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Playing Cool
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-01-28 00:20:24
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The Billionaire's Daring Kitten A Search For Her Mother
RUBY'S POVDominic pulled up in front of the local government office. He turned off the ignition of his car and we both stared at the building. It looked plain and almost unassuming, with its beige walls and narrow windows. Yet to me, it felt like the doorway to my real truth, a part of my life that my father had tried so hard to bury away from me.I shifted in my seat, my palms clammy despite the cool air from the car’s vents. I had spent my entire life piecing together fragments of my father’s stories, trying to build an image of the woman who had disappeared so completely from my life. I knew she was a redhead and she was not a U.S citizen from Ambrose, but that was hardly information one ought to know about one's mother. Now, with no other options left, I was here.Dominic reached over and his large hand covered mine, his thumb drawing slow, soothing circles on my skin. His touch was warm, grounding me in a moment where I felt anything but steady.“Are you okay?” he asked softly.
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-29The Billionaire's Daring Kitten Dead End
RUBY'S POVThe second I stepped outside, I fell apart. My legs gave way, and I dropped onto the cold steps of the government building. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. The tears came hard and fast, leaving me trembling as I buried my face in my hands.All I had was her name. Just a name and nothing else. It felt cruel, like the universe dangled a lifeline in front of me only to yank it away.The pain was suffocating me, I couldn’t stop crying. I didn’t care who saw me, who heard me. I was tired of feeling like this. I was tired of feeling lost, small and abandoned. I had no family.A hand on my shoulder made me flinch. I looked up, and Dominic was standing there.“You waited?” My voice was hoarse and broken.“Of course.” He sat on the dusty staircase beside me, even with his expensive pants, and placed his elbows on his knees. “I wasn’t going to leave you.”That was all it took for the tears to start again. He sat down next to me and pulled me against him. His arms wrapped around me, s
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-29The Billionaire's Daring Kitten It's A Start
RUBY'S POVSilence. That was the answer I got: utter, unbearable silence. I clutched Dominic’s phone so tightly that my knuckles turned white. “Hello?” I tried again. "Hello!"Finally, a soft voice with a distinct British accent broke through the static. “I… I’m sorry, but who is this?”I exhaled sharply in relief and Dominic squeezed my shoulder. “It’s Ruby. Ruby DanCliffe. I... I know you probably weren’t expecting me to call after twenty-one years, but I needed to… I needed to talk to you, Mom.”The word "Mom" felt alien and heavy in my mouth. There was another pause, and I could hear faint sounds in the background, perhaps a TV or a distant conversation. The voice on the other end hesitated. “I’m terribly sorry, but I don’t know what you’re talking about.”My stomach dropped. “What do you mean? I’m your daughter! You abandoned me when I was a baby! Do you even care about me? Have you ever cared about me?”“I...” The voice sighed, clearly uncomfortable. “You must be mistaken. I do
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-30The Billionaire's Daring Kitten Meeting Estelle Tredwell
RUBY'S POVEstelle Tredwell could have passed for my mother. Almost. The red hair was the same, bright and vibrant, but that was where the similarities ended for us. Estelle was tall and lanky, towering over me even when she stood by the table. I was also a tall woman, but my figure had always been more curvy, pear shaped. Estelle's gray eyes brightened up when they met my green ones, and her British accent wrapped around her words with a grace that felt foreign to me.She walked over, unbuttoning her coat and draping it over the back of a chair. Every movement was elegant and practiced. Her clothes were tailored, her jewelry was understated but expensive. It was obvious that her family, my mother’s family, had money. Maybe as much as my father's family.“You’re Ruby,” she noted. Then her red-lipped mouth dropped open. “Good heavens, you look just like Eleanor. The green eyes, the dimples… It’s so uncanny. It's like I am staring into the face of my sister again!”I smiled, feeling a
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-30The Billionaire's Daring Kitten Learning About Her Brother
RUBY'S POVDamien. The name sounded familiar, like someone I had known a long time ago.Estelle continued. “Ruby, your mother's family comes from a long line of nobility. Damien is next in line to inherit the dukedom of our hometown. But he…” She paused and sighed. “He’s refused to accept it until he finds you.”"What?”“He’s spent years searching for you,” she said. “After Eleanor passed, he became consumed with the idea of finding his sister. The last time I saw him, he was preparing to come to the U.S. to look for you.”I couldn’t speak. The idea of having a brother, an older brother nonetheless, was overwhelming enough. But knowing he’d been looking for me all this time? That he’d put his life on hold for it?Estelle reached out and touched my hand gently. “He loves you, Ruby. Even though he doesn’t know you, he loves you. Eleanor made sure of that.”Tears stung my eyes but I blinked them away. “Why didn’t anyone tell me? I have been so terribly alone for eleven years. Why did nob
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-31The Billionaire's Daring Kitten A Mole To Be
GABRIEL’S POVThe hot spray of the shower hit my shoulders as I thought about Ambrose. That old, smug fossil had the audacity to intercept me on my way to Wisconsin some days ago, spewing his sanctimonious bullshit about “jeopardizing the plan.”I scrubbed the soap against my chest with a ferocity that nearly tore my skin. “Jeopardizing the plan,” I sneered. If I had my way, Ambrose would be nothing but a mangled corpse rotting in a ditch. But I couldn’t kill him, not yet anyway. The key was still out of reach, and Ambrose, unfortunately, was a necessary evil for now.I tilted my head back, letting the water rinse the soap suds from my body. The steam around me thickened, clouding the bathroom mirror. My hands baller into fists, knuckles white as I imagined Ambrose’s neck in between my hands. How satisfying it would be to feel his life drain under my fingers.When the water ran clear, I turned off the shower and stepped out, grabbing a towel from the rack. It smelled faintly of mildew
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-31The Billionaire's Daring Kitten Fear
DOMINIC’S POVI came down the staircase, my laptop balanced on my arm, AirPods plugged into my ears. The screen was crowded with the faces of my management team scattered across time zones. A man in London was talking about projections, his voice echoing in my ear. I nodded occasionally, giving curt responses when necessary but my focus was all over the place.As I reached the living room, I paused. Ariel was perched on the couch at her usual spot, her legs tucked under her, completely absorbed in her phone. Her face glowed faintly from the screen’s light, and she didn’t look up as I approached.“Ariel,” I called out to her and pulled one AirPod out. She glanced up lazily.“Hmm?”“Is Ruby back yet?”“Nope,” she replied, popping the “p” as she turned back to her phone, her fingers moving rapidly across the screen.I frowned and glanced at the clock on my laptop. 9:45 p.m. That was far too late.The last time I’d spoken to Ruby was this afternoon around 1 p.m., if I remembered correctly
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-02The Billionaire's Daring Kitten Job Offer
RUBY’S POVThe pounding in my head when I woke up was relentless, like tiny hammers striking behind my eyes. I winced as I threw the covers aside and stood from bed.I could hear voices and giggling downstairs, coming from Dominic and his daughter. Sighing, I reached into my bedside drawer and fetched a bottle of aspirin. Popping two pills into my mouth, I washed it down with the cup of water beside me.Five minutes later, I stood under the warm shower, letting the water flow down my body and wash off all the physical pain from the previous night. It helped, a little. Once I was dressed in an oversized blue sweater that reached halfway down my thighs, I shuffled downstairs, my bare feet padding softly against the wood.The first thing I noticed was the smell. It was a rich aroma of sizzling bacon, eggs and something sweet. My stomach rumbled. I followed the scent to the kitchen, where Dominic stood at the stove, flipping eggs like he’d done it a hundred times. Ariel was by his side, h
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-02
Bab terbaru
The Billionaire's Daring Kitten His Plan B
Ambrose’s POVI walked out of the store room and typed out the message. Short. Precise. The kind of thing that would drive a blade straight into Dominic’s chest.“I wonder how it feels to know your daughter is slipping through your fingers as we speak. Tick tock, tick tock. Time is running out. If you ever want to see your daughter again, you will do exactly as I say. Instructions will be relayed to you very soon. I don't want any cops or dumb tricks. You know what to do.”I read it over once, then sent it. A moment later, the screen blinked. The message had been delivered.I stared at Ariel's name glowing at the top of the message. The irony of it almost made me laugh. There was something delicious about making a father’s worst nightmare come true.I slid the phone back into my pocket and sighed, walking to the rusty elevator and taking It back up. When I got up, I walked past the smoking men and stepped out into the cool night air. Chicago was quieter than usual, even though I knew
The Billionaire's Daring Kitten Leverage
Ambrose's POVThe building smelled of dead animals. It was an old hotel, now reduced to nothing but dust and silence. I stepped over a broken floorboard, my polished shoe grinding against the dirt under me. The place was barely standing. The ceiling sagged in places and the corners darkened with mold, but it would serve me for now, at least.Some of my old and loyal men were sitting on a wooden slab in the middle of the room, smoking and drinking. When they saw me, they gave me deferent bows. A few of them waved, and I waved back. I had called them together at such short notice, but they still came. It was good to know that they were still loyal to me. I would pay them handsomely once this was over.I walked toward the rusted iron elevator, its metal cage rattling as I stepped inside. The doors groaned as they slid shut and with a shudder, the elevator descended. Dominic Rutherford had taken everything I worked for away from me. Rachael was meant to be mine, but he stole her. And wh
The Billionaire's Daring Kitten Ariel Still Missing
Dominic’s POV“Oh, my God!” Ruby screamed.She sprang to her feet and started pacing her hotel room. Her hands tangled in her hair, her pants legs flapping against each other as she walked about. I'd told her about everything, from the news of the prison break that I got during the meeting, to Ariel being kidnapped at home, to her boyfriend who was in the house when it happened.“You’re telling me some random guy just waltzed into your house and claimed to be Ariel’s boyfriend?" She roared. "And you let him go? What If he was behind it all?”I squeezed my eyes shut. “He said he was in a long-distance relationship with her. That they met when she was in Switzerland.”Ruby spun on her heel, eyes burning into me. “And you believed him? Dominic, I thought you were smarter than this.”I scoffed. “Hell yes, I am. But he didn’t seem like a threat. If he was dangerous, I’d have known. Trust me, Ruby, I have been around a lot of dangerous people, and that Brandon boy is not one of them."Her a
The Billionaire's Daring Kitten Five Years Apart
Ruby's POVJust like that, five years disappeared between us.Five long years, and now I was standing here, face to face with the man I had once given my entire heart to.There was a whole myriad of emotions within me. But more than anything, I felt love. Because despite everything that had happened, despite the distance and the silence and the longing, despite every reason I had given myself to move on… I never really moved on from him.I let my eyes roam over him, drinking in every change that time had carved into him. Five years had really done him good.He was broader now, his body was solid with muscle like he had spent every day training, pushing himself harder. His hair which used to be in a ponytail was now styled into neat, sharp cornrows that framed his face perfectly. A well-trimmed beard lined his jaw, making him look even more powerful and more manly.And God help me, he looked so... fucking.... good!I felt my heart stutter, and for the first time in a long time I was br
The Billionaire's Daring Kitten Amidst Chaos
Dominic's POVThe Basement was filled with voices but none were louder than mine."Spread out!" I roared, slamming a fist against the table. "I don’t want excuses! I want results! Do you hear me?"The metal rattled under my hand, but I didn’t care. My men scrambled around, some on their phones, others poring over maps and documents. None of them moved fast enough for me. Ariel was missing, and the more time we wasted, the more danger she was in.I knew it was Ambrose. There was no doubt in my mind. That bastard had taken her, and I had let it happen.I balled my fists so tight that they hurt. I kept running last night over in my head, every single mistake, every moment I should have done something differently.I should have never told the men that guarded my house to go home. The house had been unprotected because I thought for one damn second that we could let our guard down. I should have gone home after that call with Ariel, not go to the bar with Damien. I should have..."Sir."I
The Billionaire's Daring Kitten Home Again
Ruby's POV"I understand what you’re saying, Martin, but we are not doing another take of that scene."I held my phone between my shoulder and ear, flipping through a thick script with one hand while signing a document with the other. My assistant stood beside me, watching with nervous eyes as I scrawled my signature across the last page."I don't care if the lighting was slightly off," I continued, shifting the phone back into my hand as I turned to grab a bottle of water. "The emotion was perfect. The moment was perfect. If you ask me to reshoot it again, I swear I’ll throw something at you."Martin the director laughed on the other end of the line. "Fine, fine. You win, DanCliffe. You always do.""Exactly."The assistant took the signed document from me and scurried off. Another person approached with a clipboard, but I raised a hand. "Not now. Give me a second to breathe."She hesitated before nodding and stepping back. I squeezed my eyes shut, rubbing my temples. My head was poun
The Billionaire's Daring Kitten Trouble At Home
Dominic's POVThe Chief’s words played over and over in my head. Eight inmates had escaped, and not a single one had been found. It didn’t make sense. How could a group that large vanish without a trace? Someone had helped them. Someone with power and enough resources.I gripped my whiskey glass and set it down hard. The sound made Damien glance at me. He could see the frustration in my face."Dominic," he murmured in warning.I shook my head. "He’s the Chief of Police. How does he not have a single lead? Not even one?"Damien leaned back, stretching his arm across the booth. "Agitating yourself isn’t going to change anything.""So what do you suggest?"He looked at me for a long moment. "We need to get some sleep. We regroup in the morning and think about our next step then."I opened my mouth to argue, but he raised a hand. "No arguments. You know I’m right."I ran a hand over my face. "Yeah, sure. Whatever."We finished our drinks in silence. Damien paid the bill, and we walked out
The Billionaire's Daring Kitten Chaos
Dominic's POVThe world around me blurred the moment I saw the news. Only three words rang in my head. Ambrose was free. Ambrose was free!And if he was free, I knew without a doubt that there was only one thing he would want.Revenge.“Dominic!” Damien yelled, and I gave a small start.I looked up in horror. “Ambrose escaped.”His entire expression changed immediately. The chatter in the room faded as the other men picked up on the shift in atmosphere.“What the hell do you mean he escaped?” Damien took my phone from my hand and skimmed the article. The longer he read, the thinner his lips turned. “Son of a bitch!”I ran a hand down my face, trying to tell myself to stay calm. “They set fire to the penitentiary and used the chaos as cover. The authorities haven’t been able to track him down.”“Of course they haven’t.” Damien groaned and closed his eyes. “Ambrose was never the kind of man to just sit and rot in a cell. He planned this, I know he did.”I nodded, already running through
The Billionaire's Daring Kitten Trouble Breeding
Dominic's POVFive years later..."I don't see why this meeting can't be handled over a conference call, Damien."I pushed open my office door with my shoulder, my phone propped between my ear and my collarbone. With one hand, I shrugged on my jacket while the other gripped my briefcase. "It’s not like we haven’t done this a hundred times before."Damien’s sigh came through the line. "Dom, you know how these high-rollers are. They like to see who they’re dealing with, shake hands and size up the competition. You want to lock this deal down, we do it my way.""Your way? Why the fuck? My way is better.""Because," Damien said on the other end, "when you're dealing with potential buyers for a deal this big, you look them in the eye. You gauge their reactions. You see if they're hiding anything."I sighed. "We have people for that.""And people can be wrong," Damien countered. "Come on, Dom. I already set this up. Look, the least you can do is to just show up and listen."I reached the fr
