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In the Balance
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The Billionaire's Drunken Bride Decisions and Discoveries
Chapter 96: James was all but watching as his world shattered into shards. He was able to do nothing but watch the doctors and their efforts to revive Lily. Alarms were blaring, and he could hardly get air."Bloody hell, Lily," he muttered, tears forming in his emerald eyes. "You can't leave us now.""Oh, God, Lily," he whispered, tears welling in his green eyes. "You can't leave us now."Moments, which felt like it, had spared their way in sound; the alarms stopped. The double door opened. Then came tired yet relieved eyes, bearing the look of a doctor."We have her stable," he said. "Touch and go there for a few minutes, but she's hanging in there."James exhaled, a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Thank you," he said in a voice so unsteady it trembled. "Um, can I see her?" The doctor nodded. "Briefly. But she needs rest."James returned to Lily's room. Lying there, she still seemed incredibly small and washed out in color. He reached out and took her hand, awkwardly
The Billionaire's Drunken Bride Deals and Revelations
Chapter 97 It was a pretty sleepless night for James. He dozed in the chair beside Lily's bed, where nurses continued to come in from time to time to check on her. Ava was curled up on the cot in the corner, amazingly asleep—though she shouldn't have been sleeping so easily after the last nutty few days. James almost envied her for being able to sleep through all this. As the first light of dawn crawled through this or that hospital window, James sat there, wondering how fast their lives had changed. Just a week ago, their biggest problem was which preschool to put Ava in; now he was sitting in the hospital with his wife shot and stitched up and their whole world upside down. His phone buzzing snapped him out of the reverie. Rodriguez was on the other end. "Louis agreed to meet," Rodriguez whispered in a soft tone. "He'll be at the old warehouse in an hour. You sure you want to do this?" James rubbed his eyes, feeling tired. "No, but we don't have much choice. I'll be there." He
The Billionaire's Drunken Bride Deals And Revelations 2
Chapter 98"Lily," the woman said, her voice breaking. "It's really you."Lily stared at the woman in shock. "Who... who are you?"The woman took a step closer, her hands shaking. "I'm Rachel. Your sister."The room fell silent. James looked at Lily, who seemed to be in complete shock. Ava looked between Lily and Rachel, her young face scrunched up in confusion."That's impossible," Lily whispered. "I don't have a sister. I have a cousin named Maggie, but I don't know you."Rachel shook her head, her eyes filling with tears. "I know about Maggie. But I'm not her. I'm your sister, Lily. We were separated when we were babies. I only found out a few years ago, and I've been looking for you ever since."James stood up, putting himself between Rachel and Lily. "I'm sorry, but this is a lot to take in. Do you have any proof of what you're saying?"Rachel nodded. She pulled out a folder from her bag, her hands still shaking. "I have DNA test results, birth records, everything. I know it's ha
The Billionaire's Drunken Bride Revelations
Chapter 99: The next morning, Rachel was at the hospital. A tide of awkward silence lapped over the ambiance in that hospital room as James' gaze shifted from Lily to the woman who had stated she was her sister, and suddenly his brain made the connection. Rachel did not speak but turned to the edge of the bed, tears now in her eyes. "I know this is all a bit much for you to process, Lily, I know you wanted me to go until you called me but... I can't. Honestly, all of this is true. We were separated as babies. This is what I have wanted to do all these years stand face to face with you." James put an arm around Lily's shoulders and turned to reassure her. "I think that is meant in an understatement way," he stated flatly on her behalf. "You have a load of answering to do." Rachel nodded and took a deep breath. "Long story. Our parents weren't good people. When I was five and Lily was just a baby, they split us up. I went to live with our aunt, and Lily was put into foster ca
The Billionaire's Drunken Bride Revelations 2
Chapter 100James nodded. "We need to get Lily and Ava someplace safe. If Louis is out there, then they could be in danger.""I'll get it set up," said Rodriguez. "But what about you? You're a target too, James.".James gritted his teeth. "I'm not going into hiding. I'm going to find Louis and find out just what's really going on here.".Rodriguez's face wanted to argue the point, and then his eyes slid away and seemed to reconsider. "Alright. But you're … done putting yourself out in the open and allowing the rats a chance to come in and snipe at you "… not going to do this alone. I'll assign a team to you."As they started walking back in the direction of the elevator, James's phone began buzzing. He pulled it to his face and read a text message from an unknown number: "Meet me where it all began. Come alone, or Lily pays the price."His heart picked up speed as he realized exactly what place Louis was thinking of—that place where that shooting had gone down. Of course, this would
The Billionaire's Drunken Bride Getting Deeper
Chapter 101 With Louis spilling his guts, the world tilted on its axis for James. It had been a web of deceit, corruption, and crime running way deeper than James could ever have fathomed. Louis named names: politicians, judges, business leaders, and even some of James's employees. It was so huge, with the network intricate, and it was making James giddy just trying to keep it all in his head. "Jesus," James swore, raking his hands through his hair. "How did I not see any of this?" Louis's eyes held guilt and sympathy. "They were careful, James. Very. And they used your reputation, your success, as a shield. Who'd believe the golden boy of business was involved in something like this?" "So why do they want the company now?" James asked calmly Just then, his phone buzzed. Rodriguez. "James, where the hell are you? We've got a situation." James's heart quickened. "What kind of situation?" "It's Lily," Rodriguez said, taut-voiced. "She's gone." James felt as though he'd been sock
The Billionaire's Drunken Bride Elena's Operation
Chapter 102 The city lights blurred as James whisked past at really high speed, with the racing of his mind at an even further up ticked pace. Louis sat beside him in complete silence, shooing nervous glances at James once in a while. They were on their way to some safe house Louis claimed only he knew—the place to fall back and regroup before they could decide on the next step. "Take a left here," Louis muttered, breaking the thick silence. James obliged, his jaw clenched tight, not uttering a word. Pulling into a drab apartment building in a quiet neighborhood, James finally spoke. "If this is a trap, Louis, I swear to God- "It's not," Louis interrupted, his own voice tight. "I know I've betrayed your trust, James, but right now, I'm all you've got. We're in this together." James laughed bitterly. "Together? You shot my wife, Louis. You've been lying to me for years. We're not in anything together." Louis grimaced at James's harsh tone but didn't argue. The two of them made the
The Billionaire's Drunken Bride Contact
CHAPTER 103James was already pacing back and forth across the remains of the small apartment. Any illusions of running free were seeping away; anything haunted was forgotten in the absolute mental chaos. But, it seemed Louis had just hung up the phone with his mysterious contact."So?" James asked. His voice was sparse from his patience. "What did he say?"Louis took a deep breath and held it before speaking. "Well, he's agreed to meet us. But James, we need to be cautious. This guy, well… Let's just say he's not exactly a people person."James rolled his eyes. "At this point, I don't care if he's the Grinch—just so long as he can help us find Lily."They left the apartment, hunching their shoulders down. James felt like every person they passed on the street might be working for Elena. It was making him jumpy."So where are we meeting this guy?" James asked as they walked.Summary: "An old warehouse by the docks," Louis said. "It's abandoned. Should be safe."James snorted. "Yeah, b
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The Billionaire's Drunken Bride Full Circle
Chapter 142: The Watson mansion was fully alive. Streamers hung cascading off of everything they could, balloons bounced merrily around various corners, and the air swam thick with the tantalizing smell of BBQ on the back porch. Today was, after all, Ave's party – but it was more than that; today was the day Lily and James had chosen to once again pledge themselves to one another.Lily stood before the full-length mirror, straightening out her simple white sundress. At seven months, she was radiant—a perfect arc the curve of her belly was, below the flowing fabric.From the doorway, the sound of a voice declared, "You look beautiful." Lily turned to see her cousin Maggie smile at her."Thanks." Lily smoothed the dress. "I feel like a beached whale, but James insists I'm glowing."Maggie burst out laughing. "He's right, you know. You look like you're about to light up his world or something." She walked over and hugged Lily. "I can't believe how far we've come since that one crazy nig
The Billionaire's Drunken Bride Unexpected News
Chapter 141: Lily woke up off. She couldn't explain it, but something just seemed… off. And when she rolled over to check the time, a wave of nausea hit her. She groaned and buried her face in her pillow."Alright?" James mumbled, still half asleep."Yeah, I just feel a little queasy," Lily replied. "Probably just something I ate."James sat up concerned. "You want me to get you something?"Lily shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. We should get up anyway; Ave has that school play today, remember?"They climbed out of bed and busied themselves getting ready for the day. James went into the bedroom to awaken Ave while Lily projectile-vomited into the toilet.James had, by this time, somehow managed to dress Ave in her costume: a huge, puffy frog outfit in bright green made for the school dress rehearsal of "The Frog Prince.""Mommy!" Ave squealed as she clumped down the stairs. "Do I look like a real frog?"Lily laughed, pushing aside her queasiness. "Why, yes, my child, the fairest fr
The Billionaire's Drunken Bride Family Ties
Chapter 140: Giggles consumed the room, and James stirred awake. He opened an eye to find a little face at the end of the bed staring in at him."Daddy! Wake up!" little Ave chirped in at him.Stepping over the landmines that were on the bed, James ran his hand through the small amount of her running down her back and picked her up, digging fingers into her tummy."Morning, princess," he said by way of splaying a kiss on her forehead.Ave giggled and squirmed. "Mommy said breakfast was ready!""Oh, yeah?" said James, sitting up but not letting go of the squirming Ave. "Am I to take it that's why Mommy sent you in here to wake me up?"Ave nodded, her bouncing brown curls saying more than she could. "Yep! She said tell you there's coffee."James laughed, and if Lily knew him at all well, it was all for her benefit. "Well then, I guess we'd better not have Mommy waiting, huh?"He climbed out of bed, Ave still in his arms, and rolled out of the room. The smell of bacon and coffee wafted
The Billionaire's Drunken Bride New Horizons
Chapter 139James lay on his back on the pristine white sand beach and took a pounding from the burning Maldivian sun. His hand reached up behind him for the coconut cocktail, tasting sweetness in his mouth as the gentle lapping of waves broke almost ten meters away from shore. It was the first time he had really been allowed to relax, barring a three-month period, since they had released the secrets of the Shadow Council onto the world."Penny for your thoughts?" The sound of Lily's voice broke through his reverie. She settled herself down on the lounger beside him. Her skin was golden against the sun.He smiled, squeezing her hand, saying, "Just thinking how surreal this all is. A year ago, I was knee-deep in conspiracies and shadow organizations. Now I'm sipping cocktails on a private island."Lily chortled; that sound always hit James in exactly the right place in his heart."Life's funny that way, isn't it?" she said, turning her head to look at him with her chin resting on her a
The Billionaire's Drunken Bride The Turning Tide
Chapter 138: James was pacing his living room relentlessly. Elena was with Rachel. It was all over. Well yah, anyway that was supposed to mean.Lilly squinted at him from the couch. "James, honey, you're going to wear a hole in the carpet. Come sit down."He sucked in a deep breath and sat down beside her. "I'm sorry; I just… I just can't help but feel this is too easy. After everything we've been through, this is just too easy."Lily squeezed his hand reassuringly. "James, I hardly think that anything about this has been easy. But maybe, this is the way it ends. Not really with a bang, but with a whimper."There was a pounding on the door. The teenager was on his feet before James could even open his mouth. His heart pounded in his chest. This was it.The door was thrown open. To find Rachel standing there—grimy, dirty, and obviously completely exhausted but still with the fires of determination burning behind her eyes. And past her."Hello, James," came the soft-spoken voice of Ele
The Billionaire's Drunken Bride The Lighthouse
Chapter 137: Rachel's hands trembled on the wheel. She drove the car towards the lighthouse. It was a full moon drooping low into a mess, ever drooping across the sky to the west, throwing a queer, sickly light over the whole demesne. She could not believe the fact that she was actually doing this, meeting secretly with her mother, Elena.She couldn't bat the feeling away that this time—this time—things were different. There was no hand in the place that could have been straightened just then, and scarcely a hand for him to take.Beside the lighthouse was her mother's car. Ray closed her eyes, drew a deep breath, and felt her hand shake again, then brought it quickly up to her chest and gripped hard. "You can do this," she whispered to herself.She scrambled out of the car and up the serpentine path to the lighthouse, where waves dashed to the rocks and her feet crunched over gravel.One figure stood at the top by the railing, looking out at the water: Elena. His mother.Rachel's hea
The Billionaire's Drunken Bride Unfinished Business
Chapter 136The world had barely had enough time to absorb the shock that came with the downfall of Shadow Council. News channels were all agog with relentless updates, while governments scurried to try and react to the development; people all around tried to understand what all this really meant and what the implications of the bombshell were that shook the very fundamentals of society.But there was so much more to it than that which James Watson could see coming.He found himself standing outside the hospital room after just a moment's hesitation on the other side of the door handle. He could see from the small window that Louis was lying in a bed, hooked up to a lot of machines, Rachel sat at his side.He steeled himself, took a deep breath, and walked in.Rachel lifted her head. Her eyes were red, red, but glittering. "James," she said very quietly. "I didn't expect you to be here.""How is he?" asked James, who had moved now and stood at the foot of Louis's bed.Rachel sighed. "
The Billionaire's Drunken Bride The Final Gambit
# Chapter 135: James took a deep breath and brought his head counterclockwise to his team, tired yet charged. It was time to engage their plan."Okay, let's go over this again. Hawk, are you set up with that kill switch or what?"Hawk just nodded. Her fingers danced across the laptop keyboard. "Okay, I am ready as I will ever be, but remember, this is one shot deal.""Right," James confirmed, turning towards Kelvin. "You got your contacts on standby?"Kelvin lifted his phone reassuringly. "They're all set, just waiting for our signal now."Glancing toward Angie and Agent Johnson, he asked, "You two sure about this? This is going to be dangerous."Angie made a show of rolling up her eyes. "Please. After all else we've done? It's just another Tuesday."It was Johnson's turn to chuckle. "What she said. We've got your back, James."James bobbed his head, his fear mixing in with his excitement. This was it: the last big push to finally bring down the Shadow Council."Alright then," he sai
The Billionaire's Drunken Bride Aftermath
Chapter 134: Days passed after the warehouse before a blur of debriefings, media frenzy, and shock waves that echoed across the globe. Standing smack in the middle of this hurricane, shaking the very roots of governments and institutions around the globe, was James and his team.They now sat in a safe house, courtesy of Agent Johnson—now an unlikely ally in all of this, ever since the exposure of the Shadow Council. There, in that very suburban home, the living room had now become something of a command center: there were laptops and papers all over, the place cluttered with empty coffee cups.James rubbed his tired eyes at the news playing on mute on the television. Of course, the headline scrolled by in the news: "Global Markets in Turmoil as Shadow Council Revelations Continue.""You should get some rest," Angie said before putting a hand on his shoulder. At least she looked a little better now, with the bruises from her captivity fading, but there was a new hardness in her eyes.
