《Bound by a Billion Dollar Marriage》全部章節：第 21 章 - 第 30 章

Once seated, Grayson went back to methodically cutting his steak, precise strokes carving it into near-identical squares.Isla eyed the neat little pieces on his plate. This man definitely has some kind of control issue about food.But also kind of sweet, in a weird way. Never expected a CEO to be this meticulous."Mmm this is so good, so tender, incredible flavor." She kept up a running commentary between bites."You're not supposed to talk with your mouth full." Grayson kept his eyes down, cutting another perfect piece, forking it delicately into his mouth.His gaze drifted up to her and stopped there.Cheeks stuffed full, manners completely absent, and somehow the whole scene still looked... appetizing. Genuinely, distractingly so.Isla shoved half a steak into her mouth at once, propped both elbows on the table, and stared happily out at the horizon while she chewed.Zero shame. Zero restraint. Pure, uncomplicated joy.She looked, in that moment, like a kid let loose at a candy st

Isla stormed over to the deck sofa and dropped onto it, arms crossed, radiating a full-body do not test me energy."Thanks for dinner. Let's call it even. I'll keep your secret." Grayson's voice drifted over from behind her.Low, deep, laced with that same untouchable indifference.He just watched me hand over ten million dollars and STILL sounds this smug about it. If he threatens me one more time, I am biting him again. For real this time.Isla dropped her arms, shoved her hands into her pockets, and turned to glare at him as he sat down beside her."I honestly didn't think you were the type to bleed someone dry without a shred of guilt."He just took nearly ten million off me over one dinner. If he pushes his luck one more inch, I will lose my mind. I'll take him down with me if I have to."What's wrong? Upset?" Grayson asked, mild amusement in his voice, clearly enjoying himself.He settled back against the cushions, turning to look at her properly.Upset doesn't even BEGIN to cov

"Mr. Vale, do you have feelings for me? Hahaha." Isla burst into forced laughter, going for a smug, self-assured tone to smooth over the tension.Asking outright is the fastest way to get an answer. She hadn't forgotten what he'd said back in that office that whole "be mine" business. But those kinds of arrangements never meant anything real. They just meant convenient.Besides, he already knew she was married. If she gave him any real opening now, she'd end up buried under enemies on every side.Her flippant, overconfident question was, in reality, a very calculated move.There's no way to make a man like him back down directly."You don't qualify," Grayson said, flat and cold."Oh, great." Isla's shoulders relaxed instantly, the tension bleeding out of her voice. She nodded rapidly, visibly relieved.PERFECT. That's exactly what I needed to hear. Sounding self-absorbed had been the whole strategy get the answer without asking directly, dodge any real vulnerability."Say one more wor

Isla woke, came down for breakfast, then retreated to her room like she was fleeing a crime scene.Grayson's on the third floor. Stay put. Don't provoke anything.Married, living under the same roof, and yet everything about his actual life inside this house was a total mystery to her.She spent the rest of the weekend in a haze eating, sleeping, ignoring the nonstop barrage of calls from Richard and the rest of the Bennetts.By evening, Isla finished dinner alone in the estate's gleaming dining room. Just as she turned to head back upstairs, the butler stopped her.It's been a completely peaceful day. Do I really have to get an update the second I finish eating?Her stomach dropped, dread flooding back after hours of relative calm."The young master isn't feeling well. He'll be resting on the third floor tonight."Isla's slumped shoulders straightened instantly, a burst of pure joy flooding her chest.She fought hard to keep her expression appropriately concerned, but the happiness w

Isla became an instant office legend. She couldn't walk anywhere without catching a wave of smiles and hushed whispers.Meridian Group was full of polished, hyper-competent professionals sharp business instincts, commanding presence, the works. Isla, meanwhile, still had a soft, boyish roundness to her face and a quiet innocence about her, even dressed head-to-toe in office wear. Naturally, that made her an easy target for teasing.Isla kept her head down, chin practically to her chest, trying to shrink into invisibility.I am so mad right now. SO mad.She'd never felt this humiliated in her entire life. Her second day on the job, and already the whole company knew her name for the wrong reason entirely.She stormed into the break room craving a bubble tea and instead knocked back a mouthful of scalding, bitter black coffee. It burned. It tasted terrible. It made her question every life choice she'd made recently.Why does it feel like the curse I put on Grayson yesterday just boomera