The Billionaire's Silent Wife (Ryan and Eve) novel Chapter 55

Chapter 55 The Quiet Aftermath

Ryan’s POV

The silence that followed Steven’s outburst was razor-thin.

For a moment the whole house seemed to hold its breath.

Ryan stood motionless in the living room, one hand clenched by his side, the other still holding his phone. His jaw flexed once, twice. Then he exhaled.

“You’ve done enough, Steven,” he said finally, voice low but hard. “I think you should leave.”

Steven gave a mocking laugh, brushing imaginary dust off his sleeve. “Leave? After the welcome I just got?” He looked toward the hallway where Eve had disappeared, a smirk ghosting across his mouth. “I can see she’s fine. And I apologize for accusing you earlier.”

Ryan didn’t answer. He wasn’t interested in apologies that came wrapped in ego. He simply nodded, the gesture small and curt. He didn’t trust his mouth to open without spilling every ounce of anger boiling behind his teeth.

Steven, sensing the shift, changed his tone. “I’m hosting a banquet this weekend, for my

fiancée.”

He paused deliberately, waiting for a reaction. None came. “I decided it’s time to start dating again,” he continued, the words gliding through the air like polished stones. “I was hoping you

could attend. With Eve.”

Ryan’s eyes flicked up sharply.

He knew exactly what this was: a performance.

Steven didn’t care about reconciliation; he cared about optics. About proving to the world that the great Steven Reynolds and the Ashbrooks were still on speaking terms. It was a clever PR move. After the very public debacle of accusing Ryan of murder, the business world had started stepping away from him. People distanced themselves from scandal, and Steven was nothing if not self-preserving.

This was his way of fixing that, by parading Ryan and Eve at his side, proving all was well.

Before Ryan could respond, Steven continued smoothly, as if the idea had just occurred to

him.

“We’d say it’s your baby,” he said lightly, “that is, if you don’t want her to abort it. We could tell people she went away to clear her head at one of the resorts. Something along those lines.

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Then, when she reappears, the story will settle itself.”

Ryan’s vision blurred for half a second, rage pulsing hot behind his ribs.

Every muscle in his body tensed.

He wanted to hit him. To finally do what Eve hadn’t let him do earlier.

But he didn’t.

For Eve’s sake.

Claim

He swallowed hard, forcing the words out slowly. “How I choose to handle my family matters is none of your concern, Steven,” he said. “It will do you well to leave. Or I’ll have security throw you out myself.”

Steven arched a brow. “Security? In your own home?” he teased.

“My wife no longer recognizes you as her father,” Ryan said, his tone flat and cutting. “Which means you are not welcome here. Ever again.”

That finally wiped the smirk off the older man’s face.

“You think she married you for love? She ran off with your money and came back for more.” Steven said with a smirk.

Ryan took out his phone, his thumb already hovering over a call. Steven raised both hands in mock surrender.

“No need to take it too far,” he said quickly, eyes glinting with something darker. “I’ll leave on my own accord.”

He turned toward the door, every step deliberate.

But Ryan knew that look. He’d seen it in boardrooms before, men who smiled as they lost, because they were already planning their next move.

Steven Reynolds was not leaving in peace. He was retreating to reload.

At the doorway, he paused and turned back, his tone calm again. “It’s unfortunate, really. You always struck me as a sensible man, Ryan. I thought we could reach an understanding.”

Ryan said nothing.

Steven’s lips curled. “You’ll come around,” he murmured. “One way or another.”

Then he was gone.

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< Chapter 55 The Quiet Aftermath

Claim

The front door closed softly behind him, far too gentle a sound for the storm he left behind.

Ryan stood in the middle of the room, staring at the door long after Steven had vanished. His reflection in the glass looked like a stranger’s, eyes sharp, expression hollow.

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