DANGEROUS ADDICTION: The Woman He Couldn't Replace のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 10

"Have you ever told Regina about Rosalie?"Nathan's question stopped Alexander halfway through signing a document.The private hospital lounge fell silent.This wing belonged to Kingston Memorial, one of the hospitals the family had quietly built and funded for two decades — which was the only reason Alexander had a private lounge to sit in at midnight, and the only reason Nathan had followed him here with a folder of contracts that couldn't wait until morning. Work was easier than sitting still. It always had been, for both of them.Outside, rain slid down the enormous glass windows overlooking the city, while doctors and nurses moved quietly through the corridor beyond.Alexander looked up slowly."No."Nathan Reeves had spent four years as Alexander Kingston's Chief of Staff. In that time he had managed billion-dollar schedules, defused boardroom disasters, and learned to read his employer's silences better than most people read words. He had seen Alexander cold, calculated, and co

Alexander picked up on the third ring.Regina didn't look away. She had promised herself she wouldn't."Evelyn." His voice changed the moment he said her name — not dramatically, just softer. The ease of a man who never had to choose his words carefully with her.That was what hurt most. Not the late nights. Not the missed calls. The fact that he was effortless with her."Alexander, the doctors want to run more tests." Evelyn's voice traveled clearly across the table, thin and unsteady. "They want me to stay overnight and I can't be here alone. I need you to come.""What did they say exactly?""That they need to monitor me. Please, Alexander. I'm scared."Regina picked up her wine glass and finally drank from it.Alexander stood and turned slightly away — not fully, just enough to suggest privacy in a room that no longer had any left."I'll send someone—""I don't want someone." Evelyn's voice dropped. "I want you."Silence.Regina set the glass down and straightened the edge of the d

Evelyn stood in the doorway, her smile still in place, like she had all night to enjoy this."Say it," Alexander said. His voice was low. Dangerous in a way Regina had never heard from him before."Rosalie called me," Evelyn said. "Three days ago."The room went silent."That's not possible," Alexander said."I thought so too. Until I heard her voice." Evelyn stepped further into the study, her heels sharp against the floor. "She's alive, Alexander. She wants to see you."Regina's stomach dropped. She felt Alexander's hand leave her waist, slow, like the news had pulled something loose inside him."Why would she call you," Regina asked, "and not him?"Evelyn turned, finally, to look at her properly. "Because she trusts me. We were close before the fire. Closer than anyone gave us credit for." Her eyes moved over Regina like she was something small. "She wanted to know if it was safe to come back. If certain people had moved on yet.""And what did you tell her?""I told her the truth."

The rain had eased into a fine drizzle by the time Alexander's Bentley turned into the circular driveway of the Grand Virelli Hotel. A porter hurried toward the car with an umbrella, but Alexander was already out before the young man reached him. Nathan met them halfway across the lobby. His usually composed face carried a tension Regina had never seen before. "I've secured the entire eleventh floor," he said, falling into step beside Alexander. "No guests are allowed near the suite until we're done." Alexander nodded once. "The reservation?" "Paid in cash. The identification used to book the room doesn't exist." "And the cameras?" "Hacked for seven minutes." Alexander didn't respond. He simply kept walking. The lobby buzzed with quiet conversations and the clink of crystal glasses. A wedding reception had just ended in one of the ballrooms, and elegantly dressed guests drifted toward the exits, laughing as they gathered their coats. Regina watched them for a moment. It

Regina had built Reine Studio from the ground up. Every chair in the reception area, every painting on the walls, every carefully chosen light fixture carried a piece of her. She had spent years convincing clients that luxury wasn't about spending the most money. It was about making a space feel alive. It was the one place where she wasn't known as Mrs. Kingston. Here, she was simply Regina. She gestured toward the conference room. "Please, have a seat." Daniel Virelli smiled politely and followed her inside. The room faced the city, rolls of architectural drawings covered one side of the table, while miniature models of unfinished projects occupied the other. Daniel paused to study them. "I've visited dozens of design firms." Regina looked up from the coffee machine. "And?" "You're the first owner who actually displays unfinished work." She handed him a cup. "I like people to see the process." He accepted it with a nod. "It tells me you're confident."