บททั้งหมดของ The Billionaires Greatest Regret: บทที่ 11 - บทที่ 20

POV: Vivienne Hart"I want a DNA test, Vivienne, today if possible, and I want to see my children," Roman said, standing in the entrance hall of Vivienne's estate the next morning, his jaw set, his eyes rimmed red from what looked like a sleepless night."You don't get to show up at my home and start giving orders, Roman," Vivienne said, arms crossed, blocking the doorway with a stillness that made it clear she had no intention of stepping aside."They're my children too.""You don't know that yet, which is exactly why a DNA test would settle it, but I'm not handing you access to my children based on nothing but a resemblance you noticed through a hotel window," Vivienne said."Then let's do the test.""Through my legal team, under conditions I set, not because you demanded it in my doorway at eight in the morning," Vivienne said. "You lost the right to demand anything from me the moment you chose to spend that night at Celeste's bedside."Roman ran a hand through his hair, his compos

POV: Roman Ashford"Ladies and gentlemen, before we begin tonight's charity auction, I need a moment of your attention for a matter concerning the integrity of this company," Roman said, standing at the podium of the maritime gala, the ballroom's chandeliers casting a warm glow over hundreds of investors, board members, and reporters who had gathered expecting nothing more than champagne and applause.Eleanor, seated near the front, went rigid in her chair. Beside her, Celeste's hand tightened around her wine glass hard enough that her knuckles went pale."Five years ago, my then-wife Vivienne was involved in a serious car accident. That same night, I was told a woman I'd known since childhood, Celeste Vance, had collapsed and required emergency care due to a pregnancy," Roman said, his voice steady despite the murmurs rippling through the crowd. "I chose to stay by Celeste's side that night instead of my wife's. It is a decision I will regret for the rest of my life.""Roman, what ar

POV: Vivienne Ashford"Petrov, talk to me, what's happening right now," Vivienne said into her phone, gripping the door handle as Roman's car tore through the city streets, ignoring two red lights in a row."They forced the gate, ma'am. Two men in dark suits are on the front lawn, and a woman is claiming she has legal authority to remove the children pending an emergency custody hearing," Petrov said, his voice clipped and controlled despite the chaos audible behind him. "I have four men holding the entrance to the house, but ma'am, I need to know if you want us to use force.""Do not let anyone reach my children," Vivienne said. "Whatever it takes short of gunfire, Petrov, you hold that line.""Understood."Roman took a sharp turn, the tires screeching against the pavement, his knuckles white against the steering wheel. "How far now?""Six minutes if you keep driving like this," Vivienne said, glancing at the map on her phone, her hands trembling despite her best effort to keep her v

POV: Vivienne Ashford"Ashford Group stock dropped eighteen percent this morning before recovering slightly at midday," Arthur said, sliding his tablet across the desk toward Vivienne, the trading charts glowing in stark red and green. "The market is reacting to Eleanor's arrest and the custody scandal faster than anyone anticipated.""Recommendation?" Vivienne asked, scanning the numbers with the practiced eye of someone who had spent five years learning to read fear and greed in a single graph."The board is meeting in two hours to vote on the trust's restructuring proposal," Arthur said. "Given the scandal, I suspect they'll approve nearly every term without argument, simply to project stability. This is the moment to finalize your seat on the board.""Then let's not waste it," Vivienne said, already reaching for her jacket.The boardroom looked different this time, stripped of the tension that had filled it weeks earlier, replaced instead by a kind of exhausted resignation on the

POV: Roman Ashford"I need to say something, and I need you to let me finish before you respond," Roman said, standing in Vivienne's garden after the children had gone to bed, the evening air cooling around them, a bottle of wine neither of them had touched sitting untouched on the table between two chairs."Alright," Vivienne said, watching him carefully, recognizing the particular stillness in his posture that meant he'd been rehearsing this moment for longer than he wanted to admit."I've spent the last three weeks trying to figure out how to apologize for five years, and every version I write in my head sounds like an excuse dressed up as remorse," Roman said. "So I'm not going to try to explain why I chose Celeste's bedside over your emergency room that night. There is no explanation that makes it forgivable. I was afraid of my mother's disapproval, afraid of losing the stability Celeste's family connections seemed to offer the company, and I let that fear matter more than my own