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Chapter 19 ; Adrian’s Perspective
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Bab terkait
Hold on, Mr billionaire. Chapter 20 ; The brother returns
The day started with the usual chaos, a flurry of emails and phone calls, the weight of a multi-billion dollar empire pressing down on my shoulders. But today, there was an added layer of tension, an unwelcome disturbance that had been gnawing at me since my mother’s call yesterday. Oliver was coming back.I sat in my office, staring at the city skyline, the endless stretch of glass and steel that represented my dominion. Yet, for all its beauty, today it felt like a cage. I couldn't help but think of the years of animosity and silent competition that had defined my relationship with my brother.My phone buzzed, snapping me out of my reverie. A text from Lucas.**Lucas:** “Oliver’s flight just landed. He’ll be here in an hour.”I sighed, running a hand through my hair. The last thing I needed was another power struggle, especially now. I glanced at the clock. One hour to prepare for a confrontation I had been avoiding for years.I decided to distract myself by reviewing the Sterling d
Hold on, Mr billionaire. Chapter 21; Adrian has a brother???
Bella's POV The morning was crisp and clear as I made my way to the Langston Tech building, the towering skyscrapers of Meridian City reflecting the sunlight in a dazzling array of colors. Today felt different. The air seemed charged with a mix of anticipation and unease. Adrian had mentioned a significant meeting, but I had no idea what to expect.I stepped into the elevator, the sleek chrome walls and ambient lighting a stark contrast to the tumultuous thoughts in my head. My outfit, carefully chosen, consisted of a royal blue pencil skirt paired with a white silk blouse and a tailored blazer. Professional yet approachable, a look that exuded confidence even if I didn’t entirely feel it.As I walked into my office, I was greeted by the usual hum of activity. Diana gave me a brief nod, her expression neutral as she handed me a stack of reports. "Good morning, Bella. Adrian is expecting you in his office.""Thanks, Diana," I replied, giving her a polite smile.I took a deep breath and
Hold on, Mr billionaire. Bella’s Perspective
The rest of the day passed in a blur of meetings and project updates. Despite my best efforts to concentrate, Diana’s warning kept replaying in my mind. There was something about her tone that suggested more than just professional jealousy. It felt personal.The next morning, I awoke with a sense of determination. I dressed with care, opting for a soft lavender blouse paired with a charcoal grey pencil skirt and nude heels. I pulled my hair back into a sleek ponytail, hoping the polished look would bolster my confidence. Today, I was going to face whatever came my way head-on.When I arrived at Langston Tech, the office was already buzzing with activity. I exchanged polite greetings with my colleagues and made my way to my office, only to find a large bouquet of lilies and roses waiting on my desk. Attached was a small card that read, “For your dedication and hard work. - Adrian.”I smiled, feeling a warmth spread through me. It was a thoughtful gesture, and I couldn’t help but appreci
Hold on, Mr billionaire. Chapter 23; Secret Past
#### Bella’s PerspectiveThe weight of Diana's words lingered in my mind as I made my way to the archives. Langston Tech's archive room was a labyrinth of old files and documents, a place where history was both preserved and forgotten. I had always found solace in the quiet, dusty corners of libraries and archives, and today, I hoped to uncover something that would shed light on Adrian’s business dealings.As I stepped into the room, I was surprised to find Oliver already there, sifting through a stack of old files. He looked up and gave me a warm smile.“Hey, Bella. What brings you to the archives?” he asked, his tone light and welcoming.“I’m looking for information on past business deals,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. “I need to understand more about Langston Tech’s history.”Oliver’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. “I can help with that. What specifically are you looking for?”I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how much to reveal. “I’m trying to learn more about the ea
Hold on, Mr billionaire. Chapter 24; Guards down
Bella’s PerspectiveAdrian's confession weighed heavily on my mind as I left his office. The revelation about our fathers’ partnership added a new dimension to everything I thought I knew about Adrian and our connection. There was a mix of apprehension and curiosity churning inside me, and I needed to process it all.As I walked back to my office, I spotted Grace leaning against my desk, flipping through a magazine. She looked up as I entered, her eyes bright with curiosity.“Hey, Bella. What’s going on? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she said, her tone light but concerned.I managed a weak smile. “It’s a long story. How about we grab a coffee, and I’ll fill you in?”Grace nodded eagerly, and we made our way to the small café on the ground floor of the Langston Tech building. The scent of freshly brewed coffee and the quiet hum of conversations provided a comforting backdrop as we settled into a corner booth.“So, what’s the scoop?” Grace asked, her eyes wide with anticipation.I
Hold on, Mr billionaire. Chapter 25: You betrayed me
Adrian’s PerspectiveThe tension in the air was thick as I walked through the glass-paneled halls of Langston Tech. My mind buzzed with everything that had unfolded recently — the connection between our fathers that Bella uncovered, Oliver's return, and the ever-looming presence of Monica Tate. But despite the storm swirling around me, I had to maintain control. My employees, my team — they all looked to me as the figurehead, the one who kept everything running smoothly.Langston Tech had always been an empire, but lately, cracks were starting to form beneath its sleek, pristine surface.My office loomed ahead like a sanctuary — my refuge. The floor-to-ceiling windows allowed a breathtaking view of the city, the sun reflecting off the skyscrapers in the distance. The world outside seemed calm, unaware of the chaos simmering just below the surface of this building.As I entered my office, Lucas was already there, waiting by my desk with his usual cool professionalism. His suit was shar
Hold on, Mr billionaire. Chapter 26; Grace’s ambition
Bella’s PerspectiveThe sunlight filtered through my apartment window as I sat at the small kitchen table, scrolling through emails and project files. The day had been long, filled with more questions than answers, but I couldn’t afford to slow down. Adrian was relying on me, and despite everything I had learned about his past, I found myself still wanting to prove that I could handle the pressure. Maybe it was my own need to rise to the challenge — or maybe it was something else.A buzz came from my phone, jolting me from my thoughts. It was Grace. I smiled softly, seeing her name pop up. My little sister. The last person I needed to talk to about corporate sabotage or business politics, but somehow, she always had a way of grounding me, bringing me back to the reality of our family — of simpler things.“Hey,” I answered, putting the phone on speaker as I leaned back in my chair.“Bella!” Grace’s voice was bright, but there was an edge of excitement in her tone that I hadn’t heard in
Hold on, Mr billionaire. Chapter 27: Ambition and Attraction
Bella’s PerspectiveThe soft chime of my phone brought me out of my thoughts as I stared at my screen. Grace had been texting me all morning, ever since she dropped the bombshell about her meeting with Monica Tate. I hadn’t heard from her since last night, but now she was suddenly talking about her ambitions as if the whole thing with Monica hadn’t happened. **Grace**: “I’m serious, Bella. I really think I can make something of myself in the tech industry.”My fingers hovered over the keys, unsure how to respond. I wanted to be supportive, but the idea of my little sister getting mixed up in this world — especially with Monica — made me uneasy. Grace had always been ambitious, but this sudden interest in tech, and her connection to Monica, was making everything far more complicated.I finally typed a response.**Me**: “Grace, tech is no joke. It’s cutthroat. You need to be careful who you trust.”Her reply came instantly.**Grace**: “I know that. That’s why I need your help.”I sighe
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Hold on, Mr billionaire. Chapter 48; The Deal
The boardroom was filled with a heavy silence as Ethan set up his presentation. The air felt thick with tension, as if everyone was waiting for the moment when his polished facade would slip. Adrian sat at the head of the table, his eyes sharp and unreadable, while Lucas and Diana took their seats beside him. I settled into my chair, steeling myself for whatever Ethan had planned. The lights dimmed, and Ethan began, clicking to the first slide of a crisp, visually sleek presentation titled *A New Future: Synergy Between Innovation and Tradition.* “Thank you all for taking the time,” Ethan said, casting a wide smile across the room, his gaze landing on me just a moment too long. “Today, I’ll outline the ways our companies can benefit from a partnership.” His voice was smooth, rehearsed; each word polished to convey a blend of opportunity and respect. But something about his tone felt off—a bit too insistent, a bit too eager to convince.He shifted to the next slide, filled with a dia
Hold on, Mr billionaire. Chapter 47; one step at a time
The next morning, I arrived at the office early, feeling a strange mixture of excitement and caution. The memory of last night lingered—Adrian’s kiss, the way he held me, the feeling that maybe, just maybe, he saw me as more than just a business partner. But I had no time to savor the memory; I was here early for a reason. Something wasn’t adding up with Ethan’s sudden reappearance, and I wanted to get a step ahead before Adrian found out I was looking into it.I made my way to the archives, where files from the early days of Langston Enterprises were kept. A dim light illuminated the room, casting long shadows across the shelves. I pulled up some of the older files on Adrian’s father’s partnerships and contracts, searching for any record of Ethan’s involvement—or, more significantly, his family’s ties to Langston Enterprises. As I scrolled through digital records and skimmed pages of dusty folders, a name kept coming up that made my stomach twist: *Harold Langston.*Harold Langston,
Hold on, Mr billionaire. Chapter 46: An unwelcome return
I was reviewing final edits on a presentation when my phone buzzed with a message from Grace: *"Guess who I ran into? Ethan!"* I blinked at the name. It had been years since we’d last spoken, and honestly, I’d thought he was well out of my life. But that familiar unease crept in; I remembered all too well the way things had ended, and the reminder was enough to unsettle me. Then came the knock at my door. My pulse quickened as I turned, expecting Diana or maybe even Adrian with an unexpected update. Instead, standing there in a sharply tailored suit, dark hair styled in that effortlessly arrogant way, was Ethan, smiling as if the past didn’t matter.“Bella,” he said, voice smooth as ever, like we were just picking up where we’d left off. “Ethan.” I felt my spine straighten, every professional instinct kicking in. “What are you doing here?”“I’m here on business, believe it or not,” he replied, his gaze drifting around the room before landing back on me with that same cocky glint. “L
Hold on, Mr billionaire. Chapter 45: The truth we bury
The unexpected knock sliced through the tension between us, snapping us both out of the intimate, fragile moment we’d been sharing. Adrian’s expression shifted from vulnerability to guardedness, his brows knitting as he pulled away. “Excuse me,” he muttered, getting up and heading toward the door with an air of wariness. I watched him go, a thousand thoughts tangled in my mind, a hundred emotions lingering in the space between us.As he opened the door, the sound of a familiar voice drifted in. “Hey, I just wanted to drop off these files for tomorrow's meeting—”Lucas stood there, papers in hand, his gaze shifting from Adrian to me in a flash. A beat of silence stretched uncomfortably. I couldn’t read Lucas’s expression, but there was something in his eyes—a flicker of something I couldn’t quite place, like he was hiding a secret of his own.“Lucas,” Adrian greeted him with a forced calm. “Thanks. Leave them on the desk, I’ll look them over later.”“Of course,” Lucas replied, his gaz
Hold on, Mr billionaire. Chapter 44; Unmasked intentions
The room felt both intimate and heavy with tension. The evening's silence was broken only by the distant hum of city traffic and the soft tick of the wall clock. Adrian’s eyes, softened just moments before, were now watchful, as if bracing himself.“Adrian, I need to know something,” I began, my voice more unsteady than I’d anticipated. I let go of his hand, pulling back slightly to see him more clearly. “Did you… did you know who I was before you hired me?”He seemed taken aback, his brow furrowing slightly. “Bella, I—” His gaze shifted, the truth simmering beneath the surface.“Just tell me, please,” I pressed, feeling the weight of every encounter, every moment shared, hanging in the balance. “Did you hire me because of my father?”He exhaled, running a hand through his hair, and his hesitation told me more than any words could have. “No, not exactly,” he finally admitted. “When I first met you, I didn’t know you were *that* Martinez. But… there are protocols for hiring. We do a bac
Hold on, Mr billionaire. Chapter 43; Unveiling
The days that followed were a whirlwind of damage control and calculated moves on Adrian's part. The storm Monica had tried to create was quieting, yet the questions still lingered, gnawing at the edges of my mind. The text I had sent Adrian back in the thick of things weighed heavily on me, a delicate balance between trust and suspicion.One evening, after the buzz of work had faded and I found myself alone in my apartment, I finally allowed myself to review everything I’d uncovered. The image I’d found in the archives, buried beneath decades of dust and silence, had shifted everything. My father and Adrian’s father, standing together in what looked like a boardroom, their expressions serious, as though they were on the verge of something monumental. They were once business partners, possibly even friends—an alliance that, somehow, had been completely erased from our family’s history.My thoughts wandered back to Adrian’s reaction when I’d hinted at this discovery. He’d dismissed it
Hold on, Mr billionaire. Chapter 42; A fragile alliance
Bella entered Adrian’s office early, the silence of the space giving her a chance to gather her thoughts. The past week had left her with questions she couldn’t shake, pieces of a puzzle that didn’t quite fit, and an odd tension she sensed every time she was around Adrian and his brother, Oliver. She’d even felt a trace of that tension in Oliver’s hesitant smile, a look that made her wonder what he wasn’t saying. As she arranged her notes on the sleek table in front of her, she looked up to see Adrian walk in. He wore a perfectly tailored charcoal suit, a shade darker than his usual choice, and his expression was as intense as ever, but there was something different—an exhaustion clinging to the edges of his otherwise steady demeanor.“Good morning,” Bella greeted, trying to hide the nerves she felt every time she saw him lately. She knew her feelings were getting tangled in a way that was dangerous, in a way that felt irreversible. “Morning.” Adrian’s voice was softer than usual, a
Hold on, Mr billionaire. Chapter 41; The price of secrets
Oliver waited until the hallways of the building were quiet, shadows stretching long across the floor as most of the team filtered out for the evening. He’d decided to find Adrian in his office, knowing this was a conversation that couldn’t wait any longer. After learning the truth from Lucas, Oliver felt a simmering mix of anger, urgency, and an unexpected protective instinct toward both his brother and Lucas.He found Adrian standing near his floor-to-ceiling window, looking out over the city, his usual strong stance softened by the dim light filtering in from the buildings beyond. Adrian looked like a man who carried the weight of the world, and in a way, he did.Adrian didn’t turn when Oliver entered, but his voice was steady. “You’ve been quiet lately,” he said, as if sensing Oliver’s presence. “Everything all right?”Oliver clenched his jaw, trying to figure out the best way to start. He knew that pushing Adrian too hard could backfire, but there was no easy way to explain this.
Hold on, Mr billionaire. Chapter 40; You’ve got a child?!
(Third person pov)The weight of betrayal lingered in the air like a suffocating fog. Oliver stood in his apartment, staring at his phone. The unexpected message from Lucas had been gnawing at him for hours now, but he couldn’t shake the need to know what was truly going on. After all the years of bitterness and distance between him and Adrian, was this just another layer of deception? Another crack in the foundation of their relationship?Lucas had reached out to *him*—not Adrian. And that in itself was unusual.He replayed the message over in his head: “I need to explain everything. Meet me at our old spot. It’s not what you think.”It was vague, cryptic, and reeked of desperation. Oliver couldn’t help but wonder what was driving Lucas to reach out now. What had he been hiding all this time? The Lucas Oliver had known growing up had been loyal to Adrian—a confidante, his right-hand man. That was until Monica Tate had come into the picture.Oliver had never liked Monica. She was manip
