Lahat ng Kabanata ng Hired To Tame The Billionaire: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 19

“Stay away! Don’t let them take the light! Vi, where are you?!”The scream ripped through the silence of the mansion like a serrated blade. It wasn’t the roar of the ‘Beast’ I had grown used to; it was the raw, guttural cry of a boy lost in a nightmare he couldn’t wake up from.I bolted out of my bed, my feet hitting the cold floor before I was even fully awake. I didn’t grab a robe. I didn’t check the hallway for Emelia or the guards. I ran toward Lucian’s suite, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs that matched the panic in his voice.When I threw the doors open, the room was a war zone.Lucian was thrashing on the bed, his silk sheets tangled around his legs like white snakes. His arms were flailing, striking out at the air, at the ghosts that only he could see in his permanent midnight. A lamp had already been swept off the nightstand, shattered into a thousand jagged pieces on the floor.“Lucian! Stop! You’re going to hurt yourself!” I cried out, rushing to the sid

“The optic nerve atrophy is secondary to the trauma of the accident, Mr. Aldridge, but the ischemia—the lack of blood flow—has caused a localized necrosis. However, the recent scans show that the peripheral neural tissue is still responsive. If we proceed with the microsurgical decompression and the neuro-stimulator implant now, there is a thirty percent chance of partial restoration.”I stood by the window of the library, watching Dr. Everett Reynolds—a man who looked more like a weary philosopher than a world-class neurosurgeon—deliver the verdict. He was holding a set of holographic scans, the blue light of the brain’s pathways flickering against the dark mahogany of the room.Lucian didn’t even flinch. He was seated in his wingback chair, his profile sharp and frozen, like a statue carved from obsidian. The morning light was hitting the scars on his temples, but he seemed to exist in a different time zone entirely. One where the sun never rose.“Thirty percent,” Lucian repeated, h

“You’re still alive. I half-expected the Beast to finally snap and bury you in the rose garden after that stunt with the piano.”Isabel’s voice made me jump nearly out of my skin. I was standing in the middle of the massive, industrial-grade kitchen at two in the morning, clutching a bag of flour like it was a life preserver. The moonlight was streaming through the high windows, turning the stainless steel counters into silver blades.“Jesus, Isabel! You trying to give me a heart attack?” I hissed, clutching my chest.The head chef of the Aldridge estate didn’t look like the Gordon Ramsay type. She was a stout woman with kind eyes that she tried very hard to keep stern, her graying hair pulled into a tight bun. She leaned against the doorframe, her arms crossed over her apron.“What are you doing, Vivian? If you’re looking for the wine cellar, it’s three doors down on the left. Though I’d advise against it. Lucian’s already smelled enough bourbon today to fuel a small car.”“I’m not l

“You’re walking too slow, Lucian. At this rate, the sun will be down, and I’ll just be describing a black wall to you.”I didn’t wait for his reply. I grabbed his hand—his palm was rougher than I expected, warm and steady—and tugged him toward the West Garden. The air was starting to cool, the scent of damp earth and blooming jasmine swirling around us.“Slow down, Vivian! I’m not a dog on a leash,” Lucian growled, though he didn’t pull away. His cane tapped rhythmically against the stone path, a sharp clack-clack that sounded impatient. “And why the garden? You usually complain that the pollen ruins your sinus.”“Because the light is doing something spectacular, and I’m tired of staring at the mahogany walls of your study,” I said, my voice light, almost breathless. I was still vibrating from the encounter with Sandro in the maze—the sting in my palm from the slap was still there, a secret itch I couldn’t scratch. I needed this. I needed the open air to flush out the feeling of being

“You’re wearing the vintage Cartier tonight, Vivian. The one with the emeralds. It matches the coldness in your eyes when you’re lying.”Emelia’s voice was like a silken garrote as she stood behind me in the dressing room. She didn’t wait for me to respond; she simply reached over my shoulder and fastened the heavy gold clasp around my neck. The gems felt like ice against my skin, a collar marking me as her property.“Damian Carter is not a man you can distract with a pretty laugh, Celeste,” she whispered into my ear, her reflection in the mirror looking more like a predatory bird than a socialite. “He knew the real Vivian since they were children. If you slip up, if your ‘voice’ loses its edge for even a second, the merger fails. And if the merger fails, Noah’s life support is the first thing I’ll cut from the budget.”“I know my lines, Emelia,” I snapped, my voice a perfect, brittle imitation of Vivian’s. I stood up, smoothing the skirts of my black velvet gown. “Just make sure the