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

choosing to believe in the woman who had, in just one week, turned his world into something far gentler than

Ruby frowned as she sat behind the wheel, the engine humming softly as she

Why did he call?

going back to the maid she’d seen by the corner of the garage. The way the woman’s eyes had widened when she saw the

That had to explain it," she muttered under her breath. "And Stefan probably wanted to check if I was sneaking away

because she was doing something wrong—but because she hated lying to him. Even if

if he asks me about the box? What would I even

ideas. A donation? Clothes for dry cleaning? Old stuff I want to throw out? None of them

leaned her head briefly back against the headrest at a red light. Whatever. If he asks, I’ll

felt heavy as the car moved through the streets

her way to the elevator. Her heart was still thudding a

reached the third floor and walked down the corridor to room 306. Lifting her hand, she

sweats, her curly hair piled messily on her head. But it wasn’t her appearance that caught Ruby’s attention—it

knit together immediately.

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

of my new writers sold a story from an unverified source," she began, her voice tight with panic. "And now

stunned. "What?

defamed them. They want

down on the edge of the bed.

need to go back—like now. Handle it. My assistant’s freaking out and I’ve

everything. "But... how are you even going

I just need to be at the airport in time. Thank God my bag is

How could someone just go behind your back like

even sure she’s the one who got the story or if she stole it. Either way, it’s

saw the tension in her jaw, the way her shoulders sagged under

wasn’t the type to panic easily. If she looked

to hug her. "I’m

you into this. But I

back, her eyes soft. "You’re not dragging me, Ray. It’s because of me you’re here in the first place. Maybe if you’d been over there, this wouldn’t have happened. I’ll take you to

back down to Ruby’s car with the box Rayna had