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A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 9.
Mental fatigue. That’s what Iris was feeling as she sat quietly on the ginormous dining table once again, only this time Luca was present. She tried to smoothen out her expression and hide how anxious she was as she stole glances at him.It’s been five days since they got married and four since she arrived in London and yet this was the first time they were having a meal together even though Iris wouldn’t call it that since they haven’t spoken a word to each other and she would rather be locked up in her room than sit here in this suffocating silence.Even the staff could feel how uncomfortable she was because they kept shuffling their feet and it was getting irritating. One glare from Luca across the room had them correcting their postures fast.Luca pushed his plate back and leaned back in his chair to study her and Iris couldn’t help but squirm under his scrutinizing gaze. “How are you settling in?”The question came as a surprise and she didn’t know what or how to answer him. She
A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 10.
Iris has had enough and she could no longer take it anymore. It’s been three weeks since she became Luca’s wife and she was bored. Luca had been avoiding her, there was nothing for her to do and no one to talk to except Loren and Berta since Rebecca didn’t come around anymore.While Berta and Loren kept her company sometimes, it didn’t help to slow down how irritated she had become from staying alone and even the regular phone calls with Alanna were no longer enough to stop her from going crazy which was why she was on a mission.As she went down the stairs to look for Berta to ask for help in locating Luca’s bedroom in this fucking giant house, she couldn't help but become more annoyed that it’s been a month since she got married and she had no idea which bedroom her husband slept in.She found Berta and Loren in the drawing room going through a list. Loren was already on her feet and by Iris’ side when she saw the storm hovering over her head.“What’s wrong, Miss Iris?” Loren asked
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Luca watched his wife flee the room with distaste in his mouth. She had successfully added more vinegar to his already sour mood.He was woken up this morning by a call from his assistant telling him that the penthouse of the hotel they launched last month in the States already had some malfunctions with the special access elevator and some electrical works were faulty.To make him more pissed, Dom had informed him that the contractor claimed he used the materials the funds he was given weren't enough for and Luca knew it was all bullshit so he had instructed Dom to make sure the stupid old hag was in his office when he found out the man was in London hoping to score another contract with a big company here in London.Imagine his annoyance when he exited the bathroom after spending his time thinking of all the ways to deal with the little maggot to see his new bride snooping around his room and touching his things as though she belonged in his life. The fucking audacity she had.He di
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Iris sat on the soft cushion beside the window in her room while her eyes scanned the vast garden beneath her. It used to be her favourite view when she moved here and it still was. It was the perfect scenery to get lost in your head like she wanted to do now.After she left Luca’s room, she had raced to her room as fast as her legs could carry her but it wasn’t enough to hide the tears that had managed to escape before Loren and Berta could see it since they were standing by the stairs, waiting for her.She should have listened to their warning that Luca was not in a good mood and waited till later but she doubted that would have done anything major to remove the hatred he had for her. It’s been hours since it happened and she had yet to eat anything but she still didn’t want to eat anything even though her stomach had been growling in protest.“I shouldn’t have gone” she whispered as misery wrapped itself around her. Luca hadn’t said much to her but his words cut her deeply every ti
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Immediately after breakfast, Iris asked James if they had a library where she could pass the time reading books. She wasn’t a big fan of books and didn’t read as much as Lia, one of the maids back at the Taylors' mansion but there was a limited number of things for her to do here and the library would be the perfect place to avoid Luca today.Iris allowed James to lead her across the house to the library, thankful that they didn’t run into Luca since today was one of those days where he didn’t go to work. She had been startled when she came down for breakfast to find him in casuals eating breakfast but she was more thankful that he had ignored her like she didn’t exist and even left immediately after. If she didn’t know Luca, she would think he was trying to avoid her but she knew it wasn’t the case.When it came to their relationship, Iris was the prey and Luca would always be the predator. She suspected that Luca was just plotting out the next thing he wanted to do to her and he was
A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 14.
Luca sat on his office chair, lost in thoughts. Well, not exactly lost as they were centred on a particular person. The drink in his hand stood forgotten as he recounted their last encounter and the fire in those brown hazel eyes as she tried to defend herself from him which was a laughable feat if you asked him.Luca's eyes caught the date on his calendar and it was amazing how much time had passed since he got married when it only felt like it happened two days ago. There was something about her that irked him.When it came to his wife, she didn’t need to do anything to get under his skin and make him mad. It was like she was especially given the gift to annoy and irritate him without her having to open that pretty mouth of hers. Full, plump lips he would love to tug between his teeth so they could bleed only for him to lick the blood off them.The fact that he couldn’t think of her without thinking of all the things he wanted to do to her. He knew she claimed to be innocent and he
A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 15.
Luca was distracted and it made him grumpier than he usually was on a regular day. He sat at the head of the large conference table with his eyes on his employee who was giving a summary of their new project which he was not satisfied with.His eyes were on the screen but his thoughts were on his wife and they had been straying towards her for some days now far more than he would’ve liked. Even when he tried to push the thoughts of her to the back of his head, there was always something that reminded him of her just like the flowers on the book cover on the screen right now.It forced him to think of Iris, surrounded by sunflowers and lilies. He could picture the smile on her face as she swirled in excitement because the only time he ever saw her truly smile was whenever she was in the garden.“Mr Luca? Mr Luca!” He was snapped out of his thoughts to see everyone staring at him with hopeful expressions and his eyes went to the screen to see it was blank. The presentation had ended and
A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire 16. 🔞
Luca exited the car just as it barely rolled to a stop in front of the entrance and slammed the door behind him. He made a beeline for the front door before Maverick could get out after him. He was still so angry at the audacity to come to his office and try to lie to him again. “Luca, wait” He heard Maverick call out to him but he ignored the man. He was still raging and needed something or someone to pour out his anger on and the only person that came to mind was the one person who wouldn’t leave his thoughts. “Luca don’t take out your anger on her, You’ll only end up hurting her more than you want to and you will regret it” Maverick barked, his heavy footsteps pounding on the floor as he tried to run after him. Luca halted his steps and turned to Maverick with a dark frown “You can retire for the night, Maverick.” He snapped, turning to march down the hallway that led to Iris’s room before he could get a reply. He pushed the door open and his steps halted at the sight before him
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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
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
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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
