Married to the Billionaire Who Betrayed Me novel Chapter 179

Chapter 179 The Chairman Purges The Board

The music in the grand hall swelled a bright and elegant symphony filling the space between the crystal chandeliers. Waiters carried silver trays through

the crowd of laughing guests. The elite class of the city drank my champagne and celebrated my marriage. They looked content.

Marcus stood in front of me, his jaw tight.

“The federal cell is empty,” Marcus repeated. His voice dropped to rough whisper. The warden believes she had outside help. A guard is missing. They are

locking down the city borders, but Celeste is in the wind.”

Tristan stepped between me and the crowd. His muscles coiled under his dark suit. The old instincts flared in his gray eyes. He scanned the room, searching

the shadows for a threat.

“Get the cars, Tristan commanded. He did not look at Marcus. He kept his eyes on the exits. “Bring Elias to the secure garage. We are moving to the private

airfield. I want wheels up in twenty minutes.”

“No.”

The single word fell from my lips. It was not loud, but it carried enough weight to stop Tristan cold. He turned his head.

“Mina, she is unstable,” Tristan said. A raw, desperate fear laced his tone. “She blames you for her father’s arrest. She blames you for her ruined life. She has

nothing left to lose. We need to leave this building.”

“If we leave, we lose,” I stated.

I reached out and gripped his arm. The fabric of his sleeve felt warm. I forced him to look at me, pulling his attention away from the doors.

“Look at this room, Tristan,” I said. “Look at the people sitting at these tables. Gabriela Fuentes. Daniela Cabrera. The mutual fund managers. They are watching us. They want to see what kind of Chairman I will be. If I run out the back door on my wedding night, the headlines tomorrow will call me a

terrified girl.

‘I do not care about the headlines, Tristan argued. ‘I care about your life.”

“My life is right here,” I replied. I kept my gaze steady, refusing to let his panic infect my mind. ‘I spent three years hiding in Port Sterling. I spent three years looking over my shoulder, jumping at shadows, letting the Whitmore family dictate where I could walk. I am done hiding.”

I turned to Marcus.

“Double the detail on Elias,” I ordered. ‘Put four men on the doors to the nursery wing. No one goes in or out. Lock down the estate gates. But do not alert

the guests. The music keeps playing. The drinks keep flowing. We finish this reception.”

Marcus looked at Tristan, seeking confirmation.

Tristan stared at me. He saw the fire in my eyes. He remembered our vows. Equal power. No decisions in the dark. He gave Marcus a single nod.

‘You heard my wife, Tristan said. “Secure the grounds.

Marcus vanished into the crowd.

I took a deep breath. The crisp air cooled the heat in my chest. I smoothed the heavy white silk of my dress. I reached out and took Tristan’s hand. His

1/3

Chapter 179 The Chairman Purges The Board

fingers intertwined with mine.

“Dance with me,” I told him.

We walked to the center of the marble floor. The crowd parted. The string quartet shifted into a slow, haunting waltz. Tristan placed his hand on my waist. I rested my hand on his shoulder.

We moved together. The heavy silk of my train whispered against the polished stone.

“You are fearless, Tristan murmured. His lips brushed my temple.

“I am terrified, I admitted. The truth tasted like copper in my mouth. “But I will not let her steal this day. I will not let her erase me.”

We turned under the bright lights. I caught the eyes of the board members. I did not offer a polite smile. I offered a cold, absolute stare. I was not a trophy

wife. I was not a stray dog from the industrial district wearing a borrowed crown. I was Minerva Hayes. I held their futures in my hands, and I wanted them

to see that I did not flinch.

Two hours later, the final guests departed.

We rode the private elevator up to the secure penthouse. The metal doors opened to a quiet, dimly lit hallway. Four guards stood outside Elias’s bedroom.

They nodded as we approached.

I pushed the door open.

Elias lay in the center of the large bed. The heavy blankets rose and fell with his steady breathing. His small face looked peaceful in the glow of the

nightlight. The tiny black tuxedo hung on a chair in the corner.

I walked to the edge of the mattress. I reached out and touched his soft hair.

Three years ago, I wrapped him in thin towels to keep the winter draft from/freezing his skin. I promised him I would build a fortress. I promised him he

would never know the cold.

I leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“I am the shield,” I whispered to my sleeping son. “No one will ever touch you.”

Tristan stood in the doorway. He watched me. He did not interrupt the moment. He understood the sacred weight of it. He saw the mother who clawed her

way through a war to protect her child.

We left the room. The guards pulled the door shut.

We walked down the hall to our master suite. The heavy doors clicked closed, sealing us inside. The tension of the evening finally caught up to my body. My muscles ached. The adrenaline drained from my veins, leaving a raw, vibrating exhaustion in its place.

Tristan stepped close. He reached behind me. His fingers found the long row of silk buttons at the back of my dress.

He unfastened them. His touch was deliberate and precise. He pushed the heavy fabric off my shoulders. The dress fell to the floor, pooling in a ring of white silk around my feet.

I stepped out of the gown. The cool air of the room hit my bare skin.

2/3

Chapter 179 The Chairman Purges The Board

Turned around to face him. He shrugged off his black jacket and tossed it onto a chair. He unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the thick white bandages wrapping his healing ribs.

He reached out and traced the line of my jaw. His gray eyes held a dark, heavy heat.

“You commanded that room tonight, Tristan said. His voice was a low scrape. “You held an entire empire in your hands, and you did not shake.”

“I had you standing beside me,” I replied.

I stepped into his chest. I rested my hands flat against his warm skin, feeling the steady beat of his heart. The fear of Celeste, the burden of the Johnston legacy, the lies of the past-they all faded away. The only thing left was the man in front of me.

Comments

Like

Write Comments

Share

3/3

11:42 am

ppp.

Married to the Billionaire Who Betrayed Me