Fifty-two

Minutes after we come downstairs to eat, I play with the cereal in my bowl, spinning the colourful brunch before raising a spoonful of it to my lips. Brandon chuckles at my sulking, I frown, how can he be so cool with leaving me here? He will be gone for a week. The thought makes my stomach knot, I stab the cereal and nearly chew the spoon off.

Brandon pries the spoon off my hand, I don't realise my cheeks are wet with tears until he swipes at them. I sigh, it must be my period, I am being unusually emotional and over stupid things. He pulls me to his laps, I tuck my head into the crook of his neck and bawl my eyes out while he strokes my back until my cries quiet to sobs. I want him to stay.

The massaging of my scalp causes me to moan. "If you didn't have school, we would have gone together, you know that, ri

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• Mr Reluctant Billionaire   Fifty-three

  "I take it to mean you like my little surprise," he murmurs, amusement laced in his voice as his arms steady me and my legs tighten around his waist as our foreheads touch."Like it?" I scoff. "I love it." I palm his face and start another round of kisses. "I love it." Struggling in his arms until he sets me on my feet, I cover my mouth. "I love you."His chest puffs as I take a step back to inspect the car, he got me a freaking car. My baby got me my baby. I shriek and thump my feet on the ground, he chuckles as I circle the car, almost afraid to blink for fear of this being a dream. This is a physical manifestation of the car I saw in his tab when we were picking Danielle’s. I touch the Audi and beam.Excitement blooms in my heart, I can’t wait to drive Ma and Pa around town with this. I am sure Clary won’t stay mad at me for much longer if she’s allowed to drive this baby.

• Mr Reluctant Billionaire   Fifty-four

  The diner bustles with activities as I make my way into the farthest corner away from the door. I sight Clarissa behind the counter, hair pulled tight into a sleek bun with her lips moving rapidly as she attends to a customer. The smell of pastries, plus the aroma of freshly made coffee and the noise of the diners have my nostrils flaring in delight. I tip my hat and inhale the air of deliciousness, a feeling of nostalgia creeping up on me.Settling into the only unoccupied booth, I cast one look out the window where people mill around in groups of twos and threes. Our school is a few minutes walk from here. My eyes narrow in on my car; my baby looking out of place in that spot between smaller cars. It still feels odd, almost surreal to know I have one. My fingers splay on the window, something warm stirs in my chest, I can't wait for our second ride as a couple.

• Mr Reluctant Billionaire   Fifty-five

  "Good. What kept you busy on Tuesday?" Josh asks."Chores," I say with a laugh.It's the way he says it, his accent seeps into his words, makes it come off as Chewsday. My hand goes over my mouth to muffle my laughter, his brow arches and his hazel eyes tinged with gold flecks rake over me. The distance between us gives me a chance to analyse his features all over again, my head falls to one side as I drink in the sight of him.He runs his fingers through his brown hair which falls over his forehead at intervals and I chuckle, he never uses gel, he likes his hair untamed. His lips are surprisingly full, pink and pouty, just like Brandon's. At the thought of him, I let out a sigh, stopping myself from further comparing him with my d

• Mr Reluctant Billionaire   AUTHOR'S NOTE

  Hi,Sorry to cut short your reading but I wanted to alert the old readers to the changes I made, that is if you didn't see the message I left as a review.I split chapters 6 - 30 which has resulted in the book having extra 25 chapters. The last update before the split was Chapter 30 which has now been split into 54 & 55. Chapter 29 becomes 52 & 53, Chapter 28 becomes 50 & 51 and so on... Hopefully, this breakdown doesn't confuse you.The point of the split and this note is to make the chapters affordable, also alert those who read the previous version to avoid buying chapters they already read. Moving forward, for those who are up to date with the story, all you have to do is continue from Chapter 56 or use the split method I explained earlier to figure out the chapters you stopped reading at.My sincere apologies for the inconveniences and as soon as the arrangement issue is resolved, new chapters will be uploaded.Thank you for reading.

• Mr Reluctant Billionaire   Fifty-six

  Seconds, maybe minutes after Brandon storms out of the diner with Josh hot on his tail, I stand there, feet rooted to the ground until someone shakes me out of my trance. My gaze falls on Clarissa who has a hand on my arm, I blink the tears lining my eyes and try to reciprocate her smile which does little to comfort me. How could I let him kiss me?"Well, what are you waiting for?" I blink, my head bobs like a robot and she rubs the back of her hand against my cheek to comfort me. "Go after him."

• Mr Reluctant Billionaire   Fifty-seven

  "Move," he says in a clipped voice. There is no trace of the man who gifted me a car earlier today but I maintain my stance and shake my head. "Elna, out of my way.""Why don't you ever believe me?" I ask. "It was a mistake. I didn't know he would do that. Joshua kissed me." My knuckles caress his cheek. "You know when I am lying," I whisper. Palming his face so he can see the sincerity in my eyes, I continue, "Look at me, please. I know it sounds stupid but it’s the truth, I didn’t know his plans. He ki

• Mr Reluctant Billionaire   Fifty-eight

  The hand weaving through my scalp applies more pressure when I make to lift my head in her direction, tugging gently on my hair. A sigh slips past my lips, there is no point trying, Clarissa won't give back my phone. I shouldn't demand it since all I have gotten is a truckload of news with captions that send my already broken heart into overdrive. But I still want to see it. To read the gossip tabs about the women he dines with. It is the only way to keep track of him, to know he is fine, if we still have a future

• Mr Reluctant Billionaire   Fifty-nine

  I insert a chip covered in brown sauce into my mouth, barely tasting it. Stifling a groan at the heap of chips left in my plate, I scowl at Clarissa sitting across me with an empty plate in front of her. This place is not worth the hype, maybe it is but I am too tired to notice. Whatever the case, and like Clarissa said, from now on, we only roll in Gucci.Thinking about it now causes me to laugh, her straight face after she hollered at the sight of the black card and proceeded to list all the Gucci things we will g

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• Mr Reluctant Billionaire   One hundred and sixteen

  "You promised," he whispers. He lets go of me to run his hands through his hair. "You promised me, Elna. Your beginning, middle and end." Jumping to his feet, he folds his hands behind his head and murmurs, "You promised. You can't leave me. Baby, please."Unable to look him in the eyes, I bury my face into the pillow and continue shaking my head. I know the answer to his question now, I am so certain of it. Do I still want him? Yes, I will always want him, more than I have ever wanted anyone but I can't have him.Murder is murder and he killed his brother.And it hurts.It hurts every fibre of my being. I love him so much it hurts to think of a future without him. I don't think I can stop loving him but when I look at him, all I see is a killer. If I cannot look past his sins then I shouldn't be in his life. It will be our secret, it's not in my place to tell other people and I am fine with that. I wi

• Mr Reluctant Billionaire   One hundred and fifteen

  It is hard.Really hard.

• Mr Reluctant Billionaire   One hundred and fourteen

  He doesn't regret it. But he feels bad. What does that mean? I race down the stairs as fast as I can, my car keys dangling in my hand. Hopefully, I look sane with the way I hurriedly dressed and left. I need to talk to Clarissa but about what? Do I want to tell her what Brandon said? What if she calls the police on him? Will she do that? She won't.

• Mr Reluctant Billionaire   One hundred and thirteen

  I wake to amber eyes staring down at me. I flash Brandon a sleepy smile, he presses a kiss to my hair and I giggle, he must love my new shampoo. "You slept well?" I ask.He nods, placing another kiss on my temple. "I did, you?" he says against my skin and I hum in response, loving the wet kisses he litters on

• Mr Reluctant Billionaire   One hundred and twelve

  The next day, my phone is pinging with notifications. David shoots me a grateful text I don't reply, I am sure he doesn't expect one, we are not friends. My finger hovers over the delete option on his contact, I hesitate. It won’t hurt to have it so I save his number, something I had failed to do. Bored, I send Brandon an SOS and switch off my phone.Time to take matters into my hands.Bathed, shaved and clad in lace lingerie that barely holds my breasts and reveals my bump, I sit up, legs crossed while awaiting that click that will announce his entrance. He won't talk to me like a normal person and now, I am pissed. And horny. And frustrated.The click to signify his presence sounds, reverberating in the room. I shoot up from the bed as fast as a pregnant woman approaching her third semester can and saunter to the door, swinging my hips. Brandon eyes me from head to toe, the appreciative glint in his gaze is missing but I shrug tha

• Mr Reluctant Billionaire   One hundred and eleven

  Curiosity kills the cat. Satisfaction brings it back. It has to. That is the reason I am in this café, waiting for David after I made the spontaneous decision to see him. I pull my oversized tracksuit over my belly, trying and failing to blend in with the scanty crowd.A wave of nostalgia hits me when someone passes with a tray of fish and chips. I need to call Clarissa. I don't understand how we let life, thesis and coursework pull us apart but we need to meet. Sending her a short text, I roll my lip between my teeth while awaiting her reply. If she replies before David comes, I will cancel our meeting. She comes first.I shouldn't be here.That seems to have become my new mantra and each time, things turn out better than I expect. I hope it's the case today. Taking a swig from the water bottle on the table while I wait for the first person to show up, I try to push the nagging thoughts out of my head.

• Mr Reluctant Billionaire   One hundred and ten

  Seconds of silence pass, when Josh doesn't seem to be leaving, I ask, "Who is Brendan?""Our brother, Brandon's twin." I blink, my head spins from the sudden information and my thoughts crash to a stop when he adds, "He is dead." Josh's smile is pitiful, I don't know when I move to stand beside him. I pat his shoulder. "He died in an accident."Brandon has a twin, a dead twin. It's all I can think while my hand meets Josh's shoulder in an awkward show of comfort. He pries my hand off him with a smile I don't comment on because of how fake it is. I rub my hand against my hip. Brandon has a dead twin.Seeing how shaken I am by the news, Josh pushes me into his seat, I sink gratefully into it. I shouldn't have asked. My husband should have told me himself. "When did he die?""A while ago."I snap. "How long is a while ago?""Five years," he rep

• Mr Reluctant Billionaire   One hundred and nine

  Josh catches up to me before I reach the house, he offers me a smile, I shrug. None of this is his fault. We take a seat by the kitchen window, staring at the trio seated inside the gazebo. From our position here, we can't see their lips moving but I can't help wishing they will start a conversation. Talk to each other even if it ends in a screaming bout."Do you think they will reconcile?"Josh snickers. He hops to the fridge like he pays rent and returns with a huge chunk of cake. The leftover I had saved to munch on later because I can't resist anything sugary and his family didn't let me enjoy it. Fleeting anger surges through me, I close my eyes."Nope. Not a chance," he says. I turn to see him dragging another stool close to me.The poise and gracefulness he was forced to adapt when we were outside vanish when he gobbles the cake. I smile foolishly, this is the Josh I know. Slapping his knee, I mot

• Mr Reluctant Billionaire   One hundred and eight

  The gazebo is deathly quiet and the tension promises to suffocate us. Everything is going well, if you count the curt greetings from Brandon's snobbish parents. Queen Elizabeth doesn't hold a candle to Brandon's mother with her prim and proper manners, wrinkles and white hair cropped short. All she needs is a crown and I'll genuflect before her.Brandon's dad is an older beardless version of him with thinning hair. He is so quiet, the kind of quiet that allows his haughty wife freedom to speak to people as she pleases. A minute after exchanging greetings and I can already tell it was a bad idea to invite them.Seated beside Brandon, muscles tight and frustrated at my lack of release, I drum my fingers on my legs hidden under the table. He didn't have to punish me this way. I am pregnant, he shouldn’t leave me horny. One look at him shows that's the least of his worries.He is as tensed as I am, maybe even more and a wave of gu