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A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 21.
Iris watched from the top of the stairs as Luca stormed out of the house with a resolve. She waited for his car to drive out of the compound before going down the stairs and out the front door. She looked around to make sure that no one was around watching her before creeping out of the house, grateful that Loren or Ace were nowhere in sight.The guards around the house paid her no mind most of the time so no one questioned or stopped her as she began the long trek to the gate with sweaty palms. She had not been outside the house since she arrived in London and didn’t even know where she was going.All she knew was that she needed to leave the house so she could clear her head and think clearly about how she was going to live her life from now on. Everything in the house reminded her of Luca which was the last thing she needed after the way he had talked to her this morning.“Where are you going?” Iris screamed as Ace’s smooth voice filled her ear and she felt his breath down the side
A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 22.
Iris saw a flash of surprise pass through Luca’s eyes, followed by anger. She may have tried to defend herself before but never had she raised her voice at him like she did just now. She had told herself countless times that she deserved all he told her but she was tired.She couldn’t do it anymore. The abuse, neglect, insults. She was done. She had gotten to her breaking point. She had let Vera and Helen abuse her for years because of the circumstances of her birth but why should she let Luca continue to treat her like this when she didn’t do anything wrong?She had to stand up for herself because no one would do it for her. If she didn’t speak up now, Luca would only continue to treat her worse every day. Today he was doing this in front of their staff, maybe next time it would be in front of thousands of people.“Just stop it” She said again, this time her voice was quieter, tired just as she was. Her shoulders slumped in defeat as she looked at him with pleading eyes.Luca did not
A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 23.
The sun came through the dark curtains, illuminating the room a little and Luca threw the duvet to the side before padding to the bathroom. His eyes were hurting, his head was aching and it was all because he couldn’t get any sleep last night.He had tried to sleep but couldn’t find the peace to close his eyes because whenever he did, all he saw was the pain in her eyes as she poured out her soul to him. He could still feel the raw emotions in her voice as she spoke.The words she said to him, the anger, the pain, they wouldn’t let him sleep until they dragged him to the night they had spent intimately. He could suddenly feel the way her body fit perfectly in his, how she withered with his every touch and how she came alive when he touched her in some places.He thought about her all night, recalling every inch of her skin he had touched and it surprised him how he could remember every single detail he saw just like the dimples on her lower back and how they deepened when she clenched
A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 24.
Iris stared at Luca with shock etched on her face. She was speechless and didn’t know what to make of the sudden offer to work at his firm. It was a total 360 of what she had expected to happen when she came down for breakfast this morning. She had imagined different scenarios in her head but Luca asking her to work for him was far from it, it never crossed her thoughts.“What?” She couldn’t help but whisper as she looked at him, trying to decipher if he was joking or trying to toy with her like he usually does.“I want you to work at my publishing house. We have been looking for someone to manage it and I noticed that you have spent most of your time in the house library. With the number of books you’ve read, I think you would do a pretty good job if you are taught properly and it would be a win for both of us, a double win for you since you’ll keep reading and kill your boredom at the same time”Iris couldn’t help but look at Luca like he was a stranger that had two heads because he
A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 25.
Iris groaned and turned to her side for what felt like the hundredth time in less than an hour. She let out a heavy sigh as she caught sight of the time on the alarm clock resting on the bedside table. It was 4 am in the morning and she had to get up by 6 so she could get ready for her first day at work and yet she hadn’t been able to close her eyes to get a few minutes of sleep.“Go to sleep, Iris” She ordered herself softly “How will you do well if you look like a zombie on your first day” She whined softly in annoyance, screwing her eyes shut and willing herself to sleep.Her eyes felt heavy and she could barely look at her phone screen without wincing at the light which was already at the dimmest it could go. That was how much her eyes were craving some sleep but her body had no way of giving in to the demands of her watery eyes.She opened her eyes shortly to glare at the ceiling. Of course, it hadn’t worked. Her body was so intent on punishing her and ensuring she made a fool of
A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 26.
When they arrived at the conglomerate’s headquarters there in London, Iris felt her jaw drop to the floor at the massive building with a big R on the top. It was the kind of skyscraper that could be seen for miles with its impressive height.Maverick got out of the car and went to open Luca’s side of the door for him. She was about to push open her side when it was opened from the outside and she saw Ace’s standing there with a smirk. Iris felt like it was all too much to be arriving with a lot of security. Even though she had gone out with security a few times already, she had spent more hours at home and had not gotten used to it. She was not the only one who was not used to it as people were starting to stare at her and Luca.She thought Luca came to work with a lot of security every day so she wondered why they were staring at them like it was the first time Luca was coming to work with bodyguards.Luca came around to meet her and shocked her by presenting his hand for her to tak
A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 27.
A knock on the door dragged Iris’s attention from the file she had been working on to the door. It’s been a week since she started working here and she loved every minute of it. She wasn’t an editor but she still got copies of manuscripts to go through and the employees always wanted to hear her feedback on things.Hailey poked her head through the door first before pushing her body through the gap when she saw Iris already looking at her with a smile “Come in, Hailey” Iris called out with a bemused expression even though Hailey was already standing in front of her.“It’s lunchtime. Do you want to eat with me?”“Already?” Iris asked surprised. She could swear she had only just sat down and picked up that manuscript so how come it was already lunch time? “You can go alone, I’m not hungry”“Nope. That’s not going to work today. I haven’t seen you have lunch since you started working here and I won’t allow it any longer. It’s not healthy to be so buried in your work that you have to miss
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Iris’s hands paused on the door just before she knocked. She could hear heated voices now and was thinking she should really go back in case it was someone important but then she heard footsteps coming down the hallways and quickly knocked so she wouldn’t be caught lingering in the hallways. She took a deep breath and waited as the voices quieted down so she knocked again to get the attention of Luca in case he didn’t hear her knock again. “Come in” The familiar cold voice called from inside and she turned the knob and pushed the door open immediately. She stepped into the office and shivered involuntarily as the cool air from the air conditioner hit her. She saw Luca first since he was seated opposite the door and he didn’t look trilled to have her there making Iris cuss herself more for coming. But the person with his back to her was almost familiar and it wasn’t until he turned with a smile that turned cunning as soon as he saw her that she was hit with a sense of déjà vu. Jace
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A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire EPILOGUE
Iris was still on her bed when she heard the bedroom door open. She didn't want to wake up yet because it was her birthday and she wanted to sleep in for once while Luca did what he did best, spoiling their children. They had three kids now. Autumn was seven now and was the exact copy of her mother. Sometimes, Iris would find herself lost in her thoughts, staring at her until she was called. Their boys, Axel and Kai were 4 and 1 respectively and perfect carbon copies of their father. Iris felt like a stranger in their house and even Autumn behaved just like Luca, it was scary sometimes. "Princess?" Luca called, climbing onto the bed. She stretched and felt her bones crack before turning to see him. A smile graced her face when she saw their youngest in his arms. Kai's eyes widened and a smile wider than Iris's own graced his face and he giggled while stretching his arms for her so she could take him. She pulled herself up and reached out to take him, wincing when his fingers cur
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Iris was so comfortable laying on Luca’s chest while his breath fanned her face and his hands traced meaningless patterns on her back which made her shiver every two seconds.She didn’t want to move because that was why bliss and perfection were to her. Luca had fucked her into oblivion that even when she woke up, her legs were still shaking even though she had yet to stand up.She didn’t hate it though. It was the best way for her to wake up but Luca had other plans. He said he had something she needed to see so they couldn’t stay in bed longer as she would have liked instead of being in the back seat of the car as they drove to their destination which he also wouldn’t tell her.“Are you sure you don’t want to tell me where we are going?” She asked again and Luca rolled his eyes, taking them off his phone to stare at her again.That was also part of the reason why she was mildly irritated. He had forced her out of his arms and still wouldn't give her any attention.“Sorry, Princess.
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Iris kept turning. It was very late and yet she couldn’t get herself to fall asleep. The sleeping pills Jasmine had given her did nothing to help and she was certain that it kept her awake instead of doing its job.Her eyes watched the moon and followed the owl that flew past it. She had left the window blinds open, hoping the calming view would make her fall asleep but all she had done was count the number of stars she could see and try to trace outlines with them.At the back of her mind, something nudged her. She knew what was keeping her awake and what she needed to do but something was holding her back, pinning her so she wouldn’t move towards what her body craved.She crossed her heart and made up her mind, sitting up and flinging the covers which felt heavy instead of comforting against her skin and threw her legs off the side of the bed, getting on her feet and making her way out of the room.She was sure her guts were strong but they failed her as she stood in front of their
A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 103.
Iris laid her head against the window, mind fuzzy as the car raced towards the Taylor’s mansion. The loud blaring of the sirens from the police cars trailing behind and in front of their car prevented her from thinking. She thought she knew what exhaustion was but she didn’t until now. The past few days had been hectic with compiling all the evidence Selene had against Vera and pulling strings to make sure her arrest was sure and nothing would be done by anyone wanting to interfere.Since she couldn’t bury herself in her thoughts, she was aware of the heat teasing her fingers as they tingled in anticipation of touching Luca’s hands lying in the space between them.He was on the phone, typing away furiously and Iris wondered if she should just use the opportunity to brush her fingers across his hands while pretending it was a mistake.Her decision was made for her when Luca absentmindedly lifted his hand to trace his fingers lightly over her hands and she flinched away from his touch
A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 102
Iris sat in front of the mirror in her hotel room in a pensive mood. They had arrived in New York yesterday with Selene and were staying at the penthouse in the Rutherford’s latest hotel and it was a beauty to behold. It was a four-bedroom penthouse which Iris knew would cost a fortune for a night.A knock came on the door and she softly told the person to come in. Ace peeked his head through the tiny hole.“Are you ready? We have to leave soon. Luca is waiting for you” He told her before disappearing, closing the bedroom door behind him.Iris sighed again. Luca had given her the master suite while he took the bedroom opposite much to her disappointment. She knew he did it because of their recent sleeping arrangement but he should have asked her if she wanted to stay with him but he went ahead to softly tell her to get a good sleep while gesturing at the bedroom before he disappeared into the opposite room.Since they started sharing a bed, it was the first time she had slept in a new
A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 101.
“Princess” Iris heard Luca call from behind her closed door. She peeked above her computer where she stayed working on some manuscripts that the new assistant had sent her. Iris had not yet gotten used to working with Lucy who took over Hailey’s position.To her, it felt weird seeing her instead of Hailey, but the girl was nice and knew how to give her space, space that Hailey had no problem invading. Iris missed Hailey sticking her nose in her every business but now, it was so quiet in the office because Hailey had been her only friend there.“Princess? Are you sleeping?” Iris hated the uncertainty in his voice but there was nothing she could do. Something was holding her back from telling him she wasn’t angry at him and just needed time to sort out her feelings.“There is someone you need to meet. I know you don’t want to see or talk to me at the moment, but you would really like to meet her” He spoke, this time grasping her interest.She frowned in surprise and racked her head to s
A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 100.
“Are you okay?” Alanna asked from where she sat beside her while Luca sat opposite her. She could feel his eyes on her the past twenty minutes they had been sitting in the court’s waiting room but she kept her gaze on the floor, adamant not to meet his lingering eyes.She snapped her head up to meet Alanna’s worried gaze and she gave her a reassuring smile “As okay as my nerves would allow me to” She replied and dared to cast a glance towards Luca’s direction where she saw him looking at her as expected and she quickly looked away to meet Alanna’s knowing gaze.“You don’t have to do it if you are not okay with it. They can’t force you to testify and it won’t stop Helen from being locked up forever. They have solid proof against her” Alanna said, holding onto her arms.Iris shook her head in refusal “No, I have to. It’s going to be some sort of closure for me” Iris replied, her voice thick with so much emotion but she was glad the tears didn’t appear.She had finally been able to get a
A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 99.
Iris never meant to keep standing by the door with her ears pressed against them after she disappeared behind them before Luca could get to her.She couldn’t find the courage to face him. She had not been able to sort out her emotions. They were conflicting and dangerous and it messed with her head and her thoughts.When she moved out of Luca’s room, she had hoped it would give her the room to fix her thoughts and decide where her head was.Iris wanted to leave the house altogether but she wasn’t stupid enough to think it would be possible.Luca may think she didn’t notice but she had. There was an increase in the guards around the house; sometimes she could hear footsteps parade the hallway in front of the room.She knew when Luca left, the familiar heavy steps fading away into the hallway and Ace’s own which never left.She sighed in defeat and removed the black dress she was wearing. She had said her final but was reluctant to one of her best friends today so her head was a mess.I
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The ride home was stifling. Iris kept her gaze on the road the entire ride and when the car rolled to a stop in front of the house, she was out of the car before anyone could say a word.Luca ran after her but her legs were faster. He hurried up the stairs just as she entered the hallway and opened the door.“Princess” Luca tried to stop her before she disappeared into the guest bedroom but failed. Maverick and Ace gave him that pitiful glance that he had come to hate but he waved them off.“Is she close?” He asked Maverick before the bulky man could step out of the room with Ace.“Yes. She should be here in a few minutes” Maverick replied and gave him a nod before they disappeared.Luca leaned on the wall across the guest bedroom and folded his hands over his chest as he stared at the closed doors.She was particularly more sensitive today since it was Hailey’s burial ceremony and he understood so he would give her the space she needed no matter how much it killed him to see her in
