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Chapter 23
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
The Billionaire's Addiction Chapter 24
KAYLA'S POVI stared at Jeremiah and Trisha, and at that moment I knew that whatever Marcus and I had shared was a facade, we had been pretending and lying to ourselves right from the start. They were working on a writing project, smiling, hand in hand, and Trisha occasionally slapping his behind. He would chase her and they would flop onto the sofa, look at their laptops, create a few ideas and the cycle would start all over again. This was the real meaning of love. They had something in common, they shared a lot together. They were not far apart, even their silences seemed to be filled with words. I enjoyed looking at them, and it made me realize that I and Marcus Turner were never meant to be. It was probably a good thing that we had broken it off.Looking at Trisha and Jeremiah made me feel lonely, and that was why I was headed to the kitchen, determined to get rid of my loneliness. I had begun searching for jobs online, and although I knew that Trisha was going to be there for
Last Updated : 2024-10-29The Billionaire's Addiction Chapter 25
CIARA'S POVI finished cleaning my shop, making sure that all the hair on the floor had been properly packed and dumped into the bin. I was tired. Not just physically, but mentally. I was tired of the guilt I was carrying, tired of looking over my shoulder because I was expecting Tristian to burst in at any moment and accuse me of betraying him, I was tired of everything. When I had agreed to Daniels and Julian’s plans, I hadn't expected that it was going to boil down to this. I had expected a smooth and clean operation, an operation that wasn't going to stress me in any way. But the reverse was the case now. It was not only stressing me out, I was afraid of what was going to happen next.“Ma, we've not been paid for last month.”It was Lucas, staring at me, his eyes asking questions. I never delayed their salaries, I always made sure I paid my workers. But this time, even though the money was there, I was afraid to use it, I was scared of using my own money because I didn't want Tr
Last Updated : 2024-10-29The Billionaire's Addiction Chapter 26
TRISTIAN'S POVI had been in the station for over twelve hours, and so far, nobody had questioned me. It was beginning to get on my nerves, and I knew that it was only a matter of time before I took laws into my own hands and began to rattle the cell protector.I was worried about Ciara and how she was faring. I wondered if she had heard about my arrest, and I knew the first thing she was probably going to do was run to my father. I too, would've ran to my father if I was in her shoes. I stood, anxiety clouding my features when the fair skinned officer that had handled me brutally a few moments ago slipped a key into the cell protector, then gestured to me to follow him.I followed him, then waited while he clamped the handcuffs on my hands once again.Here I was, being treated like a criminal. For something that I had no idea of. If Mr Scarlet was behind everything, he was going to hear from my lawyers once I got out. Especially if I was eventually cleared of my financial misconduct
Last Updated : 2024-10-29The Billionaire's Addiction Chapter 27
CIARA'S POV“I was arrested, CeeCee.”I played my part well, acting shocked and dumbfounded all at once. I wanted him to believe that I wasn't involved in his arrest,that I knew absolutely nothing about it. I wanted myself to believe it too.“How? What happened?”He sat on the customer's waiting chair, his face bearing the weight of the few hours he had spent in the cell. “Well, I shouldn't have gone to the loan company to start with. That is a mistake that I regret now, although it's too late. Mr Scarlet had been arrested on account of financial misconduct, and everytime I ask myself what that means.”I nodded, my heart thumping in my chest. I wanted it to end there, I wanted him to stop talking already, but I listened on, my hands by my side, trembling of its own accord.“Well, turns out I spent the whole night at the cell. Good thing was that I had no other inmates with me, so it was quite comfortable, to say the least.”He smiled and I joined him, wondering how easily he smiled d
Last Updated : 2024-10-29The Billionaire's Addiction Chapter 28
TRISTAN'S POVI turned, giving Ciara my widest grin, trying to disarm her. She adjusted, wrapping the loose bathrobe around her body firmly. “What's wrong? You were on my phone. Is there anything the matter?”I was going to confront her head on, but not fully. I did so, standing up from the bed and walking towards her.“I heard you talking in the office a few minutes ago. I wondered if you were probably seeing another man. Are you seeing someone else, CeeCee?”When she burst into laughter, I knew immediately that my accusation was baseless. How could I even think about such in the first place? I didn't blame myself though, I was a jealous lover, and I felt it was healthy for our relationship, at least.“Come on, Tristian. Did you really think I was cheating on you? I told you, the light bill was something else. I called the man that pays for our line of shops to ask him why it was so expensive. That was why I was talking in the office.”She touched my arm lightly, and I dragged her t
Last Updated : 2024-10-29The Billionaire's Addiction Chapter 29
CIARA'S POV“So, Ciara, what do you do for a living?”I smiled, trying to calm my nerves that seemed to be all over the place. I had expected the questions, but when they actually came, I felt too tired to answer them, too drained to even think normally.My mind was elsewhere, in a motel across town. According to Tristian, investigations were ongoing. That only meant that not only were Daniels and Julian in danger, I was in danger too. Everybody involved in the credit card scam was in danger, and I had barely slept for two days. The image of me dressed in an orange overall tormented me, and it seemed stuck in my mind as far as the case was still unsettled.“I'm a barber, sir. I own a shop just east of the Stamford area. CeeCee hair, the signpost is impossible to miss.”“Well, how splendid! I've never known a barber personally, and I think there's certainly a first time for everything. How is work then?”“Work is fine, sir. Although I struggle to cope with the expenses in ratio to the
Last Updated : 2024-10-29The Billionaire's Addiction Chapter 30
Tristian's POVI left Ciara on the bed, my mind on the ruckus that was taking place in the sitting room. I descended the stairs, wondering inwardly what was wrong with Ciara. She had been alright until the end of her “success story”, and I couldn't stop telling myself that I had probably gone too far with my inviting her to dinner.She was already tired, and it seemed my dad had pushed her to the max with his endless questions. She probably needed some rest, and I hoped she was going to be okay by morning.I opened the door to the sitting room, smiling at the two strange faces. My father was seated next to them in his favourite couch, and I slipped in next to him, but not without shaking the men first.“Good evening, I'll take it that you're Tristian Ravenford.”I nodded, shaking hands with the bald headed man with a full beard. He was staring at me in a funny way that made me wonder if the results of their investigation was somehow coming back to haunt me.“Yes, I am. And you are?”“
Last Updated : 2024-10-29The Billionaire's Addiction Chapter 31
CIARA'S POVI stood next to the door, eavesdropping, my ears alert to every sound that was going on in the sitting room. I knew that I was supposed to be in bed, but I couldn't resist the urge to do what I was doing.Since I saw the FCC officials, my mind had known no rest. And that was why I was where I was, trying to fill in my worrisome mind with the details I was gathering from the sitting room.When I heard the name “Daniels Rochester”, my heart seemed to stop it's blood pumping for a few seconds. There was no stopping it; the truth was going to reveal itself in a few days. My head felt bigger as goosebumps filled my flesh. My knees buckled and I held onto the doorpost for support.What was I going to do? There was one thing I was afraid of, and that was Tristian's reaction and decision. I was there when he had decided to cut ties with his friends, and till this day, he had maintained his stance. I was also there when he had decided to go independent, away from his parents afflue
Last Updated : 2024-10-29
Latest chapter
The Billionaire's Addiction EPILOGUE
KAYLA'S POV The courtroom was filled to the brim. The tension was crackling, and one could hear a pin drop.Both lawyers had presented their arguments, and it was up to the jury to make their decision before it would be passed down to the judge.I stare at Tristian Ravenford, who stared at me in return. He was in a beautiful suit, and he looked handsome. His wound was healing fast, and his life was returning back to normal. All of our lives were returning back to normal.Liam was in school once again, and his story was being turned into a documentary. A writer was also writing it to turn it into a book, it was a beautiful story, a story of survival and determination to survive, to live. I was back at work, but I had a different plan for myself and my son after this case. During the past year while the case had been dragging on, I had used the proceeds of Nova interiors to set up another branch in California. That was my plan. I was going to move away with Liam, and I was going to st
The Billionaire's Addiction Chapter 72
KAYLA'S POVI fell in shock as I watched the life seep out of the man I had come to love. He was bleeding profusely, and from the distant look in his eyes, I could see that he was gradually fading.The gun had fallen from Ciara's hand and she was also bent in worry, her hair soaking up Tristian's blood as she bent to check if he was breathing. I was dumbfounded. I was lost. I was crippled with fear. I didn't know what to do at that moment, I could only pray that Tristian Ravenford didn't die. I couldn't imagine living without him, I couldn't imagine losing him. I was crying now, but I wasn't myself. It seemed I was looking at everything happening from a distance. That was what fear seemed to do to me. Fear was one of my enemies, and anytime it hit me at its fullest, I would suddenly go numb. I was paralyzed by fear. By the fear of death. But at that moment, the paralysis disappeared because a dozen sirens began to sound, and even the huge siren of the ambulance made me wipe my tea
The Billionaire's Addiction Chapter 71
KAYLA'S POVI left the station after Tristian. I wanted to know where he was going. When he kissed me on the forehead, there was something in his eyes, a determined look that told me all I needed to know. He was going somewhere, somewhere dangerous, and he didn't want me to know. For all I knew, the kiss on my forehead was one of farewell. And if I was going to lose my son, I didn't want to lose him too no matter how much I hated the chaos he had brought into my life. That was why I left the station in a taxi, telling the taxi to follow his car. I was afraid for him. I was afraid that he wasn't going to come back to me, afraid of the steely determined expression I had found on his face, of the look in his eyes. I didn't want to lose Tristian Ravenford because I still loved him. And I would do anything to keep that love alive and burning. His car stopped next to a house that had overgrown grass and peeling paint. I stopped the taxi, paying the bald headed driver off and tipping hi
The Billionaire's Addiction Chapter 70
TRISTIAN'S POVI drove out of the police station, my feet on the accelerator. I knew exactly where Ciara's old house was located, and even though I wasn't particularly sure, I felt that she was inside there. My instincts told me so. There was no other place Ciara Hemsworth went to hide when things were tough, and I believed that she was still in that house, probably waiting for the chaos she had created to die down. But why?Why did it have to be Liam? What had I done to Ciara to deserve the hate and the dislike? What had I done, that had deserved Kayla's son being kidnapped, that had almost brought a rift in our relationship and destroyed it?As far as I knew, I had never left Ciara just because I wanted to leave her. I had left her because my life was endangered, because I knew and felt that if she was capable of ganging up with my old friends and stealing my money, then there was nothing she couldn't do to satisfy her greed for money. But why?Why had she gone ahead to try and d
The Billionaire's Addiction Chapter 69
CIARA'S POV I stood next to my car, crouching. I was quite a distance from the apartment I shared with Adrian, but I could see everything that was happening. I had initially wanted to go out, but I had just discovered that I had forgotten the stash of cash I wanted to use in purchasing gas for my car.About four or more police squad cars had filled the yard, and I could see a few policemen come out. A megaphone rented the air, announcing that anyone in the house should come forth. When I saw Adrian come out of the house his hands raised in surrender, my heart skipped a beat. The policemen were all over him in seconds, his body against the squad car. A few officers went inside the house, and I imagined them combing the house, looking for Liam. I nodded grimly. Jokes on them. That was my reason for taking him to the orphanage. It was just as if I had known. It was happening before my eyes. The officers came forth from the house empty-handed. A few questions were thrown to Adrian wh
The Billionaire's Addiction Chapter 68
ADRIAN'S POV I stared at Camila, surprised, hurt and angry. How dare she choose Tristian Ravenford over me? I had been in the meeting for days, the spoils were mine to take.How come she had made the whole shareholders still vote for Tristian over me? I was annoyed. Standing, I addressed them, my hands trembling in anger.Without mincing words, I left the agency, anger coursing through my veins. How was it possible? How had he made it happen?I knew that Camila was once his lover, but how she had successfully maneuvered the decision of the shareholders to favor Tristian Ravenford was beyond me. I saw everything I had planned by trying to get power come crashing down. I wasn't going to get a good lawyer, and I wasn't going to get custody of my daughter.Dejected, I entered the house I now shared with Ciara, surprised to see her eating and not finding Liam anywhere.“Ciara? Where's Liam?”She stared at me, grinning widely.“Didn't you get my text? Him being around wasn't safe. I've ta
The Billionaire's Addiction Chapter 67
KAYLA'S POVComing back home, I noticed Tristan's Porsche in my garage once again. For the record, I knew what he was going through at the moment. I had heard that he hadn't even been going to work anymore.He was going through the same feelings I was going through because of Liam. It was clear as day. Maybe I was treating him quite wrongly, maybe I was treating him unfairly. He had already gone to three private investigators, and most of them had been paid without any results. It was all the same thing.He was sitting on the stairs and stood up when he saw me, his eyes glinting in happiness. His hair was a mess, his shirt was stained and even his beards were unshaven. At that moment, all I wanted to do was hold him. We had been through a lot together, and I knew it was best if I let him come into my house at least for the time being. He sat on the sofa, watching television while I took a shower. When I entered the sitting room, I could see his eyes light up as soon as he saw me in
The Billionaire's Addiction Chapter 66
ADRIAN'S POVI stared at my wife, Natalie. She was stating her terms clearly, and although she had said it before, I couldn't believe it. I was finding it difficult to believe that she meant what she was saying, that she was indeed doing what I thought she was doing.For the past two weeks, I had been so occupied with my role in the Liam abduction that I had absolutely no time for anything else. That meant missing a few of Natalie's calls and texts, and getting back to the house I used to call mine after that period, I was shocked to see everything packed up. Natalie was staring at me, awaiting my reply.She had stated her terms fairly. She wanted a divorce. And she wanted to take custody of our daughter.“Come on, Natalie, come off it.”“There's no coming off anything, Adrian Ravenford. You left the house for two weeks, never returned my calls or texts. Never checked up on your daughter. Never even bothered to ask us how we were faring. And now you hope to see your house in the orde
The Billionaire's Addiction Chapter 65
CIARA'S POVI didn't like the way things were going. It was now a week and Tristian Ravenford wasn't still mine. It drove me crazy, the fact that I might be doing all this in vain, that at the end of the day, he might not even belong to me. He was probably still with Kayla right now, and even thinking about it made me hurt with anger. Adrian on the other hand had started to infiltrate Tristian's agency. Due to the fact that he wasn't coming to work, it was stated in the company rules that within two working weeks, if the head of the shareholders didn't show up, then it was natural for a member of his family to take up the post after a vote. Adrian was going to his agency everyday without Tristian's knowledge, and I knew that it was only a matter of time before he got his heart's desire, before he achieved what he was seeking. And what about me? When was I going to achieve mine?It hurt me and as I stared at Liam, I suddenly realized that the hatred I felt towards him and his mother
