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CHAPTER 52
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-04-01 20:28:22
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The Billionaire's Bargain CHAPTER 53
AMELIA'S POVJust like everyone says, I had always thought grief would come in waves, or still, in little drops. But no, it was different standing here. And the scorching weather did not in any way offer fortitude.As the casket lowered beneath the earth, letting in what remained of a man I never thought I would cry for. A cold shiver pierced through my skin, and fresh tears streamed down my cheeks again.Beside me, Pastor Evans adjusted his posture against the wind, his kind eyes watching me before he opened his mouth. "You can say something if you’d like," he offered gently. His voice was steady, against the storm of emotions swirling inside me.My life had grown into an abode of unsteadiness, a whirlwind of emotions and occurrences. A minute, it would be a happy one, the next it would be a sad occurrence.I swallowed hard, words stuck in my throat like a piece of stone. What do you even say at a funeral where you’re the only mourner, wouldn't it just be as if I was addressing mys
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-02The Billionaire's Bargain CHAPTER 54
NELSON'S POV"A man never makes a wrong decision," I cautioned myself as I stood in front of the mirror. I didn't know how long I had been standing there. Maybe minutes or hours?The only thing I knew was that the man inside the mirror wasn't the me that I used to know.Everything in my life had been going well until recently. My company had mysteriously lost the opportunity of partnering with one of the largest firms in the city due to a devilish clause that was beyond explanation. In order to secure enough financial back up to keep my company running, I had decided to divorce Amelia according to Linda's request, but still, she wouldn't let me have a grasp of my father's assets.And to worsen it all, Alex, my you get brother whom I thought was dead and gone for good, had just appeared. He wasn't dead.And just like everyone would do, he wanted revenge.My slender frame had become even more tiny, my eyes were empty, making it obvious that I lacked happiness. My shoulder, wide as the
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-02The Billionaire's Bargain CHAPTER 55
AMELIA'S POVThe cold wind brushed against my skin as I stepped out of the burial ground, making my body tremble slightly despite the scorching weather. My fingers trembled from clutching the flowers I had just placed on the grave.His name rang in my head, perhaps for the last time. It was cold and final. I swallowed the lump that was still in my throat, fighting back tears that threatened to blind my vision."Rest well and forgive me," I whispered again, the rustling trees barely making my voice inaudible.As I turned to leave finally, a wave of dizziness washed over me. I stopped, gripping the iron fence to steady myself. Maybe it was just exhaustion. I hadn't eaten much lately and I had barely slept. Grief enveloped me, like a butterfly to a flower.'You'll be fine,' I murmured to myself. 'Just get home.'But with every step, my legs grew heavier and weaker, lagging helplessly against the dusty ground. It was as if a magnetic force was pulling my leg from beneath. My breath quic
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-03The Billionaire's Bargain CHAPTER 56
AMELIA'S POV 5 YEARS LATERStanding before the mirror, my mind reeled with bewilderment at the reflection that I saw. I could almost say the woman inside the mirror wasn't me.Except for memories which brought back the pain from the past, there was no trace of the hurt anymore. The scar, disappeared and the wounds healed.This is the kind of woman I had wanted to be. An independent woman, with a world of her own. Ruling her life and not having to live in accordance with whatever standard any fucking person set for her. I styled my hair in the regular manner, applied my make up. My lip gloss was resting seductively on my small lips. One last glance at the mirror and satisfaction from my appearance washed over me, I headed out of the room.My heels clicked against the floor, a constant thing which usually announced to the house that I was ready to go to work."Good morning, mummy." I turned to see Daisy, sitting on her favorite couch in the living room, fingers crossed on her chest,
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-03The Billionaire's Bargain CHAPTER 57
AMELIA'S POVMy forehead twisted, wrinkling together in a way that made my brows almost touched each other. My lips were as heavyy as lead now. I was surprised at the request, not because she had not made such request in the past but because she already made me assure her that I was going to do whatever she requested and that felt like a death trap."Mommy, say something," her tiny voice came again, jerking me off from my thought. She looked so innocent as she spoke. Innocent of everything that had happened, of the circumstances surrounding her birth. Of how difficult this request was for me to grant."You are not going to keep to your words right?" She asked, her voice laced with desperation. I wish she would give up but that was nothing different from chasing after the wind.I had always came up with one excuse or the other whenever she asked about her dad. In fact, I didn't know what else to say to her because I seemed to have ran out of excuses."I'll do that, my angel. If that's
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-04The Billionaire's Bargain CHAPTER 58
NELSON'S POV'CEO'The word shattered in my mind as I read it in my head. The kind of shattering sound that accompanied a glass falling to the ground. Was I going to lose the title in such a shameful way?The clock tickled continuously, a cruelsome reminder that the hours were counting down. My gaze narrowed and my jaw clenched as I calculated the hours left before the crucial board meeting. Investors were already on my neck, threatening to withdraw their shares if as the CEO, I couldn't salvage the situation of my dying company in 96 hours. Not only that, I had to compensate them for the recent losses. My company was seriously indebted now. Over the last six months, returns on investment had been declining, and with each passing day, the company was losing a significant percentage of its revenue, leading to an unaccountable amount of losses on finances.I stood up, frustration taking a toll on me. My shadow roamed around the office, a result of my restless pacing. My eyes scanned t
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-05The Billionaire's Bargain CHAPTER 59
NELSON'S POVThe tension in the room was as good as suffocating. A seemingly silence mixed with a determined tension. Dagger looks, scary faces, and clenched fists were all I could see as I stepped into the hall.Soft murmurs, low indistinct chatters flew from every angle in the room, everyone's face held a visible amount of anger, impatiently waiting to be unleashed. If stares could kill, I was definitely dead at the moment, different eyes shot at me as I went to take my seat.The ground seemed to shake beneath me, almost as if it would tear if I wasn't careful enough. At last, I took my seat and Benita did, too, beside me. My heart beat with the speed of a racing car, but my face was as calm as a still water.I cleared my throat into the public address system, trying to bring decorum back into the room, but it failed. As I was about to proceed, a voice from among them tore into the air."Mr. Nelson," he began, voice dreadful as much as it could. "Before we proceed, we all would want
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-06The Billionaire's Bargain CHAPTER 60
AMELIA'S POVApproaching footsteps.A gentle knock.And then a slight push on the door. My mind jilted back to the moment. I had been lost in thought. Lost amid guilt and pity. Yesterday was Daisy's birthday. Everything had started on a good note. The decorators had taken their time and energy in producing a breath taking design for the occasion. The cake arrived, and everything promised to be colorful until Daisy threw the question again. "Mommy... When is daddy going to arrive?"The question made my heart skip a beat, leaving me speechless for seconds. Although I knew Daisy wouldn't forget about the idea of inviting his father to her birthday, I wasn't expecting her to be so keen about it, at least not even before the celebration commenced. "He promised to be here, darling," I answered, adjusting her dress. "He was not in the city as of last night, and he won't be back till after a few days, but he promised to come see you as soon as he gets back," I lied. As if my daughter
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-07
Bab terbaru
The Billionaire's Bargain CHAPTER 71
AMELIA'S POVThe abrupt end of the call restored silence to the room. The silence was thick enough to be held and sliced with a knife.Daisy's eyes rested on mine. Searching. Waiting for answers that I couldn't provide. Or I could but I didn't want to. My imagination slipped to the other end of the phone. Nelson.Did he hear anything? “Mommy, why don't you want me to speak with daddy?” Her eyes were dark and cold with innocence and that caused my heart to ache. Her bare arms rubbed against mine and her head rested peacefully on my breasts.“It's not like that, darling. Your daddy is a busy man. He doesn't have much time to himself. That's why it's difficult for him to speak with him on the phone.”She nodded her head against my chest in a convincingly manner. I was glad I was able to control the situation. At least for a while before she asked again.“But I heard what he said,”she suddenly pressed, as if she had just woken up from a nightmare. Her head rested just a few inches benea
The Billionaire's Bargain CHAPTER 70
AMELIA'S POV My head pressed against the window as the car drove away. A mixed emotion swirled within me as the city light blurred in the distance against the windshield. But my mid was elsewhere, entangled between the pleasure of victory and the weight of my own plans. It had been a very long day with thousands of unexpected events. From the news about my daughter's health, to the meeting with Nelson and then Alex's appearance like a thief in the night.Nelson had been easy, too easy. He had walked right into my hands, swallowing the same medicine he had dished out for years. It had been satisfying, watching him in his helpless situation- knowing he was not in control when, in truth, and the strings were mine to pull.But Alex...I exhaled sharply, pushing my head tighter on the backrest as that was where it now rested. With Alex, it wasn’t pleasurable. It wasn’t the same game. He had forced me into something I never wanted to do. But I would play along. I was ready to play s
The Billionaire's Bargain CHAPTER 69
ALEX'S POVAccomplishment.Revenge.The words echoed in my mind as I walked away, my footsteps firm against the pavement. Behind me, Amelia moved toward her car, or maybe she just stood there, watching me go.I didn’t turn to check.The night air brushed against my skin, cool and sharp, as if trying to strip away the weight pressing on my chest. Guilt still lingered, stubborn and unshaken."This isn’t how you treat someone you claim to love, Alex."The thought came persistent and uncounted, slicing through the satisfaction I should have felt.But what choice did I have?Amelia wasn’t making this easy. Every attempt I made to fix things, to bring her back, had met a dead end. She resisted, fought me at every turn, as if she couldn't see the truth buried beneath my actions. As if we didn't have anything together in the past. I wanted her to understand. To believe that everything I did was for the best. It wasn't my fault. But she wouldn’t.She refused to see past the walls she had bu
The Billionaire's Bargain CHAPTER 68
AMELIA'S POVA feeling of restlessness rushed over me immediately he left. I paced to and fro the office, my mind reeling with uncertainty. What if it wasn't an empty threat?What if Alex meant everything he had said?Someone who was able to get informations about my whereabout even when we haven't seen in years could as well be upto something terrible.I clenched my fist, my thought spiraling. The weight of everything was unreal, yet overwhelming. My mind reeled with doubt and possibility. Fear crawled in slowly.What if Alex carried out his threat?What if I ended up losing everything?I needed to act fast, to do something. But what could I do?“Instruct the security unit to restrict Alex's exit," I put a call to my secretary immediately my senses picked the point.But my heart sank when she called back a few seconds later. “He left before they got the instruction, ma." Then my phone buzzed, a message from the same number Alex had used in calling me earlier: "Check your mailbox. Y
The Billionaire's Bargain CHAPTER 67
AMELIA'S POV“You need to take caution, Alex. We're business partners not romantic partners," I said while we were outside.“You could have convinced me of that if your reactionh signified that you didn't enjoy it,” he smiled mockingly.Of a truth, I noticed the spark of jealousy in Nelson's eyes when Alex's hand rested behind me on my seat, and I could swear I never wanted the look to disappear. But I still needed to put Alex in place, to let him respect boundaries.“What do you mean?" I asked, feigning confusion. “Everything was clear from the onset, we're doing this because I'm entitled to fulfill my obligations to you and not because of any real interest.""Well, just so you know, I saw the satisfaction on your face when you sensed the jealousy in your husband's reaction, but If that's not the case, convince me so, next time.”Jeez!This guy was some freaking psychopath. How did he read my expression so fast despite how much I had tried to conceal it?“Sure, I will. But correctio
The Billionaire's Bargain CHAPTER 66
NELSON'S POV My fingers drummed against the smooth surface of the table in front of me. My eyes darting towards the entrance every passing minute. I had arrived early not because I was eager to discuss business, but because I needed to rehearse and compose myself before facing Amelia again. Five years. That was how long it had been since we parted ways. Since I let her go, convinced that I was making the right decision. I had told myself then that I had moved on, that I made the right decision by choosing Rose over Amelia. Amelia was just another chapter in my past, reason why I told her to get rid of the baby when are told me she was pregnant. I never thought I would be seeing her again. But sitting down here, helpless and frustrated, as the clock ticked and anticipation built in my chest, I knew he was lying to myself.Then, she walked in, causing me to blink severally in order to process what I saw. Amelia was stunning. She had always been beautiful, but now, she carried hers
The Billionaire's Bargain CHAPTER 65
AMELIA'S POV Immediately he left, I turned to Sophie, my secretary, snapping my hand to necessitate the urgency in my voice. The picture of Nelson looking both stunned and surprised replayed over again. Satisfaction coursed through me and I scoffed. Then I said to Sophie:"Right away, we need to start planning on how to bring a significant change to the company financial situation in the next few weeks.""The company financial situation is excellent at the moment, ma'am. We should only focus on creating a unique brand strategy that could easily convince individuals to buy shares in our company."I smiled, patting her on the back. "You're always full of intelligence, Sophie. But I was referring to Rango group.""oh! I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. What do you want us to start with?" she asked."First we'll need to get the record of past and recent financial situation from them, then we'll look into how we can improve the situation especially through networking."Getting at Nels
The Billionaire's Bargain CHAPTER 64
AMELIA'S POV"Is she awake?" I asked again when the nurse wouldn't give an answer. She kept moving until we were only inches apart, then she stood right in front of me. Her face was masked in professionalism, then she said, "Congratulations, she's awake now?"A wave of relief washed over me. I had thought it was going to be a negative response especially with the nurse's expressionless face. "Can I see her now?" I asked, already moving towards the room. "She's sleeping at the moment, and it would be better if you let her rest for now. She has lost so much energy and she needs to regain it. But..." she shrugged. "...if you think you really need to see her, I advise that you don't do or say anything that would wake her up."With that, I didn't wait to hear anything she had left to say. I dashed towards the room, and Cynthia crawled after me, scrubbing her feet against the floor. When I got into the room, my daughter was sleeping peacefully. She looked so exhausted and I couldn't h
The Billionaire's Bargain CHAPTER 63
NELSON'S POV"What?" I screamed, eye flipped open in bewilderment. "Why the hell would they think I will allow someone else share my position all in the name of a freaking partnership?"Emily and Benita sat across from me, their gaze both resting on me, making the pressure from everything sink deeper into my body. I hated the fact that I was in this mess of a situation. I couldn't contain the rage that bubbled within me as my secretary and CFO came with the report stating the condition attached to the partnership proposal. Operating as a Co-CEO means we are going to have almost, if not equal rights in the company and we would both be involved in the decision making. "What other conditions are attached?" I asked. "They must have thought so high of themselves and their goddamned company to think of such condition."But what more could an helpless CEO do? "No other condition. That was the only condition given. But as it is, they appear strict and not ready to amend the requirements,
