The Billionaire CEO Betrays his Wife: He wants her back-Chapter 91: Openly going against Uncle Philip

Stefan barely had time to think his instincts kicked in as he grabbed Vera, steadying her as they ran. A few feet away, Rafael held Mara close to his chest, shielding her as they fled into the night. He could feel her heartbeat against him, rapid and frightened, and something inside him shifted.

He had been wrong about her.

At first, all he had seen was a woman he assumed was reckless and self-serving. But she had risked everything to get the vaccines something none of them had thought possible. The weight of his earlier judgment pressed against him like an iron fist. Maybe he had been too quick to condemn her.

Gunfire rang out behind them. They had no time for second thoughts. "Keep moving!" Rafael ordered, his voice sharp with urgency.

By the time they reached the airport, everyone was on edge. The check-in process felt endless, every glance over their shoulders a silent question...were they still being followed? No one could breathe easy until they were finally on the plane.

The moment the wheels hit the tarmac in Salvador, Stefan turned sharply toward Refael, his expression was dark, he still couldn’t trust the man they no little about even though he had saved their life just a moment ago.

"And you stay away from my sister," he warned, his voice low but firm.

Rafael smirked. "Relax, Stefan. I meant no harm, I was wrong but I apologize right?"

Mara rolled her eyes. "We still don’t trust you just because you got us out of Alcester?"

Rafael exhaled sharply, shaking his head as he unbuckled his seatbelt he expected that from them. He was a jerk earlier accusing Mara without any solid proof. He was usual the well-calculated guy who thought well before acting but something about Mara made him react the manner in which he did. Perhaps he got furious thinking Mara uses her innocent face to deceive people.

As they stepped off the plane, a familiar trio stood waiting for them Steve, Stanley, and Stanford they had returned.

Mara’s breath caught. She hadn’t expected to see them so soon. But there was no avoiding it now. Their uncle had declared war, and they weren’t going to keep up the illusion of peace any longer.

"Stef," Steve greeted, his usual composed expression softening. "I’m glad you are all fine."

A relieved smile broke across her face as she hugged him. "You have no idea how much I missed you and you guys."

Stanley crossed his arms, glancing between them. "Well, we didn’t think you’d be dodging assassins, but here we are, glad you okay baby sis,"

Mara sighed. "Trust me, I didn’t think so either." hugging both Stanley and Stanford

Steve’s gaze shifted to Rafael. Recognition flickered in his eyes before he extended a hand. "It’s been a while so good to see you and thank you for saving my sister and brother."

Rafael shook it, offering a small nod. "Yeah, it has, it was a pleasure" Rafael said with his gaze locked on Mara.

Stefan and Mara still looked unconvinced. Steve picked up on it immediately. "Look, I know you two don’t trust him yet, but he’s not the enemy."

"We’ll see," Stefan muttered, his entire presence was suspicious.

A guard approached, nodding toward Vera. "We have a car ready to take her to the foundation shelter."

Vera hesitated before looking at Mara. Mara smiled. "You don’t have to worry, they have prepared an apartment for you. You must be scared get some rest."

Vera nodded gratefully before getting into the car. Rafael said his goodbyes and left.

For the first time in what felt like forever, the Shepherd siblings were together again. It was a quiet moment, but the weight of everything they had been through lingered in the air.

"So, what now? Uncle Philip knows we are up against him." Mara asked, looking at her brothers.

Stanford ran a hand through his hair. "We watch our backs, it’s time he pays for everything he has done to us."

There wasn’t much else to say. The exhaustion was settling in, and soon, they all retreated to their rooms. But everyone knew this was just the calm before the storm,

The next morning, the atmosphere around the Shepherd estate was noticeably different. Extra security details were stationed at every corner, their presence a silent reminder of the growing danger. Steve had made it clear none of them were to go out alone.

Mara, however, had the most protection. Two guards flanked her at all times, a precaution she found more annoying than reassuring. She understood why it was necessary, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. freeweɓnøvel.com

As she stepped out of the house, Celeb pulled up, walking towards the Shepherd’s house with a confident smirk, he met Mara right at the door.

"Heading to work?" he asked casually. "I was thinking we could grab something on the way. My treat." Celeb fakes a smile with his usual charm. He didn’t expect Mara’s response.

Mara offered him a polite smile but shook her head. "Thanks, Celeb, but there’s no need. My day’s packed, and I won’t have time to entertain you."

Her words, though delivered nicely, hit Celeb harder than he expected. He clenched his jaw but forced himself to keep his composure as she walked off, her security detail following closely behind.

"That’s fine we could grab lunch or dinner, Stef," Celeb insisted. He really needs Mara to sign those papers.

"I’m sorry celeb not today, I will call you," Mara added before entering her car. They all know she wasn’t going to call him. Mara had already figured out what Celeb wanted from her. She thought they could at least be friends but she knew that wasn’t going to work.

Suppressing his irritation, Celeb turned toward his car, only for his phone to buzz in his pocket. Glancing at the screen, he groaned it was his father. With a deep breath, he answered.

"You’ve spoken to Mara about the foundation investing in our business, right?" his father’s stern voice came through.

Celeb’s silence was enough of an answer.

His father exhaled sharply, his disappointment palpable. "Unbelievable. I asked you to handle one simple task for this family, and you can’t even do that? Are you even taking this seriously?"

Celeb’s grip on his phone tightened. "It’s not that easy. She’s not stupid, and I can’t just force it."

"I don’t care how you do it," his father snapped. "Just get it done. Use your charm or something, I thought seducing girls was all you knew how to do?"

The line went dead before Celeb could respond. Frustration bubbled inside him, but he barely had a moment to process it before his phone rang again. He sighed heavily, seeing Lucy’s name flash across the screen.

"Not now, Lucy. I’m not in the mood for your nonsense."

"You better get in the mood," Lucy shot back. "Ethan found out about the fake DNA results."

Celeb’s body went stiff. "What?"

"Yeah. And then he got into an accident. I almost had him to myself, Celeb," she hissed. "But now, he’s recovering at his house. And you know what that means."

Celeb ran a hand down his face. "Let me guess, you want to know if Stef knows?"

"Exactly. But I doubt she does," Lucy said. "With all the chaos around her, I bet she hasn’t even watched the news. But that won’t last. So you need to make sure she doesn’t find out."

Celeb scoffed. "And how the hell am I supposed to do that? Everyone’s going to be talking about it sooner or later."

Lucy’s voice turned sharp. "Use your damn brain, Celeb. Figure something out." Before he could respond, she ended the call, leaving him seething.

Celeb shoved his phone into his pocket, his frustration mounting. First, Mara brushed him off. Then his father chewed him out. Now Lucy was barking orders at him like he was some kind of pawn.

Grinding his teeth, he climbed into his car, gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. If they all thought they could push him around, they had another thing coming.

Mara sat in her new office at the foundation, reviewing files with Vera, her assistant. The room still felt unfamiliar, but she was too busy to care. She had just received an update from Alcester, eager to know how people were responding to the medical aid and vaccines. It was still early, but so far, the news was promising.

She exhaled in relief. At least something was going right.

"You really pulled it off," Vera murmured, skimming through a report.

Mara nodded. Hijacking the plane carrying the vaccines and medicine before Philip could smuggle them elsewhere was a game-changer. If it had reached that other country, they would’ve had a full-blown crisis on their hands.

"Philip must be fuming," Vera said, smirking.

Mara was about to respond when the door suddenly burst open.

Philip strode in, his usual air of entitlement filling the room. "And once again, you save the day, Stef," he said, his tone laced with mockery.

Mara’s expression remained unreadable. "Uncle," she greeted, watching him closely.

Philip’s smile was thin. "When did you leave? I was looking for you the officials wanted to thank you."

"Last night," Mara answered smoothly, leaning back in her chair. "I was targeted by an assassin, so I figured it was no longer safe to stay."

Philip’s expression didn’t change, but Mara saw the flicker of something behind his eyes. "An assassin? How unfortunate. Was anyone hurt?"

"No, Uncle," she replied, feigning innocence. "But since the military delivery was no longer necessary, I had it reviewed and canceled."

Philip’s gaze darkened, his jaw tightening. The unspoken challenge in his eyes was clear how dare you?

Mara met his glare head-on. Yes, I can. I’m in charge here.

"If you’re free, you’re welcome to take a look at the changes," she said coolly, standing up. "But I have somewhere to be. The courthouse, actually."

She turned to Vera, signaling her. Without hesitation, Vera grabbed Mara’s bag.

Mara walked past Philip without another word, leaving him fuming in the office. Let him stew. Philip grabs the file on the table and looks at it with anger. He couldn’t believe Mara would go to such lengths to go against him. He picks up his phone and makes a call.

"Boss you were right, your niece knows something maybe she has the files that disappeared years back," Philip’s assistant informed. Philip’s hand tightens around the phone. He knew something was wrong the very first day he had met his long lost niece. The very one he had made sure to disappear.

"I knew she was trouble, how could the damn assassin fail to eliminate a single little girl," Philip was fuming in anger. He wasn’t prepared to let Mara destroy everything he had built.

"Hurry with our next plan," he said over the phone.

"Yes, boss," his assistant responded before the call ended. Whatever he was planning for Mara this time was big and he knew this would surely bring her down. Even if she had nine lives there was no she would escape this one.

Just as Philip stepped out of Mara’s office, his phone buzzed with a new message. Curiosity piqued, he glanced around to ensure the coast was clear before tapping on the video. The moment the video began to play, his heart raced, the unmistakable thud echoing in his chest. A wave of disbelief washed over him, quickly replaced by a torrent of fury that coursed through his veins. If he had felt anger moments before, now it surged uncontained, igniting his very core.