All Chapters of Orphaned Son-in-law is Billionaire Heir: Chapter 81
- Chapter 90
126 chapters
Ch. 81- Routine!
The apartment felt too quiet after Connor left.Kirra tried not to notice how the silence crawled along the walls, how every creak of the floorboard made her glance up like he might suddenly appear in the doorway. His jacket still hung on the back of a chair. His coffee mug was still in the sink. But the space he occupied that steady gravity he carried, was gone, and without it, everything felt off balance.She had tried calling twice. No answer. A single text....Be careful had been marked as “delivered” but not read.By the second evening, she gave up pretending she wasn’t worried.The television was on mute, looping footage of downtown protests and financial news. Her name scrolled across the ticker again and again… Kirra Waratah, formerly Kuranda, now being whispered about in connection to “a potential misuse of financial assets during the Kuranda estate arbitration.”Her stomach knotted as the camera cut to the Kuranda mansion. Her aunt, Kakadu, stood on the steps, speaking tearfu
Ch. 82- Preparing for war
By morning, the house felt like a bunker. Curtains drawn, phones muted… even the kettle’s hiss sounded like intrusion.Kirra sat at the dining table, a stack of unpaid invoices and letters spread before her like the aftermath of a storm. Connor moved silently through the house like a predator in civilian clothes.She could hear the tap of his fingers on the keyboard from the study.When he finally emerged, his face was drawn, the sharpness in his eyes dulled by exhaustion but not by defeat.“I found something,” he said.Kirra straightened, wary. “What kind of something?”He placed a printout in front of her; lines of digital routing, layered transfers, a breadcrumb trail of hidden communication.“Someone from the Kuranda firm has been feeding internal data to a private consultancy named Lionbridge Strategies. They specialize in… reputation management. Meaning, they destroy whoever they’re paid to destroy.”Her throat went dry. “You’re saying they’re the ones pushing the smear campaig
Ch. 83- War is Public
The committee summons came faster than expected.A single white envelope, heavy with embossed lettering and menace, arrived the next morning, delivered not by post, but by a courier who didn’t bother to meet their eyes.Kirra watched Connor slit it open at the kitchen counter. His expression didn’t change as he read, and he slid the paper toward her.“By order of the Regional Financial Ethics Committee, you are required to appear for questioning regarding alleged misconduct and obstruction of funds investigation.”At the bottom, it was signed by Elder Venn.Kirra’s pulse thundered. “He didn’t waste any time.”Connor folded the paper neatly. “He wants to control the narrative, fine. Let him think he can.”By the time they reached the glass building that housed the committee offices, camera crews waited outside, flashing like a storm as they climbed the steps.Reporters shouted questions, accusations dressed as inquiries. “Ms. Waratah, is it true your husband used false credentials to
Ch. 84- Anticipation
By dawn, the city had already caught fire.The headlines were everywhere — digital, printed, whispered in cafés and played on loop in morning newsrooms.“Committee’s Secret Accounts Exposed: Allegations Point Toward Elder Venn.""Financial Ethics Council Under Scrutiny for Misuse of Settlement Funds.""Connor Kavanagh Leaks Documents Proving Conflict of Interest in Waratah Investigation."Kirra stood in the living room, barefoot, clutching a mug that had long gone cold. The television screen flickered with footage of Venn’s office, surrounded by reporters and flashing cameras.Every word felt like a detonation.“…the data leak includes encrypted account logs linking Elder Venn and multiple Kuranda subsidiaries. The authenticity is under verification, but early evidence suggests—”She turned off the TV.The silence felt heavier than the noise.Connor was at his desk, same as always — shoulders straight, face calm, eyes unreadable as he skimmed through message after message from journal
Ch. 85- Her own
Kirra hadn’t slept the whole night, not even for a moment. Her eyes burned as she watched the sun drag itself over the horizon, cutting through the blinds and striping the floor in gold and ash. Connor was still at the desk, in the same chair, with the same posture. The laptop glowed pale blue on his face, throwing sharp shadows that made him more tired.“Did you even move?” she asked quietly.His reply came without looking up. “Did you?”It wasn’t meant to sting, but it did.Kirra rubbed her arms and crossed to the kitchen. The silence between them was thick; not angry, but charged, heavy with the things neither of them knew how to say. Coffee hissed into the mug, but the smell didn’t comfort her. “Connor,” she said after a while, “what happens if this goes public?”“It already is.”“I mean really public,” she pressed. “If the committee finds out, if the Department starts to investigate. We’ll be the ones on trial before they even read the evidence.”He leaned back finally, eyes s
Ch. 86- Exhausted
The summons came before dawn.A crisp envelope slid under the door, sealed with the insignia of the Central Settlement Committee. Connor found it first, his hand tightening around the paper before Kirra could reach for it.“They’re calling me in?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.He turned the letter so she could see the printed lines — the formal language, the veiled threat wrapped in civility.“Ms. Kirra Waratah is hereby requested to appear before the Committee to provide clarification regarding ongoing discrepancies in the Waratah Settlement Fund.”Requested… such a polite word for dragged into the lion’s den.Kirra stared at it, then looked up at Connor. “They’re skipping you.”“For now,” he said grimly. “They’ll start with you because you’re easier to spin. You were born into their circle, they’ll pretend it’s an internal audit before they make it public.”Her pulse quickened. “And if I don’t go?”“They’ll issue a warrant. You have to show up, Kirra.”She exhaled shakily
Ch. 87- Exposed!
The summons for Connor came two days later.It wasn’t a letter this time, but it was delivered in person.A government sedan pulled up outside their apartment building, its mirrored windows reflecting the morning light. Two officers stepped out — not soldiers, not enforcers, but the kind of men who looked like they’d been chosen for their ability to smile while delivering bad news.“Mr. Waratah?” one of them said politely.Connor didn’t answer at first. He’d already seen the insignia on their lapels — Office of Financial Integrity. A branch that answered not to justice, but to whoever signed their bonuses.Kirra appeared at his shoulder. “You don’t have to go with them. Not without counsel.”Connor turned to her, his expression unreadable. “If I don’t go now, they’ll drag me later. This way, I choose the road.”“Connor—”He touched her wrist gently, grounding her. “Stay here. Don’t open the door for anyone who doesn’t bleed.”Then, to the officers: “Let’s not waste time.”The interrog
Ch-88. The fire spread
Headlines rolled across every major network. The same faces that had jeered at Connor and Kirra in the inquiry chamber were now splashed across the screens — their signatures matched to secret accounts, their denials replayed beside evidence too detailed to dismiss.Elder Venn’s statement hit midmorning — a trembling broadcast from his mansion steps, denying “any and all malicious involvement.” But his eyes told a different story. Fear. The kind that eats power from the inside out.Kirra sat at the kitchen table, her phone vibrating endlessly with notifications.“Connor,” she whispered, “they’re calling it the Waratah Leak. They’re saying someone hacked the tribunal’s archive.”Connor stood by the window again, arms folded. “Good. Let them.”“Good?” she echoed, disbelief in her voice. “They’re saying you did it.”He turned. The light from outside carved sharp lines into his face. “Then they’re half right.”Kirra’s mouth fell open. “You—”“I didn’t hack anything,” he said. “I just let
Ch. 89- Docks
Kirra woke up to the faint hum of the laptop still open on the desk. Connor hadn’t slept. His shoulders were rigid, his jaw locked in focus. A half-empty cup of coffee sat beside him, forgotten.She wrapped the blanket tighter around her and walked closer. “You’ve been up all night again.”He didn’t answer right away, his eyes scanning something on the screen. Then, in that low, even tone that meant he was already ten steps ahead, he said, “They’ve started the counter.”“What does that mean?”“It means,” he exhaled, sitting back, “Joyce Holdings just bought silence.”She frowned. “I don’t understand.”He turned the screen toward her. A live news broadcast flickered—one of the city’s biggest networks. Her face was on the screen. Her. The caption below burned in red:“Tribunal Insider Linked to National Data Breach — Suspect at Large.”Kirra’s knees went weak. “No… no, that’s—”“They’ve pinned the leak on you,” Connor said quietly.Her pulse pounded in her ears. “But you said they could
Ch. 90- Seeing the light
Sirens still wailed along the waterfront, echoing against the metal skeletons of collapsed towers. Connor leaned heavily against the hood of an abandoned patrol vehicle, his breath shallow, his clothes torn and burned. Every inhale was a reminder of how close he’d come.Kirra knelt beside him, wrapping what was left of her jacket around his bleeding side. “You need a medic,” she said, her voice trembling.He shook his head, eyes half-lidded. “Not yet. They’ll trace hospital logs. We have to move.”“Connor, you can barely stand.”He caught her wrist, his grip weak but insistent. “If we stop now, all of this—” he gestured vaguely toward the smoking ruin of the relay site “—gets twisted before it reaches the light.”Kirra looked back toward the dock. Reporters were already arriving, their drones hovering like carrion birds over the wreckage. “You already uploaded it,” she said. “The world saw it.”“They saw something,” he corrected. “But if Joyce’s board is half as powerful as I think, t