Lahat ng Kabanata ng Back in His Arms, Back in His Game... a Billionaire's Price: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

Alina Hart-Vaughn adjusted the black dress that shaped her figure with quiet elegance. Her long dark hair rested over her shoulders, her hazel eyes touched with green and gold, eyes that were always sharp, always watching. She lifted a hand to the pearl necklace on her collarbone, its soft shine catching the chandelier’s glow. Like all formal dinners at the Vaughn mansion, she forced a calm smile she didn't feel.Her life was full of opposites. She was born a Hart, once rich, now not. She grew up surrounded by discipline, books, and reminders of status she no longer enjoyed. Few people knew her real story: she was a prodigy, a talented doctor, a computer genius, a self-made millionaire. By her twenties, she had mastered advanced medicine and built her own company, built a name for herself. But she kept it all secret. To the Vaughn's, and even to Sebastian, she was just a polite, quiet wife, well-mannered, graceful, and unnoticed. Even in important places, people looked past her, unawa

The night settled heavy over the Vaughn mansion. The walls felt tight with rules no one spoke aloud, eyes that judged without moving, and silence that carried more weight than words.Arthur’s voice cut through it. Cold and steady. “You two will stay in Sebastian’s room. Natasha, you’ll take the guest room.”It was not a request. It was an order for where they would sleep.Alina felt her heart skip, a cold knot forming in her chest. She said nothing, just followed the instruction. Her heels clicked softly on the polished floors. Each hallway felt longer than the last, every gold picture frame a reminder: here, nothing was an accident. Where you sat, where you slept, who you walked with, everything sent a message.Sebastian's door closed behind her with a dull click. The room smelled faintly of wood and something colder, his presence without his warmth. He was there only a moment, leaning against the desk, arms crossed."I'll be in my study tonight," he said, like it meant nothing. "You

Adam parked the sleek black SUV by the airport curb. Terminal lights reflected on the polished hood as he turned off the engine. Alina sat quietly, her small bag in her lap, shoulders straight but tight, breathing slowly.Adam looked at her, concern soft in his steady eyes. “We’re here. Marlowe is waiting.”Alina gave a small, tight smile. “It feels… good to take control again.”Adam reached over, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "You've handled everything with strength, Alina. Always. Don't let anyone or anything make you doubt that."She nodded, chest tugged by his quiet sincerity. "Thank you, Adam. For… everything. For seeing me when no one else did."He squeezed her hand gently. "You've earned this. You'll make your mark, like I've always known you could."She took a deep breath, they shared a quick look, and then it was time. Alina opened the door and stepped onto the busy airport ground, her bag in hand, the only thing she managed to take. Adam watched her for a second l

A few weeks after her return, Alina woke before dawn. The last several days had been non-stop work: checking prototypes, looking at data, scanning lab results, getting back to the life she had stopped for years. Each action felt familiar and exciting; she realized she had missed this work more than she knew while in Atheria. The hum of machines, the glow of screens, the logic of data, it was a rhythm she had wanted, a part of herself she had denied for too long.But under all of that excitement, a strange heaviness lingered in her body. Her limbs felt a little slower, her head a little foggy, a dull ache pulsing behind her temples. No amount of coffee or determination seemed to shake it. She rubbed her wrists and temples gently, trying to ease the discomfort.A thought flashed in her mind: Sebastian, that drunken night, his quiet demand that she take the morning-after pill... and she had forgotten. Martin hadn't brought it to her. Could it be? No, it couldn't be, she told herself stro

The next morning, Dr. Jensen called her. “Alina, we’d like you to join the Riverbend medical team,” he said. A strange, heavy feeling tugged at her. Without thinking, she agreed, keeping her face calm even as her mind raced.Since returning to Marlowe, she had been finding her way around the hospital moving between her workstation, the prototype bench, and patient rounds but today felt different. New work, new eyes on her, new challenges and a spark of excitement she hadn’t expected. Something was beginning, and maybe, finally, she was ready for it.A sudden wave of dizziness hit her, sharp and unexpected. She gripped the edge of her desk as her chest fluttered. For a moment, the room felt like it was tilting. Blinking fast, she took a deep breath to steady herself. Then a small, faint twinge appeared in her lower belly. Her instincts told her something was changing in her body, though she didn’t know what.By mid-morning, she decided to visit the obstetrics wing. Dr. Lila Monroe, an