MasukShare
52
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2023-09-04 00:20:37Bab terkait
The Beautiful Billionaire 53
ESTELLE Two days ago, we went to apply for our marriage license, and I still felt like he was a stranger to me. I kept reminding myself that what I was doing was for my child’s sake, for their future. That was what kept me going and stayed sane. I slept peacefully next to Linden despite the strain in our relationship was still there because I knew he would never put me in any harm’s way. And it was not about carrying his child, but one thing I was sure of, he would protect me with his life. That was his nature. That was who he was. He was awesome in many ways. I woke up late than usual since I would only be reporting to the office in the afternoon today. Linden wasn’t in bed anymore. My first guess, he was in the gym or making breakfast. It was a beautiful day. The curtain was drawn to the side. I could see the bright sun streaking from the window—beautiful fresh flowers on the vase, which was new. I still didn’t have the morning sickness, which was great. As I stretched out, s
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-09-04The Beautiful Billionaire 54
LINDEN We arrived in Sardinia this morning. It was a long flight, but I knew we both wanted to get away from work and hassles for a while, even if this trip was not only for our honeymoon, but she didn’t have to know right now. She was exhausted, but the doctor permitted her to travel even long flights. We had the best villa with the best view of the ocean. The beach and ocean always reminded me of how we met. It always played a significant impact on our relationship. We went strolling to the private beach, and thanks to Moses’ connection, we had all to ourselves. I spread the blanket instead of the lounger. Without a word, she dropped her bag and lay on her tummy. “Baby—” “What?” She snapped, raised her head, and met my gaze. “Are you sure it’s okay to lie on your tummy?” “She’s protected with hundreds of milliliters of amniotic fluid inside my uterus and tummy. She’s floating, actually, so she’s well protected, husband.” She glared before she lay back. “Okay.” I blew a breat
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-09-05The Beautiful Billionaire 55
ESTELLE My hand slid to the tattoo on his abs. His muscles contracted against my touch. I was sure there was a meaning behind every ink in his body. “I thought ink looked cool on my skin. Most of them have no meaning except for the date. That was when we lost my brothers Wade and Gunner.” “Do you always have to read my mind? I thought you were not Jedi.” Amused, he looked down at me. We were both naked, just a sheet covering his good. “So you were thinking why I got tats?” “Does it hurt?” “It fucking hurt. Though they will give you topical anesthesia, try Irezumi or Batok.” “Why do people enjoy pain?” “Sometimes people endure physical pain to numb the pain inside. The one untreatable by pain medication.” “I wanna get a tattoo.” “Why?” He was quick to ask me. “Just a small tattoo like a script.” “No tattoo while you’re still pregnant.” “Oh, I forgot.” I hid my smile. “Come here, baby.” I crawled to him, and he wrapped me in his arms. “I won’t stop you from doing what yo
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-09-05The Beautiful Billionaire 56
LINDEN Watching Estelle cry the entire night tore my heart out. I’d never seen her sob and curl into a ball since I met her. She’d shown me her breaking point, her vulnerability, her weakness, but this was different. This time, I felt her— I felt everything she endured tonight. She was not only my wife but my other half, my heart— the love of my life. “Baby, you’re breaking my heart.” I was the kind of man who acted than speak, but I thought I’d said a lot tonight. And every time I went close to her, she pushed me away. I knew I was hurting her, and hurting her, I was hurting myself too. “It’s only just a day. You have to trust me on this. And no matter—” “What? What, Gabriel?” she admonished. “That I’m just as just emotionally messed up, and this is pregnancy hormones? You should not have married me before you plan on going on your suicide mission. Those people are dangerous, you are aware of them, but you never stop. You just keep going and going. Maybe you will only stop when
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-09-05The Beautiful Billionaire 57
ESTELLE It had only been a day since I came back from Paris. I tried utilizing my time and go shopping with Quinn, but my mind was on Linden all the time. He left without waking me up, and I felt terrible. I knew I was being hard on him. I couldn’t allow him to go to God’s forsaken place because I was terrified for him, and I was selfish. He left thinking I was mad. The fact was, I wasn’t angry, I couldn’t, but I disapproved of his plan. It was too dangerous, but that was the man I married. Gabriel Linden never backed down and never gave up. On the same day, I told Quinn I wanted to go home, and I hadn’t heard from my husband since then. I was back home, in his house, but I felt abandoned. His side in the bed was empty the next day I woke up. The entire house wasn’t the same without him. I thought I lost half of myself. I was drowning with loneliness and regrets. I just wished I wasn’t so stubborn. I wished I had supported him because that was what every good wife should do. “Hey
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-09-06The Beautiful Billionaire 58
LINDEN “Any helpful advice?” “Linden, you know I always like you, but I advise you not to go there. It’s not worth it, but I know I’m just wasting my time, and you won’t listen to me or anyone. So, why bother asking for advice?” I let go of a long draggy breath. “I don’t know, Terzo. You know how this family works better than I do.” “It’s not just a family. It’s an organization. Have you heard the Absolom? Bigger than that. Think about it as The Hover without license and certification. That’s how broad and big that is. Even my father doesn’t wanna cross paths with Ilya, the son. And he’s already the bad wolf in the blizzard. That cold doesn’t bother him.” “I have to do this.” “Then did you say goodbye to your wife and your child? Congratulations, by the way. I hope you receive my gift.” “That was kind of you. Thank you, Terzo.” Terzo was a son of a bitch, but he helped us, and I didn’t thank him enough. I thought sending us a gift, a Moka pot, was thoughtful. “Then you just g
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-09-06The Beautiful Billionaire 59
ESTELLE I returned to work, utilizing my time, hoping to divert my attention from Linden and be productive. It worked for a while because I had to think positively. And I knew in my heart Linden was somewhere with Jasper, drinking beers, laughing together. Still, my stomach churned with dead. “Hey, honey. The finished products just arrived. I love the new packaging.” Mom sang with her smile from ear to ear as she walked into my office. I stood up from my chair as the trolley came. “Me too.” Mom and I sat next to each other as we began unboxing and testing, even if it was already tested. I chose first the organic one. We had a particularly unique type of packaging that the CEO, me, and our designer knew the secret to protect the products from counterfeit fraud. “It’s impressive.” I loved the antioxidant-tinted serum. It was thinner, lightweight, and easy to absorb on the skin. I sniffed it. “It almost doesn’t have a smell.” “You’re pregnant. Usually your olfactory is very strong.”
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-09-07The Beautiful Billionaire 60
LINDEN I quickly took off my shirt, positioned my stance, and cracked my fingers. Honestly, I didn’t know how to defeat him. I didn’t know if I could. He was an MMA fighter but lost his chance of accidentally killing someone outside the ring. And this was an underground fight against killers, murderers, and gamblers— all criminal activities and ground rules didn’t apply. This was a dirty sport. But I was not going to die tonight. Aleksandr advanced forward. Of course, he did. He wanted to end this fight quickly. I moved forward but maintained my ground, focusing on his possible move. His first jab almost hit my face, and I did a counterattack to push him back. But it was just a warm-up. I took my own emotional and physical injuries in only three minutes. We had bloody faces, but I took the worse. He struck me hard with a kick on my side. I had bruised face and probably cracked ribs. Sure, I endured a broken nose, bloody mouth, and my strength was draining so fast, and I hadn’t bea
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-09-07
Bab terbaru
The Beautiful Billionaire Epilogue
ESTELLE Sixteen months later “Hey, baby.” I couldn’t help but smile. Who would have thought I could be this happy and contented with life? I had a thriving company. I had friends, families, and my baby Rae. And my parents turned out to be good as best friends. And my husband, my best friend, my lover, my anchor. God, how could I be so lucky to have a man like Gabriel Linden? “I’m on my way home. Where are you?” “I’ll be home in one hour. I’m still at Osmium. Do you need anything?” Linden’s company had three times more employees and opened two HQs in Dubai and Qatar. I was so proud of him. No matter how busy he was, he made sure to have time for me and his daughter. “Nope. Just checking how long you would be home.” I took over the chairman chair from my dad, but I always got so excited to go home to him and to be with our baby. “Why?” There was an excitement in his voice. “I could wait a few minutes in the tub. I thought you might wanna join me.” He groaned out a curse. “
The Beautiful Billionaire 114
ESTELLE“Gabriel Rembrandt, do you take Estelle Rae Solace to be your lawful wedded wife, to live together in holy matrimony, to love her, honor her, to comfort her, and to keep her in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?”“I do.”“Estelle Rae Solace, do you take Gabriel Rembrandt to be your lawful wedded husband, to live together in holy matrimony, to love him, to honor him, to comfort him, and to keep him in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?”“I do.”“I give you this ring as a token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love.” He put the ring on my finger.“I give you this ring as a token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love,” I repeated as I slipped the ring into his finger.“By virtue of the authority vested in me under the laws of Isola di Marettimo, Italy, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”Linden in a solid beige suit was a sight to behol
The Beautiful Billionaire 113
LINDEN It was still surreal watching my father talking with Gustav. I didn’t think it would happen sooner, but looking at them getting along was fulfilling for me and Estelle. “You okay?” Estelle placed her hand on my thigh under the table. “Yeah. You?” I didn’t have to ask because I saw it in her eyes. She looked happy. This must have been her dream for a long time, not seeing her parents at each other’s throats. Willa gave me a questioning look, sitting next to Dad. I slightly shook my head and smiled. “I’ve been to many restaurants, but your food has a distinct taste that I didn’t find anywhere. What’s the secret? Am I allowed to ask it?” Dad chuckled. “It’s all the same. The ingredients we choose but how we prepare and cook are different.” “I also try cooking at home if I have time, but not as close to good as this. Edible, though,” Gustav said. “I can’t cook anything fancy, but I know a few pasta recipes. I just don’t have time, I guess.” Deirdre also enjoyed the menu.
The Beautiful Billionaire 112
ESTELLE“Just follow the design and make sure it’s childproof, but the furniture will arrive on Wednesday,” I told one of the guys from K&B Designs.“Understood, ma’am.”“I’ll leave you all to my staff. If you need anything, just let them know so they can call me. I have an errand to run.”“Got it. Thank you.”I left the house, hoping I could get to talk to Dad before he got swamped with work.I couldn’t shake the guilt off my body. And I felt ashamed of how I handled the situation earlier. Instead, I overreacted when my husband was right the whole time. I was five months pregnant and just risked my baby. I could have reacted worse if I was in Linden’s position. “Well, hello, preggy.” I was glad to see Micah. Honestly, I missed her, but I couldn’t keep her with me since Dad needed her more than I did.“How’s your new boss?”“Awfully good. He doesn’t demand and makes my job a little easier.”“Unlike me?” I arched a brow.She laughed. “Your work is the one demanding. You’re here to see
The Beautiful Billionaire 111
ESTELLE Standing stark naked before me, his big cock rested with pride. Linden joined me in the tub and made a low, masculine, sexy sound as he dipped into the water. We stared at each other— the intensity set my body on fire. I let my foot trace his thigh until I found what I was looking for. My pulse quickened as I rubbed it with my foot. He grew instantly hard. Linden moved his hand, tracing his fingers over my knee, moving circles. I was instantly wet. He flicked his gaze to my bare chest, turning me intensely on. My breasts were heavier. My nipples were hard. Heat rose in my cheeks. Arousal thickened my throat. As he leaned close, he cupped my head and took my mouth. I gasped. He started kissing me slowly but quickly turned hot and greedy, kissing me like he was starving. Not breaking the kiss, he pulled me, encasing me so I could sit astride his thighs. The water splashed. Wrapped my legs around his waist, I sat, rocking my hips against him. I could feel him so hard, pokin
The Beautiful Billionaire 110
LINDEN I knew this would happen. The fucking pillow was getting in our way. I lay on my back while Estelle curled into her pillow. She looked comfortable, though. I only wished she found that kind of comfort in me. A moment later, her body shook. She made fun of me. “I can hear your brain cursing the hell out of this pillow, Gabriel.” She turned her head, grinning. “It’s all right, baby. If only I could take all your discomfort, pain, and weight from you. I already did. What a little comfort you found in your pillow that I wouldn’t give.” “Really?” “Why do you sound so surprised?” She turned to face me. “I don’t know. Couples don’t wanna have babies immediately because they want to spend time together, cuddle, travel, do something fun before they want another responsibility.” “Do you want that?” “Before we got married, you knew what I wanted, but things changed, and I don’t have an ounce of regret for having a baby. Though I’m still scared of this huge responsibility, but I kn
The Beautiful Billionaire 109
ESTELLE Dad and I flew back home as soon as he was cleared to travel. I missed my husband, too. Aside from the overdue board meeting, I had a job that could not wait. “What the— !” Linden’s eyes widened in surprise, lifting me up, but he was also careful not to put pressure on my growing belly. “Baby.” “You didn’t miss me that much, huh?” I wrapped my arms around his neck as I kissed the side of his head. “You have no idea.” He put me down and hugged me. “You smell amazing.” “I’m sorry, husband, but I have to get ready. I’ve moved the board meeting once and can’t be late.” “Wait. Is it today?” He looked at me before he kissed me on the lips. “Yeah. See you later over dinner.” “Yeah. And I have something for you. It’s in your closet.” “Oh. What is it?” I beamed at him. “My long-delayed birthday gift.” I chuckled. “You don’t have to give me a gift.” “I feel terrible already, but I will make it up to you next year.” “It’s okay, Gabriel.” I hugged him. “But I’m gonna be too l
The Beautiful Billionaire 108
LINDEN My team just landed two hours ago from London. Estelle agreed to stay with her father, which made me happy with her decision. I only took a quick shower in the hotel and changed into a white shirt and dark blue pants before meeting Ilya. As fear thickened my throat, I forced a deep breath as I walked into the local bar in Austin. I entered alone, but I trusted my men to do their job. I roamed my eyes and quickly found a white male around my age with buzz-cut dark-brown hair sitting at the corner. He was confident and wasn’t facing the door. Judging by his wide shoulders and broad back, it was indeed Ilya. The only image I had of him was from Gustav. I didn’t want to know how he got into the country undetected. “May I join you?” His gaze lifted from the half-full pint of beer on the table. He stood up and offered his hand. Ilya didn’t smile, but his eyes expressed recognition and appreciation. I shook it firmly before I joined him on the table and motioned and gestured a
The Beautiful Billionaire 107
ESTELLEI blinked in disbelief. And Willa had never been tempted to check his brother online or go to Osmium to visit him. Either she trusted him so much, or she couldn’t endure the agony of knowing how dangerous her brother was facing every day.I mean, gathering intelligence was a risky business. I’d seen movies where people get killed and tortured for information.“She does, but only about the firm, and she doesn’t have to. I’m just protecting her from the risk of knowing the nature of my work.”“Now, I’m more curious.” Willa frowned further.“That’s all you have to know.”“No. I want to know everything.”“Honey, Willa.” Moses drew a deep breath. “The Hover Company has subsidiaries. Hover Defense and Hover Space and Security. They are the largest private gathering information agency. They gather intelligence and information around the globe. We detect threats, support decisions, and share with our government contract agencies. And these guys and among others who work at Osmium are
