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A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 65
“I don’t like it, Ally. My guts tell me that something is wrong, but he won’t tell me anything.” Iris complained to her friend.Alanna had called Iris through face time, and she could not help but confess her worries to her when she pointed out how distant she looked and felt. “I’ve told her she’s worrying too much but you know Iris. She tends to overthink things a lot” Hailey argued from where she sat beside Iris as the both of them peered into the phone to look at Alanna.“I don’t overthink things. You know I barely worry…”“But you do” Alanna teased, and Iris glared at her. This was not the time to joke. She was serious but they kept underplaying her worries and it was starting to piss her off.“He has been acting suspiciously. He leaves the house without telling me at odd hours and wouldn’t talk to me when he gets back home. He’s become defensive whenever I ask him where he keeps disappearing off to.” Iris insisted.Iris was frustrated. Her friends didn’t understand her worries.
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Iris felt the colour drain from her face as soon as she heard those words. She saw the regret in his eyes immediately the words slipped but it didn’t matter. Didn’t they say one said things they truly meant in the heat of the moment? Was this how Luca thought of her? As nothing more than a pretender? Everything she thought had been a lie?“You are hurting me” She whispered instead of voicing out the numerous things she wanted to say. “Luca, let go of me.”Her voice came out stronger and more demanding, enough to get him to loosen his grip and she stumbled out of his reach.Her lashes fluttered to stop the tears were quickly flooding her eyes, but she couldn’t stop them.“Iris” Luca called with a strained voice and tried to walk towards her, but she held out her hand to stop him before he could approach her.“It’s fine. I understand my place now” She choked out, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.“No, Princess. That’s not what I wanted to say. I was angry and you kept pushing me.
A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 67
Iris was stuck. She didn’t know what to do and all efforts to draw a connection between the letter and the bank statements were futile. She couldn’t go to Luca to ask him because then she would be admitting to going through his things without permission and it would only increase the rift between them.It's been one long and excruciating week since she found the letter and also one week since Luca left the house in the middle of the night. Iris didn’t know what to make of it. She didn’t know if to be happy or more worried. Luca halting his night visits didn’t mean the problem had automatically disappeared. “Are you okay?” Luca asked and she looked up to see him with a frown on his face as he stared at her. “Yes. Why?” She asked, looking around the room and wondering if she had missed something he said while she was buried in her head.“You’ve been quiet and keep poking at your plate. Do you not like your food?” He asked her and she hated how formal he sounded. Since their argument
A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 68
“Mrs Rutherford” Josy called, pulling Iris out of her head again for the seventh time in the last ten minutes. “I’m sorry. Tell Mr Henry that I’ll see him next week to discuss the progress for the new book in the series” she told the young employee who gave her a curious stare before she left the office. Iris let out a shaky breath and sat back in her chair before she placed her hands over her eyes. Since that day when she had followed Luca, she had grown more curious about the topic of his discussion with that stranger. Not just curious, but a sort of fear had also taken over and it was messing with not only her head but her daily life. She would spend the day lost in her head because she was trying to put the half pieces together so they would make sense. She got so lost in her thoughts that she would forget where she was or even end up not doing things she was supposed to be doing and her employees were starting to notice. There was no amount of critical thinking that could
A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 69
“Are you okay?” Iris’s head snapped to the front seat where Ace was seated facing her, a frown from worry on his forehead.“Yeah. Just thinking” She told him with a small smile. He looked like he wanted to press further but decided against it and turned so he was facing the road after giving her a curt nod. Iris’s thoughts were a mess the entire ride home and to make matters worse, it was silent. It was a comfortable silence, yet her mind was another story entirely.She wished the radio was on to distract her but at the same time, she appreciated the silence. It let her think.Iris couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation she had with the strange woman whom she had yet to learn her name over the phone.The taunts in her voice as she dared Iris and questioned the trust level in her and Luca’s marriage was something she couldn’t get out of her head.And the date. The date seemed to be the most important element in this situation. The woman had told her not to trust Luca. She said
A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 70
Luca was avoiding her again, not that it should be any surprise to Iris. It was Luca’s go-to behaviour to avoid her whenever he was angry.Iris was buried in between files while Luca was in his study. She wasn’t going to push him any further this morning.She could still feel the brunt of his harsh words last night and while she was trying not to be angry at him, it didn’t mean she wasn’t affected by those words last night.Iris heard footsteps approaching her in the library and she lifted her head to see Loren. Iris's eyes zeroed in on the envelope in her hand and she felt a chill creep up her spine.It was a similar envelope to the one with the October 13th note and she did not like the feeling at all.That meant that the woman knew where they lived, and she was not comfortable with that information.“This came in for you just now,” Loren said, placing the letter in her outstretched hand.“Do you know who delivered it?” She asked, inspecting the sealed envelope but not opening it.S
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Luca felt trapped. For the first time in a long time, he was at a loss of words. This was the first time he felt tied. He had no idea where to start or what to say to make his confession look dreadful that what it was.Luca always prided himself as a strategist. He always had a plan and never went with his guts but it was different today. He didn’t know how to proceed without hurting Iris more than he already did. She meant so much to him that the sight of her tears was his undoing.Luca had never felt so strongly about anybody like the way he felt. Seeing her hurt felt like he was the one suffering a worse fate. He hated it and would do anything to make sure she never shed a tear but how does he solve this when he was the cause of her tears?Luca closed his eyes and let out a weary sigh. He could already picture the memory from that night, and it was still so vivid like it was happening before his eyes.He clenched his jaws so tight they caused a headache. He didn’t want to recount
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Iris was on her way to Jace’s office. She planned to confront him about Luca’s story of the accident. She already knew how to ask the questions so he wouldn’t be suspicious. She didn’t want him to know she suspected him.Something didn’t add up about Luca’s story and it was Jace’s involvement. At first, it would seem like a coincidence, but Iris had learnt the hard way that nothing with Jace was ever a coincidence.Iris got to Jace's door and was about to open it when she heard voices in a heated argument inside the office. Her hand hovered over the doorknob, and she leaned to press her ears against the door to listen well and quietly prayed that no one would pass by while she was eavesdropping.“Why are you here, Selene?” Jace snapped. “I told you not to come here. What if someone sees you? Are you insane?”“I don’t care about that. You should have thought about that before you tried to play smart with me” The woman hissed and Iris’s eyes widened in recognition. It was the same woman
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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
A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 98
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
