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Chapter 024
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2025-03-09 22:20:08
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The Billionaire Bride of Convenience Chapter 025
"Please give me five minutes, Cath."I was about to leave the café when Alex's voice interrupted me. His abrupt appearance overshadowed the sidewalk's long shadows generated by the late afternoon sun. With his hands stuffed into his coat pockets, he stood there looking both desperate and determined."Alex, we've already discussed this," I stated in a composed yet forceful tone. "I have nothing more to say."He retorted, taking a step closer, "There's everything to say." "You can't simply erase us as if we didn't exist."I looked around, his words weighing heavily on me. Happily oblivious to the tension sizzling in the air, people rushed by."You're not allowed to do this," I whispered quietly. "Not after everything.""Everything?" he asked again, letting out a sour laugh. "Even though I made mistakes, I still cared about you, Cath."With my arms crossed over my chest, I yelled, "That doesn't change what you did." "Alex, you betrayed my confidence. You can't simply return to my life an
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-09The Billionaire Bride of Convenience Chapter 026
"Cath, is this too much? Be honest with me.As Mia stood in the center of her living room, slowly spinning in her glittering gold dress, her words drifted over the sound of clinking glasses and laughter. She swirled, her curls bouncing, her face flushed with excitement."You look fantastic," I responded with a smile. "But you could start a small fire if you spin any faster."Mia gave me a smile and protruded her tongue. "Noted. But really, I appreciate your assistance in getting everything together. Without you, I could not have completed it.I dismissed her with a wave. "This is your day. You are deserving of all the glamour and attention this evening.With music throbbing throughout the space and a group of Mia's friends chatting beneath the gentle glow of the fairy lights she insisted on hanging up, the party was already well underway. The scene was colorful, exuberant, and slightly chaotic—exactly like Mia.Mike was chatting with a bunch of strangers while he stood by the bar. Eve
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-09The Billionaire Bride of Convenience Chapter 027
"I didn't know where else to go, but I shouldn't be here."I was stopped in my tracks by the voice. When I turned to face the open living room door, I was halfway down the hallway, holding my phone in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. Alex stood with his hands stuffed deep in his leather jacket pockets and his shoulders hunched.I went cold. Weeks had passed since I last saw him, weeks since his outbursts, his accusations, and his abrupt departure from my life. He looked more like the youngster I used to know than the guy who had screamed out of my world with a venomous shout, but here he was."Alex, what are you doing here?" My pulse pounded in my ears as I spoke steadily."I had to come see you." The regret engraved on his face was reflected in the hallway light as he took a step closer. "Please, Cath. I only need a moment.I was caught between letting him talk and shutting the door in his face. I crossed my arms and, against my better judgment, placed the tea on the closest t
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-09The Billionaire Bride of Convenience Chapter 028
"You don't see what you're doing, do you?" Alex's voice was like a dagger slicing through the atmosphere.With an air of pretended innocence, Jemma turned to face him, her lips forming a well-practiced grin. Her eyes fluttered uneasily, but she answered effortlessly, "I don't know what you're talking about."I hovered close to the kitchen doorway, out of sight yet audible. This abrupt tension between them was enough to keep me fixed in place because Alex seldom ever raised his voice."Jemma, you're always interfering," Alex went on, his annoyance exploding. Sowing doubtful seeds and agitating the situation. You pretend to be helpful, but all you've done is exacerbate the situation.Jemma crossed her arms defensively as her smile wavered. "Alex, I'm attempting to keep you safe. from her. from this entire catastrophe.Even from a distance, her comments hurt. She didn't need to mention my name since I knew exactly who she was referring to."Keep me safe?" Alex chuckled bitterly. "What, J
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-09The Billionaire Bride of Convenience Chapter 029
Alex held up the faded picture and stated, "I don't understand." "Why would Eleanor have this in her collection?"My heart thumping in my chest, I gazed at the picture in his hand. The borders were curling with age, and it was old and black and white. In the middle was a younger Mike, with his arm thrown loosely over an unfamiliar woman. But it was the jewelry she wore, not the strange face, that made my stomach turn.A necklace that was exactly the same as the one I had discovered weeks before in Eleanor's jewelry box.I stumbled and moved closer to look at it. "I—I don't know," I said. My thoughts were racing as I tried to figure out how this woman and this picture might be related to Eleanor and Mike.With furrowed brows, Alex lightly tapped the picture. Take a closer look. The structure in the distance. Eleanor's gallery is that.My breath caught in my throat as I leaned closer. He was correct. The gallery Eleanor had owned as a child was a perfect fit for the distinctive arched w
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-09The Billionaire Bride of Convenience Chapter 030
"You’re running out of excuses, Mike," I replied, sounding more acerbic than I meant to. Like an indictment, the words reverberated in the gallery's silence.He was standing opposite from me with his shoulders stiff and his hands stuffed deep in his jacket pockets. It was more difficult to detect the look in his eyes because of the games the shadows performed on his face.He answered in a calm but frustrated tone, "I'm not making excuses." "I’m trying to protect you."I moved in closer, reducing the distance between us. "What will you protect me from? From reality? Because you're failing badly if that's what you're doing. Whether you like it or not, Mike, I'm already involved in this."He stared at me as if I were a conundrum he couldn't figure out for a moment without saying anything. Between us, the atmosphere was electrifying, full with unspoken words and feelings that neither of us dared to express.At last he murmured, "You don’t understand, Cath," in a softer, almost begging voi
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-09The Billionaire Bride of Convenience Chapter 031
With a suspicious tone, Mike remarked, "You're awfully quiet, Cath." "What do you not tell me?"I pretended to arrange the papers that were strewn all over Eleanor's desk while I kept my back to him. I shuffled my trembling fingers, forcing myself to keep my composure.I murmured softly, hoping the falsehood would lift the tension, "There's nothing to tell."He didn't believe it. I sensed that he was staring at me intently, analyzing every gesture and pause. Whether you were prepared to tell the truth or not, Mike had a way of revealing it by removing layers.He took a step closer and remarked, "You forget how well I know you." His steady, unwavering voice fell. "Cath, you're concealing something. I'm done allowing you to keep secrets, too.Holding the stack of papers to my chest like a shield, I turned to face him. "Why are you unable to simply trust me?" My voice was sharper than I meant when I asked."Trust is reciprocal," he retorted. Something changed in his look as his eyes stra
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-09The Billionaire Bride of Convenience Chapter 032
With a shaky but determined voice, I said, "Kaila, you've been lying to me."Kaila's head jerked up from where she was sitting at the dining table, drinking tea as if nothing were going on in the world. Calm and composed, she arched an eyebrow, but as she put down her cup, I noticed a tiny flinch in her palm."Cath," she said in a condescending tone, "you'll need to be more specific." Now, what precisely am I being accused of?Refusing to let her dodge, I took a step closer. I was still thinking about the letter Mike had discovered, its contents churning like a tempest. Everything had pointed to Kaila, with her secrets meticulously concealed under charm and partial truths."Avoid playing games," I snapped. Eleanor's letter, which was about Mia, had a connection to you. Didn't you already know the truth about Mike's daughter?She didn't flinch, but her eyes darkened. She stated calmly, "That's a dangerous accusation." Cath, exercise caution. You don't want to make a mistaken statement.
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The Billionaire Bride of Convenience Chapter 050
"Are you certain of this?" Cath's hand shook a little as it was in mine, and her voice was quiet."Have I ever had more confidence in anything?" My gaze was fixed on hers as I asked.Although she smiled, a glimmer of uncertainty was visible on her face. "I just didn't think we'd get here after everything."I grabbed her hand more tightly and drew her in. This isn't about where we've been, Cath. It concerns our destination.The garden was drenched in amber and gold hues as the sun sank, creating the ideal atmosphere for the moment I had been waiting to give her—a genuine beginning free from fear, manipulation, or contracts. Even though it was just the two of us at the time, the little gathering of relatives and friends who had gathered around us demonstrated how far we had come.The officiant started talking, but I hardly heard him. The way Cath's eyes gleamed with unshed tears, how her breath caught when I put the ring back on her finger, and how her lips trembled into a grin that bro
The Billionaire Bride of Convenience Chapter 049
As I reached for her hand, Cath narrowed her eyes suspiciously and remarked, "You're hiding something.""Avoidance? Me? My lips formed a smile that I hoped would disarm her as I pretended to be innocent."Mike, you're awful at lying," she shot back, reclined on the park bench. Her silky waves of hair turned to liquid gold when the sunshine caressed them. Her eyebrows were raised in interest as she took a quick look at the canvas bag I had insisted on bringing.I joked, staring into her eyes for a little too long, "Perhaps I'm just full of surprises."The sound of her laughter was beautiful and light. "If that is the case, I am undoubtedly anxious."My heart was a frantic thumping inside. I had been anticipating this moment, which kept me up at night organizing every little detail. Despite this, I was afraid as I sat there next the woman who had completely changed my life for the better.I knew she loved me, so it wasn't rejection. but of not knowing how to express to her how much I lo
The Billionaire Bride of Convenience Chapter 048
Cath's voice was quiet but roiling with rage as she replied, "She thought I wouldn't find out." "Once again, she underestimated me."Her face was shadowed by the low light as I sat across from her at the kitchen table. She was holding a manila folder, the edges of which were worn from her overly firm grasp. Pages of evidence, each more damning than the last, were included within."She didn't simply undervalue you," I leaned forward and remarked. "She undervalued us both."Cath scattered the contents of the folder across the table after opening it. She continued, her voice trembling with barely controlled rage, "This is everything." "The falsehoods, the offshore accounts, the phony charities. For years, she has been defrauding her investors. You know whose name appears on half of it?I felt sick to my stomach when I looked through the papers. Kaila had exercised caution, but not enough. A few thoughtless errors—a traceable email here, a signature there—ruined her attempts to conceal he
The Billionaire Bride of Convenience Chapter 047
"You mean you knew what?"Cath's piercing, incredulous voice broke the tension. With her arms folded tightly across her chest, she stood in the center of the living room, gazing at Jemma as if she had never seen her before.Jemma's face remained unflinching, but she was unable to conceal the fact that her fingers were twisting the gold bracelet around her wrist. She calmly answered, "I didn't think it was my place to say anything.""Where do you live?" I quickly retaliated, intervening before Cath could. "Jemma, you've been interfering in our lives for months. Don't act like you've discovered boundaries all of a sudden.Jemma's eyes narrowed as her attention strayed to mine. She yelled, "I was defending this family." "With the way you've been destroying it, someone had to.""Dismantling it?" Cath's voice raised, shaky with rage. "Can you hear yourself at all? All the things Mike and I have battled for, all the obstacles we have surmounted, and you— Shaking her head incredulously, she
The Billionaire Bride of Convenience Chapter 046
"Do you believe she will ever pardon me?"The silence in the room was broken by Cath's voice, which was gentle yet heavy with a vulnerability I wasn't used to hearing from her. With her hands gripped tightly together, she sat at the edge of the bed and gazed down at the faded carpet as if it held the solution to her query.I said, leaning against the doorframe, "Mia's a kid, Cath." "Perfection is not necessary for kids. They require affection. And you've given her that every day, even during difficult times.Cath's eyes met mine as she turned her head slightly. "What if it's insufficient?"I walked over to her and firmly replied, "It will be." I knelt down in front of her and held her hands. "Me and you? We will ensure that it is.We were silent for a time. I could see the cautiousness in her eyes relax slightly as the silent hum of the city outside filled the void between us.A tiny voice then resounded along the corridor. “Mom? Mike?”Cath suddenly straightened, a look of concern re
The Billionaire Bride of Convenience Chapter 045
"You don't think I'm telling the truth?" Cath's voice was low and tremulous, yet it was piercing enough to cut through the room's silence.Her words hit me like a challenge as I looked up from the coffee mug I was holding. Her eyes, which I used to believe I understood better than my own, were filled with an inexplicable mixture of hurt, rage, and perhaps even a glimmer of hope.I put the coffee down and stated slowly, "It's not about believing you." It's about determining how to proceed. Together.Cath gave a nasty, nearly barking chuckle. "Companions? Mike, do you even understand what that means?Her accusation stung more than I anticipated. I wanted to protect myself and fire back, but I refrained. She was not mistaken."Then demonstrate for me," I responded steadily. "Cath, tell me what you need from me. I'll do it, whatever it is.The tension between us stretched like a wire ready to break as she paced the tiny living room with her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "It's not t
The Billionaire Bride of Convenience Chapter 044
"Mike, why do you always flee when things get tough?"Long after Cath had bounded out of the park that day, the question continued to haunt me. I didn't have a solid response back then, and I wasn't sure I did now. A critical and merciless reflection of myself gazed back at me from the café window. The city outside shifted as though nothing had happened, as though my whole universe hadn't been upended.I swirled my coffee because it was something to do, not because I intended to drink it—it had gone cold an hour ago. Something to help me stay grounded when my thoughts were racing.In actuality, Cath was correct. When things got tough, I did run. I was afraid of the potential of something real, therefore I had fled from her, from us. I now had to consider whether it was too late to repair the damage I had caused.I had been struggling for days with the decision to see her. It was the sensible thing to do, I kept telling myself. Express regret, provide an explanation, and attempt to pre
The Billionaire Bride of Convenience Chapter 043
"Cath, you lack the courage to interrupt me. You didn't.The arrogance that only Kaila could summon echoed in my ears as she spoke. Like a villain who always thought they had already won, she stood in the doorway of my living room, composed and unflappable.I kept my arms crossed so she couldn't see the quiver rising in my chest. "Kaila, you are not allowed to make that call. No more.Her chuckle was piercing. "Really? following all that I have done for you? For this household? You believe you can simply leave?""I don’t think," I responded, taking a step forward. "I know."Her eyes narrowed as she swiftly recovered from the little moment of hesitation in her smile. What about Mia, too? To play this little game with me, are you truly willing to risk losing her?I grounded myself by taking a deep breath. It was this. I had been postponing this moment for years because I was frightened of the consequences. This time, though, Kaila had gone too far, and I wasn't going to allow her to des
The Billionaire Bride of Convenience Chapter 042
"You don’t deserve her, Cath."I froze as the words struck me like a slap. The shrill, poisonous voice of Kaila cut through the café's silence. Her elegant designer suit and flawlessly done hair contrasted sharply with the turmoil she was bringing into my life, making her a picture of deliberate control as she stood across from me.I carefully put down my coffee cup so she wouldn't see my shaking hands. "What are you talking about?"Uninvited, she slid into the seat across from me and leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "Mia. You're not worthy of being her mother.My chest erupted with anger, but I made myself remain composed. "I have given Mia my everything. Everything. You're not allowed to enter here and—"She interrupted, dismissively waving a manicured palm. "Save it," she said. "You have deceived her, tricked her, and pulled her into a chaotic life. Is that really what's best for her, in your opinion?I gasped. Despite her gentle tone, Kaila's remarks had a weight that made my s
