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The Billionaire's Pawn 12
LONDON I sat across Neke at the coffee shop. “It’s just been twenty-four hours, right?” Who was I trying to convince? Neke or myself? Reed was back as my bodyguard. He could be less chatty, so bored I could die to death, or lenient if he wanted to. “Tell me why you like Striker so much. I mean, I get it. He’s hot and all, but why, of all the hedge fund guys or billionaire boys club, what did you see in him?” “I first met him two years ago.” “Wait. Hold on.” Neke held my hand. “What do you mean you met him two years ago? What happened then?” “He was a member of the team that saved me.” “You’re kidding. How in the hell did I not know that?” “He got another assignment, I guess.” I looked down at my hands. “I know I’m sick in the head. I tried to forget him, I swear. But he’s like a plague in my brain. It wouldn’t just let me. I mean, I’m so tired of hoping and waiting, and then he’s gone again.” “Oh, baby girl.” She held my hand, squeezing it. “I couldn’t fathom what you’ve been
The Billionaire's Pawn 13
STRIKER “Dad, thank you for meeting me.” Dad looked at me, confused. “Of course, anything for my boy. Are you okay?” I slumped my ass onto the chair before his desk. “No.” “What’s wrong?” He froze. Suddenly, he looked distraught and broken. The last time I saw the look on his face was when I told him I had enlisted in the Marine Corps. At first, he refused and cried, but before I left, he finally came along and respected my decision to join the service, and it felt like it was the first time I broke his heart. “Dad, I’m fine.” I rubbed my temple. “I’m sorry.” He came around across mine. “You said you’re not okay. And you wouldn’t be here if it’s not important.” “I swear I’m fine. Not in trouble. May I ask something?” “Of course.” The crease between his eyebrows was still there. “Wait. Am I holding you up? Do you have a meeting to go to?” “I’ll cancel in my schedule if you need me, Striker. What’s going on?” “I need your advice.” “What was your question?” “I was wondering
The Billionaire's Pawn 14
LONDON “I feel like I’ve been called to the principal’s office for misbehavior. It makes me nervous, Dad.” I kissed Dad on his cheek. I always loved his home office. I had plenty of good memories, and so as in those difficult times. “Have a seat, London.” “Thanks.” I sat on my favorite sofa. Dad couldn’t just throw it away. He re-upholstered it because he knew the recliner meant a lot to me. During my darkest day, I slept in here while he was working. “How was your date with Striker?” My brow arched. “Date? It wasn’t a date. We just met with his friends and had some fast food. The burger is good, though. And why did you have to fire him? What happened was out of our control, and we didn’t—” “Save your strength. I don’t wanna hear about it, London. What’s done is done. I have given you everything and anything you’ve asked because I wanted you to be strong and proud of yourself. One day, I will step down as Chairman and president, and you will take that position.” “I hope not too
The Billionaire's Pawn 15
STRIKER London had not said a word other than crying in my arms. What had gotten into Linus’ head to put his only daughter into this tough and ridiculous situation? I had no doubt he loved London—she was his life, but he went too far. I’d seen how much that horrible incident affected him. And why on the green fucking earth he chose me of all the capable men in the world? He could have chosen someone with financial stability, an excellent moral compass, a good pedigree, and a place in society. I knew myself. I was nothing special. In fact, I didn’t deserve to be her husband. London deserved a good man who could give her the world, the attention, and the love she deserved. When her breathing became even, I slowly placed her down on the couch and covered her with the throw. This house was the first property I bought when the sperm donor’s money made lucrative profits from my investment. Since high school, I never spent a penny from his child support. I never thought of returnin
The Billionaire's Pawn 16
LONDONAfter our yogurt dinner together, I couldn’t even look him in the eye anymore. I was ashamed. Striker was a good man, and my father handpicked him for me for some reason, and he was okay with it—it was too good to be true.“What’s wrong? You’ve been awfully silent.” He sent me to the guestroom, opening the door for me. “Is the room okay?”“I should check in at the suite if I want a 5-star treatment, Cade. You’ve been nothing but kind and hospitable to your unwanted guest.”He smiled at me. “You’re not my guest anymore, Vanderford. You know that.”I took a deep breath and looked up when my eyes stung again.“No more crying. We will figure it out together, okay?”“I came here to discuss my father’s ridiculous arrangement with you. You can’t do this. This marriage life is not the life that you want. Please, do something. Try to reconsider and change your mind.” I held his arms tight as I looked him in the eye, but nothing could persuade him since he had already made a deal with m
The Billionaire's Pawn 17
STRIKER How did I end up in her blanket, my arms wrapped around her, her hands slipped under my shirt, fingers clawing my back as we kissed like there was no tomorrow? I had no idea. My thumb brushed along the side of her jaw, and I tilted my head, slanting my mouth to hers as I claimed her mouth in deep-suck on her tongue. The taste of the sweet flavor in her mouth intoxicated me. Even if I wanted to stop, I couldn’t. She consumed my senses. I didn’t remember getting in her blanket or kissing her, but yeah, we were doing it. And having a hard-on never got this hard—it fucking hurt. She did another dig of her fingers into the back. Her moan surrounded us. Her breasts pressed against my chest, her leg tightly wrapped around my waist as she thrust her hips, her core against my aching cock. It felt so good. We were burning, and we still had our clothes on. Our heartbeats were strong and steady as we thrust and moved our conjoined hips. I had to be dreaming because things like th
The Billionaire's Pawn 18
LONDONI was furious at Dad. He was always one step ahead of me. He did not even ask my permission to announce my relationship to his millions of followers on Twitter. Why did he have to do that before I could?I mean, yeah, he was my father, the billionaire, investor, philanthropist, capitalist, the chairman of the Vanderford Group, compared to me, just the daughter. I wouldn’t even have a job and a clothing line in my name if it was not because of him and his influence.Then my day turned out to be great. I just got engaged. I still couldn’t believe it was happening. I should have been terrified by the drastic change in my life, but I was inwardly giggling. And my ring was gorgeous. If I were to choose my own engagement ring, without a doubt, I would choose this one—a four-carat radiant cut with blue diamond side stones which fit perfectly.Right now, I was starving, and we just got down to the lobby for the late lunch. Earlier, Striker patiently awaited me and did another design—a
The Billionaire's Pawn 19
STRIKER“I’ll ready the tub,” I said as I loaded the dishwasher.“I don’t need it. I just said to excuse myself.”My brows furrowed. “Why?”“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Maybe I didn’t like your tone or how you told me to talk to Reed when you could just tell me.”“I’m sorry. I’m still adjusting to our situation and used to communicating with my fellow CPO in that tone.” I nodded in understanding.“It’s okay.” She dropped her gaze.I liked that she was honest. Maybe our unconventional arrangement would work out even though we seemed to have nothing in common.“I felt ashamed of how I handled it. I should be grateful for saving my butt many times, and this arrangement, you literally saved my life, my entire future, and I should be begging for it, but here you are, trying to be kind, and you are the one who made all the adjustments to fit into my life.” She breathed deeply as she looked up. “I don’t know how I can repay you. I don’t know what I can offer you. I mean, look at me. I have
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The Billionaire's Pawn Epilogue
STRIKER One year later It had been a spectacular year for London and me. Two hundred fifty people who were very dear to our family attended our wedding in front of the spring, followed by the reception in the golf field of my father’s estate. That was an extraordinary day for me, London, and our family. Rome, Prince Thayer, and the princesses were even there for us. And then we spent a few days on my father’s property in Verona, then Switzerland. Our honeymoon ended in Guardion before we headed home. One thing we hadn’t accomplished yet was to have a child. We were patient, though. And we were not giving up. “Maybe we should stop trying.” I ran my finger against her arm as I peppered kisses on her shoulder. “What do you mean?” She was still giving me her back. “We’re pressuring ourselves to get pregnant. It’s stressing you.” “So, you mean to say it’s my fault—” “No, baby. That’s not what I mean. Let’s leave it be. If we can get pregnant, then that’s amazing. If not, it’s fin
The Billionaire's Pawn 82
LONDON “Congratulations.” Neke hugged me tight. After successfully launching our limited products, our expansion in Asia was already taking place. Our sales skyrocketed—our products were in demand. We expanded to other e-commerce retailers all over the globe. I finally bought a fifteen percent share of the company. And I’d been busy as hell, not that I was complaining because life was good. Striker and I were great, even if we only had a dinner date once a month. We supported each other. We were a team. That was what made our marriage work despite our busy lives, and we still ended up cuddling at night. Tonight, the fashion show was a massive success, making all my sleepless nights, shoulder aches, and missed dinner dates worthwhile. It was midnight, and we were at the party to celebrate our success at the Night Stalker Club. “Why is it everyone is congratulating me?” It wasn’t me. It’s the team.” I went to the DJ and grabbed the mic. He shut the music off. “Excuse me! Everyon
The Billionaire's Pawn 81
STRIKER “You look stunning tonight, my wife.” I strolled my gaze at her from head to toe. She picked the black glittery floor-length gown and put on a set of diamond jewelry to complete the look. Her makeup wasn’t overdone, just the way I liked it. The hairstylist just enhanced the natural wave of her hair. “You’ve said that three times already.” She smiled at me, the kind when she was amused. “You’re not bad yourself, husband. And I have something for you.” “You don’t have to give me anything.” “I want to, sweetheart.” She picked up something from the drawer and pulled out the box. “It just took me a while to find it.” “What’s this?” I knew it was a watch box. When I opened it, it looked vintage. “A vintage watch.” “Close to antique. I know you can afford to buy the most expensive watch in the world, but this one is different. Special.” I carefully picked it up. “Everything is always special if it comes from you, Vanderford.” “Check out the bottom.” I did as she told me. The
The Billionaire's Pawn 80
LONDON“Hey, guys. It’s been a while since I last posted a short clip. As the 3rd Anniversary of LH is around the corner, I want to celebrate it by sharing these achievements and successes with all of you and those less fortunate. My husband, Cade, and I had been working on these special designs that are very close to my heart. Well, actually.” I chuckled. “My husband primarily did all the hard work since he designed them. Even before we met, he’d been active in charities, helping less fortunate kids, and he never bragged about it. Before he showed me the designs, he only asked for one thing, that all his share in the sales would proceed to his chosen charities.” I picked the sample of the bag and sneakers. “These are limited items. We called Cade Sneakers and Marguerite Bag. With your purchase, you’re already supporting. Thank you, and enjoy your day.”I watched the video I posted twelve hours ago, which had already reached half a million views.For the past weeks, life had been grea
The Billionaire's Pawn 79
STRIKER “What the fuck, London?” I just cursed right into her face. Just great. How did I become this person in front of her? I didn’t know. I felt like I’d reached the point where I had lost all my patience with humanity. “We’ve talked about secrecy many times. Look what happened?” I was even more pissed when she didn’t even look at me. “Do you even hear me? Are you even listening to me?” “I did. I do. Will you stop cursing me and lower your voice?” “Not until you understand what I am saying until you learn. We just had our life back, and I thought we were already over this. When are you gonna trust me? When will you open up to me and just fucking tell me if something is bothering you or someone is stalking you? You know the difference, right?” “For the love of God. What in the hell do you not understand in the part I was going to tell you tonight?” “Yeah, when it’s too late. Did you really date that guy?” “Oh, my God!” She shook her head as she propped a hand on her hip. “Not
The Billionaire's Pawn 78
LONDON Terzo had no remorse. If I wasn’t there, he could have tortured Magnus to death. I flinched as he threw water at Magnus’ face to wake him up. Magnus jolted, and the chair he was tied to shook. “What the fuck?” He swallowed and found himself tied to a chair. His eyes widened as he looked at Terzo, and his face fell on me. “Did you actually kiss her with that mouth?” Terzo seemed breezy as if he’d interrogated people a thousand times. “Who’s this guy, London?” He became more frightened to see Terzo was calmer. “You should have left her alone, dude. I mean, who does that? Kidnapping your ex for money?” He chuckled. I couldn’t believe he found torturing someone fun. “Let me go, asshole.” He wiggled as he tried to let himself loose, his eyes pinning at the man beside me. Terzo tsked. “Wrong answer, dude.” When he pulled the gun behind him, it began to rattle me. “Don’t. I told you I’m not gonna be involved in this.” “Very well.” I let go a breath when he put the gun on his
The Billionaire's Pawn 77
STRIKER “I’m with Terzo. He wants you to come to this address.” “What? Baby, what do you mean you’re with Terzo.” My heart nearly stopped hearing she was with Terzo. Why in the fucking hell was Terzo doing with my wife? “Just come to the address. I’m sending the location to you now.” “Baby? Vanderford?” She hung up, and I stared at the phone screen, frightened. “You okay?” Linden nudged me. He was calling my name, but his voice felt like a buzz. I drew a deep breath and got up. “Let’s go.” “Where?” He followed me even if I hadn’t answered his question. “Son of a fucking bitch.” My blood boiled. My rage made me shake. “Man, what’s going on?” He held me in my arm. “You look like you are about to murder someone. If we will commit a crime at least, let’s be prepared. Breathe, man. Tell me what happened?” “Are you both leaving?” Dad came. “Yes, Dad. I’ll see you later.” I inwardly groaned. “I thought we would have dinner together.” “I’m sorry. Something came up.” I couldn’
The Billionaire's Pawn 76
LONDON I just stopped by to buy coffee for Neke and me. When I got out, someone was waiting for me in my car. My first thought was to pretend I didn’t see him or find an exit so he wouldn’t notice me. But it was too late. Damn it. “Signora London.” He looked cute. He smirked—that smirked, though. Terzo was an overconfident son of a bitch. I could have set him up with Neke if I didn’t know what he did for a living. But my question was, how did he find me? “What do you want, Terzo?” I did my best to act like I wasn’t scared of him, hoping it would last until he was gone. “Is that how you treat a friend?” He didn’t move, still leaning on my car. “A friend? Since when?” I stopped a few feet away from him. “Since days ago. Did you forget that you’re under my protection now?” “How can I? How did you find me?” “Where’s Reed?” He knew I was alone. Great. Creepy. “You’re not supposed to be going out alone, Mrs. Cade. Where’s your husband?” Reed went to see his family, but Terzo didn
The Billionaire's Pawn 75
STRIKER “Hey, Dad.” “I miss you, son.” He hugged me tight as if I hadn’t seen him in years. “I miss you, too.” I sat next to him in the backyard of Moses’ estate. “I don’t know you and Moses play golf together.” My father was with Linden, and Emory joined him since Dad came to sit with me. “I know you called him Papa. He was about to cry when he told me, hearing you call him Papa for the first time.” “You both are softies. I just don’t want to hurt your feelings.” “I pushed you to give him a chance. That would be my biggest mistake and regret if I didn’t do that. He seems to have done his best to be your good father.” “Aside from taking me to Sicily?” I chuckled and patted his knee. “I didn’t meet the bad guys, except Giosue when London insisted, but it was after the agreement.” “I hope London found the peace she’d been looking for.” “It was Papa’s plan all along.” “And I can breathe freely, but you still met Siciliano.” “Yes. His son is a dick.” I snorted. “He won’t touc
