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Chapter 441
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After the Breakup, the Billionaire Lost Control! Chapter 442
Justin rarely watched movies, and even when he wanted to, his private theater at home was always an option. This was his first time sitting shoulder to shoulder with strangers in a public cinema. Haley glanced at him briefly but said nothing. Unbothered by her silence, Justin inserted the straw into the milk tea and handed it to her, along with the popcorn. After their earlier back-and-forth, Haley was indeed thirsty. She took the milk tea, sipped it, and decided there was no point in overthinking it. The movie began—a horror film with a romantic subplot. Justin had carefully researched online beforehand, learning that taking the girl you love to a scary movie might make her cling to you out of fear. The newly released *Phantom Bride* seemed like the perfect choice. The air conditioning in the packed theater was cranked up high. Before long, Haley felt a chill and crossed her arms, holding herself tightly. Justin wasn’t entirely focused on the movie. He kept stealing
After the Breakup, the Billionaire Lost Control! Chapter 443
As the movie ended, Justin and Haley followed the crowd out of the theater.“The movie’s over. Give me back my phone,” Haley said, extending her hand, palm up.Justin looked down at her soft, pale hand and, instead of returning the phone, clasped her hand tightly in his. “The exhibit runs for three days. After that, you’ll leave, right? Let’s go buy something for your daughter—a gift from me.”He didn’t want to let her go, not just yet.Haley pulled her hand back and tucked it behind her. “She doesn’t need anything. There’s no need to buy anything.”The sudden emptiness in his hand stung. He didn’t know whether it was her rejection or her avoidance of his touch—or perhaps both—that left him feeling hollow. His hand clenched into a fist at his side.“It’s just a small gesture. Please don’t turn it down,” he said, his voice low and somber.Before Haley could respond, his phone rang. “Whatever it is, reschedule it for tomorrow,” Justin barked into the phone.The voice on the other
After the Breakup, the Billionaire Lost Control! Chapter 444
Haley swatted his hand away and snatched her phone back. “If you want a happy and fulfilling life, go build it with Emma. We’re not compatible,” she said coldly, turning to leave. Justin quickly stepped in front of her, blocking her path. His tone was urgent as he explained, “It’s not like that with Emma! I only feel gratitude toward her—there’s no love!” “No love, but you still slept with her?” Haley’s gaze dropped to the hand barring her way. Her voice was icy. “Move your hand. You disgust me.” The air between them froze, heavy with tension. Justin’s hand, still raised in front of her, trembled slightly as uncertainty and panic filled his face. After a long silence, his voice came out hoarse and low. “I didn’t mean for it to happen. I drank too much that night, and when I woke up… she was in the hotel bed. It wasn’t intentional, Haley. Please believe me!” Mentioning that day brought a wave of pain that Justin hated to revisit. It had struck his life like a thunde
After the Breakup, the Billionaire Lost Control! Chapter 445
Why, out of all the people in the world, did Justin insist on clinging to her sister? Emma was already back. Why didn’t he go after her instead? “Justin is in love with your sister. Don’t you see that?” Zac said, exasperated. He wanted to crack open Helen’s head to see what was inside—besides her sister and her obsession with vanity. Was there even a tiny corner reserved for him? “It’s not just some shallow infatuation a man might feel for a woman. He loves her deeply! Over the past five years, that love has become part of him, ingrained in his very being, so much so that he can’t escape it.” Seeing that Helen had gone quiet, Zac pressed on. “If Haley doesn’t love him anymore, then it’s all meaningless. But if there’s even a shred of love left between them, why not let them have a chance to reconnect?” Helen stared blankly at the road ahead, her eyes unfocused, as if lost in thought. It was unclear whether Zac’s words had reached her. Suddenly, something seemed to cli
After the Breakup, the Billionaire Lost Control! Chapter 446
“I’ve told you before—if you turn over a new leaf, I can help you find a decent job. Stop sinking so low! Do you really think being a mistress to a married man is something to be proud of? Have you ever thought about your family? Do you know how much shame you’ve brought them by being a kept woman?” Peyton stood on his self-righteous pedestal, preaching at her as if he had the moral high ground. “Peyton, didn’t that slap from last time teach you anything?” Helen raised her hand, her voice laced with fury. “You want another one?” Seeing her hand lift, Peyton instinctively flinched, stepping back. He glanced nervously around, noticing the attention their argument was drawing. But instead of shrinking, the audience seemed to embolden him, like an imaginary army of onlookers backing his sense of justice. Pointing a finger at Zac, Peyton sneered, “Don’t think I’m afraid of you just because your family has money. Does being rich give you the right to bully people? Go ahead, hit m
After the Breakup, the Billionaire Lost Control! Chapter 447
“Believe it or not, but buy your ice cream and get lost!” Helen snapped, pointing at Peyton. Then, turning to Zac, who was paying at the counter, and the cashier, she added, “The treat doesn’t include him. He pays for himself!” “Got it,” the cashier replied cheerfully. As a fellow woman, she naturally sided with Helen. Once Zac finished paying, their ice cream was ready. Not wanting to stay and attract more attention, they decided to take everything to go and eat in the car instead. By the time they turned around, Peyton had already slinked away, humiliated by the murmurs of the other customers. In the car, Zac barely ate a bite before he started whining dramatically. “Wifey, I’m so upset! We’re officially married, and people still don’t believe I’m your husband.” He waved his left hand in front of her face, showing off his bare ring finger. “I don’t even have a wedding ring yet, let alone a ceremony! And we’re still sleeping in separate beds. Who does that? What newly
After the Breakup, the Billionaire Lost Control! Chapter 448
Haley sighed deeply. “Take it all back. I don’t want any of it.”She took a few steps back, turning to head toward the front door of her house. Justin, seeing this, didn’t dare stop her as forcefully as he had earlier that afternoon. Instead, he exchanged a quick glance with William, and the two hurriedly carried all the bags to her doorstep, setting them down before retreating just as quickly. It was almost comical—the way they dashed back to the car, as if being chased. Without so much as a goodbye, the car roared off like a rocket, leaving Haley standing in the night breeze, completely dumbfounded. She stared at the pile of bags in front of her, stunned, unable to react in time to stop them. From the window, Richard caught a glimpse of his sister’s shadow outside. Curious as to why she hadn’t come in yet, he opened the door. “Whoa! What’s all this?”Haley let out a tired sigh. “Just bring it inside.”Once inside, Richard and Alex eagerly began rummaging through the ba
After the Breakup, the Billionaire Lost Control! Chapter 449
Caught red-handed, even Helen, as bold as she was, stumbled over her words. “What… what does it have to do with you? And why are you even up this early? Shouldn’t you be asleep?” she deflected, attempting to change the subject. Richard raised the glass of water in his hand. “What, I can’t come downstairs for a drink?” He took a sip before adding smugly, “And for the record, I’m not waking up. I haven’t gone to bed yet.” Proud of his night owl status, he bit into a waffle. “Don’t bother calling me for breakfast. I’ll be asleep.” “Good! Sleep forever for all I care,” Helen muttered under her breath. Back in her room, she changed into pajamas and flopped onto her bed. “Ah, so tired!” she groaned. Just as she was drifting off, she heard noises in the hallway. Stifling a yawn, she dragged herself out of bed. Half-finished naps were worse than early mornings. Downstairs, Haley was enjoying her breakfast. Chase and Alex were still asleep. Helen strolled over and greete
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After the Breakup, the Billionaire Lost Control! Chapter 763
Haley shook her head quickly, flustered. “No… I mean—no.” Then she realized how that sounded and corrected herself. “Actually, yes. I’m just hot.”Helen blinked in confusion. “Hot? The classroom has air conditioning. Was the sunlight from the window hitting her seat?” Helen wondered.Without missing a beat, she rushed over and tugged the curtains tighter, making sure her bestie didn’t get “sunburned.” She still needed Haley to hold onto that top spot. Otherwise, she would lose her excuse at home for going out to “study” with Zac.The pressure and tension of senior year finally came to a close. On the day of the college entrance exam, when everyone stepped out of the test hall for the last time, their faces lit up with genuine smiles—relaxed, free, and full of relief.Haley tossed aside her textbooks. Her summer break was filled with makeup shopping trips with Helen or third-wheeling her and Zac on their study-dates-turned-real-dates.That routine came to an end the d
After the Breakup, the Billionaire Lost Control! Chapter 762
Haley’s eyes shifted as she thought quickly. “But… I don’t really like guys who rank higher than me on exams.”She gave a light shrug and continued, “I mean, I think we should be focusing on school right now. Relationships can wait until after we get into college, right? What if we don’t even end up at the same school? Long-distance never works, and after a while, we’d probably drift apart. Don’t you think?”Was that a gentle rejection? It seemed like it. Haley wondered if she had been too blunt. Had she left him any dignity at all?They still had a whole year of high school left together. She didn’t want things to get awkward between them. A harsh rejection would only make everything more uncomfortable.Justin furrowed his brows, thinking for a long moment before giving a single reply. “Okay.”Then he slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked off.Haley stood there, completely confused.“Okay? What did he mean by that?“Did he understand what I was trying to say?
After the Breakup, the Billionaire Lost Control! Chapter 761
Emma and her little clique of schoolyard mean girls had Justin completely surrounded.“I’ll ask you one more time,” she said, smug and unbothered. “Will you be my boyfriend or not?”“No,” Justin replied coldly, his face unreadable.“Hey!” one of Emma’s loyal followers stepped forward, cracking her knuckles and getting way too close. “Do you even know who our Emma is? She’s the heiress of the Xander Corporation. She’s giving you a chance, and you should be grateful. You better say yes.”“What, you want us to beat you up before you agree?” another girl sneered.Justin didn’t flinch. His icy stare locked onto the girl who spoke, completely unbothered by the threat.Emma waved a hand to hold her crew back, pretending to be generous. Then she turned to Justin again, cocky and bold.“I like you way too much to have anyone rough you up,” she said sweetly. “But I heard you’re trying to get into Altiplano University in the capital. Here’s the deal—if you go out with me, I’ll have my dad
After the Breakup, the Billionaire Lost Control! Chapter 760
As soon as Justin sat down and pulled out the textbook for the next class, a hand suddenly reached out from beside him.“Hey, I’m Zac White,” Zac said.Justin glanced up with a cold look, then went right back to pulling out his notebook and pen—completely ignoring the extended hand.Zac awkwardly pulled his hand back, speechless.“Man… this guy’s seriously cold. What a show-off,” he thought to himself.The class flew by. When the bell rang, signaling the end of the period, Haley and Helen linked arms and headed off toward the bathroom. Zac immediately trailed after them.“Where are you two going? Take me with you.”“You planning on going into the girls’ bathroom, you perv?” Helen smacked his hand away, not wanting their classmates—or worse, their teacher—to get any ideas about the two of them dating.Zac scratched his nose. “Fine, I won’t go in the girls’ room… but I can go to the guys’ one, can’t I?”“Hmph!” Helen huffed, scrunching her nose playfully.Zac clutched his chest
After the Breakup, the Billionaire Lost Control! Chapter 759
At a top-ranked high school in Lincourt City, the bell rang.Students still lingering in the hallways or restrooms were urged to hurry back to class.Outside, the summer heat simmered, accompanied by the steady buzz of cicadas. Inside, the air-conditioned classrooms offered a much more comfortable escape.In Class 2–1 of the junior year, students hurried back to their seats. Just as the final chime faded, the homeroom teacher walked in, holding a stack of freshly graded exam papers.“For this round of mock exams,” she announced, loud and clear, “the top score in the entire grade once again goes to our very own Haley!”A wave of murmurs and applause followed. “Let’s all work hard and try to catch up to her next time!”She began handing out the papers in order, from the highest score to the lowest.After Haley got her paper, the next few went to her seatmate, Helen, and the student sitting behind them—Zac.“Work hard and catch up?” Helen muttered as she slid back into her seat, s
After the Breakup, the Billionaire Lost Control! Chapter 758
But what did it matter, even if she still loved him? The pain he caused her in the past was still there, lingering beneath the surface.They had loved, they had hurt, they had been entangled for years. But not every love story had to end with forgiveness and reconciliation.Haley couldn’t pretend the past hadn’t happened. She couldn’t smile and pick up where they left off, as if nothing had ever gone wrong.She would always remember that street in Merika State, when Justin turned away, picked Emma up in his arms, and left her standing there alone.Even if he had mistaken someone else for her, the pain he caused and the love he failed to give were real.And that wasn’t something she could ever forget.She could make peace with the past, but she could never erase it.Her heart ached, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she turned and walked away.*Years later, Haley passed away peacefully in her bedroom at the estate.That same day, Justin had gone out to the grocer
After the Breakup, the Billionaire Lost Control! Chapter 757
It was just a shame that life rarely worked out the way people wanted it to.*Ten years passed in the blink of an eye.Chase and Alex had grown taller and older. Haley’s once-small jewelry brand had not only found its place in the industry—it had grown into a globally recognized luxury label, known for bespoke, high-end pieces.As for Justin, he split his time between Haven State and Merika State. Whenever he wasn’t busy, he would shamelessly camp out at the estate, claiming he was just there to “see the kids.”Eventually, no one even bothered to call him out on it anymore.One day, Haley had a business meeting with a potential partner—a widowed single father. Somehow, Justin caught wind of a rumor that the man had feelings for Haley and was actively pursuing her. Word had it that she was interested too, and they were currently having dinner together at a restaurant.The second Justin heard that, he canceled a company meeting, boarded his private jet, and flew straight to Mer
After the Breakup, the Billionaire Lost Control! Chapter 756
As soon as Haley stepped into the room, Justin followed right behind her.It was the first time he had ever set foot in Haley’s room—the space where she lived in Merika State.“Get out!” she snapped.“Haley, I just wanted to see you. Please don’t make me leave, okay?”His eyes scanned the room. The walls, the shelves—everything was filled with Haley’s photos. There was even a custom-built glass display case, clearly made with love, housing her pictures from childhood to adulthood. It was something Evelyn had put together just for her, and it overflowed with affection.There were portraits of her alone, family pictures, and right at the top—photos of Chase and Alex.Justin looked at each one carefully, as if he were trying to piece together a life he hadn’t been part of, but desperately wished he had been.Then his gaze landed on a particular photo: Haley in her teens, wearing a soft pink-and-white hoodie with little bunny ears on the hood. Her pale skin, big round eyes, and brig
After the Breakup, the Billionaire Lost Control! Chapter 755
“Haley…” Justin’s voice was weak. There was so much he wanted to say, but he didn’t even know where to start.“I heard you’re sick?” Haley said.“I… I’m fine. I’m not really sick, I just—”“Take care of yourself. Heart problems aren’t like other illnesses. Just look forward. Let go of the past. Meet someone new. Live your life.”Justin fell silent. His head dropped, and the phone pressed against his ear was clenched so tightly in his hand that his knuckles turned white. He wrestled with the words for a long moment before finally managing to force out.“Okay.”But he knew. He wouldn’t meet someone new. Without Haley, what kind of life could he possibly call “living”?The call ended. Life went back to its quiet rhythm. Justin no longer clung to Haley or tried to find her. After one more day in the hospital, he threw himself back into work and took over the reins of RC Corporation.They had truly managed to part on peaceful terms.After returning to Merika State, Haley d
