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2025-01-24 08:35:49
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The Billionaire’s Regret 78: WOW ME
NATE'S POV"Do you have any colours in mind for the main offices?"Her voice broke through my thoughts as we stood in the middle of the large, empty conference room.I shrugged at her question, trying to look casual, even though I felt completely out of my depth. I wasn't supposed to be the one handling this. The FM team was meant to be here, going over every tiny detail with her.Honestly, I didn’t care what colours they used in this office, I don’t know anything about the employees working here, let alone what colours would look good in their office. The real reason I was here had nothing to do with renovations."You know what?" I said before she could suggest more ideas, knowing anything she came up with would be perfect. She always had an eye for detail, and there was no point pretending I'd object to her decisions.She stopped walking and turned to face me, a small frown creasing her forehead. "What?""You can freestyle," I said, watching her expression closely. "The colors, the
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-24The Billionaire’s Regret 79: STEPPING STONE
ELARA'S POV After signing the contract, Nate and I walked out of the conference room together.“One more thing,” he said, his tone serious. “We have eyes watching everywhere. You need to be careful. Do you still have the ring?”“Yes,” I replied softly.The ring was in my bag. I had taken it off when I got home after our last meeting. For some reason, I’d kept it close instead of mailing it back to him since he forgot to take it back last time. Maybe it was a silly hope that I’d see him again and return it in person.Honestly, I should’ve just sent him a text like a normal person and mailed it back, but for some reason, I didn’t. I couldn’t even explain why. and I don't think I want to try. “I think you should wear it… at all times, if possible,” he continued. “We can’t let the reporters find something to make a fuss about.” His tone was polite, so I simply nodded without saying anything.With that, we walked side by side out of the building. The car he’d sent to pick me up earlier w
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-25The Billionaire’s Regret 80: LIFE HAD OTHER PLANS.
ELARA'S POV When I got home, the house was eerily quiet. Mom wasn’t around; she’d told me earlier she’d be busy all day. The silence was comforting at first, but it quickly became suffocating as my thoughts drifted to Nate’s office renovations. He’d told me to “do whatever I wanted” with the project, but the supposed freedom felt more like a trap. I preferred when clients had clear ideas. it gave me a framework to work with. Now, with this blank canvas, I felt lost. By the time evening rolled around, I decided to set aside my work and focus on the night ahead. I stood in front of my closet, staring at the rows of clothes, but nothing seemed to fit the image I had in my head. Everything felt too casual, too bland, or just... wrong. After rummaging through every corner, I admitted defeat and turned to a desperate option: Mom’s closet. She hated anyone touching her things, but her wardrobe was far better suited for events like this. Most of her dresses didn’t fit me properly
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-25The Billionaire’s Regret 81: ITS NOT YOUR GOLD I’M DIGGING
ELARA’S POV Standing before me was none other than Camille, Nate’s cousin. Her lips curled into a disgusted sneer, the kind that could make anyone feel out of place. She looked as impeccable as ever, her designer gown clinging to her like it had been custom made just for her. But her expression, the same one she always wore when she looked at me it hadn’t changed one bit. Not even after all these years since I’d last seen her. To this day, I don’t know why she dislikes me so much. Maybe it’s jealousy, maybe it’s just her nature. Either way, I couldn’t care less. Whatever her reason is, it doesn’t matter to me now. “Oh, it’s you,” she said, her tone dripping with disdain. “Still trying to play dress-up, I see.” I forced myself to remain calm, my face an unreadable mask. I refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing me react. “Excuse me,” I said evenly, stepping aside to continue on my way. But Camille wasn’t done. “Couldn’t find another rich man to mooch off, so you came c
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-26The Billionaire’s Regret 82: I’M AT HER MERCY
ELARA’S POV This has to be a joke. Maybe it’s just an act. I can’t believe it. He sounded sincere when he said it, but it can’t be. If I were truly the best thing that ever happened to him, then two years ago, he wouldn’t have treated me like trash. But he’s been nothing but caring tonight, a voice in my head whispers. No. It’s all an act for the public’s eyes. Then again, there wasn’t anyone watching when he opened the car door for me. No audience in my mom’s house when he saved me from getting injured. I need to stop thinking about this. My legs feel wobbly, like they could give out at any moment. I force myself to walk quickly, desperate to escape the balcony and clear my head. “Elara?” A voice calls from the top of the stairs, making me freeze mid step. I snap my head toward the sound. Shit. Did I make a sound? Did he know I was eavesdropping? “Uh— hey,” I manage, waving awkwardly. Nate’s already descending the stairs, his gaze fixed on me. “Is everyt
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-27The Billionaire’s Regret 83: THE BEST THING
ELARA’S POV We both stand outside in silence, waiting for the limo to pull up. The cold night air creeps into my skin, making me shiver slightly. I fold my arms over my chest, trying to warm myself, but it doesn’t help much. Not even a second later, I feel something heavy and warm draped over my shoulders. The familiar scent of his cologne fills my senses. It’s expensive, musky, and uncomfortably familiar. “You don’t have to—” “It’s cold out here,” Nate cuts me off, his tone leaving no room for argument. The limo comes to a halt in front of us before I can protest further. Once again, Nate opens the door for me without saying a word. His manners tonight are throwing me off balance. Why is he being a gentleman? Why is he acting like the old Nate I used to know? I don’t like this. I slide into the car, keeping my gaze away from his. The ride back is quiet. Unbearably quiet. Both of us seem lost in our thoughts. Well, mostly me. His words from earlier replay in my mind o
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-28The Billionaire’s Regret 84: SHE DESERVES BETTER.
NATE’S POV “Nathan.” The familiar, warm voice reaches my ears, freezing me in place. For a second, I hesitate. My grip on the phone tightens, but I force myself to keep walking. I can feel Elara’s eyes on me as I make my way back to the car. I don’t want to stop. I don’t want to acknowledge this call. But I said it was an important call when I used it as an excuse to not face my feelings. “Nathan, are you there?” Her voice is more urgent now. But I still can’t bring myself to respond. “It’s… it’s Mom, Nathan.” The words hit me harder than I expect, but my throat stays locked up, refusing to let out even a single syllable. How long has it been? A million years? A lifetime? I can’t even bring myself to talk to her. The line goes dead before I can muster the courage to say anything. I stare at the screen, feeling like the worst son alive. My issue was with my father, not her, and yet… I couldn’t bring myself to reach out. I never told her that I didn’t hold anything agai
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-29The Billionaire’s Regret 85: I’LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING
ELARA’S POVFor the past few days, everything has practically gone back to normal.The media, which had been hating on me just a week ago, has suddenly switched sides. Now, people are gushing over me and Nate, shipping us like we’re some fairytale couple.Everyone is suddenly so nice. Too nice.I can’t say I’m surprised. This city is as fickle as ever.Between working on the office renovations and attending a few public events with Nate, I’ve barely had time to process everything. But the most frustrating part?He’s been acting like nothing ever happened.Like he didn’t say what he said that night after the engagement party.Like those words he said after dropping me off didn’t exist.I let out a heavy sigh as I push open the door to the coffee shop.I’m finally done with the proposal for his second office branch. I thought, I’d go through the rest of the project with the company’s team, but of course, Nate has made it clear he wants me to go over everything with him personally.And t
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-31
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The Billionaire’s Regret 169: THE ONE PERSON I CARE ABOUT
ELARA’S POV I don’t know what I’m doing as I reach for the doorknob and step out of the house. The cold air bites at my exposed skin. I shouldn’t open the door. I should leave him standing out there in the cold until he gets the message. But I open it anyway. And I see him, standing outside the gate. The moment the entrance creaks open, his eyes find mine. And for a second, we just stare at each other. He looks rough. Tired eyes. Ruffled hair. Wrinkled shirt like he’s been pacing for hours or didn’t even bother changing after work. “What do you want?” I ask flatly, not stepping aside to let him in. “I needed to see you,” he says. My grip on the door tightens. “Congratulations. You’ve seen me. Now leave.” “El…” he lets out a sigh. “I’m afraid I don’t have anyone for you to beat up today, Nate.” The street is quiet. No one’s out here except him and me. A black van is parked a few steps away. I think I saw it there earlier when I came home probably belongs to
The Billionaire’s Regret 168: CAN I SPEAK WITH YOU?
ELARA’S POV The rest of Rob’s conversation fades into the background as a strange unease creeps up my spine. “Elara?” His voice tugs me back to the present. “Are you okay?” he asks again, eyes narrowing as he studies me. “You’ve been staring out there a lot.” I blink and take a quick sip of my drink, masking the sudden chill running down my arms. “Well…” I hesitate. Should I say it out loud? Would I sound crazy?"well..." he repreats leaning closer. Maybe I should ask... “Okay, this might sound weird, but… I think someone’s watching us.” His gaze follows my discreet point toward the glass wall of the café. The street is a little quiet, as the warm orange glow of the evening lights is in the distance. Rob frowns. “Where?” “I don’t know exactly. But it’s from that angle,” I say, motioning to it. “It’s like… I can feel it. And it’s making me really uncomfortable.” He’s quiet for a beat. Then, “I think I feel it too.” Relief washes over me. See? I’m not imagining it. If Ro
The Billionaire’s Regret 167: EYES ON ME.
ELARA’S POV “You finally decide to show up,” Rob said, turning to Kyle as he strolled into the elevator, his usual scowl etched on his face. Kyle hit the button and leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “Do I have a choice?” “Someone’s grumpy,” Rob muttered, nudging me with a smirk. I didn’t laugh. My gaze stayed a second too long on Kyle, his jaw clenched, shoulders seem tense. His eyes caught mine, and my chest tightened. I looked away quickly.As a deafening silence bang creeping in rob spoke. “Where’ve you been all weekend?” “Busy.” Kyle didn’t even open his eyes. My thoughts flashed to Saturday. To Nate. The tension. Kyle’s disappointed look in his eye before he left, it still weighed heavy. Rob’s voice faded into the back ground. As soon as the elevator doors opened, I stepped out like the hallway was on fire. “I don’t think we’ll manage that tour today,” Rob said, eyes glued to his phone. “Something’s up with my a project.” “What’s the issue?” Kyle ask. “the Italian
The Billionaire’s Regret 166: FIRST DAY
ELARA’S POV “Is that all we have to discuss?” I ask, to no one in particular. I’m currently in the conference room for the staff meeting. Normally, I’m good with it excited for it, even, sometimes. But today? Not so much. Even though it’s just, me the operations team, a few from sales, and finance. Plus the meetings never take long because well we have a small company. It’s a few minutes in and I’m already tired. For one, I’ve been staring at screens way too much lately, because all I’ve been doing after my very eventful Saturday is burying myself in work. I decided to forget everything that happened and just focus, but that came with consequences. Every time I glance at the screen in front of me, it feels like torture. And honestly, the last place I want to be is the office. But then again, I don’t have a choice. “Well, ma’am,” Olivia, who’s standing in front of the projector begins, “the reports are in order, and this is the rundown we have for last month’s operation
The Billionaire’s Regret 165: ROOM TO BREATHE
NATE’S POV As much as I wanted to believe he was bluffing, and this was just some twisted way of him trying to make me invest in his business, but then again, there was a high chance he wasn’t. That look in his eyes, the smug smile and the confidence he had as he spoke, its making me rethink it. I need to be sure for safety reasons I stood frozen in the middle of the room, Jake’s words replaying like a broken record in my head. “The records.” That was the hint he’d left me with. That smug bastard never played fair, and the fact that he wasn’t bluffing this time sent a chill down my spine. I looked around my penthouse, feeling more trapped than safe. It was silent, save for the ticking clock on the wall, and suddenly, even that sound felt too loud. My hand throbbed from the earlier injury, a dull ache pulsing through the bandage, but I couldn’t focus on the pain right now. I needed to get to a phone. Fast. My eyes scan the living area, then it lands on my office. I moved to
The Billionaire’s Regret 164: I PITY YOU
NATE’S POV “Took you long enough to finally get home, huh?” Jake turned to me, a smug smile on his face. “Jacob Hales,” I muttered. “What the heck are you doing in my house?” It had been a while since I laid eyes on my cousin. A while since he’d tried anything to ruin my image or take the company from me. And even though it meant fewer things to deal with, I always knew he hadn’t given up. I knew he’d try to pull something again. Whatever it was, though, I didn’t think I was interested at least, not right now. “How have you been, big brother?” he asked, completely ignoring my question as he dropped onto one of the couches. “Well, from that wrapped hand, I’d say… not very good, right?” he taunted. “Why are you here, Jake? I’ve had a long day, and you’re the last person I want to entertain right now.” “Oh, well, I came to congratulate you on the success of the branch.” “Oh, cut the crap. We both know that’s the last thing you want to do. Besides, Marcus is going to be
The Billionaire’s Regret 163: I DON’T FEEL ANY BETTER.
NATE’S POV I switched into a pair of grey sweatpants, and the whole time, it felt like the space around me was closing in. I needed to speak with Dave, but I didn’t have a phone. Then again, there might be one in the car. I never forget to keep one lying around. One important thing I completely forgot? This wasn’t my car. Apart from the perfume bottles, random documents, and candy wrappers, there was nothing close to a phone in here. And that only made my anger worse. I can’t believe I came down here for nothing, I slammed the car door shut and leaned against it, staring out into the dim parking lot. I needed to clear my head. But Even a glass of alcohol didn’t seem like the right thing. hell, I don’t even want to smell it right now. The last place I wanted to be was in that penthouse. It didn’t feel right anymore. Nothing did. Not when all I could think about was how much of a damn fool I’d been today. From the corner of my eye, I caught the sign for the i
The Billionaire’s Regret 162: I CAN’T LOOSE HER.
NATE’S POV In a few days I will be handing over the vegas branch and everything that has to do with hales mining & co. to my brother, and will let loose of all my ties to the company. Everything is falling into place but I’m losing the one person I’m doing all of it for. And it’s all due to my actions it seems. And the fact that the realisation is only hitting me now made me feel worse than I already do. Everything she said was true, I am stupid. i didn’t think there was much harm in the things I’ve been doing… heck I’ve only been trying to get my wife back, have her forgive me. have her see how sorry I am and how much I want to make things right. Even though I don’t deserve it, while clinging to hope that she will give me a chance since I’ve been trying. But then in the silence in the car I started rethinking it all, it seems I have been doing it all wrong. She was also right for calling me a barbaric imbecile. I have been letting my anger get the best of me, and instead
The Billionaire’s Regret 161: CAN YOU BE A LITTE GENTLER?
ELARA’S POV “El, I know what—” “Save it. I don’t want to hear it,” I cut him off coldly, my eyes fixed on the road ahead. Even though I barely paid attention earlier when Kyle drove us to the showroom, I somehow managed to trace my way back around the area. It took longer than it should’ve, especially considering how urgent it was to find a hospital or pharmacy. His hand was wrapped in a handkerchief, but that wouldn’t hold for long. I needed to be fast. But the truth is, I don’t know my way around this damn place. I’ve been living in Vegas for a while, and somehow, I still don’t know the roads around here. “Do you even know where you’re going?” Nate asks, his voice low. “I do,” I snap, gripping the steering wheel like it’s the only thing keeping me from losing it completely. In reality, I have no idea how I’m supposed to get us back to the main side of the city. “I don’t think—” “Can you just shut up for once in your life?” I bite, my voice rising with my rising panic. “I’m
