Substitute Wife For The Blind CEO

Chapter 44: Lawsuit

The room fell silence and for a moment, Stefan just sat there, the words echoing inside him. Leave? Would Ivy do something like that?

His jaw tensed slightly. Is it because she’s tired of being by my side? The thought stung more than he expected.

What could she be sneaking out? What could be in the box? Was she truly leaving him? Was his blindness getting to her? Had she always wanted to leave or was it a recent development?

Could it be true? Stefan thought, different thoughts and scenerios filling his head.

Fear was already gripping his mind, playing a truck on his head when her words "I got you" replayed in his head and then he remembered everything that had been going on in the past week.

How drastically she had changed. The warmth in her touch. Their sex the night before. The way her lips trembled when she whispered that she didn’t want to stop. The way she clung to him like he was her anchor.

No. That woman—who held him like he was the only thing keeping her grounded—was not someone who would run away. If she wanted to run, she would have done so a long time ago.

He shook his head firmly. "It’s probably a misunderstanding," he said finally.

Martin hesitated. Though he wanted to say it was possible, he decided against it.

"I understand it could be a misunderstanding, but should you call her? Just to be sure?" he asked instead.

Stefan sighed. "Fine. If that’ll ease your mind," Stefan said as he handed Martin his phone so he could help him dial her line.

Martin took the phone and dialed Ruby’s line before returning the phone to Stefan.

She picked up on the third ring, her voice light and teasing. "Already missing me, Mr. Winters?" she said with a chuckle. "I haven’t even reached the salon yet."

Stefan’s lips tugged into a smile, relief blooming in his chest. "Just checking."

"Don’t worry," she said softly. "I’ll be back soon. You don’t have to call me evert second," she teased.

He held the phone to his ear for a second longer, as if trying to memorize the sound of her voice before letting out a chuckle. "Alright. Take your time, babe."

After the call ended, he leaned back and turned his head to Martin.

"You see?" Stefan said with quiet certainty. "It was nothing. My Ivy would never leave me."

nodded, still slightly unsure but trusting his master’s

believe in the woman who had, in just one week, turned his world into something far gentler than he’d

Ruby frowned as she sat behind the wheel, the engine

Why did he call?

still, something about the timing didn’t sit right. Her mind kept going back to the maid she’d seen by the corner of the garage. The way

she muttered under

sharp pang of guilt stabbed at her chest. Not because she was doing something wrong—but because she hated lying

asks me about the box?

donation? Clothes for dry cleaning? Old stuff I want to throw out? None

If he asks, I’ll just say whatever comes to mind. It’s not like I’m actually leaving him or

the car moved through the streets of

quickly and pulled the box from the trunk, making her way to the elevator. Her heart was still thudding a little faster than normal. Maybe because of Stefan’s unexpected

the corridor to room 306. Lifting her hand,

her curly hair piled messily on her head. But it wasn’t

knit together immediately. "What’s

and shut the door behind them. Ruby barely had time to set the box down before Rayna

sold a story from an unverified source," she began, her voice tight with panic. "And now the

blinked, stunned. "What?

said the article defamed them. They

down on the edge

to her. "Not really. I need to go back—like now. Handle it.

stared at her, still trying to process everything. "But... how are you even going to do that? I mean,

in three hours. I just need

rubbed her forehead. "Rayna... this is insane. How could someone just go

Creative. But now I’m not even sure she’s the one who got the story or if she stole it. Either way, it’s on my

at her best friend and saw the tension in her jaw, the way her

wasn’t the type to panic easily. If she looked this shaken, then it had to be

stood and crossed the room to hug her.

her back tightly. "I didn’t want to drag you into this. But I couldn’t

"You’re not dragging me, Ray. It’s because of me you’re here in the first place.

flight information, and then headed back down to Ruby’s car with the box