All Chapters of One Night with My Ex's Billionaire Best Friend: Chapter 101 - Chapter 110

The cameras start flashing before we’re out of the car.Press. Photographers. Everyone wanting the shot. Lucian Blackwood. Ariana Vale. Baby Emma. First public appearance.Chen opens my door. Bodyguard mode. Professional.“Ready, Ms. Vale?”“No. But we’re doing it anyway.”Lucian comes around. Takes my arm. Emma sleeping in my other arm. Perfect timing.We step onto the red carpet.Flashes explode. Questions shout.“Ariana! Look here!”“Lucian! How does it feel to be a father?”“Is that baby Emma?”“What are you announcing tonight?”Lucian keeps us moving. Steady. Confident. Protective.We pause for photos. Me. Lucian. Emma. Family.The champagne dress photographs beautifully. Emma’s white dress. Evelyn’s pink blanket. Lucian’s black tux.We look like success. Like family. Like everything we fought to become.“One more! Look here!”We smile. Wave. Move inside.The ballroom is stunning. Crystal chandeliers. Gold accents. Five hundred guests. All dressed immaculately. All watching us en

The dance ends. We return to our table. Emma waking. Fussing.Then I see him.Across the ballroom. Standing near the entrance. Uncertain.Ethan.My blood goes cold. “Lucian.”“What?”“Ethan’s here. At the gala. Right there.”Lucian turns. Sees him. Goes rigid.“What the hell is he doing here?”“I don’t know. I didn’t invite him. Did you?”“Absolutely not.”Chen appears immediately. Bodyguard instincts activated.“Problem?”“Ethan Cole. Ex-boyfriend. Not supposed to be here. Can you—”“I’ll handle it.” Chen moves toward Ethan. Professional. Efficient.But Ethan sees us. Holds up his hands. Non-threatening. Approaches slowly.Chen intercepts. Blocks his path. “Sir, this is a private event. You need to leave.”“I know. I’m sorry. I just, I need two minutes. Please. Two minutes with Ariana. Then I’ll go. I promise.”Chen looks at me. Questioning.Every instinct says no. Say no. Have him removed. Move on.But something in his face. Desperation. Sincerity. Need.“Two minutes. That’s it.”Ch

We return to the ballroom. The gala’s in full swing. Dancing. Networking. Success.But something’s shifted. Inside me. A clarity. A certainty. A need.“I need to say something. To everyone. One more speech.”Lucian looks at me. “Are you sure? You’ve already announced the company. Closed deals. Succeeded.”“I’m sure. This is different. Not about business. About, everything else. About the journey. The story. The truth.”Marcus appears. “Everything okay? Vanessa’s gone? Crisis averted?”“Crisis averted. But I want to speak again. Is that possible?”“Absolutely. I’ll arrange it. Five minutes.”Five minutes later, Marcus taps the microphone. Silences the room.“Ladies and gentlemen, Ariana Vale would like to say a few more words.”I take the microphone. Look out at five hundred faces. Investors. Press. Family. Everyone.Emma’s with Evelyn. Sleeping. Perfect timing.“Thank you. I know I already spoke. But something just happened that made me realize I need to say something else. Something

The next morning, Chen calls an emergency meeting.Our penthouse. Seven AM. Chen, Julian, Marcus, Lucian, and me. Emma sleeping in the nursery. Security posted everywhere.“We traced the payment to Ethan. Took all night. Multiple layers. Offshore accounts. Shell companies. But we found the source.”Chen pulls up his laptop. Shows us a name.My blood goes cold.“Catherine Miller.”Silence. Absolute silence.“Catherine?” I can barely speak. “Lucian’s ex? The one who visited me at the hospital? Who apologized? Who said I inspired her?”“The same.” Chen clicks through evidence. “The five thousand came from an account in her name. Established three months ago. Right after she moved to Portland.”“Portland.” Marcus sits forward. “Vanessa’s in Portland.”“Exactly. Catherine and Vanessa are in the same city. Both there under questionable circumstances. Both connected to Lucian’s past. Both with grudges.”Julian’s face darkens. “You think they’re working together? Catherine and Vanessa?”“I th

The next morning, Chen arrives with unexpected news.“We found something. In Vanessa’s communications. Something about Vaughn.”“Vaughn’s in prison. He pled guilty. He’s done.”“Not quite.” Chen opens his laptop. “Vanessa was communicating with him. Through his lawyer. For months. He was advising her. Helping her plan. Funding part of her conspiracy.”“How? He’s broke. His assets were seized.”“Not all of them. He hid money. Offshore accounts we didn’t find. Shell corporations buried so deep they escaped the initial investigation.” Chen shows us transfers. “He sent Vanessa seventy-five thousand. Three separate payments. Over four months.”Lucian’s face darkens. “He violated his plea agreement. He’s supposed to have no contact. No financial transactions. Nothing.”“Exactly. This gives us leverage. We can reopen his case. Void the plea deal. Push for full trial. Maximum sentence. Life without parole.”“Do it.”Julian appears. He’s been investigating all night. “It’s worse than we though