The Billionaire's Silent Wife (Ryan and Eve) novel Chapter 21

21 The Bargam of Shadows

21 The Bargain of Shadows

Ryan’s POV

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Points

Ryan’s office was calm, the kind of sterile calm he had built for himself, glass walls, polished steel desk, papers neatly aligned. Outside, the hum of the city pressed faintly against the windows. Inside, he tried to lose himself in numbers, reports, anything to keep the ache at bay.

The door slammed open.

“Where is she?”

Eve’s father stormed in, his bulk filling the doorway, his face red, his voice booming. Two security

guards scrambled behind him, but Ryan lifted a hand to dismiss them. He didn’t take his eyes off

the man.

“Where is my daughter?” the older man demanded, abbing a finger toward Ryan’s chest. “You

made her disappear. I want her back.”

Ryan rose slowly, deliberate, his gaze cold as steel. You barge into my office, shouting about being

a concerned father, when for years you treated your daughter like a pawn on a chessboard. Spare

me the act.”

Her father sneered. “Don’t lecture me, boy. She’s my blood. My responsibility.”

“Your responsibility?” Ryan’s voice rose, sharp and cutting. “You used her like currency. You forced

her into a marriage you knew would suffocate her, shoved her into a family where she was never

accepted. You might as well have sold her to a brothel for your own gain. Don’t stand here and

pretend you cared about her.”

The man’s nostrils flared, but Ryan pressed on, his chest heaving. “Did you ever once ask her how

she was treated? Did you ever once care about her happiness? No. You only cared about leverage. About deals. About yourself.”

Her father let out a scornful laugh. “So what? You think because my useless daughter ran away you’re no longer bound to the bargain? Don’t fool yourself. Your family still owe me. The contract

stands.”

Ryan’s jaw tightened. “We owe you nothing.”

“Your family owe me everything,” the man snarled, slamming his palms on the desk. “And if you don’t pay, I’ll go to the press with what I know.”

Ryan leaned forward, his glare like fire. “Do your worst. But understand this, your threats don’t work on me anymore.”

For the first time, Eve’s father smiled. A slow, dangerous smile. “Then you’re even more naïve than I

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thought. Did your parents never tell you why I have leverage over them? Why this marriage was forced in the first place?”

Ryan’s breath stilled. “What are you talking about?”

“Ask them,” the man said, straightening his coat with smug calm. “Before you call my bluff. Ask them why they gave me power in the first place.”

Ryan’s eyes narrowed. His heart thudded once, hard, in his chest. But before he could press further, the man turned, laughing under his breath.

“Find your wife, Ryan. Or don’t. Either way, you’ll still dance when I pull the strings.”

The door shut behind him with a slam that reverberated through the office.

Ryan stood there, fists clenched at his sides, the echo of the threat burning in his ears. He barely had time to process before another knock came.

His accountant stepped in, a file in hand, his face drawn and pale. “Sir, we have a problem.”

Ryan forced his voice steady. “What is it?”

The accountant swallowed, pushing the file across the desk. “There’s been unauthorized movement from the corporate account. A forged check. I called the bank manager. He confirmed it wasn’t you who submitted it.” He hesitated, then added, “It was your wife.”

Ryan’s head snapped up. “What?”

“We have surveillance,” the man said grimly. “She’s the one who walked it in. Everything matches. Eve Ashbrook signed your name. She withdrew

the funds.”

Ryan’s stomach dropped. His breath caught, rage and disbelief warring in his chest. “You’re telling me my wife, Eve, stole from me?”

The accountant nodded slowly. “It seems she did. Likely under her father’s orders. I… I thought you should know before I file an official report. But I’ll need to act quickly if we’re going to contain this.”

Ryan’s pulse roared in his ears. Images flashed, Eve’s soft smile as she set a plate before him, her quiet strength as she bore his silence, the way her letter spoke of freedom and love. And now this? Had she lied? Had she left not to give him freedom but to cover her tracks?

His fists clenched. Fury flared, but beneath it, something else twisted, a deep, hollow ache. Even if it was true, even if she had betrayed him this way, part of him still bled for her.

“No,” Ryan said finally, his voice firm, cutting. “You won’t file anything.”

The accountant blinked. “Sir,”

“I said no.” Ryan stepped around the desk, his eyes blazing. “You’ll keep this quiet. You won’t breathe a word to anyone.”

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< 21 The Bargain of Shadows

The man hesitated. “But, this is fraud. Theft. We need to,”

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“Enough.” Ryan’s voice cracked like thunder. “If my mother gets wind of this, she’ll go after her.

She’ll destroy her. And I won’t let that happen.”

The accountant’s mouth pressed into a line, but he nodded reluctantly. “Very well. I’ll freeze the

matter here. But, sir, you should understand, this kind of exposure could ruin everything.”

“I’ll handle it,” Ryan said, his voice low, steady, though his chest was breaking.

The man left, the door shutting behind him with soft finality.

Ryan sa

ack into his chair, his body trembling. The rage was there, hot, burning, choking. But

the grief was heavier.

Had Eve really done this? Had she truly forged his name, stolen from him, walked away not out of

love but out of fear of being caught?

He pressed his hands to his face, groaning low, the sound raw. He didn’t know what was true

anymore. All he knew was that she was gone, and every day without her cracked him open wider.

He hated her for it. Loved her for it. Needed her despite it.

His mother couldn’t find out. The press couldn’t find out. If anyone was going to confront Eve, it

had to be him.

Even if she had betrayed him, even if she had stabbed him through the very trust he’d never dared

to offer, he had to look her in the eye and hear her say it.

His heart still beat for her. And that was the worst betrayal of all.

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