The Billionaire's Silent Wife (Ryan and Eve) novel Chapter 24

24 A Wanted Woman

The air in the Ashbrook estate was suffocating, charged with rage, judgment, and a silence that threatened to swallow everything Ryan still held together.

Jonathan’s phone was pressed to his ear, his thumb flicking across the screen with the same precision he used in boardrooms when millions hung in the balance. To him, this was no different, a problem to eliminate, a liability to burn from their ledgers.

Ryan sat frozen for a breath, staring at his father as if he were watching a train derail in slow motion. His jaw tightened, his chest constricting until each inhale scraped. Eve’s face flashed in his mind, not the tear-stained farewell she left behind, not even the resignation in her final letter, but her quiet dignity, the way she set his plate down night after night as if he were still worth serving, even when he met her with nothing but silence.

And now she was about to be branded a criminal.

Jonathan’s voice cut the air like a knife. “Chief. This is Jonathan Ashbrook.” His tone was iron, heavy with authority that had cowed executives, ministers, and city officials alike. “I want a warrant issued immediately. Name, Eve Ashbrook. Charges corporate theft. One million, eight hundred and seventy thousand dollars.”

Ryan’s pulse thundered. He surged to his feet. “Father, don’t,

Jonathan held up a hand, silencing him without a glance.

Ryan’s chest burned. “I said don’t! She’s not a criminal

”

Leah’s voice slid into the space like poison. “You’re blind, Ryan. Too wrapped around her finger to

see the truth. She stole from you, from us, and then she vanished. What do you call that if not guilt?

He turned on her, fury raw in his eyes. “I call it survival! The only thing she’s guilty of is walking away

from a life none of us made bearable for her.”

Leah recoiled as though struck, then quickly straightened, her lips curling. “You disgust me.

Defending her after everything? After the shame she dragged to this family’s name?”

But Ryan didn’t bite. His focus remained locked on Jonathan, who was still speaking into the

phone.

“I expect the paperwork processed before the day ends,” Jonathan commanded, his voice leaving

no room for negotiation. “Circulate it through every district. And escalate it to Interpol. If she fled

overseas, I want her brought back in chains. I will have my assistant send you her pictures.”

Ryan’s stomach plummeted. His hands curled into fists at his sides.

|||

1/4

<

24 A Wanted Woman

+25 Points

Jonathan ended the call with a curt tap and set the phone on the table as though he’d merely

ordered lunch.

“There,” he said simply, his gaze sweeping over his son. “Now she has nowhere to run. She will face

what she’s done.”

Ryan’s voice was low, hoarse with contained rage. “Do you even hear yourself? You’re not

punishing Eve, you’re punishing me. You’re punishing a woman who has done nothing but try to live quietly.”

“She stole,” Jonathan said flatly.

“I told you wrote those checks!” Ryan shot back, his chest heaving.

“And I told you,” Jonathan countered, his voice rising, “that I am not a fool. You never lifted a finger for her in three years, and now suddenly you’re signing off a million-dollar withdrawal in her name? Spare me your noble lies, Ryan. I know when I’m being played.”

Ryan dragged a hand down his face, fighting the urge to scream. His father’s words twisted like a blade in his chest because somewhere, beneath the lies and accusations, was a truth Ryan

couldn’t escape: he hadn’t protected Eve. He hadn’t cared for her when he should have. And now, whether or not she took the money, she was gone, and he might never get the chance to ask her

why.

Leah’s voice pierced the silence again, sharp as glass. “If you had any backbone, you would have

thrown her out yourself the moment you learned what she’d done. Instead, you cover for her. You

let her humiliate us. And now you call her absence survival? No, Ryan. It’s theft. It’s betrayal. And

you’re too weak to admit it.”

Ryan’s head snapped toward her, his voice dropping into a dangerous quiet. “You don’t get to

speak about her. Not anymore. You spent three years tearing her apart in this house, and she bore

it with more grace than you’ve ever shown anyone. She was invisible to you, but she mattered. She

mattered to me.”

Leah’s hand trembled against her pearls, but she masked it with a scoff. “Mattered? Is that what you call it? You didn’t even sleep in the same bed as her. You treated her like a stranger. Don’t stand there and pretend you loved her now that she’s gone.”

Her words landed, sharp and brutal, because they were true.

Ryan’s throat constricted. He had never told Eve she mattered. Never told her she was seen. And now, it was too late.

Jonathan exhaled heavily, breaking the moment. “Enough of this. She’s wanted now. If she’s innocent, let her prove it in court. Otherwise, she’ll spend the rest of her life remembering what it means to cross this family.”

III

O

<

2/4

24 A Wanted Woman

+25 Points

Ryan stared at his father, something cold and unfamiliar curling in his chest. “This isn’t about Eve,

is it? This is about Reynolds. About your pride. You think making his daughter a criminal will break

him.”

Jonathan’s gaze darkened, but he said nothing.

Ryan stepped closer, his voice low, trembling with restrained fury. “Newsflash, Father, Steven

Reynolds doesn’t care about Eve. He never did. The only person you’ll be breaking is her. And if you

think I’m going to stand by and let you destroy her life to settle your score with him, you’re wrong.”

Jonathan’s expression flickered, but his voice stayed cold. “Watch your tone. You’re still my son.”

Ryan’s lips curved in a bitter smile. “For once, I wish I wasn’t.”

Leah gasped softly, her hand flying to her chest. “How dare you,”

“1

But Ryan cut her off with a sharp gesture. His patience had bled dry. He turned toward the door,

his voice flat. “I’ll replace the money. Every cent. But this ends with me. You will not use her as a

pawn in your war with Reynolds.”

Jonathan’s voice thundered after him. “You can’t shield her forever, Ryan! The law is in motion now. She’s branded. You’ll see. She’ll be dragged back here in disgrace, and when she is, you’ll regret ever defending her.”

Ryan paused at the threshold, his back rigid. He didn’t turn around.

His voice was steady when he spoke. “No. The only thing I regret is not defending her sooner.”

And then he walked out.

The halls of the estate felt longer than ever, their marble echoing with every step he took. Leah’s venom, Jonathan’s fury, the echo of his own failures, they pressed against his ribs like weights. But

beneath it all, something else stirred. Resolve.

By the time Ryan reached his car, his phone was already in his hand. He scrolled past numbers of board members, ministers, lawyers he rarely trusted. He stopped at one: Carter, his personal attorney, a man sharp enough to cut through Jonathan’s reach if given the right orders.

When Carter answered, Ryan didn’t waste time.

“It’s Ryan. I need you on something immediately. My wife, ” His throat tightened around the word, but he pushed it out. “She’s been accused of theft. They’re moving to issue a warrant, possibly Interpol. I want everything ready to defend her. File whatever injunctions you can. Keep it quiet, but be thorough.”

“Understood,” Carter replied, his tone crisp, professional. “Do you believe she’s guilty?”

Ryan’s hand tightened on the steering wheel. “No,” he said firmly. Then, softer, “Even if she was… I

3/4

24 A Wanted Woman

won’t let them destroy her.”

There was a pause. Then Carter’s voice came back steady. “Then I’ll start building the case. Expect updates by morning.”

The line clicked off.

+25 Points

Ryan exhaled, the breath shaky, his chest still burning with fury and guilt. He stared out through the windshield at the manicured estate gardens, the same ones Eve had walked through with quiet steps, never belonging, never welcomed.

Now she was out there somewhere, alone, branded a criminal for a crime she might not even have

committeu.

He rested his forehead against the wheel, closing his eyes. For the first time in years, he felt something unfamiliar: fear. Not of his father, not of failure, but of losing the one woman he had already let slip through his fingers.

Jonathan thought he had won by calling the police. Leah thought she had cornered her son with shame. But Ryan knew something neither of them did.

This wasn’t over..

Not by a long shot.

He would find her. He would protect her. And for the first time in his life, he would stand against his family not out of duty, but out of love.

Even if it meant burning everything else down.

تقبال

3

Comments

LUCK DRAW >

33

H

Vote

4/4