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A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 81
Iris stood by the door and watched as Hailey packed the important things she would be needing at her place. Hailey was quiet as she moved around her bedroom, mindlessly picking things and stuffing them in the mini travel bag that was opened on the bed.Iris could see that she was still shaken by the incident that had just occurred and she didn’t blame her. It didn’t happen to her, and she was also affected by what happened. Iris wished she could take away Hailey’s worries for a minute. She hated how fragile Hailey looked and she was one of the most bubbly people Iris had ever come across so to see her like this made her heart ache.As she moved to step into the room so she could give Hailey another hug, Ace came up behind her to tap her on her shoulders and she turned to him instead.“He has been taken care of” Ace told her with a grim expression, eyes glancing towards Hailey who wasn’t paying attention to their hushed whispers.“Good. Thank you.” Iris told him with a grimace “She w
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Luca had finally caved to her constant pleas which were actually nagging than pleas and allowed her to resume work last week, but she hadn’t even been able to go back.Hailey’s mental state plunged every single day and Iris was worried at the alarming rate at which her health was deteriorating. Hailey got worse with each passing day.She tried to hide it from Iris by claiming she was fine but Iris was not fooled at all. She had caught Hailey numerous times in bad conditions before she would contort herself and act like everything was okay when it was far from it.Last week, Iris had walked in on Hailey standing in front of the mirror with a blank look on her face. Iris had stood behind her in front of the mirror for over twenty minutes, but Hailey didn’t notice her.The lost look in her eyes made her appear lifeless and it scared Iris to the extent she had to shake her out of her thoughts. Hailey tried to play it off and claimed she was thinking about work, but Iris called her bullshi
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Iris’s phone vibrated with a message where she placed it beside her on the bed as she watched Luca walk around the room, getting dressed. It was evening and yet he was putting on formal wear.She quickly snatched it up to see what it was, hesitantly tearing her eyes from the mini show Luca was giving her all for free.It was a text message from Alanna asking about Hailey’s health. She typed a quick reply to Alanna before tossing the phone to the side again so she could pin her eyes on her husband.“I want to take you on a date” Luca suddenly announced. Iris’s stunned gaze watched him as he shrugged on the suit jacket. He didn’t bother to button it and leaned against the wall to pin her with an intent gaze.He folded his arms across his chest, crossing his legs as he stared “You’ve been so focused on taking care of your friend that you barely pay attention to us. You’ve even abandoned your work as well” The way Luca subtly poked at her made her wonder how long he had thought about it.
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“What’s wrong with her” Iris panicked, throwing the towel she had grabbed and already running out of the door towards Hailey’s room.“I don’t know. She just started throwing up when I went to ask her if she wanted something specific for dinner” Loren rushed out as she hurried after a panicked Iris.“Was it something she ate? Did you check her temperature to see if she had a fever?” Iris turned to Loren for a split second because she turned her head, and focused on her destination as she ran through the house to get to Hailey.Iris couldn’t help but think of the worst, like Hailey tried taking something on purpose but she shook her head, Hailey wouldn't do something so careless.She arrived at Hailey’s room and pushed the door opened. Her eyes frantically scanned the room and her heart kept pounding when she saw no one was in the room.She wanted to tell Loren that Hailey missing when she heard the retching sounds coming from the bathroom.“Hailey” Iris gasped in horror and made a beel
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“Come on” Iris held her hands out to help Hailey out of the car but Hailey slapped her hands away with a playful glare before she came down from the car on her own.“I’m pregnant, not an invalid” Hailey joked and Iris pouted but linked their hands instead and led her inside the house.The doctor had recommended that Hailey not be allowed to work or do anything that will cause her a lot of stress and Iris was determined to follow his instructions. She would make sure that Hailey never got a reason to go back to the hospital.“Do you need anything to eat so I can ask the chef to prepare it for you” Iris asked as they went towards Hailey’s bedroom.“No. I’m tired and just want to sleep. Today has been a rollercoaster of emotions. I’m drained and just want to close my eyes and bury everything” Hailey said with a sigh but Iris’s movement halted and she turned to Hailey with raised brows.“Have you forgotten you need to eat to take your oils? You can’t take them on an empty stomach and you’
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Iris’s eyes opened and she used her hands to clean her eyes to clear her blurred vision. She sat up groggily and her eyes immediately went to Luca’s spot on the bed.He was not back.She had fallen asleep while waiting for him and it seemed she would have stayed the whole night waiting if she had not slept off due to how exhausted she was.She leaned over and touched his side of the bed to see if he came home but she wasn’t aware. She was left disappointed when she felt how cold it was.She climbed down from the bed to grab her phone from where it was charging. She sighed in disappointment when she saw that Luca didn’t return any of her calls or reply to the numerous text messages she sent to him.“It’s okay, Iris. Don’t panic just yet” She muttered to herself as she dialled the number again, silently praying he answered.Her prayers were left unanswered when the call went straight to voicemail and she knew she was fucked.“Ace” She called out, knowing her bodyguard would probably be
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Iris’s heart raced as she walked quietly behind Luca while he stormed to the room without glancing back at her.Her words fought against their selves, wondering which she could utter to calm his anger but she came up blank.Luca entered the room and shut the door in her face, making her halt abruptly as the door missed her face by an inch.Her mouth fell open in shock and she stared at the closed door. Her mind struggled to decide if Luca had shut the door, knowing she was being him or if he wasn’t aware.Was he letting her know he was angry with her? That was something she already knew. She fucked up. She knew that much.She exhaled deeply and pushed the door open, willing the universe to help her out just this once.Luca was taking off his clothes in the closet but the door was opened. He didn’t even look in her direction.Iris watched him remove his clothes and then put on some casuals. He walked past her, their shoulders almost brushing her shoulders as he made his way to the bedr
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Iris opened her eyes as the sun squeezed inside the room through the small gap between the curtains. Her eyes immediately went to Luca’s side of the bed, and she sighed in disappointment when she met it empty.It had been the same thing for over a week now. After their argument, she and Luca had been living like strangers. Luca made it worse by making himself scarce. He was barely home and almost never in their bed when she went to sleep at night or woke up the next morning. And when he was home, he barely acknowledged her. He would ignore her as if she didn’t exist and Iris soon found out that was what she hated and feared the most, Luca ignoring her. All her efforts to talk to him and try to apologize once again failed since Luca wouldn’t give her even a glance. The entire staff knew they were fighting, and she had noticed the way they were so awkward when she and Luca were in the same room, especially when he treated her like they were enemies. Iris knew she shouldn’t have done
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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
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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
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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
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“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
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“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
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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
