The Billionaire's Silent Wife (Ryan and Eve) novel Chapter 97

Chapte 97 The ine He Would Never Cross Again

Chapter 97 The Line He Would Never Cross Again

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Morning sunlight spilled gently across the kitchen tiles, warm and soft, warming the air with a glow that made the room feel peaceful, too peaceful, compared to the chaos that had just unfolded in the living

room.

Eve kept her back to the counter, frying pan in one hand, spatula in the other, eyes fixed on the eggs. sizzling in front of her. She moved with an almost delicate care, as if turning the eggs too harshly might

somehow stir the residue of Kimberly’s screaming back into the house.

But she’d heard everything.

Every accusation.

Every denial.

Every tear.

Every truth Ryan had thrown at his sister without hesitation.

And she wasn’t sure what part had shaken her the most, the confrontation, or the quiet, unwavering resolve in Ryan’s voice when he defended her.

Footsteps approached behind her.

Slow.

Measured.

Deliberate.

A moment later, she felt his presence at her back, warm and familiar, the faint scent of his cologne drifting

into the air.

Ryan leaned against the doorway with that slight smirk that always softened the harder lines of his face.

“So,” he said casually, “you’re not even going to pretend you didn’t stand here listening to every word?”

Eve snapped her attention back to the eggs a little too quickly.

“I didn’t hear anything,” she lied.

He laughed, low, amused, warm.

“Eve,” he said, stepping forward and sliding his arms loosely around her waist, chin brushing the top of her shoulder, “you heard everything. You even paused the pan halfway through, don’t think I missed that.”

She fought a smile, eyes still on the stove. “I was cooking.”

“And eavesdropping like an angel,” he teased, placing a soft kiss just below her ear.

Her cheeks warmed.

Chapter 9 The Line He Would Never Cross Again

“You shouldn’t let her get to you,” she murmured.

“She didn’t get to me,” he said. “Not anymore.”

He turned her gently so she was facing him. His hand lifted her chin lightly.

“What matters,” Ryan said, voice softening, “is what I do next.”

Eve searched his face. “What will you do?”

Ryan’s expression shifted, less teasing now, more focused.

“Since she said Mother put her up to it,” he said, “I’m going to force Mother to come forward.”

Eve blinked slowly. “How?”

He smirked. “Wait for the surprise.”

She stared at him for a long moment, then sighed and shook her head. “I don’t like your surprises.”

“You’ll like this one,” he said, brushing a thumb across her cheek. “I promise.”

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They finished breakfast quietly. Eve plated the food while Ryan set the table, occasionally glancing toward the door Kimberly had stormed through moments earlier. The storm she left behind still lingered faintly, an unpleasant energy humming like static, but Eve refused to let it dictate her morning.

When they sat down together, Ryan reached across the table and took her hand.

“You okay?” he asked.

She nodded. “You handled it better than I ever could.”

“I handled it the way I should have years ago,” he replied, squeezing her hand. “You won’t fight alone

anymore.”

Her chest tightened with something warm and painful.

After breakfast, Ryan rose from the table and grabbed his jacket.

“You’re heading to work?” Eve asked, already knowing the answer but hating how empty the house felt

without him.

He walked to her, cupping the side of her face. “I’ll be back before evening.”

“I’ll be fine,” she insisted.

“I know you will.”

But he said it like he wished he didn’t have to leave at all.

He kissed her, slow, grounding, then turned and headed out the door.

The house felt quieter the moment it shut behind him.

Ryan stepped into the elevator of the office complex an hour later, but his mind hadn’t left the house. He

Chapter 7 The Line He Would Never Cross Again

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pictured Eve moving through the living room aimlessly, tidying what didn’t need tidying, flipping channels

she wasn’t watching, pausing to look at the door each time the wind pressed against it.

She didn’t say it out loud, but he knew.

A person who spent most of their life surviving didn’t know how to be idle.

And idleness made space for fear to creep in.

He wasn’t going to let her spend her days alone with nothing but worry as company.

On impulse, he pulled out his phone and dialed Alexander.

His assistant picked up on the first ring.

“Good morning, sir.”

“Alexander,” Ryan said. “I need you to make an adjustment to the production planning for the cooking

competition.”

“The new one the company is launching next quarter?”

“That one,” he confirmed. “I want Eve placed as one of the producers.”

Alexander paused, but only for a fraction of a second. “Of course, sir. Shall I send her the documents and

planning calendar for the selection process?”

“Yes,” Ryan said. “She’ll attend everything, from auditions to final selection. Treat her as part of the

executive team.”

“I’ll get right on it.”

Ryan hung up.

His chest eased a fraction.

Eve wouldn’t be stuck at home. She wouldn’t be idle. She wouldn’t feel useless or isolated. She would be working with chefs, tasting recipes, reviewing contestants, arguing with producers, being Eve in every way

he loved.

The elevator doors slid open to the executive floor.

As Ryan stepped out, his secretary hurried toward him with a file in hand.

“Mr. Ashbrook, a document was delivered for your immediate attention.”

Ryan took the file, flipping it open.

A bill order.

Signed by his mother.

To be paid to Steven.

Chapter 97 The Line He Would Never Cross Again

Five million dollars.

His jaw clenched, the muscle pulsing at the hinge.

So…

Steven was still feeding on Ashbrook money.

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And Leah was still enabling him, still feeding him, still crawling after the man who betrayed them. Yet she’d pretend to be the tough one and say to hell with his blackmail. She’d made his father look like the

weak party, but it was becoming more obvious now who Steven truly had control over.

He thought of Kimberly. By now, she had undoubtedly run crying to their mother like she always did.

And Leah, possessive, proud, manipulative Leah, would soon be scrambling to cover the cracks before Ryan could widen them.

A bitter smile touched his lips.

Good.

Let them panic.

He shut the folder, handing it back to his secretary. “Put this on hold. No payments leave this office

without my approval.”

“Yes, sir.”

He stepped into his own office, closed the door, and leaned against it for a moment. His mother thought she could still control the narrative. She thought she could keep lying, keep deceiving, keep burying

secrets beneath polished smiles and social status.

But this time, he wasn’t blinded by anger and pain.

He wasn’t gullible.

He wasn’t blinded by loyalty.

He had Eve now.

His anchor.

His compass.

His home.

A thought sparked, sharp, calculated, dangerous.

Maybe… he could use the Kimberly incident to test something.

His parents were terrified of scandal.

Terrified of police.

Chapter 97 The Line He Would Never Cross Again

Terrified of exposure.

If they were willing to meddle with company funds to protect Steven…

Then maybe he could force their hand.

Force them to speak.

Force the truth out.

If it worked with Kimberly, he could escalate it.

Use it to corner Steven.

Trap him in his own web.

He pulled out his phone.

Dialed the chief of police.

As the line rang, a memory flashed, violently, into Ryan’s mind.

His father stubbornly calling the chief of police.

His father ignoring his pleas.

His father coldly declaring Eve wanted.

His father letting the world tear her apart.

If not for the Rodrigos…

Eve and their unborn child might not even be alive today.

His jaw locked painfully.

He would never allow that to happen again.

The chief of police finally answered.

“Mr. Ashbrook?”

Ryan didn’t waste time.

!

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“About the missing funds you were told to close the case on,” he said calmly, “because the money was

recovered.”