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Chapter 129
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2025-03-17 18:15:17
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The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 130
"You don’t sleep much, do you?"Alexander’s voice carried across the dimly lit penthouse, cutting through the silence like a blade.I turned away from the window, where the city stretched endlessly below, a glowing reminder of everything we had built. He stood by the bar, sleeves rolled up, glass in hand, his expression unreadable as the amber liquid swirled against the crystal.I smirked. "Says the man drinking alone at two in the morning."His lips curved slightly. "Who said I was alone?"I pushed off the window, crossing the room with slow, deliberate steps. "Long day?""Long life," he murmured, setting the glass down with a quiet clink.I leaned against the couch, watching him. "That bad?"He exhaled, his gaze flickering toward me. "Not bad. Just relentless."For all his power, for all the ways Alexander Hawke commanded every room he stepped into, there were cracks in the armour. Ones he rarely let anyone see.But tonight, he wasn’t hiding them.And neither was I."Do you ever thi
Last Updated : 2025-03-17The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 131
"Fix it."Alexander’s voice was low but sharp, slicing through the charged air like a blade.The boardroom was silent. Tension wrapped around every executive seated at the long table. The air smelled like expensive coffee and nerves.All eyes were on me.I squared my shoulders, my pulse steady.I had spent the past year proving myself. Fighting for my place at this table. And now?Now, it was time to show them why I belonged here.I placed my hands flat on the table, letting the weight of my presence settle over the room before I spoke."Let’s go over the facts," I said evenly. "Langley, walk me through it."Langley, one of our most seasoned board members, cleared his throat. "The Calloway situation escalated faster than we anticipated. He leveraged media connections to leak false reports about Steele Industries’ financial instability. Investors are rattled. Stock is down six per cent as of this morning."A ripple of unease passed through the room.I nodded, absorbing the information.
Last Updated : 2025-03-17The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 132
"Cancel your meetings."I looked up from my laptop, blinking at Alexander as he leaned against my office door, arms crossed, expression unreadable.I arched a brow. "Excuse me?""You heard me." His voice was steady, laced with something dangerous. Something final.I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Alexander, we don’t have time for this. Calloway is still lurking in the shadows, and I—""Calloway can wait."My pulse ticked. "That’s not how this works, and you know it."He pushed off the door, stepping into the room with the kind of effortless authority that made boardrooms fall silent. That made men twice his age stumble over their words. That made me feel things I wasn’t ready to deal with."You need to disconnect," he said simply.I scoffed. "Says the man who works in his sleep."Something flickered in his expression. "Exactly."I opened my mouth, ready to argue, but he was already rounding my desk, already shutting my laptop with one swift motion.I glared at him. "Alexander—""We’re l
Last Updated : 2025-03-17The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 133
"Do you ever miss it?"Alexander’s voice was quieter than usual, almost careful.I turned my head, catching the way the golden hues of the setting sun framed his features. The strong lines of his jaw, the slight crease in his brow, the look in his eyes that was always calculating, always watching. But this time?This time, there was something else. Something unspoken.I shifted in the lounge chair beside him, the warmth of the ocean breeze dancing across my skin. "Miss what?"His gaze flickered toward the horizon. "Before all of this. Before Steele Industries. Before—" A pause. "Before me."I frowned, sitting up slightly. "Why do you ask?"His fingers traced the rim of his whiskey glass, slow and deliberate. "Because I don’t remember what it feels like."Something in my chest tightened.Alexander Hawke was many things—powerful, ruthless, the kind of man who could command an entire room with a glance. But right now?Right now, he looked lost.I turned to face him fully, folding my legs
Last Updated : 2025-03-17The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 134
"Back to reality."Alexander’s voice was smooth, but there was something beneath it. Something reluctant.I glanced at him as the jet descended toward the private runway, the New York skyline coming into view. The tension in his shoulders was subtle, but I recognized it. He wasn’t just returning to work. He was returning to war.I exhaled, stretching my legs before leaning back in my seat. "You say that like you didn’t just drag me away against my will."His lips twitched. "You didn’t complain."I smirked. "Oh, I definitely complained.""You didn’t mean it."I narrowed my eyes at him. "You have an interesting way of hearing what you want to hear, Hawke."He turned his head, meeting my gaze with something dark and smug. "I’m right, aren’t I?"I didn’t answer.Because damn him, he was right.The trip had started as a battle of wills—him forcing me to let go, me fighting the loss of control—but somewhere between stolen kisses on sun-drenched terraces and whispered truths beneath moonlit
Last Updated : 2025-03-17The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 135
"If you say no, we lose everything."Langley’s voice cut through the silence, pressing against my chest like a vice.I stared at the contract in front of me, the black ink standing out against the pristine white paper. The words blurred together, but I already knew what they said.A buyout.A strategic move disguised as a partnership.A trap.I inhaled slowly, my fingers curling against the edge of the table. "If I say yes?"Langley exhaled, rubbing a hand over his face. "Then we’re in bed with the devil."A sharp silence filled the boardroom.Alexander leaned back in his chair, eyes dark and unyielding. He hadn’t spoken in the past five minutes, which meant he was watching. Calculating. Waiting to see what I’d do.Every executive at the table was waiting, too.For me.Not for Alexander.Not for anyone else.Me.I let that realization settle before speaking. "Break it down for me again."Langley cleared his throat. "Atlas Corp is offering a partnership in exchange for a thirty-percent
Last Updated : 2025-03-17The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 136
"You don’t need my permission, Leila."Alexander’s voice carried across the boardroom, smooth and controlled, but the weight of his words landed like a punch to the ribs.Every executive at the table turned toward him, then toward me.Waiting.Watching.Because for the first time, Alexander Hawke wasn’t taking control.He was giving it away.I let the silence stretch, refusing to fidget under their scrutiny.If this was a test, I wasn’t about to fail.I placed my hands flat on the table, feeling the grain of the polished wood beneath my fingertips. "Good. Because I already made the decision."A ripple of surprise moved through the room.Langley cleared his throat. "And what decision is that, Mrs. Hawke?"I met his gaze head-on. "We’re shutting Atlas Corp out of the market entirely."Murmurs erupted.Jessica, our PR lead, adjusted her glasses. "That’s… aggressive.""That’s necessary," I corrected. "Atlas came to us because they needed us. We’re not giving them a lifeline."Langley fold
Last Updated : 2025-03-17The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 137
"We need to talk about boundaries."Alexander’s voice cut through the quiet hum of the penthouse.I glanced up from my laptop, arching a brow. "That’s ironic coming from you."His lips twitched, but his expression remained unreadable as he leaned against the kitchen counter, arms crossed. "I’m serious, Leila."I sighed, rubbing my temples. "If this is about the Atlas situation, we agreed—""This isn’t about Atlas," he interrupted. "This is about us."The shift in his tone made me pause.I closed my laptop, studying him. "Okay. Say what you need to say."His jaw flexed, something unreadable flickering behind his eyes. "We’ve spent the past year fighting. For control. For respect. For the company. And now that we have it, we need to figure out how to keep it from becoming us."A slow burn settled in my chest.I exhaled. "You’re worried that we don’t know how to exist outside of Steele Industries."His gaze held mine. "Do we?"Silence stretched between us.I opened my mouth—then shut it.
Last Updated : 2025-03-17
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The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 172
You’d think after everything we’ve been through, we’d know how to keep our promises.I stood in the middle of our kitchen, barefoot, wrapped in one of Alexander’s oversized shirts. The silence in the penthouse was loud—only broken by the hum of the refrigerator and the dull buzz of my phone on the counter. Again.Work messages. At nearly midnight.The trip had ended three days ago. Three perfect, disconnected, sun-drenched days where we remembered what we were without the world pulling us in opposite directions. But the second we landed, the floodgates opened.He’d already broken our no-work-after-seven rule twice. I’d ignored it the first time. Justified the second. But now?Now I was pissed.I didn’t hear him walk in until his voice cut through the quiet like a wire snapping.“You’re still up?”I turned, crossing my arms. “That’s your opening line?”Alexander stilled, already sensing the storm brewing in me. He looked tired—no, wrecked—but I didn’t let it soften me this time.“I had
The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 171
"Just when we thought we had it all figured out, life threw us a curveball wrapped in dollar signs."The morning sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of our penthouse, casting a deceptive calm over the chaos brewing beneath. Alexander sat at the dining table, a thick dossier open before him, his brow furrowed in concentration. The sight was both familiar and unsettling."Leila," he began, his voice measured but tinged with an undercurrent I couldn't quite place. "We need to discuss this proposal."I set down my coffee, the rich aroma suddenly nauseating. "Another one? Didn't we agree to take a step back after the last project nearly consumed us?"He sighed, rubbing his temples. "I know. But this... this is different. It's a partnership offer from Global Innovations. The potential here is massive."I approached, glancing over his shoulder at the documents. The figures were staggering, the kind that could solidify our company's position at the pinnacle of the industry. But
The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 170
"Love isn't tested in the calm; it's forged in the storm."I stood at the edge of our penthouse balcony, the city lights stretching out like a sea of stars beneath me. The cool breeze did little to calm the storm brewing inside.Alexander's voice broke through my thoughts. "Leila, what's going on?"I turned to see him leaning against the doorway, concern etched on his face. His presence, usually so grounding, now felt like a lifeline."It's Daniel," I began, my voice barely steady. "He's back, and with him, all the memories I've tried to forget."Alexander's eyes narrowed. "What does he want?""He says he's in trouble," I replied, wrapping my arms around myself. "But his return has stirred up doubts about who I was... and who I am now."Alexander crossed the space between us, placing his hands on my shoulders. "Your past doesn't define you, Leila. We all have shadows. It's how we move forward that matters."Tears welled up, blurring my vision. "But what if those shadows catch up? What
The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 169
"Just when you think you've buried your past, it has a way of knocking on your front door."The morning sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of our penthouse, casting a golden glow over the minimalist decor. I stood at the kitchen island, nursing a cup of coffee, its rich aroma filling the air. Alexander sat across from me, engrossed in the financial section of the newspaper, his brow furrowed in concentration."Anything interesting?" I asked, breaking the comfortable silence.He looked up, a small smile playing on his lips. "Just the usual market fluctuations. Nothing that can't wait."I nodded, taking another sip of my coffee. The tranquility of the moment was shattered by the sharp chime of the doorbell. Alexander and I exchanged puzzled glances; we weren't expecting anyone."I'll get it," I offered, setting my mug down and moving toward the door.As I opened it, my breath caught in my throat. Standing before me was a ghost from my past—Daniel. His once-boyish face was
The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 168
“Success had always been my compass, but lately, it felt like I was navigating without a map.”I stared at the half-empty espresso cup on the kitchen island. The crema had gone flat, the kind of detail I usually wouldn’t notice. But now it felt like the perfect metaphor for everything that had gone dull lately—even the parts of life that were supposed to taste rich.Leila padded in barefoot, wearing my faded CalTech hoodie and holding a mug of tea. Her hair was a mess, and her cheeks were still pink from sleep, but damn if she didn’t still stop me cold.“You didn’t sleep again,” she said.I gave a non-answer shrug and kept my eyes on the city outside the window.She set her mug down and leaned on the counter, not pressing yet. Just... waiting. That was something she’d learned recently. How to wait for me to come to her instead of dragging it out of me.“I’ve been thinking,” I finally said.“Uh-oh,” she said, smiling a little. “That’s your ‘change the company overnight’ voice.”“No. No
The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 167
“Grief doesn’t ask permission. It just shows up, wrecks everything, and dares you to clean it up.”It started with silence.Not the peaceful kind. Not the kind where two people sit next to each other and don’t need to fill the space. This was the heavy kind. The kind that sat between us at the dinner table while Alexander pushed food around his plate and pretended to be somewhere else.He hadn’t touched the roasted chicken. I made it from scratch. It used to be his favorite.“You haven’t eaten all day,” I said, not looking up from my own plate. I’d barely taken a bite myself.“I’m not hungry.”"You said that yesterday."He finally looked up. His eyes were dull, rimmed red from nights I knew he wasn’t sleeping through.“Leila,” he said flatly. “Please. Not tonight.”I set my fork down. “It’s been nine nights.”He exhaled sharply and shoved his chair back. “I can't do this right now.”And just like that, he was gone—down the hall, the door to his study clicking shut behind him.At first
The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 166
"Alex, it's your dad."I heard the change in his voice before I heard the words. He'd just picked up a call—early, too early for it to be anything good. His body stiffened. His shoulders pulled back like someone punched him from behind.I was halfway down the stairs in a T-shirt and one sock when I saw his face.“What’s wrong?” I asked, breath catching.He lowered the phone slowly like it weighed fifty pounds. “It’s my father,” he said. “He’s had a heart attack.”---We didn’t talk much on the drive to the hospital. He gripped the steering wheel like he needed it to keep breathing. I sat there, silent, staring out the window, trying to do something—anything—but think about what it would mean if this went badly.He didn’t need me to talk. Not yet.He just needed me there.---When we got to the hospital, we found Emily pacing outside the ICU. Her face was blotchy. Her hands shook.“They rushed him into surgery two hours ago,” she said, and when Alex hugged her, her voice cracked. “They
The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 165
"We need to get away."Alexander's voice cut through the ambient hum of our penthouse, his tone resolute.I glanced up from my laptop, fingers hovering over the keyboard. "Away? Now?""Yes, now." He crossed the room, his movements deliberate, and gently closed my laptop. "We've been running on fumes for months, Leila. It's time to hit pause."I leaned back, studying his face—the tension etched in the lines around his eyes, the tight set of his jaw. "And you think a getaway will fix everything?""Not everything," he admitted, perching on the edge of the coffee table opposite me. "But it's a start."I sighed, the weight of unending responsibilities pressing down. "Where would we even go?"A slow smile curved his lips. "Leave that to me."---Two days later, we were airborne on his private jet, destination undisclosed. Alexander reveled in the mystery, his eyerevelledling with unspoken secrets."You're enjoying this, aren't you?" I teased, nudging his shoulder.He chuckled, a rich sound
The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 164
"You can't be serious, Leila."Alexander's voice echoed through our expansive living room, his tone a mix of disbelief and frustration.I stood my ground, meeting his intense gaze. "I am serious. This is my project, and I need to do this on my own."He ran a hand through his hair, a gesture I knew all too well. "Why now? Why this?""Because I need to prove to myself that I can," I replied, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside.Alexander sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. "I just don't want to see you get hurt.""I know," I said softly. "But I have to take this risk."---The opportunity had come unexpectedly—a chance to lead a project without Alexander's influence overshadowing me. It was a small tech startup looking for investors, and I saw potential where others saw risk."You're sure about this?" Jessica, my closest confidante and our company's CFO, asked as we reviewed the proposal.I nodded. "Absolutely. This could be the breakthrough I've been waiting for."She raise
