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We Need To Talk
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2024-10-29 19:42:56
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CHASING THE BILLIONAIRE'S SUBSTITUTE EX-WIFE I'm Not Giving Up On You
“LET’S GO TO your room for a bit, kids? Is that okay? You’ve had a busy day,” Alice Lancaster smiled softly at her grandchildren. She then held out her hand.Vera, still excited, grabbed her grandmother’s hand right away. “Can we play with the toys you got us?”“Of course,” Alice replied, leading the kids to their room. “We can play for a little while, and then maybe read a story.”Vince hesitated, glancing back at his parents. “But we just arrived. And we missed Mom. Can’t we stay, Grandma?” he argued. “Your grandpa wants to talk to your parents privately, Vince. Maybe later.” With what his grandma said, Vince didn’t say anything anymore. Instead, he followed his sister and grandmother, the door closing quietly behind them.With the kids gone, the room felt heavier. As soon as the door to their room closed, the atmosphere in the living room grew tense. Vivienne stood by the couch, her hands nervously held together. Ezekiel was near the edge of the couch, shifting from one foot to
CHASING THE BILLIONAIRE'S SUBSTITUTE EX-WIFE Flowers For You
VIVIENNE“Why did we have to leave Paris so suddenly, Mom?” Vince asked, his brow furrowed with confusion.Right after what happened in Paris, I decided to take the kids back to New York. Yes. Immediately. With that, Vince and Vera couldn’t help but ask questions.“Yeah, Mom,” Vera chimed in, looking equally puzzled. “We didn’t even finish our classes there.”My throat ran dry because of their questions. I wasn’t sure if I could answer them honestly but I needed to keep my cool. “D-Didn’t you miss your friends here in New York?” I asked, trying to sound as casual as possible. “And besides, summer vacation is almost over. You’ll want to be settled back in before school starts again.”“But I wasn’t done with my soccer class too,” Vince argued, crossing his arms. “Coach said I was doing really well. I wanted to finish it.”“And I still had a few dance lessons left,” Vera added, a slight pout forming on her lips while hugging the new Barbie doll that her father gave her before we left Pa
CHASING THE BILLIONAIRE'S SUBSTITUTE EX-WIFE More Than Ready
EZEKIELAs I paced around my penthouse, I dialed Brooks, my assistant. The phone rang a couple of times before he picked up.“Morning, Mr. Harrington,” Brooks greeted with a chipper tone as always.“Morning, Brooks,” I replied. “Did the flowers get delivered to Vivienne?”To be honest, I was shocked when I found out that Vivienne and the kids suddenly went back to New York without telling me. I was confused, maybe even a little hurt. But I tried to see it from her side. Maybe she needed space or was trying to figure things out on her own. I could understand that. But I couldn’t help but feel like she was testing me, seeing if I’d just let it go. Well, if that’s what she’s doing, then I’ll take it as a challenge. I’ve still got a lot to deal with here in Paris, but it can wait. The moment I found out she left, I didn’t think twice—I booked a flight to New York. Then I asked my assistant to send her a bouquet of her favorite flowers to let her know that I’d follow her anywhere she go
CHASING THE BILLIONAIRE'S SUBSTITUTE EX-WIFE Little Secret
VIVIENNE STOOD IN the living room. She still couldn’t take her eyes off the light pink lilies that Ezekiel had sent her. Its petals were soft and beautiful, and the sight of them made her heart warm. Ever since, she was really fond of lilies and Ezekiel knew that. The note that accompanied the flowers was still in her hand, and she read it once more. The words were simple, but they affected her in a way she couldn’t ignore: “Vienne, these flowers are for you. I heard you flew back to New York, and it seems like perfect timing since I planned on returning to New York too. See you soon. — Ezekiel.”A few of the maids passed by, noticing the bouquet on the table. One of them, a middle-aged woman with a kind smile, commented, “Those are beautiful flowers, ma’am. Must be from someone special, huh?” Another maid joined in, her eyes twinkling with curiosity. “Yes, ma’am, they’re lovely. Is it from an admirer?”Vivienne gave a small, almost nervous smile. If only they knew who sent them…
CHASING THE BILLIONAIRE'S SUBSTITUTE EX-WIFE I'll Always Catch You
VIVIENNEWhen I saw Ezekiel standing there, my heart almost stopped. I had no idea he meant it when he wrote "see you soon" in that note. I thought it was just something people say, not something he actually planned to act on so quickly. But here he was, sooner than I ever expected, and I wasn’t prepared for it!Seeing him now, looking so sure of himself, made me panic. I didn’t know how to handle this—how to handle him—especially not today."Uh, Ezekiel… what are you doing here?" I stammered with my eyes wide in surprise. I tried to keep my voice steady but I failed. Vera wasted no time running up to him, throwing her arms around his legs. "Daddy! You made it!"He scooped her up with that effortless charm, kissing her on the cheek. "Of course, I did, princess. I wouldn't miss this for the world."I stared at them, piecing it all together. Vera’s secretive behavior, Ezekiel showing up out of nowhere—it all made sense now. I turned to Vera, trying to keep my voice light. "You knew ab
CHASING THE BILLIONAIRE'S SUBSTITUTE EX-WIFE Picnic
VIVIENNE"Stay where I can see you!" I called after the twins, though I doubted they even heard me.As we passed through the first activity which was the trust fall, I reminded the kids not to wander too far. But they were already off, running ahead to explore all the other activities. I tried to keep up, but their energy was limitless, and I quickly found myself lagging behind.Ezekiel walked beside me, taking it all in stride. He glanced at me and smiled. "Take it easy. Let them enjoy themselves,” he told me. “I’m just worried they would hurt themselves or something,” I reasoned out. But he just smiled cooly. “Isn’t that part of growing up?” I raised an eyebrow at his statement. I felt the urge to counter him, to say that he just couldn’t understand what it was like to be so overprotective of Vince and Vera because he wasn’t there from the start. He didn’t know the sleepless nights, the constant worry, the overwhelming responsibility of raising them on my own. But as the words
CHASING THE BILLIONAIRE'S SUBSTITUTE EX-WIFE Family Picture
EZEKIELLooking at Vivienne, Vera, and Vince sitting beside me and us, having a picnic made me feel some sort of contentment. When was the last time I did this? Or did I ever experience having a picnic before? I watched Vera and Vince dig into their food, and for a moment, everything felt just right.I pulled out my phone and started taking pictures of the kids. I couldn’t stop myself from capturing every moment. Then I turned to her brother who was beside her. "Hey, Vince, smile for the camera!" I called out, and he gave me a half-smile, his usual reserved self. Vera, on the other hand, was all giggles, posing with her sandwich like she was on a magazine cover. “Me too, Dad!” she said. “Alright.” After a while, I turned the camera toward Vivienne. She was sitting quietly, looking at the kids with a soft expression. I snapped a picture before she even noticed, wanting to remember how beautiful she looked at that moment, even with her messy hair.“You three, smile all together,”
CHASING THE BILLIONAIRE'S SUBSTITUTE EX-WIFE More Time With Them
VIVIENNEMy heart automatically ached when Ezekiel mentioned our first child. Although years had already passed and I even got Vera and Vince now, the pain of the miscarriage was never really gone. It just stayed within me, occasionally getting triggered. I could still clearly remember how alone I felt during that time. How everything seemed to crumble around me. And worst of all, I felt like I had lost Ezekiel too. He became so distant, so cold. It was as if the miscarriage took away more than just our child; it took away the man I had fallen in love with.But I didn’t want to dwell on those thoughts. So, I pushed the negative feelings aside."Anyways," I began, trying to change the subject, "don’t you have work to do? How were you able to travel from Paris to New York and come here to the park with us?"Ezekiel looked at me. The guilt faded from his expression. He was probably guilty when he brought up our lost child earlier. Now, a small smile played on his lips again. "I cance
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CHASING THE BILLIONAIRE'S SUBSTITUTE EX-WIFE Special Chapter IV
EZEKIEL NEVER THOUGHT he’d feel so nervous, yet here he was. He couldn’t help but pace back and forth in the hospital room while Vivienne lay on the bed, breathing deeply as another contraction hit. His palms were sweaty and his heart was racing so damn fast. He couldn’t even sit down for a second. This was nothing like the business meetings, nothing like the deals he’d spent his life preparing for. This was something else. He’d missed the birth of the twins, and he knew he couldn’t miss a second of this moment with Vivienne.He’d missed the birth of the twins, and he knew he couldn’t miss a second of this moment with Vivienne. Back then, he hadn’t been there to hold her hand, to see the twins take their first breaths. This time, he’d promised himself he’d be present, no matter how terrifying it felt. Vivienne noticed his restless pacing and reached out to catch his hand, tugging gently. “Zeke, calm down,” she said, chuckling despite her pain.He stopped, looking down at her, his
CHASING THE BILLIONAIRE'S SUBSTITUTE EX-WIFE Special Chapter III
VINCE WAS SITTING alone in the school canteen while he was lost in his own thoughts. Unlike his twin sister, he wasn’t worried at all about having a new sibling. In fact, he was excited. He couldn’t wait to have someone younger around to teach things to, especially about computers and coding. He’d already planned it out in his head that he’d show their new sibling all the basics, and someday, they’d be able to talk about complex stuff too. Just the thought of it made him smile.As he stared into space while planning all the lessons he’d someday teach, someone placed a small box in front of him. Vince blinked when his train of thought was interrupted. He looked down at the box, noticing it was wrapped neatly with a bow on top. Then he looked up and saw Maesei, the little girl he, Vera, and Genesis had helped when she was being bullied a while back.Maesei was standing there, looking shy and nervous. Her cheeks were red and she avoided his gaze, looking down at the table instead.Vin
CHASING THE BILLIONAIRE'S SUBSTITUTE EX-WIFE Special Chapter II
GENESIS SPOTTED VERA sitting alone on the bleachers, looking lost in thought as she watched Vince at his soccer practice. She was unusually quiet, her small frame slumped forward, and her chin rested on her hands. Genesis found this strange. Usually, Vera was energetic and loud, always cheering for her brother or chatting away.With a grin, Genesis walked over and sat down beside her. “Hey,” he said, nudging her gently. “Why do you look so sad? Thinking too hard?”To his surprise, Vera’s lip started to tremble, and before he knew it, tears spilled down her cheeks. She let out a small, choked sob, and then it came—all the tears she had held back, spilling out in big, messy drops.Genesis's eyes widened and he instantly panicked. “Whoa, hey, hey—what’s wrong, Vera?” He fumbled, trying to figure out what to do. He’d never seen her cry like this before. “Did something happen?”Vera shook her head but kept crying, covering her face with her hands. Feeling helpless, Genesis reached over
CHASING THE BILLIONAIRE'S SUBSTITUTE EX-WIFE Special Chapter I
THE AFTER-PARTY was winding down and Piper was more than a little tipsy. She leaned heavily on Jeremy, her bubbly personality even more vibrant after a few too many glasses of champagne. Jeremy sighed, his arm steady around her as he led her through the crowded room.“Come on, Piper,” he said while rying to sound patient. “Let’s get you home.”Piper let out a laugh as she rolled her eyes. “Oh, Jeremy, you’re so lame! Why didn’t you drink anything tonight? There were bottles of wine that cost more than you’d make in a month! You could’ve at least had one!”Jeremy shook his head, guiding her carefully through the doorway. “I don’t drink much. Besides, someone had to be responsible for you,” he said in a calm voice. She threw him a mock offended look, then smirked. “Oh, please. Responsible? You’re missing out! Once-in-a-blue-moon kind of party, and you’re just standing there, drinking water. So boring.”He just nodded, too tired to argue. He knew she was half-joking, half-serious, but
CHASING THE BILLIONAIRE'S SUBSTITUTE EX-WIFE EPILOGUE IV
EZEKIELForgiving isn’t easy. It’s one of the hardest things you can do, especially when the person who hurt you is someone you once trusted, someone you loved deeply. I’d always respected people who could forgive the ones who wronged them, who could find it in their hearts to let go of pain and bitterness. And tonight, watching Vivienne, I felt my admiration for her grow even more.I thought I’d reached the limit of how much I could love her, but seeing her forgive my mother—that changed things. Vivienne had already forgiven me before, a forgiveness I never thought I deserved but clung to, knowing how lucky I was to have it. And now, she was doing the same for my mother. I looked at Vivienne, her calm expression, her steady gaze, and I couldn’t help but feel grateful. She was truly incredible, a woman who could forgive despite the hurt, and in that moment, I knew I was the luckiest man alive.After my mother’s apology, we found a quieter spot away from everyone else. I turned to V
CHASING THE BILLIONAIRE'S SUBSTITUTE EX-WIFE EPILOGUE III
VIVIENNEIt was never too late to rise up again after you’ve hit rock bottom. I’d learned that lesson over and over, but standing here now, it finally felt real. So many times, I thought that scandal with Aton would destroy everything I’d worked for. I worried people would only ever see me as the woman caught up in a messy scheme, but here I was, with a new chapter in front of me. This was my second chance—not just to clear my name, but to make it stronger than ever. Viatrix. That name still had power, still had life.I looked around the room, taking in all the smiles and congratulatory handshakes. Ezekiel and I had just launched our fashion line that we had been working on, and the event couldn’t have gone any better. Everywhere I turned, there were people celebrating with us, praising the collection, the designs, the way we had merged our ideas and brought something beautiful to life. For the first time in a long time, I felt truly proud of myself and what I had accomplished ag
CHASING THE BILLIONAIRE'S SUBSTITUTE EX-WIFE EPILOGUE II
EZEKIELIt was never too late to change. I knew that now. I wouldn’t deny to myself or to anyone else that I had made mistakes before. Too many to count, honestly. I’d been an ass. I didn’t know what I really wanted back then. I wasn’t sure of what the right thing was or how to treat Vivienne the way she deserved. I’d lost sight of things, caught up in my own mess, letting my insecurities and past hold me back. But now, standing here in Switzerland, away from the noise and all the misunderstandings, I felt something I’d never felt before—a clear sense of certainty. I loved her. I loved Vivienne in a way that was different, in a way that wasn’t clouded by doubt or fear. She was the woman I wanted to spend my life with, and I’d failed to see that in the past. But I had the chance to make it right, and I wasn’t going to let it slip by.The soft breeze carried the scent of lilies as I stood at the end of the aisle, waiting for Vivienne. My heart pounded, and I could feel the tears gather
CHASING THE BILLIONAIRE'S SUBSTITUTE EX-WIFE EPILOGUE I
VIVIENNEBefore, I was just dreaming of a good husband. A husband who would love me, who would prioritize me, who would stand by my side no matter what. It felt like a faraway wish, something I’d only imagine late at night. When I first married Ezekiel, it wasn’t like that at all. He only married me because he felt he had to; it was a shotgun marriage after all, coming right after the surprise of my pregnancy.Back then, Ezekiel couldn’t even get over his ex, Alex. I knew it. Everyone knew it. I always felt like a stand-in, a shadow, never really the one he wanted. I was just a substitute. But now, looking at him today—seeing him boldly defend me, even against his own parents—I can’t ignore how deeply he’s changed. Before, Ezekiel always followed his parents’ words without question, like he was bound by some invisible chain. They had such a hold over him, and I’d come to accept that their influence would always come first. So now, seeing him stand up to them—for my sake, no less—fe
CHASING THE BILLIONAIRE'S SUBSTITUTE EX-WIFE Finally Free
EZEKIELMy fists balled as I scanned through each line of conversation on Vince’s laptop. Each word felt like a punch. And I gritted my teeth, trying to contain the anger boiling within me. Genesis had been right. It was real that the contents from Aton’s phone had transferred over. Everything was here—messages, plans, and schemes that Aton and my own fucking father had discussed. Each message was worse than the last, detailing how they intended to bring down Vivienne and tarnish everything she’d worked for. I could feel Alice and Ronaldo leaning in, reading over my shoulder. Alice gasped, covering her mouth as her face turned pale. She shook her head. “I can’t believe they could plan something so evil,” she whispered, horrified.Ronaldo’s expression darkened, his eyes sharp and filled with rage. “This won’t slide,” he said firmly, his voice low and steady. “I won’t let them get away with this.”His words fueled my resolve. I nodded, swallowing hard, though my mind was racing. Ju
