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14. Matter of the state
Last Updated:
2024-12-24 19:52:57
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Lost And Found By The Billionaire 15. No longer welcome
Cassie’s POVAs we pulled up in front of my parents' house, a wave of nostalgia hit me. It was right in the center of the city, yet it felt like a peaceful world of its own, far removed from the noise and chaos outside. It was my little escape. The mansion wasn’t just home to my family—it was also where the staff lived, the people I’d spent most of my childhood with. It was one of the biggest estates in the city, owned by one of the wealthiest men in the country: my dad, Arnold Harper.To the outside world, I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. Sure, I was adopted, but my earliest memories were all from this house. People always looked at me with envy, assuming I had the perfect childhood, but I couldn’t help but laugh. My childhood was anything but perfect. Even though I wasn’t born into this family, I always felt the love of a child who was chosen.The truth was, my family was always distant, and that mainly came from my mom and sister, who, to this day, still couldn’t accept
Last Updated : 2024-12-24Lost And Found By The Billionaire 16. Stay with me
“B-but Mom..” I stammered, “Where else will I go? I have nowhere-” “Well, that’s not my problem.” She said, throwing her hands up. “I’m surprised you think you still have a place in this house. The day you married your husband, you were left on your own. And after the disgrace you brought to this family by trying to kill your own best friend.. We’d be foolish to accept you back into the family.” “Mom! At least you have to believe that they are merely rumors!” “I don’t care!” She yelled, “Your name has been all over the media, Cassie! Do you know how much damage you’ve done to the company? We’ve had enough of your bullshit troubling us. Please leave, Cassie! I don’t want anyone to believe that we are supporting this behavior of yours!” Tears were streaming down my face at this point. I couldn’t believe that my own mother was such things to me. How could she leave me on the streets like this?“Mom, please don’t do this.” I said, “I need your help. And where is dad? I need to speak t
Last Updated : 2024-12-24Lost And Found By The Billionaire 17. A long long time
Enzo’s house was nothing like what I’d expected it to be. Being such a successful lawyer, I’d expected nothing short of a luxurious penthouse apartment in New York. And rightly so, that was where he lived. His penthouse was on the 46th floor, revealing a magnificent view of the city from the skies. However, the house was rather… empty. It had a huge living room with a gray sofa set without any TV. There were absolutely no paintings hung on the walls, which was strange because after seeing how much he was willing to spend for a painting in that auction, I’d expected him to be a collector. As I ventured further into the house, I saw a lifeless kitchen with the same gray furniture. I couldn’t help but sigh at the state of the house. Despite having such an advantage of natural light and the overlooking city view, the house looked dead to me. There were two rooms in the apartment and another small room for storage, I assumed. Enzo said that his room also had a computer, so he mostly us
Last Updated : 2024-12-24Lost And Found By The Billionaire 18. Indebted to you
The memory was all a blur in my memory, owing to the fact that it all happened long long ago. I wasn’t sure how or why, but as he mentioned the date to me, it all came flooding back. Suddenly everything fell into place in my head, the puzzle solving by itself. Every event of that day was slowly coming back to me, making me remember everything vividly. “You..” I stammered, “You are Enzo.. the one that I..” He smiled, “Yes.” He nodded, “The one that you pulled out of that house of fire.” It was perhaps twenty years ago that it happened. It was when I was still living in an orphanage, before my parents decided to adopt me. Thankfully, I don’t remember much from that phase of my life, one because I was very young and also because it wasn’t necessarily fond memories I held from that place. Like any other foster care, we were all severely neglected, and sometimes even treated ill. To make things worse, I don’t remember having any notable companionship except for one friend, Enzo. He wa
Last Updated : 2024-12-24Lost And Found By The Billionaire 19. Second thoughts
Calvin's POV. My day barely began and I was already having a headache. I sipped onto my coffee mug resting by the table, and realized that it was empty. I had already emptied a cup of black coffee, and yet my head was throbbing. Caffeine cannot fix sleeplessness, of course, I slowly realized. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a full night’s sleep without the worry of my missing wife, my sinking business and an angry father. The only ray of sunshine in my life right now was Becky and her arrival back into my world, but the rest of my world was in such an awry state that I’m barely able to appreciate her presence amidst all of this. Pulling myself away from my thoughts, I tried to focus on the screen in front of me. I was having a meeting soon with the board of directors where I was supposed to present our business plan for the next few months, and I couldn’t think of anything. The truth was that I had no plan. I had no idea how to revive this business after it had already incu
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Calvin’s POVA knock came on my door, interrupting my thoughts. “Come in,” I said gruffly. I was not in a mood to entertain any visitors today, so it better be important. It was Austin, my secretary, that revealed himself as the door opened. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at him. The man is always interrupting me in the worst possible moments. “Whatever it is, I’m not in the mood, Austin.” I said, burying my face in my palms. Gently rubbing my temples, I added, “Leave me alone.” “You’re going to want to hear this, Boss.” He persisted. I looked up at him in annoyance, “I told you I don’t want to hear it, whatever it may be!” “But..” He hesitated, “it’s about-”I glared at him, “I said I don’t want to-”“It’s about Cassie.” He blurted in a hurry. I was cut off mid-sentence as I heard his words. Widening my eyes, I said, “What did you say?” “I found out where she is.” He replied, “You asked me to, remember?” A weird sense of relief flooded over me. After she was given bail, I
Last Updated : 2024-12-25Lost And Found By The Billionaire 21. Accusations
Cassie’s POV The next morning, I awoke early, despite tossing and turning in my bed for hours together, chasing sleep. By the time I had stepped out of my room, it was past 8 am and Enzo was nowhere to be found. He has already gone to work, I presumed. I had decided to meet Kelly for lunch later today, so until then, I essentially had the entire house for myself. Fixing myself a quick cup of coffee, I settled down by the kitchen counter and lazily ran my eyes over the empty space of the house. The one thing that stood about the house was how bland it was, how lifeless and empty it seemed. It almost felt criminal that Enzo was wasting the enormous potential this house had. This beautiful space needed some upgrading for sure, but it wasn’t my call to make. I mean, I would be living here for a little while, until I got my own space, so it would be terribly rude of me to suggest Enzo try to get some furniture in here. He looks like he can afford it. If it was his busy lifestyle that
Last Updated : 2024-12-25Lost And Found By The Billionaire 22. Isn't that what you wanted?
The ring of a bell chimed in the air. Before I could get up from the pool of clothes I submerged myself in, Kelly got up from her seat and walked out of the room to get to the door. I could faintly hear her conversation and made out that our lunch was delivered. Pushing all the stuff away from my lap, I got up and headed out the door. After the unfortunate phone call with Calvin, I realized that I was in no mood to head out for lunch. Moreover, I needed her company immediately, so I rang up Kelly and asked her to come home instead. Since she wanted to help me unpack my things, we got to it while I ranted to her till my heart was content. We settled down by the kitchen counter to eat our lunch which was some alfredo chicken pasta. As I took the first bite, Kelly grimaced, “Everyday is a new surprise to me.” “What?” I asked, not sure what she was referring to. Did she not like the food?“About Calvin.” She clarified to my relief. “I mean, why is he being such a hypocrite? Has he alw
Last Updated : 2024-12-26
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Lost And Found By The Billionaire 141. The odds
The old couple sat across from me inside the tiny room. Enzo was beside me, his hand entwined in mine for support. I agreed to meet the couple that claimed to be my family, but as I looked at them, I did not feel like I belonged anywhere close to them. The watch the old man was wearing was worth more than my annual pay. The diamonds around the lady’s neck could fund my retirement plan. And despite all the wealth, the love and concern they had for me in their eyes stood in stark contrast to everything they embodied.“It’s good to see you, Cassie.” She said, her eyes slowly welling up, “We’ve been searching for you for over twenty years. And now that you’re sitting in front of us, it does not feel real.” I gave her a small, awkward smile. I didn’t know how to react to that. It was the first time that I was receiving so much affection from someone. “I think Enzo told you about us.” The oldman said. “Do you have anything you want to say?’“Yes.” I said, “Where are my parents?” His ja
Lost And Found By The Billionaire 140. A deliberate attempt
Cassie’s POV My heart refused to calm down until I saw Enzo walking inside. His eyes were red, his face filled with sorrow and regret. Yet, he managed to give me a kind smile. “Hey.” “The baby’s fine.” I muttered. Enzo walked up to me quietly, and sat down on the edge of the bed. Taking my hand into his, he gave it a gentle squeeze, “How are you?” “I’m okay.” I said, “It wasn’t that bad. I think I just got too scared.” “I got your note.” He said, his eyes looking at her entwined hands. “You did?” I said, exhaling, “Well, I meant it. I love you, Enzo.” His eyes found mine then, and then he instantly leaned forward to plant a kiss on my lips. “I was so scared for you.” “Me too.” I said, “I was afraid that I would die without telling you how I really feel. I delayed it for too long, Enzo. I was afraid to admit my own feelings. I guess… I guess I was not ready to accept that there was… that I love you. I guess I was scared that I would lose myself all over again, or worse.. That
Lost And Found By The Billionaire 139. Family
Enzo’s POV Life was cruel. Anybody who witnessed my life in the last few months would agree with me on that. I just stepped into a meeting when I got Kelly’s call. She was wailing on the phone, barely holding up to tell me what happened. But I managed to deduce something. Cassie met with an accident. There was a car involved, and she was unconscious at the scene. My brain was paralysed for a moment. I froze in time. It wasn’t until my colleague asked if I was alright that I realized that I wasn’t. I instantly cancelled the meeting and got out of there. On my way down the elevator, the hospital called me. They were examining Cassie, and they won’t know how she is doing for a while. And there was no news about the baby. Every passing second felt like an eternity. I sped past all the signals, breaking every traffic rule as I went to the hospital. As soon as I got there, I headed into the emergency, suspecting that that was where Cassie was. “Mr. De Luca?” said a nurse at the recep
Lost And Found By The Billionaire 138. A short life
By the time evening rolled around, I couldn’t help but feel content with the day. It felt great to get behind the computer, doing what I truly loved. Once I got done with work, I called Enzo.“Hey,” I said, heading down. “Are you coming to pick me up?” Enzo paused for a second, “Shit, I completely forgot.” He said, “I’m so sorry, Cassie. I got held up at work. Why don’t you wait for a few minutes? I’ll send my driver right away.” “No, don’t worry about it.” I said, “I’ll just take the bus. The studio’s just ten minutes away from here.” “No, no. I’ll send the driver. It’s not going to take long.” “Enzo, it’ll take fifteen minutes at least. I can reach the studio in that time.” I said, “It’s fine. It’s not like I have to walk there. The bus is convenient.” “I’m sorry. I don’t know how I forgot.” “You’re a busy man, it’s fine.” I said, “I’ll see you for dinner?”“Yes, I’ll pick you up from the studio at 8?” “Done. Can’t wait to see you.” With that, I cut the call and got outside
Lost And Found By The Billionaire 137. Did you not know?
I rolled my eyes, “Don’t try to deny it, Calvin. I know you’re having a baby with Becky. And you know what? Go ahead. I don’t care. We’re divorced, and let’s not forget that.” He was enraged with my words, “Shut up, Cassie. I’m not having a baby with Becky.” Oh, my God. This man. He was insufferable. How could he lie to me about it after everything? “Yeah, well, then, someone else is. Because I saw her at the hospital the other day when she came for her checkup.” Calvin widened his eyes, sinking back into his chair as though realization just struck him. He grabbed the water bottle and chugged it, his hands shaking. What was happening? Did he really not know that she was pregnant? “Who was she with?” He asked. “Alone.” I said, “Did you not know?” He shook his head and abruptly got up. “I need to go.” “Wait, what about our meeting?” I asked, but he didn’t stop. He stormed out of the room. “Bloody hell.” I muttered to myself. “What was that about?” I instantly dialled Enzo’s nu
Lost And Found By The Billionaire 136. Cheeky
A week later, I was standing in front of Clark and Mason Corporation. Despite Enzo’s reluctance to let me work, I signed with them earlier this week. I would be one of their programmers, and if all went well, Professor Clark said there would be bigger roles for me to fulfil. “All the best.” he mumbled as he lowered the window of his carLeaning in, I planted a kiss on his mouth. “Thank you.” “I’ll pick you up in the evening.” he said, “or worst case, I’ll send my driver.” “Okay.” With that said, I walked into the building. It didn’t take me long to find their office, where Melissa, one of my teammates, took me inside. “Hello, Cassandra. I’m so glad to finally see you.” She said, “You can imagine how difficult it was for us after our programmer resigned last month. The entire team has been eagerly waiting for you to join us.” “I can’t wait to meet them either.” I said, “Although, we’re supposed to meet our client today. Isn’t it?” “Yes. He’s already waiting for us.” She said,
Lost And Found By The Billionaire 135. An opportunity
A phone call woke me up the next morning. It was eight in the morning, and the person calling me was my professor, Michael Clark. “Switch it off.” Enzo said, pulling my body deeper into his embrace. His voice was thick with unfinished sleep. Sighing, I gently pulled his hand away. “Sorry.” I quickly mumbled before I hurried into the kitchen to take the call. “Mr. Clark. Good morning.” I said. “Good Morning, Cassandra. I hope I haven’t caught you at the wrong time.” “Not at all.” “Right, then I’ll cut to the chase.” He said, “I called you to ask if you’d be interested in working for me?” I frowned, “I’m sorry?” “I heard you’ve resigned from De Luca’s firm. If you are looking for an exciting job, we have an opening for you. If you’re interested, I’ll email you all the details.” “I…” Wow. “Mr. Clark, I’m not sure if… I didn’t really think about-” “It’s alright. I don't need an answer right away. Think it over, I’ll send you an email in the meantime. Just, write back to me in a
Lost And Found By The Billionaire 134. Blessing in disguise
I never truly gauged the depth of his emotion. I knew he was an intense person, and whatever he felt, he felt deeply. It was evident in his acts of service. But there, seeing him so weak and fragile made me realize that there was so much to him that I was unaware of. “Fucking hell, Cassie.” He said, letting out a grunt. “I could not forgive myself for it till this day.” I said, “But what could I have done? I had no choice.” “You should have come to me.” He said, “You should have told me. I could have helped you. Heck, I could have hunted your father down and put him in front of you.” I shrugged, “I don’t know, Enzo. I guess I was scared for him and didn't want to take any risk. I was desperate to meet him, and they took advantage of that.” “No shit.” He said, “I’m not going to spare her.” “No, please.” I said, putting my arms around his shoulder. Turning him to face me, I said, “I've had enough with her. I don’t want her anywhere in our lives now.” “She won’t come as far as a
Lost And Found By The Billionaire 133. Hiding
I let out a shaky breath, wondering how I got myself in this situation. Enzo was just coming around, and revealing the truth to him will anger him further. Plus, he was drunk. “Why don’t we go to bed, already? We can talk tomorrow.” I said, and walked to the switchboard to kill the lights, but Enzo caught my hand. He pulled me back to stand before him, fixing me with a stern look on his face, “You’re trying to escape the conversation. You’re hiding something from me.” “I’m not hiding anything.” “And now you’re lying.” He said, getting up. “I knew that there was more to the story than what you were letting on, Cassie. It wasn't like you to randomly leave me like that. Tell me, what was the real reason?”“I told you what the reason was. That is all there is to it.” “I don’t buy it.” He said, “I can see it in your eyes that you didn’t mean it. I can see the regret in your eyes. You’re not proud of how you handled things. Why would you regret things if you truly wanted to do it in t
