The Rose He Killed novel Chapter 287

Chapter 252: Her Plan

Nadina pov

I stumbled back to my seat, my knees shaking so badly I could barely keep my balance in my heels. I pulled at the low collar of my red silk dress, suddenly feeling cold, stripped bare under the harsh light of

the room.

Caleb did not even look at me. He just stood by the edge of the long table, clicking his pen, his face as hard as a stone wall.

I reached for my glass, my fingers trembling so much the wine spilled over the rim and stained the white tablecloth. I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced my breathing to slow down. My mind was spinning, trying to figure out where I had miscalculated.

How did he know?

The thought beat against my skull. Bella’s hospitalization was supposed to be a tight, iron-clad secret.

She had vanished from public view, and her medical situation was kept completely under wraps to avoid any eyes on her or her children.

But I had my own ways of finding things out. I had spent months tracking every detail of Caleb’s life from across the Atlantic, waiting for any crack in his armor.

Two days ago, my private contact inside the premium medical billing registry in Silverton had flagged a quiet, high-priority emergency admission under the name Bella Hart-Black. The file showed she was tucked away in a high-risk ward, restricted to strict bedrest.

I had thought it was a gift from God. I had thought her being completely incapacitated was my perfect green light to take what should have been mine three years ago.

I knew Caleb was a man who used to live by logic, a tyrant who looked at relationships as mere transactions.

I assumed that since his wife was sick and a massive, multi-billion-dollar business deal was at risk, he would go back to being the ruthless, practical businessman I used to know.

I thought he would prefer a woman like me-someone who could help him in the boardroom-instead of a wife who drained his energy in a hospital.

I was completely wrong.

He had changed. He was now fiercely, terrifyingly protective of the woman he loved. He was willing to ruin a year-long business deal just to defend her.

Just then, the heavy doors opened. The French legal team and the business directors walked back into the room with new paperwork. They were chatting quietly, having no idea that a massive emotional explosion had just happened while they were gone.

“We have the final signatures ready for Clause 4 and Clause 14, Mr. Black,” the lawyer said, setting the papers down on the mahogany table.

<Chapter 252 Met Plan

Claims

Istood up straight, fixed my thin red dress, and hid my fear behind a calm, professional face. I was still Terrified, but I just had to get through the next five minutes. I sat down and stared at my paperwork, completely ignoring Caleb.

The dinner ended at 11:45 p.m. I followed the group down the hotel hallway. Caleb walked ahead of everyone, stiff and angry, completely ignoring me as he went to the elevators.

I watched him get into the elevator and saw the doors close. My heart was still racing from his earlier angry outburst, but my fear was turning into desperate determination. I couldn’t give up. If I went to bed now, the business deal would finish tomorrow, he would fly home, and I would be left with a ruined career and a dead dream.

I decided to take a bigger risk. I told myself his anger at dinner was just stress over his sick wife. If I could get into his hotel room alone,-away from the lawyers-I could catch him off guard and change his mind.

As I stared at the closed elevator doors, a vivid memory flooded my mind, pulling me under as if it were happening right now

Years ago

The heavy double doors of Caleb Black’s private hotel suite stood slightly ajar, the latch not fully clicked.

Soft golden lamplight spilled through the narrow gap into the dimly lit corridor, carrying the faint scent of his signature cedarwood cologne.

My heart hammered as I clutched the late-night brief against my chest. I told myself I was only delivering documents as I pushed the door open without knocking.

The luxurious suite unfolded before me – thick cream carpet under my heels, heavy silk drapes drawn against the night, and the large unmade king bed dominating the center of the room.

Caleb sat on the very edge of that bed, his tall frame illuminated by the single bedside lamp that cast long shadows across the rumpled white sheets.

His charcoal dress shirt hung completely open, the expensive fabric parted to reveal the hard planes of his bare chest and the ridged muscles of his abdomen.

The shirt had been pulled free from his trousers, sleeves still on his powerful arms but cuffs unbuttoned.

r

His navy trousers were shoved down past his hips, bunched around his thick thighs, exposing the dark trail of hair leading down from his navel. One of his large, heavily veined hands was wrapped tightly around his massive c**k, stroking it with slow, deliberate, punishing movements.

He was enormous – thick, dark, and rigid, the swollen head glistening with precum as his fist slid up and down the veined length. A low, guttural moan rumbled from deep in his chest. “Fuck…

The sound echoed softly off the wood-paneled walls, raw and hungry, nothing like the ice-cold commands he barked in boardrooms.

His head tipped back slightly, black hair tousled, jaw clenched. Another deep moan tore free as his hand tightened. “So fucking tight… Bella…”

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