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Chapter 13
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2024-12-01 04:36:49
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The Billionaire Heiress's Contract Marriage Chapter 14
Julian leaned against his desk, still staring at his phone.He debated calling his assistant to get Alexis’s number, it would be easy enough.His influence extended into every corner of the city, and locating her would take minutes.But he didn’t.What if she didn’t want to hear from him?What if she saw his call as intrusive, or worse, as pity?The last thing he wanted was to come across as another person trying to control her life.He tossed the phone onto the desk with a frustrated sigh, rubbing his temples.For a man used to making split second decisions that impacted millions, this hesitation felt absurd.Why am I letting her get to me like this?Both of them sat in their respective spaces, consumed by the same questions.For Alexis, it was, Does he even care about me?For Julian, it was, Would she even want me in her world?The distance between them wasn’t just physical, it was emotional, filled with uncertainty and fear.Julian stood abruptly, pacing his office.His instincts t
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Julian froze for half a heartbeat, startled by the vulnerability in her tone.He cleared his throat, forcing himself to speak.“Alexis? It’s Julian.”There was a pause on her end, and for a moment, he wondered if she might hang up.But then she spoke, her voice a mix of surprise and something he couldn’t quite place.“Julian... Hi. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you.”He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “I hope I’m not calling at a bad time.”“No, not at all,” she replied quickly. “I just...” She stopped, and he could almost hear her mind racing through what to say.Julian leaned back in his chair, his voice softening. “I heard about the headlines. The rumors.”Alexis let out a small laugh, though it held no humor. “Of course you did. Seems like everyone has.”“I wanted to make sure you were okay,” he said, his tone sincere. “I know how ruthless the media can be.”There was silence on the other end, and he wondered if he’d said too much. But then she sighed, the
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-02The Billionaire Heiress's Contract Marriage Chapter 16
Julian stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the collar of his tailored navy suit.His reflection stared back at him, calm and composed, but beneath the surface, anticipation simmered.Tonight felt different, and he wasn’t sure if it was because of Alexis or the way her presence lingered in his thoughts.He smoothed his tie one last time and reached for his watch, a sleek, understated piece that somehow still screamed luxury.With a deep breath, he grabbed his keys and headed for the garage.The car he had chosen for the night was one of his prized possessions, a sleek black Aston Martin, its paint glistening under the soft lights.He knew it was a statement, but he didn’t care. If he was going to pick up Alexis Montgomery, it had to be done in style.As he pulled up to her driveway, Alexis stepped out of the house, her figure framed by the warm glow of the porch lights.She wore a simple yet elegant dress that hugged her figure perfectly, paired with heels that added an extra touch
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“Julian,” she began, her voice laced with disbelief, “how did you even manage that? I mean, I know your family is... well, your family, but this is...” She trailed off, gesturing vaguely as if trying to encompass the enormity of what he had done.He shrugged lightly, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Let’s just say I have connections. And I don’t take kindly to seeing people I care about being treated unfairly.”Her heart skipped a beat at his words, and for a moment, she forgot how to respond.Julian cared about her?The thought sent a rush of warmth through her, but she quickly pushed it aside, focusing instead on her astonishment.“Well, thank you,” she said finally, her tone earnest. “I don’t even know what to say. I was bracing myself for weeks of dealing with this mess.”“You don’t need to thank me,” Julian said, his tone firm. “Just promise me you’ll stop reading those tabloids. They’re trash.”Alexis laughed, the sound light and genuine. “Deal. Though I’m still trying to wra
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The tension between them crackled in the air, but the man seemed to sense he was outmatched.With a muttered curse and a dismissive wave, he turned and stomped off into the crowd.Alexis let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding, looking up at Julian with wide eyes. “Wow. That was... intense.”Julian turned to her, his expression softening. “Are you alright?”She nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Yeah. Thanks for stepping in, Mr. Devereux.”He smirked. “What else am I here for, Miss Montgomery?”Alexis laughed, the tension melting away. “You know, you’re pretty good at this whole ‘knight in shining armor’ thing.”“I prefer to think of myself as a gentleman,” Julian said with a playful shrug.“Well, whatever you call it, I appreciate it,” Alexis said, her voice sincere. “Though I can usually handle myself.”Julian raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Oh, I have no doubt about that. But every now and then, even the strongest people need someone in
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As they moved onto the dance floor, the rhythmic bass of the music enveloped them.The flashing lights painted Alexis and Julian in shifting hues of red and blue, the energy of the crowd pulsating around them.Alexis grinned as Julian attempted to mimic her fluid moves, his reserved nature making it almost comical.She grabbed his hands to guide him, laughing as he finally managed to loosen up.“You’re getting better,” she teased, her voice raised over the music.“Don’t lie to me,” Julian retorted with a smirk, his deep voice carrying just enough charm to make her laugh even harder.For a moment, they swayed together, the world narrowing to just the two of them.Alexis’s gaze softened, her laughter fading as her mind began to spin with the weight of everything happening in her life.She stopped mid step, pulling Julian toward a quieter corner of the dance floor.“What’s wrong?” he asked, concern flashing in his eyes.Alexis bit her lip, hesitating. “I need to ask you something, and I
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They stayed on the dance floor a while longer, their movements slower and more natural now.Alexis felt a strange mix of lightness and security in Julian’s arms, as if, for once, she wasn’t carrying the weight of the world alone.As the night went on, she couldn’t help but steal glances at him, wondering how someone like Julian Devereux had managed to step into her life and turn it upside down.And somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized that this contract marriage, what had started as a desperate solution to a public disaster, might just become something far more complicated.As the hours ticked by, Alexis found herself relaxing more than she had in weeks.The tension from her confrontation with Ryan, the constant scrutiny of the media, and the pressure from her family all seemed to melt away in the dimly lit, lively atmosphere of the club.The music pulsed around her, but it was the company at her table that anchored her.Julian, calm and composed as ever, sat across from he
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As the car pulled away from the curb, Julian glanced over at Alexis, who was slumped against the window, her flushed cheeks a telltale sign of the evening's indulgence.“You hanging in there?” he asked gently, his tone laced with concern.Alexis groaned in response, barely lifting her head. “I’m fine,” she mumbled, waving a hand dismissively.But her body betrayed her. Moments later, she lurched forward, clutching her stomach.Julian’s instincts kicked in as he quickly parked by the side and reached for the bottle of water on the console, but it was too late.The sound of Alexis retching filled the car, followed by the unmistakable splatter on the pristine leather seats.Julian winced but immediately leaned over to steady her, holding her hair back as she emptied the contents of her stomach.“Oh no,” Alexis groaned, her voice weak and filled with embarrassment. “Your car... I ruined your car.”Julian shook his head, his hand resting gently on her back as she slumped against the seat a
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The Billionaire Heiress's Contract Marriage Chapter 137
Julian exhaled slowly, nodding. “I don’t want you to forget,” he murmured. “I just want you to let me make it right.”His fingers brushed over her knuckles, tentative, as if giving her the chance to pull away. But she didn’t. She let him hold her hands, let him be close.“I spent years blaming your father for what happened to mine,” Julian continued, his voice thick with emotion. “And maybe some of that blame was justified. But I made the mistake of thinking you were just another extension of him, that hurting you would somehow fix what was broken inside me.”A pained look crossed his face, regret etched into every feature. “But all I did was hurt the one person who had nothing to do with any of it. And I will never forgive myself for that.”Alexis swallowed the lump in her throat, her own regrets beginning to surface.She had tried to ignore the way her heart had ached in his absence. She had told herself she was better off without him, that his betrayal had severed the connection be
The Billionaire Heiress's Contract Marriage Chapter 136
As they strolled beneath the Eiffel Tower, the golden glow of the city casting long shadows around them, Alexis felt an unfamiliar warmth settle in her chest. She had spent so long running, from her past, from Julian, from herself. But now, in this moment, it was as if time had slowed, allowing her to breathe, to truly take it all in.Julian didn’t rush her. He simply walked beside her, their fingers still loosely intertwined, as if he was afraid that if he held on too tightly, she would slip away.“Do you remember what you told me that night?” Julian asked softly.Alexis frowned slightly, searching her memory. “Which night?”“The night of the gala,” he clarified, glancing at her with a knowing look. “You told me that I was a mistake waiting to happen.”Alexis let out a small, breathy laugh. “That does sound like something I would say.”Julian’s lips curved into a smirk. “And you weren’t wrong.”Alexis tilted her head up, watching the soft glow of the tower above them. “It wasn’t just
The Billionaire Heiress's Contract Marriage Chapter 135
Harrison Montgomery had always been a man of power, control, and strategy. He built an empire from the ground up, ensuring that his family never lacked anything. To him, emotions were liabilities, love was a distraction, and personal connections were just another battlefield where the strongest prevailed.And yet, as he stood by the large windows of his estate, watching his daughter through the glass as she sat in the garden, something in him shifted.Alexis was smiling. A real, genuine smile.For months, she had walked around with a guarded expression, a shadow of the confident, fierce woman he had raised. She had been betrayed, humiliated, and hurt in ways no father would ever want for his child. He had watched her hide her pain behind work, pretending she was fine, but he had known better.But now, this was different.She was laughing softly as she stared at her phone, a small, almost shy smile on her lips. Her fingers hovered over the screen, typing something before deleting it an
The Billionaire Heiress's Contract Marriage Chapter 134
Julian answered on the first ring.“Alexis?” His voice was cautious, unsure.She swallowed hard, her grip on the phone tightening as she stood outside his childhood home. The wind rustled through the overgrown grass, carrying with it the echoes of the past she had just walked through.“I went to your house,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.Silence.For a long moment, there was nothing but his breath on the other end of the line. When he finally spoke, his voice was rough, strained. “You didn’t have to do that.”“But I did,” she countered. “I had to see it. I had to understand.”A bitter chuckle escaped him. “And? Do you understand now? Do you finally see what your father did to me?”Her heart clenched at the raw pain in his voice.“I see everything, Julian,” she said softly. “The eviction notices, the empty cabinets… the house falling apart. You had nothing.”He exhaled shakily. “We had worse than nothing.”She closed her eyes, imagining a younger Julian standing in th
The Billionaire Heiress's Contract Marriage Chapter 133
Julian sat in his car, gripping the steering wheel tightly. His heart still pounded in his chest, the image of Alexis standing in the doorway burned into his mind.She hadn’t told him to leave.She hadn’t slammed the door in his face.That had to mean something, didn’t it?He let out a heavy breath, resting his forehead against the wheel. He had spent so long fighting battles against Charlotte, against his mother, against the world… but this was the most important fight of all. The one for Alexis.And if waiting was what it took, then he would wait.He just prayed she would give him the chance to prove himself before it was too late.Julian knew better than to push.For the first time in his life, he was stepping back, not because he was giving up, but because he finally understood that love wasn’t something he could win like a business deal or a war. Alexis wasn’t a prize to be claimed. She was a woman who had been hurt, who had every right to doubt him, and if he truly wanted a futu
The Billionaire Heiress's Contract Marriage Chapter 132
Alexis pressed the power button on her phone, silencing the vibration that followed Julian’s call. Her heart was pounding, her emotions tangled in a war between longing and self preservation. She had spent weeks convincing herself that she was done with him, that she had buried every last trace of love she had for him beneath the rubble of his betrayal.But then, there he was, standing in front of the entire world, stripping himself of his armor and baring his soul in a way she never thought he would. And now, she didn’t know what to do with the feelings clawing their way back to the surface.A knock at the door jolted her from her thoughts. Her breath caught. Had he come to see her? No, Julian wouldn’t be that reckless, would he?Slowly, she made her way to the door, her pulse racing. When she opened it, she wasn’t sure whether she felt relieved or disappointed to see Sophia standing there instead.“Can I come in?” Sophia asked softly, her eyes searching Alexis’ face.Alexis stepped
The Billionaire Heiress's Contract Marriage Chapter 131
The world erupted in a frenzy the moment Julian Devereux's press conference ended. News outlets, social media platforms, and television channels dissected every word he had spoken, every frame of his expression. His admission of love for Alexis Montgomery, combined with the exposure of Charlotte’s corruption, sent shockwaves through the business world and beyond.Some lauded Julian for his honesty, praising his courage in standing against Charlotte. Others, however, were less forgiving.“So Alexis was really nothing more than a pawn in a revenge plot?”“She should’ve never married him in the first place. He destroyed her.”“Why is Julian being praised for ‘love’ when he manipulated her from the start?”Within hours, #AlexisMontgomery trended worldwide. News anchors debated whether she had been complicit in Julian’s schemes or simply another victim of powerful men playing dangerous games. Everyone had an opinion, and Alexis, despite her best efforts, could not drown out the noise.She
The Billionaire Heiress's Contract Marriage Chapter 130
Alexis blinked, but she remained silent.Julian took a step closer. “I love you, Alexis. Not because it’s convenient. Not because I want to win. But because even after everything, even when you have every reason to hate me, you are still the best thing that has ever happened to me.”A flicker of something crossed her face, something he couldn’t quite place.But then she inhaled sharply and shook her head. “Love isn’t enough, Julian.”He knew that. He had always known that.But he wasn’t giving up.“I know,” he said softly. “But I’m going to prove to you that I can be the man you deserve.”Alexis looked at him, searching his face, as if trying to find the lie.She didn’t respond right away. And for now, Julian didn’t expect her to.This was just the beginning.And he would fight for her, for them, with everything he had left.Alexis’ chest tightened as she stared at Julian, his words still hanging in the air between them. I love you, Alexis. She wished she could believe him, wished she
The Billionaire Heiress's Contract Marriage Chapter 129
Harrison Montgomery stared Julian down, his sharp gaze cutting through the younger man like a blade. Julian had confessed everything, his revenge, his betrayal, his regret, but none of that changed what he had done to Alexis. None of it erased the pain he had caused.Harrison leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. His expression was unreadable, but Julian could see the fury simmering beneath his composed exterior.“You don’t deserve her,” Harrison said, his voice cold and absolute.Julian swallowed but didn’t argue. He knew it was true.“And yet,” Harrison continued, his eyes narrowing, “I have never seen my daughter care about someone the way she cared about you. Even now, after everything, she still feels something.”Julian’s breath hitched. He had spent weeks believing Alexis wanted nothing to do with him. That her hatred had erased any trace of love she once held for him.Harrison sighed, standing up and adjusting his cufflinks. “So, here’s how this is going to go, Deve
