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Chapter Twenty-Two
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2025-03-02 06:01:58
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The Billionaire's Facade Chapter Twenty Three
Lori's POV.Today was one of the days that felt like a dream to me. I stood in my new restaurant as my eyes darted towards every space, it wasn't just any restaurant but mine. It was a place where I could pour out every ounce of creativity into the food I prepared for my customers and Lucian was the one who made all of this possible.I felt someone tap my shoulder and I turned to see Lucian as he stood behind me with a smile displayed on his lips.“I caught you staring” he said and my eyes litted up in excitement then I smiled at him.“You know today is one of the days which had made me be more in my feelings. It's just hard to believe that this is all happening and you should be the person I should thank the most” I aired out, my voice laced with happiness.“You have earned everything you are seeing Lori. You worked for it and the credit should go to you, if you don't want it that way then the credit can go to us” Lucian said teasingly and I couldn't help but chuckle at his words. H
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-04The Billionaire's Facade Chapter One
Chapter OnePearl’s POV“You’re a billionaire heiress, Pearl. Haven’t you come to terms with this yet? When will you quit this game of charades and come clean to your husband?” Bella, my mother, complained.My mouth gaped in astonishment. How many times would I tell this woman that I wasn’t interested?"No, Mother, I've told you already. Ashton and I are doing just fine. This whole meeting or whatever this even is doesn’t even make sense. Quit pestering me!" I rolled my eyes, sinking deeper into my seat. Could the earth just open up and swallow me already? That would surely be better than being here."You are the heir to Hammond's Inc., don't you get it? Sooner or later, your father will leave the business in your hands." My mother, Bella, said with a calm voice. I could tell that she was about running mad all because of me."Why can't you just hand it over to Corinne? She'd happily do that for you." I glanced over at my father, Tom, who sat right across me, “Besides, Ashton isn’t a
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-17The Billionaire's Facade Chapter Two
Pearl’s POV“What the fuck?” I screeched as my phone slipped out of my trembling hands and crashed onto the floor. I was certain that the screen had shattered, but that was the least of my concerns. I had more pressing matters to attend to, like the fact that my husband was buried deep---and pounding---in my sister, Corrine.I still couldn’t believe it, my brain hadn’t processed any of that. Damn, it was hard to. My fists were tightly clenched on either side of my body and I bit down on my jaw with so much force.Ashton turned around and to his amazement, there I was. Watching at the scene like a bystander. His eyes widened as he reached out for the sheets, wrapping it quickly around his body. “Corrine, I can explain.”“Save it, Ashton. I’ve seen more than enough.” I held a finger up and closed my eyes, taking a shaky breath. My hands began to tremble and I broke out into a cold sweat.“No, please. This isn’t what you think it is.” He continued, stepping forward to close the distance
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-17The Billionaire's Facade Chapter Three
You signed them? You actually signed them?” My voice wavered as I looked down at the documents on the table through teary eyes. “Isn’t that what you wanted anyway? Anything to make you happy, my sweet.” He sneered, sliding the papers back to me. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The man I’d been in love with for four years, four whole years! He just threw everything away like it was nothing. “You!” I turned to Corinne, pointing a finger at her and stepping closer to her. “Corinne, this is all your fault!” I spat, closing the distance between us. She inched back until her body hit the wall. “How could you do this to me?!” I cried out, before landing a resounding slap on her face. Baffled, she raised her hand up to her cheek, her mouth gaped in shock. Ashton moved between the both of us, using his body to clearly separate us, “You don’t hit Corinne like that! What gives you the damn audacity?” He questioned, his voice loud and threatening. I flinched slightly, stepping back as he glare
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-17The Billionaire's Facade Chapter Four
“This is Blake Altura, reporting live from the KRC24 studio, right here in Illinois, Chicago.” The news reporter said promptly, stacking a bunch of papers on top of each other and straightening his posture. I looked on from the side curtains, preparing to step into the spotlight any second now. My sweaty hands were shoved in my pockets and my heart thumped in my ribcage.I still couldn’t believe it. It had all happened so fast, that I didn’t even know how to feel or what to say. “Hey, are you okay?” Corinne whispered, looking up at me. She was right beside me, her petite body leaning into my muscular body. “Y-yeah, I’m fine.” I choked out, trying to maintain my composure. She rubbed a thumb over my hand in soothing circles. “Look, this isn’t easy on any of us. Let’s just get out there, and get this thing over with alright?” She encouraged, with her tiny voice.I nodded, peeling my eyes away from her and redirecting my focus to Blake. “On today’s news, an accident that has taken the n
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-17The Billionaire's Facade Chapter Five
Pearl’s POVAir rushed into my lungs rapidly and my eyes fluttered open as I clutched the sheets around my body tightly. They were white, pure white. The bed was uncomfortable, and the fluorescent lights on the ceilings shone brightly into my eyes.I heard rushed beeping coming from a device beside me and by the time I managed to turn my head to check what was going on, nurses had crowded around me. My breathing was labored and unstable, a telltale sign that I truly wasn’t fine.It felt like my insides were burning up and when I parted my lips to speak, nothing but a squeak came out. The nurses beside me injected something into my I.V. and I watched on helplessly. What on earth was I doing in a hospital of all places? I instinctively shot my hand out to touch my stomach, but the unbearable pain that shot through my nerves made it impossible to do so. Within a few seconds, I succumbed to darkness, once again.~~“She’s awake…” I heard someone whisper as I turned my head against my pi
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-17The Billionaire's Facade Chapter Six
PEARL’S POV…My eyes were still fixated on the television. I blinked and closed my eyes multiple times, reopening them to see that I wasn't dreaming or imagining things. Everything I heard and said was real and so hard for me to accept.It had to be a mistake. I began to feel cold air seep into my body; beads of sweat were formed on my forehead as I wiped it off with my trembling hands as the weight of the news settled in.I was dead. The world thought I was dead, but here I was seated down and breathing just like every other human would do. There was no way I could bring myself to process it.“How could this be? Didn't my family try to look for me, not even once?” I whispered to myself as my eyes softened with pity.I was deep in my thoughts, my head swinging in different circles. After all, no one cared about me, not even my parents, nor my sister, or the monster I married and called him a husband. That was the hardest pill of truth I had ever swallowed, and I knew I was going to ma
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-12The Billionaire's Facade Chapter Seven
Lori Pov I walked out of the supermarket with quickened steps into the evening air that coursed through my veins, feeling hot against my skin.But it didn't do much to clear away the worrisome feeling in my head. Everything felt strange to me, and the fact that I was presently living someone's life began to eat me from within.I had no idea if it was my imagination, but I could feel the eyes of people on me. I couldn't help her rid herself of the unleased feeling that settled at the bottom of my stomach.“Lori. I have been calling you for a long time; please stop. You left your groceries behind,” I heard a voice that was too familiar call out to me.It was Lucian, and I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. His voice was loud and breathless as he ran towards him, his steps increasing with every speed I took.He was trying to catch up fast with me, his heavy breathing being proof of my thoughts.“I don't want them anymore. Besides, you paid for them, so they belong to you,” I
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-12
Bab terbaru
The Billionaire's Facade Chapter Twenty Three
Lori's POV.Today was one of the days that felt like a dream to me. I stood in my new restaurant as my eyes darted towards every space, it wasn't just any restaurant but mine. It was a place where I could pour out every ounce of creativity into the food I prepared for my customers and Lucian was the one who made all of this possible.I felt someone tap my shoulder and I turned to see Lucian as he stood behind me with a smile displayed on his lips.“I caught you staring” he said and my eyes litted up in excitement then I smiled at him.“You know today is one of the days which had made me be more in my feelings. It's just hard to believe that this is all happening and you should be the person I should thank the most” I aired out, my voice laced with happiness.“You have earned everything you are seeing Lori. You worked for it and the credit should go to you, if you don't want it that way then the credit can go to us” Lucian said teasingly and I couldn't help but chuckle at his words. H
The Billionaire's Facade Chapter Twenty-Two
Lori’s POV.My ringing tone filled my ears, breaking the trance I was in as I quickly grabbed my phone and I looked at the screen to see Lucian’s number being displayed.I was about to pick the call but then it ended and I let out a loud sigh. Just when I was about to call him, my phone buzzed and it was a message from Lucian.“If you will allow me. I will love to come and show you the location of where the key is leading to?”My heart skipped a beat and I blinked my eyes at the screen for a second. Lucian had been full of surprises of lately, and he had this way of making everything feel like an adventure. Just like in a movie, where you are both the star and the audience.“Sure I would love to see it. You know I love surprises so much and I have been waiting for you to come to me”I typed the message and pressed on send as I immediately felt a rush of warmth rise up in my cheeks. What did I just write? Wasn't my message too forward?. I bit my lower lip as a soft chuckle escaped my l
The Billionaire's Facade Chapter Twenty One
LORI'S POV Some days had passed by in a jiffy since the rumors of Lucian and me had started circulating. People had different thoughts and things to say about our undeniable chemistry; it's not like I could stop them anyway. They were all free to use their mouths; it belonged to them. They all whispered about how we have been spotted together on late nights or how his car was often parked outside my restaurant building. But despite all the talks, there was something so different about Lucian that I couldn't understand. He wasn't the kind of man who wore his emotions on his sleeve. His heart seemed as though it was locked up in a bank. But when he was with me, he had an entirely different personality. I walked into my office; my hands were filled with the samples of the new designs for my restaurant's renovation. Of late, I had so many customers, and all of them couldn't fit in. I had to arrange a spot outside of my restaurant, where I could accommodate them and feel free to enjoy
The Billionaire's Facade Chapter Twenty
ASHTONI stared at the glowing screen of my phone, my fingers running through my hair as the words on the screen hit me like a slap to my face.I was very sure that the hacker was diving deep into Pearl's records, including the property transactions and the private files I had carefully shielded for years.It dawned on me that someone was playing a dangerous game with me, but who was it? I rubbed the back of my neck, and I couldn't help but allow my mind to reel and draw circles all around the usual suspects I had mapped out in my head.The old business rivals, the enemies, but none of my thoughts felt right. It had to be personal, someone very close to me, and it seemed the person knew too much.“Who must be playing this game with me?” I muttered under my breath.I was about to pick up my phone when my office door swung open, revealing Corrine as she walked in. Her heels clicked sharply against the floor.Corrine has always had a way of making an entrance that was commanding and magn
The Billionaire's Facade Chapter Nineteen
ASHTON I stared at the ceiling as the weight of Corrine's accusations bore down on me. But it still didn't change the fact that I didn't want to be with her anymore, but I still couldn't blurt it all out to her.Corrine is all about drama, and she wouldn't accept or leave without one. Her voice echoed in my head, every word burning through me as I tried to hold onto my sanity. I was clearly losing it, and it was obvious.“Corrine, please. Can you just leave me alone? I need peace at this moment,” I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper. I could hear myself, and so could she.“No, Ashton. I won't just leave you because you are asking me to. Why are you doing this to me? You're hurting me. She cried out, her face twisted with confusion and anger as I slipped my fingers into my hair.“What don't you understand, Corrine? I said I don't want to talk about this right now, and I want to be left alone, so please leave my room. If you force me to repeat my words once again, then I will ma
The Billionaire's Facade Chapter Eighteen
ILLINOIS (CHICAGO)ASHTONThe sunlight shone on the photo frame I held onto; its bright light glistened on my face. I stared at Pearl’s photo, her beautiful face, her radiant smile, which was full of hope.Today was our wedding anniversary, but I didn't want to think about it. In as much as I tried to remove Pearl from my thoughts, I tried to distract myself, none of it worked because her memories always found a way back into my heart.My hands reached up to wipe off the dust on the frame, and my fingers trembled slightly. I ran my fingers over the frame, it's coldness sinking into my hands, like the empty space left in my chest since Pearl passed away.Her death instilled a feeling of guilt inside of me. I couldn't even remember how she died; it was just all so quick. The truth she found out and the helplessness in her eyes as she left the house in fury, not knowing it was her last goodbye. I felt really bad, but up to date, I didn't know why I was so shaken by her death. I thought
The Billionaire's Facade Chapter Seventeen
LORI…I yawned in my sleep as the morning sunlight seeped through my curtains, casting its bright light across my cozy room. I had barely slept throughout the night, and now the consequences were hitting me heavily.Stretching my arms above my head, I attempted to shake off the weight of sleepiness, which filled my eyes, but the exhaustion I felt clung to me. I buried my face into my pillow, because it seemed like a comforting haven as I hoped to slip back into slumber, but as always, the real world always had plans for me.My phone buzzed noisily, breaking the quietness of the room. I stretched towards my phone, glancing at the time as my stomach sank inside of me.What the heck! 11.00 a.m.I screamed loudly, and a burst of panic rushed through me. Just when I had begun to realize it myself, I clamped a hand over my mouth. How could I have slept so late, and no one even bothered to wake me up?I was late for work and what about the customers and the orders I was meant to attend to, a
The Billionaire's Facade Chapter Sixteen
LORIFor a moment, the world around us faded away as Lucian smiled at me, and I munched on my food lightly. In the little space we were in, it seemed as though time had slowed. It was just two of us. Just him. Just me, and nothing else mattered.“You know what?” he said, breaking the silence that erupted between us. “We should try something new tonight, like something different from the usual.”“What is that?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him as Lucian's gaze shifted towards another direction, his eyes locked onto something far away in the distance.“There's a beach over there. Let's go there, just you and me, he said, pointing towards the direction of the ocean.I felt a surge of excitement and nervousness at the same time as it coursed through my veins. I loved the idea of being away from the crowd, alone with Lucian on the beach. “Okay, let's go,” I said, with a bright smile tugging at the corner of my lips.We walked out of the restaurant as the night air brushed against my ski
The Billionaire's Facade Chapter Fifteen
LORI“Pearls” The voice called out to me, even before I saw him. A nickname he would normally call me when we were children. I turned towards the voice, like a magnet that was drawn to something I couldn't seem to shake off me.My gaze was fixated on him as he stood beside the table. His eyes locked with mine, the same green eyes I hadn't seen in so long. It was Adrian; my heart skipped a beat as the past rushed back in waves.“I'm sorry, but you got it all wrong. I'm not Pearls; my name is Lori Whitlock, I aired out, my breath caught in my throat. I knew I was lying, but I couldn't afford to let everything I had worked so hard for go down the drain.“Dammit,” he cursed out, stepping closer to me. “I thought you were Pearl. Actually, she is my childhood friend, and when I set my eyes on you when you walked inside, you got the same grace as her, so I guess I mistook you for someone else. She passed away some years ago, so how could I mistake you for her? I should be the one apologizing
