The Billionaire's Silent Wife (Ryan and Eve) novel Chapter 28

28 A Dangerous Spectacle

Ryan’s POV

Ryan Ashbrook had hardly slept the night before.

The call from Carter, his lawyer, had kept echoing in his skull: The ad is already live, Ryan. They plastered her face across Bexlin and three other cities. It’s only a matter of hours before

the vultures circle.

He had wanted to punch through his desk, overturn the crystal glasses on his shelf, smash everything until silence came. But instead, he’d forced himself to think. To act.

And by morning, he was ready.

At dawn, he called his accountant. “Transfer one-point-eight-five million into the corporate account. Immediately. Mark it as a correction. Then send me the receipt.”

His voice was steel, leaving no room for questions.

Within the hour, the proof was in his hands. He forwarded it to Carter with two words: Shut.

Down.

By noon, Carter called him back.

“It’s done,” Carter said. “I sent the bank receipt to the authorities, pressed the right buttons. The case against your wife will dissolve. The wanted ads will be pulled within the next hour.”

Ryan sagged against the edge of his desk, pinching the bridge of his nose. For the first time in days, his lungs expanded without fire. “Good.”

But relief lasted only a heartbeat before a new thought struck him, sharper, bolder.

If the world could see her face on a screen as a criminal, then they could see her face as a missing woman. His missing wife. His lost Eve.

And if they did, she would have to surface,

The idea rooted itself deep inside him, spreading like wildfire. He straightened, his reflection catching in the tall glass pane of his office window. The city spread out below like a chessboard, and he was ready to make his move,

“She’ll come back,” he whispered to himself. “If I put her out there, not as a thief, but as someone lost. Someone I’m desperate to find, she’ll come back to me.”

The money wasn’t the point. She had suffered enough, and in his twisted way, he believed

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she deserved more than he had ever given. But the silence, the void she had left, was unbearable. He had to fix it. He had to see her again, hold her again, even if she hated him.

He grabbed his phone and dialed another number.

“Daniel,” he said when the call connected. “I need you to set up a press conference. Missing person notice. Put together a campaign with her photo. Offer a reward, a large one. Make it impossible to ignore. I want this city, this country, hell, the entire continent, looking for her.”

His assistant stammered a response, but Ryan cut him off. “No delays. I’ll call HSI myself if I

have to. Just move.”

And with that, he ended the call, his heart pounding.

For the first time in weeks, he felt the faintest glimmer of control returning.

He would find her. He would fix this.

The glass doors of Ashbrook Tower parted with a hiss as Ryan descended the marble stairs toward his waiting car. His driver stood ready, the black sedan gleaming like a weapon at the

curb.

But before Ryan could slide inside, a figure stepped out from the columned shadow and blocked his path.

Steven Reynolds.

Ryan froze, his jaw tightening the instant he saw him. “What is the meaning of this?”

Steven’s face was twisted with fury, his eyes bloodshot, his hands clenched. “You think your family is the only one that knows how to play dirty?” he spat. “My daughter is many things, but she isn’t a thief. Dragging her name through the mud, branding her a criminal, so that when the truth finally comes out, no one will know what really happened. You think I don’t see your game, Ryan?”

Ryan’s blood boiled. He stepped closer, his voice low and dangerous. “Careful with your words, old man.”

But Steven wasn’t cowed. His fury fed on itself, growing louder with every syllable.

“I gave you a perfectly fine woman,” he roared. “She tended to you, cooked for you, cared for you. And how did you treat her? You maltreated her until she broke. Now she’s missing, and I wonder what really happened to her. What did you do to my daughter, Ryan? Where did you keep her?”

The accusation struck like a blade. Ryan’s vision blurred with rage. “Those are heavy words,

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Steven. Are you suggesting I made your daughter disappear? You had better have proof, because I won’t let this level of slander go unpunished.”

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Steven’s eyes narrowed, tears glittering in their corners. “Proof? I don’t need proof to know her character. My daughter will not steal. And she would not run. So tell me, where is she?”

Ryan faltered for the briefest second, because the truth clawed at him: he didn’t know. He

hadn’t known for months.

“She left me,” he said finally, his voice flat. “That’s all.”

Steven’s laughter was bitter, cold. “Really, Ryan? She just left you? A woman you controlled, humiliated, kept under lock and key? You expect me to believe that? No, no… I think you wanted her gone. You wanted her out of the picture so you could run back to Luan. Isn’t that right? And now, you’ve found your way.”

Ryan’s fists curled. “You disgusting,”

“You could have divorced her!” Steven cut in, jabbing a finger at his chest. “You could have let her go. But no, you had to make her vanish. That’s who you are. A coward. A bully. And now you think you can bury your mess with charades about stolen money and wanted ads. But the world will know. You’ll confess.”

“I won’t confess to something I didn’t do,” Ryan snapped, his voice cracking with fury.

“Confess!” Steven shouted, his voice carrying across the plaza.

And then, flashes.

The sound of cameras snapping filled the air, blinding, relentless. Ryan turned sharply, his heart sinking as he realized they were surrounded. Reporters had gathered like vultures, microphones already pointed, eyes glittering with the scent of blood.

Steven had set him up.

The man’s voice rose again, louder this time, clear enough for every microphone to catch.” What did you do to my daughter, Ryan? What happened to Eve? Did you silence her to be free of her?”

Ryan’s breath caught in his throat. His blood pounded, his temples ached. And for the first time in years, he felt cornered. Not by board members. Not by rivals. But by the father of the woman he had driven away, and by a hungry press, ready to feast on scandal.

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