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The harsh reality
최신 업데이트:
2024-12-04 16:56:42
관련 챕터
The Billionaire's regret: a second chance at love The bitchy step-mum
|Aria’s POV|My father and my stepmother.My father doesn’t even know anything about acting or producing, so I wonder what he was up to. His eyes flickered at mine for a second and I held his gaze. He looked pained, but that was for a millisecond, before looking at the producer.“Oh, I see you’ve made the announcement,”“I am Zane Winchester and here is my lovely wife.”Pushing her chest out, my step-mom smiled sweetly, “I am Mrs Winchester.”“Does that mean that Aria is your daughter?” Brandon asked curiously.My spine stiffened, and my heart raced, swallowing the lump in my throat, I gave a firm nod. “No, we just happened to have a coincidental name”. I sighed.My father’s head whipped in my direction while Allison looked at me with disbelief. Like she couldn’t believe I would deny my family in front of them. They didn’t matter anymore to me, so what was the point?I could feel Zion’s piercing gaze on me, but I dared not meet his eyes. As I looked at them again, my heart throbbed wi
최신 업데이트 : 2024-12-05The Billionaire's regret: a second chance at love The proposal
It's been three days since I saw my stepmother and father. Although, I would love to say they didn't affect me so much. But that would be a fucking lie.I bawled my eyes out when I got home. I guess I expected too much from a father who didn't care about his daughter. I wanted him to ask me if I was fine and how I had been and how he was sorry for not checking up on me.But, I expected too much.I knew a part of me would break when the children asked about their grandparents because the school I enrolled them in is an elite school for kids.A lot of children talk about their tales in their houses, including their newest toys and their family gatherings or picnics. But I know Mr Jimmy would cover up. They call him Papa because he was that old man who always spoiled them with gifts and food.“Mama, are you going out?” Zachary questioned.My eyes flickered to his reflection in the vanity, watching as he placed his hands on his hips. I placed my hands on my lips go stifle the laugh that t
최신 업데이트 : 2024-12-10The Billionaire's regret: a second chance at love The fifty shades of grey feeling
|Aria’s POV|My legs were stuck to the ground and the only thing I could do was stare at him. Penelope’s screeching was getting to my head, but there was nothing I could do but stare at the signboard.‘Will you marry me?’‘Will you marry me?’I felt jittery and wanted to scream ‘yes’ but I couldn’t find my voice. The excitement pulsing in my veins could rival someone who just took a drag of weed in her lungs.The bands singing and the trumpet blowing made me feel like the happiest girl in the world. For a moment, I felt like Anastasia Steele.I never knew what it was like to be proposed to because Ace and I barely had a proper wedding. I was just given a ring and escorted to his house, which was the reason few people knew about our marriage.Memories of the day Ace gave me the ring assaulted me:"Don't think because you are wearing my ring, that automatically means you are my wife. You just happened to get pregnant, and I have to be responsible for the baby or your father will ruin my
최신 업데이트 : 2024-12-11The Billionaire's regret: a second chance at love Seeing the old friend
The soft sound of utensils clanked in the silent room. The silence was as grave as if news of death had just been passed.And that was not the case. Zoe and Zachary refused to eat their food and were only stabbing the plate because I said something came up, and we couldn’t go to their amusement park anymore.But a promise is a promise, right?It would make me a bad mother if I didn’t keep my word, and I am supposed to be their role model, so I picked up my phone to call the producer. He answered the call almost immediately.“Ari, is there any problem?” He asked.I nodded my head before I realized that he couldn’t see me. “Uhmm… Yes. I have a little problem. I might not be able to come to set today,”“It’s crucial, a life or death situation. I need to be somewhere,” I finished.I couldn’t quite tell him that I had kids, not yet. Not when I knew they would rat me out and that’s the last thing I wanted right now. I want peace for my babies and if it means keeping their lives private, I w
최신 업데이트 : 2024-12-12The Billionaire's regret: a second chance at love The evil intentions
|Ace’s POV|I’ve never raised my voice at a woman, but I’m so tempted to pay a baddass female gangster to rough Gabriella up.“Babe, listen to me. You need to unfreeze my card,” She whined.My eyes narrowed into murderous slits as I looked at her now. I wondered what I saw in her before that made me dump Aria for her.But she was simply what you’d call Beauty without brains, and a Bimbo without sense.All she wanted to do was spend my money. One of her attractive qualities used to be the fact that she was really hardworking, but over the years, she became more dependent on my money.Don’t get me wrong; if Aria forgives all my atrocities today, I’d spend billions on her because she’s worth it.Over the years, the only thing that Gabriella was worth was her face card and high libido.“Gabriella, shut up for once. I have been wanting to do this since you started misbehaving,” I snapped.All she did was pout her lips and blink her eyelids like a malfunctioning robot, but she didn’t know t
최신 업데이트 : 2024-12-13The Billionaire's regret: a second chance at love The mysterious gifts
“Good day,” I greeted casually and walked past Mr. Zane Winchester.“I expected more than a ‘good day’.” I did not want to respond because I didn't want to. However, I needed to set the rules straight.“Excuse me, Mr Winchester. What else was I supposed to say?” I said as I turned back around.Throwing up his hands in exasperation, “Stop calling me Mr Winchester! I am your father!” He whisper-yelled.“You stopped being my father six years ago when you heard I got divorced and had nowhere to go to. Yet you didn't reach out.” I spat, venomously.He flinched and took in a deep breath shakingly while massaging his temples. “Aria, I'm sorry that I didn't reach out to you. I also had my reasons.” He mumbled.My heart tightened, and I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping not to say anything too harsh because I'd regret it later on. “Whatever your reasons were, I hope it keeps holding you down because I'm doing well without you.”I took a long pause before finishing my statement. “Everyone thinks I
최신 업데이트 : 2024-12-14The Billionaire's regret: a second chance at love The suspicious nanny
I looked like a deer caught in the headlight and my mind raced with different questions. ‘How did he know where I was shooting?’‘What do I tell Zion.’‘Who do I tell him it's from?’“Aria? What are those?” He questioned again.My heart raced and I didn't know what to say “Ummm…it’s a package.” I mumbled.“I am not dumb. From who?”“Just a crazy fan that wanted to express her love for me,” I chuckled nervously, hoping he wouldn't see through my lie.“Do I have to be worried about some crazy fans snatching my fiance or do I need to step up the game?” He mused, tapping his chin.I laughed heartily and strode in his direction to embrace him while squeezing the card lightly and chucking it in the bin. We walked together hand-in-hand back to the set.Johnny walked in our direction and stood in front of us, staring at our joined hands. It wasn't exactly a secret that we were in a relationship but his stare still made my cheek ting with a red shade.“Wow, I didn't peg y’all for the public d
최신 업데이트 : 2024-12-15The Billionaire's regret: a second chance at love Don't let it go down the drain
|Aria's POV|Patience was a virtue.But that doesn't exist in my dictionary right now. My gaze flickered at Zion and the boys. He was going to drive me home but with the situation right now, I had to change my mind.I clutched my bag and walked in their direction. Their heads turned in my direction as they heard the soft clank of heels on the marble floor.Zion’s gaze roamed around my body, and he quickly dropped what he was holding and strode towards me.“Babe, are you okay?” he questioned.“Y-yes I am,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. Clearing my throat, I gave him an apologetic look. “I need to go home now. I would have loved to go home with you, but an emergency came up.”He gripped my shoulders. “Are the kids fine? Is there anything I can do to help?” He muttered.My eyes stung with tears at how concerned he was for my kids, “They are fine. I just need to check up on them.” I assured him.He pecked me on the lips and instructed me to call him when I got home. I walked
최신 업데이트 : 2024-12-16
최신 챕터
The Billionaire's regret: a second chance at love The mocking laughter
|Aria’s POV|I shouldn’t have brought her back here…My knees buckled, and I gripped the window bars to steady myself, barely stopping myself from collapsing. My chest rose and fell in shallow gasps as panic crept up my throat. The room felt too small like the walls were folding in on me, stealing the air from my lungs.How did I end up leading the lions to the monkeys’ safe haven?“Aria.”Brianna and Penny flanked my sides and supported my weight, but all I could see were my dreams shattering in real time. The children I’ve struggled to keep off social media and away from public hate—are now exposed because of my foolishness.“No—no, please,” I choked out, shaking my head frantically. “Keep them away from my kids.”“They can do anything they want to me, but they can’t harass my kids,” I whimpered.“Ria, please calm down. Ace’s security is already working to get the fans away from the house,” Penny reassured.“H–how? How did they get to know my house?” I asked, fearing the answer I al
The Billionaire's regret: a second chance at love The imperfections
|Aria’s POV|Ace balanced Zoe on his hip, and she grinned toothily. Her cheeks had slightly thinned over the few days spent at the hospital, but her skin was slowly regaining its tint, and she no longer complained of her stomach pinching her.“Miss Aria!”We all turned, and my smile widened when I saw Dr. Alexander standing outside his office, his door slightly ajar. I wouldn’t lie—he’s been a remarkable help to us these past few days.Walking toward him, I gave a small nod. “Yes, Dr?” I answered politely.“I just wanted to remind you—make sure she takes her meds regularly. Make it compulsory, until I say otherwise,” he advised with a firm but kind tone.I bobbed my head, feeling my chest warm with gratitude. “Of course, trust me. I will do just that,” I assured him with a soft smile.He gave a curt nod and turned to step back into his office.I turned back to Ace and Zoe, and we all walked outside together. My feet froze for a moment when I spotted nearly fifty burly men and women in
The Billionaire's regret: a second chance at love The constant threat
|Aria’s POV|“Richard, I don’t give a fuck about what your selfish self says. I am not getting married when my best friend’s life is falling apart!” Penny’s voice exploded through the thin bathroom door.I winced and pressed my ear tighter against the wall. Her tone was wild with fury, her anger like a pulse you could feel through the drywall. I had followed her when I noticed her mood shift after that call. She’d been dodging the number for hours.Ace was with the baby. His personal doctor was almost here—despite me telling him it wasn’t necessary. But, being Ace, he had waved me off and declared, “These rookies shouldn’t even have their licenses if they can’t fix a sick child instantly.”Inside the bathroom, Penny raged on.“I’m telling you now—don’t call my bluff,” she warned darkly. “If you go through with this stupid arrangement, I swear I’ll crash your net worth in the first month alone.”A pause. Then a cold scoff.“Oh, that’s not all. I could name ten thousand other ways to ru
The Billionaire's regret: a second chance at love Poisoning?
Aria’s POV|These past few months, I might’ve gotten used to the white walls and the ever-present antiseptic scent clinging to every corner of this hospital.But nothing could ever prepare me for this—my baby lying there, pale and unmoving in a loose blue hospital gown she’s never worn, her usual glow gone.I sighed for what felt like the hundredth time and resumed pacing the cold tiles. I couldn’t sit still. My eyes were locked on her through the transparent door as the nurses and doctors worked around her. Despite all their efforts, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was failing as a mother.I didn’t know what had happened to her, but it should’ve been me. Not her. She doesn’t even know how to express pain, let alone endure it.My chest clenched painfully at the sight of the tubes hooked to her tiny arms. The doctor had already started speculating it might be poison. Poison. But who could hate my baby enough to do something so vile? What could an innocent child possibly have done t
The Billionaire's regret: a second chance at love The mysterious helper
|Aria’s POV|It’s been three days since the chase on the bridge. I still can’t explain how Zion managed to get us out of that hellish situation and lose the tail, but somehow he did. And for that, I couldn’t be more grateful.I sighed — again. I’d lost count of how many times I’d done that today. My arms wrapped around my knees as I curled up on the sofa, trying to find some sort of comfort in my own embrace. But there was none. Not really.Over the past few days, I’ve cried more than I ever did when Ace divorced me. That was heartbreak. This? This is suffocation. Zion warned me to stay off social media while he and Penelope worked behind the scenes to handle the mess, but I couldn’t help it. I kept scrolling, kept reading the lies people were conjuring up like some twisted fairytale.Do they even realize that celebrities have lives outside of their screens? That we’re just as human as they are? I asked myself for the hundredth time.The house felt too empty. Too quiet. Brianna and Pe
The Billionaire's regret: a second chance at love The unsettling stranger.
| Gabriella’s POV |“Are you out of your goddamn mind? Haven’t you done enough already? She’s your step-sister, for crying out loud!” Hannah’s voice shrieked through the speaker.I tapped the speaker icon and set the phone on the marble counter beside me, barely sparing it a glance as I applied a final swipe of my Fenty gloss. The golden tone shimmered under the bathroom lights. I admired the effect for a moment before speaking.“I’m just answering their questions, Han. That’s all,” I said coolly, brushing an invisible speck from my sundress.“You know, I’ve been meaning to say this for a while now.”“Oh God, please don’t tell me this is the moment you finally confess your undying love for me,” I deadpanned, smirking at my reflection.“Far from it. You’re a selfish narcissist who never sees herself as wrong. And this latest stunt of yours? It’s going to backfire. You’ll be dragged through the mud, worse than Aria ever was.”I rolled my eyes. “You do realize being nice to her won’t ear
The Billionaire's regret: a second chance at love Background Investigation
|Penelope’s POV|I've always wanted to be a mom, for as long as I can remember. But not at the cost of my child growing up without a father. I know what it means to raise a kid alone—it’s not for the fainthearted. Watching Aria handle two children on her own, with little to no help, made me admire her strength even more. She made it look possible, but I knew better than to think it was easy.Honestly, my fear of marriage stems from what I saw growing up. My mother nearly lost her mind in hers. My dad made her life hell, always blaming her, causing drama, and then expecting her to clean up his mess like it was her job.And his worst quality? He was a misogynist to the core.My mom only had me before she was diagnosed with severe womb complications. Doctors said she couldn’t have any more children. I suspect I might’ve inherited those complications, but that’s not even the worst part.My father never accepted me. He never saw me as his. He’d proudly tell people, "I don't have a child,"
The Billionaire's regret: a second chance at love The bet
|Zion’s POV|Pacing around the restroom, I glared at my reflection in the mirror. My jaw was tight, the fury bubbling under my skin like lava ready to erupt.“You weren’t able to take the video down?” I barked into the phone, my voice echoing off the tiled walls. “Our reputation is hanging by a thread, and you’re telling me you couldn’t manage one job?”Matt stammered on the other end, but I didn’t let him speak.“You’ve got five hours,” I snapped. “Get those accounts down, or I’ll cut your paycheck in half. No reason to keep paying you for work you’re clearly not doing. And considering how fat that check is, you better get moving.”“Yes, boss. I’m sorry, we’ll handle it,” Matt muttered.“You better,” I hissed. “Because if you don’t, you’ll be the next name trending—for all the wrong reasons.”I hung up and slammed my fist into the wall. Pain exploded through my hand, but it barely cut through the rage clouding my mind. I stared down at my bruised knuckles, breathing hard.“Hey man, y
The Billionaire's regret: a second chance at love The familiar number
Aria’s POV |It’s been two days since I was admitted to the hospital, and today, I’m finally being discharged.Yay.As we walked out of the hospital, I kept my head down, ignoring the nurses who waved enthusiastically at me. It felt less like a warm sendoff and more like mockery. My chest tightened with shame, but Zion squeezed my hand gently, his reassuring smile doing little to ease my nerves.My kids were with Mr. Jimmy, and as much as I missed them, I couldn’t risk being around them right now. I didn’t know what to expect. Some deranged people, disguised as anti-fans, had been dragging me online, demanding that I speak up about the scandal unfolding around me.Some even claimed I wouldn’t dare because I was too busy warming Ace’s bed.In the last forty-eight hours, I’d contemplated breaking up with Zion more times than I could count. Every cruel comment made me question why he was even with someone like me. I knew he was acting unbothered, but he was human. These words had to cut
