The Billionaire's Silent Wife (Ryan and Eve) novel Chapter 45

Chapter 45 Shadows of Return 1

Ryan’s POV

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The Ashbrook mansion gleamed beneath the morning sun, all white stone and glass, but its beauty could not mask the bitterness that lived within its walls. The breakfast table was set with gold-rimmed china, fresh fruit, and a silence heavy enough to choke on.

Kimberly stirred her tea lazily, watching the liquid swirl, a faint smirk tugging at her mouth. You won’t believe what I discovered yesterday,” she said, her tone almost playful.

Her mother, Leah Ashbrook, looked up from her tablet, her expression weary. “Another scandal, I presume?”

Kimberly chuckled. “Something even better. I found your darling daughter-in-law, Mother. Our missing Evelyn.”

Leah froze mid-movement. The tablet slipped from her hand onto the table with a muted

thud. “You what?”

Johnathan Ashbrook, sitting at the head of the table, lowered his newspaper, his brow

furrowed. “Kimberly, are you certain?”

“Oh, I’m very certain.” Kimberly leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs elegantly. “She’s been living in Westwood, of all places. Hiding under a fake name. Playing chef in a little restaurant called Rodrigo’s.” She laughed lightly, as if the absurdity amused her. “Apparently, she convinced some gullible couple to take her in, claimed they adopted her. Imagine that. She’s as manipulative as her father.”

Leah’s face hardened, her nostrils flaring. “That girl always had deceit in her eyes. I warned Ryan about her. I told him she would ruin this family.”

Johnathan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “And yet here we are. How long has she been there?”

“Long enough to make herself comfortable,” Kimberly said sweetly. “But don’t worry, I took care of it. I made her an offer she couldn’t refuse.”

Her father looked up sharply. “What offer?”

Kimberly smiled wider, the satisfaction curling at the corners of her mouth. “Ten million. dollars for her to come back and clear Ryan’s name. I told her to return to Bexlin by the end of today.”

Johnathan slammed his newspaper on the table. “Ten million dollars?” he roared, startling

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<Chapter 45 Shadows of Return 1

Leah. “You paid her off to come home?”

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Kimberly blinked innocently. “Not paid off, Father. Persuaded. She was quite eager, actually. The same greed runs in her blood. She’s just like her father, the same man who blackmailed you all those years ago. I suppose the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Leah’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I knew she’d come back for money. It’s always money with them.”

Johnathan leaned back heavily in his chair, his jaw tight. “After everything we did to protect Ryan, this is how she repays him? Disappears for months, lets the police sniff around, lets her father harass us with accusations, and now returns only when there’s a price tag?”

“She said she’d only come back if we paid,” Kimberly added smoothly, stirring her tea again.” And I agreed. I wanted to see how far she’d go.”

“Ten million,” Leah muttered, almost to herself. “Disgusting.”

Johnathan turned toward his wife. “Call Ryan. He needs to hear this.”

Leah hesitated. “He won’t take it well. You know how he gets when it’s about her.”

“He has to hear it,” Johnathan said, his voice clipped. “Better from us than from the press. If that girl returns to this city, the reporters will be at our gates again.”

Leah sighed and picked up her phone.

Ryan Ashbrook had barely slept. His nights had become hollow things, filled with echoes of Evelyn’s laughter and the ghost of her perfume in the empty spaces of their home. He was halfway through a cold cup of coffee when his mother’s name flashed on his phone.

He hesitated before answering. “Mother.”

“Ryan,” Leah said briskly. “Come to the house. We need to talk. It’s urgent.”

“I’m not interested in another lecture,” he said flatly,

“It’s about Evelyn,”

The silence that followed was sharp enough to slice through him.

He stood up so suddenly his chair scraped the floor. “What about her?”

“Just come home.”

The line went dead.

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< Chapter 45 Shadows of Return 1

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By the time Ryan arrived at the mansion, the morning had turned golden and cruel. The butler opened the door without a word, his eyes sympathetic.

Inside, the atmosphere was taut. His mother and sister sat together, their posture too composed. His father stood by the window, hands clasped behind his back.

“What happened?” Ryan asked, scanning their faces.

Leah motioned for him to sit. “We have news about your wife.”

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