All Chapters of Signed, Sealed, I’m Rich: The Rejected Luna’s Multi-Billion : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Salome’s POVThe sun hadn’t even started to peak over the horizon when I crept out of my childhood bedroom. The floorboards groaned under my weight, sounding like gunshots in the silence of the hallway. I held my breath, listening for any sign of movement from my parents. Usually, Dad was already pulling on his boots for a dawn patrol and Mom was clattering pans in the kitchen, but the house remained eerily still. They had stayed up until two in the morning waiting for me to walk through the door. It was a level of worry I hadn't put them through in years.I reached the kitchen and stuck a yellow sticky note to the refrigerator door. Went to see a friend. Will call later. It was a pathetic explanation, but it was all I had. I pulled my hoodie over my head, yanking the drawstrings until the fabric hugged my face. A surgical mask and a low-hanging baseball cap finished the look. I didn't want to be recognized, and I certainly didn't want anyone seeing the gho

Salome’s POV"You actually showed up," Portia hissed, her voice cutting through the sudden silence of the ballroom.I didn't answer her right away. I let the heavy doors settle behind me. The room was a sea of silk, tailored suits, and the expensive scent of floral arrangements that cost more than most people made in a year. Hundreds of eyes pivoted toward me. The rhythmic clapping and the bright chime of toasting glasses died out like a flame losing oxygen.I started walking. My heels clicked against the polished marble with a steady, haunting rhythm. I wore a deep red tulle gown that felt like a second skin, the fabric pooling around my feet like a stain. I kept my chin parallel to the floor and my expression as cold as the champagne chilling in the corner buckets.The crowd began to stir. The quiet was replaced by the frantic buzzing of people who lived for a scandal."Is that her?" a woman whispered, not nearly soft enough."The ex

Salome’s POV“You are lying through your teeth, Margot!” Portia shouted, her voice cracking under the weight of a panic she couldn't hide anymore. “That is not how it happened!”Margot recoiled as if Portia had physically struck her across the face. Her polished mask of high-society grace shattered, leaving behind a trembling, pale imitation of the woman who usually ran this room. “What are you talking about? I never said any of that!”“Yes, you did!” Portia screamed. She didn't care about the cameras or the hundreds of wealthy guests watching her unravel. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her chest heaved with jagged breaths. “You told me Salome was a parasite! You said she was milking the Richardson family for every cent they had and that we had to stop her!”Margot’s voice dropped to a frantic, hissed whisper as she saw the crowd leaning in to catch every word. “I never uttered those words, Portia. Stop this at once.”I stood perfectly still, my arms folded tightly across my chest. I did

Salome’s POV“Why are you hiding in the dark like a ghost?”The voice pulled me out of the shadows. Jeremiah stood a few feet away, his silhouette sharp against the silver moonlight. He had his hands shoved deep into his pockets, looking as calm and immovable as a mountain. The light caught the edge of his jaw and the cold glint in his eyes.I didn't answer right away. I just leaned against the cold stone of the railing. “Shouldn’t you be celebrating?” he asked, his voice dropping an octave. “You got exactly what you wanted. The revenge is done.”I tried to find a smile, or even a sarcastic remark, but my muscles wouldn't cooperate. There was a hollow space in my chest where my triumph was supposed to be. “I’m just tired, Jeremiah,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. “I’m exhausted down to my bones.”I looked at him, the question burning in the back of my throat. Why are you here? Why do you keep showing up the exact moment I start to crumble? The words stayed locked behind my teeth. M

Salome’s POV"Liv, you need to listen to me right now," Clementine’s voice exploded through the phone speakers, sharp and panicked.I gripped the device tighter, my knuckles turning white. We were still miles from the airport, the car humming smoothly along the highway. "Clementine? What’s going on?""Barnabas got off," she blurted out. I heard her catch her breath on the other end. "He was acquitted of every single charge. All of them, Liv. And he knows. He knows you’re leaving."The world seemed to tilt. My chest tightened until breathing felt like a chore. "How?""I don't know, but he has your flight info. He’s headed to the terminal right now to intercept you. He’s lost his mind, Salome. If you see him, God knows what he’ll do. Turn the car around. Go to a hotel, lock the door, and wait for me. We’ll find a place to hide you."I didn't answer. I just stared out the window at the blurred gre