending a party thrown by the man blackmailing your family while your parents are being grilled by investigators and your sister is on the brink of public disgrace. Forgive me if I don’t believe you’re just going for the canapés.”

Ryan’s lips curved faintly. “I’m planning something,” he said.

Tevin and Maxwell exchanged a look.

“Something legal?” Maxwell asked carefully.

“Mostly,” Ryan replied.

Tevin snorted. “That’s what I like to hear.”

Ryan shifted, leaning his elbows on the desk now. “I’m making sure that whatever comes out, about

Steven, about my parents, doesn’t land on me, Eve, or the baby.”

<Chapter 118 Eyes on the Throne

“The baby?” Maxwell repeated, brows knitting.

Ryan paused.

He hadn’t meant to say that part yet.

Tevin caught it. He sat up straighter. “the baby she is carrying is yours?”

Ryan met their eyes, calm but resolute.

“yes,” he said.

Silence dropped over the room like a weight.

Tevin blinked once. Then he broke into a slow, satisfied grin. “I knew it.”

Ryan narrowed his eyes. “You knew?”

“Yeah,” Tevin said. “It all added up.”

Maxwell smiled genuinely now, the sarcasm fading. “Congratulations, man.”

+25 Points

Tevin stood and came round the desk, clapping Ryan on the shoulder with far more force than necessary.”

I’m happy for you. For both of you.”

Ryan allowed himself a small, real smile. “Thank you.”

“Also,” Tevin added, returning to his chair, “we promise not to invite Bruno to outings anymore. He ruins

everything just by existing.”

Maxwell rolled his eyes. “He ruined the vibe. Completely. And he brought Luan into the conversation every five seconds like she was a brand he was trying to sell.”

Ryan huffed a quiet laugh. “Your restraint is appreciated.”

Tevin leaned forward again. “So. Baby Ashbrook. Do we get godfather privileges? Because I’m definitely

cooler than Maxwell.”

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