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Chapter 53
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2025-01-28 06:10:29
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The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 54
The hum of cameras and murmurs of journalists waiting behind the velvet ropes buzzed in my ears as I smoothed the front of my blazer for the tenth time. The press conference hadn’t even started, but it felt like we were already under the microscope. Every glance, every whisper felt like a judgment, and I wasn’t sure if I was more nervous about the questions or the fact that this was my first time facing them as Alexander Steele’s wife—not just his silent partner.“You don’t have to do this,” Alexander said beside me, his voice low and calm. The words didn’t match the tension in his jaw or the way he adjusted his cufflinks for the third time in a row.“Yes, I do,” I replied, meeting his gaze. “We said we’d face this together, remember?”His eyes softened, the steel in them melting just slightly. “They’re going to come after you too, Leila. Not just me. The questions, the accusations—it won’t be easy.”I took a deep breath, steadying myself. “Nothing about being with you has ever been e
Last Updated : 2025-01-29The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 55
“You think this will scare me?” Alexander’s voice was low, lethal, as he threw the damning folder onto the polished mahogany table. The man across from him, Damien Hale, leaned back in his chair, the faintest smirk playing on his lips.“I don’t need to scare you, Alexander,” Damien said, his tone maddeningly calm. “You’re doing a fine job unraveling all on your own.”I stood by the doorway, my presence unnoticed—or ignored—by both men. The room felt heavy, oppressive, as if every shadow harbored secrets waiting to explode. My heart pounded in my chest, but I stayed silent. This was Alexander’s fight, and I wouldn’t intervene unless he needed me.Alexander leaned forward, his fists braced against the table. “What do you want, Damien? To destroy everything I’ve built? To tear down Steele Industries just because you think you should’ve had my position?”Damien’s smile widened, infuriatingly unbothered. “Oh, Alexander. It’s not about the company. It’s about you. You’ve spent your life act
Last Updated : 2025-01-29The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 56
“You’ve been turning heads,” Claire said, leaning against the doorway of my office with a sly smile. Her sharp eyes scanned the room, landing on the stack of documents I’d spent the better part of the morning reviewing.I glanced up from my laptop, my fingers pausing over the keyboard. “Is that a compliment or a warning?”“Both.” She stepped inside, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor. “You’re making waves, Leila. People are talking.”“Good things, I hope,” I said, though I didn’t miss the weight in her tone.Claire smirked, tilting her head. “Depends on who you ask. Some admire the way you’ve stepped into Alexander’s world like you’ve always belonged there. Others… well, let’s just say not everyone’s thrilled about the spotlight you’re sharing with him.”I leaned back in my chair, my heart sinking a little. “Who’s unhappy?”“Take your pick,” she said, shrugging. “Some of the board members think you’re overstepping. A few executives are worried about their positions now that
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“You need to see this,” Claire said, her voice urgent as she stepped into Alexander’s office, holding a slim file folder. The tension in her tone was enough to make my stomach twist. She rarely interrupted us unless it was serious.Alexander looked up from his desk, his sharp gray eyes narrowing. “What is it?”Claire set the folder down, her fingers trembling just slightly. “It’s from the internal audit you requested after the leak last week.”I leaned forward, my pulse quickening as Alexander flipped open the folder. The room felt impossibly quiet as his gaze scanned the documents, his jaw tightening with every page he turned. His silence was more unnerving than any outburst.“Alexander?” I prompted softly, standing from my chair to peer over his shoulder.He closed the folder abruptly, his expression cold and unreadable. “It’s Damien.”“Damien?” Claire echoed, confused. “But we already knew he was working against us.”“Not just Damien,” Alexander said, his voice low and hard. “He’s
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“You’re avoiding me,” I said, my voice trembling as I stood in the doorway of Alexander’s home office. The room was dimly lit, his silhouette cast against the floor-to-ceiling windows as he stared out at the city.He didn’t turn around, his shoulders tense beneath the crisp lines of his suit. “I’m not avoiding you.”“You haven’t looked me in the eye since this morning,” I shot back, stepping into the room. “And every time I try to talk to you, you shut me out.”“I’m dealing with it, Leila,” he said, his tone clipped. “You don’t need to worry about me.”“I don’t need to?” I echoed, my chest tightening. “You’re my husband, Alexander. Of course I worry about you.”He turned then, his gray eyes stormy, the weight of the world etched into every line of his face. “You don’t understand, Leila. If I let you in—if you see everything I’m dealing with—you’ll realize I’m not the man you think I am.”His words hit me like a punch to the gut. “What are you talking about?”“I’m supposed to protect y
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“You should take a break,” Alexander said, his voice low as he stood in the doorway of my office. The way his tie hung loosely around his neck and his sleeves were rolled up told me he hadn’t had much rest himself.“I can’t,” I replied without looking up, my fingers flying over the keyboard. “There’s too much to fix before the next board meeting. The reports are incomplete, the projections are inconsistent, and I still don’t know where Cassandra is planning to strike next.”“She’ll strike where it hurts the most,” he said, stepping into the room. His tone was calm, but the tension in his jaw betrayed the storm simmering beneath his composed exterior.I paused, finally meeting his gaze. “And where is that?”“Everywhere,” he said grimly.The weight of his words sank in, making my chest tighten. I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms as I studied him. “Then we need to stay ahead of her. If we—”Before I could finish, Alexander’s phone buzzed on the desk. He glanced at the screen, hi
Last Updated : 2025-01-31The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 60
The air in the conference room felt heavy, as though the walls were closing in, trapping us in the tension that had been building for weeks. Alexander stood at the head of the long table, his presence commanding, but the storm brewing behind his eyes betrayed his calm facade. I sat beside him, my hand resting lightly on his knee beneath the table, a silent reassurance that he wasn’t alone.“They’ll be here soon,” Alexander said, his voice low and steady, though his clenched fists on the table told a different story.“And when they walk in?” I asked, keeping my tone soft but resolute. “What’s the plan?”His gaze flicked to me, the vulnerability he rarely showed breaking through for just a moment. “We hold our ground. We don’t let them think for a second that they’ve won.”“Good,” I said, sitting straighter. “Because they haven’t.”Before he could respond, the door swung open, and Damien Hale strolled in, his smirk as sharp as ever. Behind him was Cassandra Bennett, her heels clicking a
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“Everyone thinks they know how to fix an empire,” I muttered, staring at the endless emails flooding my inbox. “Until they actually have to do it.”Alexander smirked from where he leaned against the doorway, his tie loose and his sleeves rolled up—a rare, unguarded moment that almost made me forget the chaos surrounding us. Almost.“You’re not fixing an empire, Leila,” he said, crossing the room. “You’re saving it.”I sighed, leaning back in my chair. “And what exactly are you doing while I’m over here saving your legacy?”He chuckled, rounding the desk to stand behind me. His hands landed on my shoulders, firm and grounding. “Making sure you don’t burn yourself out in the process.”I twisted my head to look up at him, arching an eyebrow. “You’ve been doing a lot of watching lately. When are you going to start pulling your weight?”“I thought that’s what marriage was for,” he teased, leaning down to brush his lips against my temple. “Making sure you can handle all the heavy lifting.”
Last Updated : 2025-02-01
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The First Strike The lawsuit was filed at dawn. By noon, it was on every major news outlet. By evening, the world knew that Alexander Steele had declared war. I sat in the sleek black leather chair of Alexander’s office, scrolling through endless headlines. "Steele Enterprises Takes Luxor Industries to Court—Corporate War Begins!" "Damien King Accused of Corporate Espionage—Is Cassandra Knight the Puppet Master?" "Alexander Steele’s Billion-Dollar Lawsuit: The Fight That Could Reshape the Industry." Alexander stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, his hands in his pockets, his stance deceptively relaxed. But I could see the tension in his shoulders. “They wanted a war,” he said, his voice smooth but razor-sharp. “Now they have one.” I exhaled, setting my phone on the table. “You really think Damien’s going to roll over because of a lawsuit?” His lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “No. I expect him to fight. But he doesn’t have what I have.” “And what’s
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The Return to ChaosThe moment we stepped off the jet, I knew something was wrong.Alexander’s phone vibrated. Once. Twice. Then mine. The sudden onslaught of calls and texts wasn’t normal. My stomach clenched as I glanced at the notifications stacking up like bricks.Alexander barely had time to check his screen before his face hardened, his grip tightening around his phone.“Leila.” His voice was sharp, cutting through the tension like a blade.I looked up, my own phone buzzing in my hand. “What?”He turned the screen toward me.BREAKING NEWS: DAMIEN KING AND CASSANDRA KNIGHT UNVEIL LUXOR INDUSTRIES, A DIRECT COMPETITOR TO STEELE ENTERPRISES.My breath left my lungs. No.“Impossible,” I whispered. “He wouldn’t—”Alexander was already dialing.The second Liam answered, his voice was tight. “Boss, it’s bad.”Alexander clenched his jaw. “Tell me.”“Damien launched a direct competitor overnight. Luxor Industries. Cassandra’s funding it. They’ve already poached several of our people—incl
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The RetreatThe rhythmic crash of waves against the shore was the only sound that filled the silence between us. The villa—perched on the edge of the Mediterranean, isolated from the chaos we had just left behind—was a stark contrast to the storm raging between me and Alexander.I stood at the open balcony, watching the moonlight cast a silver glow over the endless stretch of water. The air smelled of salt and jasmine, but I barely noticed it. My thoughts were tangled in the tension still hanging in the space between us.I heard the door close softly behind me, followed by the sound of Alexander’s footsteps.“We needed this,” he said, his voice low, rough.I didn’t turn around. “Did we?”A beat of silence. Then—“Yes.”I closed my eyes for a second, exhaling slowly. “Running away won’t fix what’s broken between us, Alexander.”“We’re not running.” His voice was closer now. “We’re breathing.”I turned then, meeting his gaze. There was something vulnerable in the way he looked at me—lik
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"You shouldn’t have gotten involved."The words sent an icy chill through me.I stared down at the unmarked envelope that had been slipped under my office door, my fingers gripping the letter inside a little too tightly. The words were typed, no signature, no clues, but the message was clear.This wasn’t a warning.It was a threat.A direct hit meant to rattle me, to shake me into submission.I swallowed, forcing down the unease curling in my stomach as I read the letter again.Stay in your lane, Mrs. Hawke. Or next time, we won’t just be watching.The air in my office felt heavy, closing in around me. The logical side of my brain told me to breathe, to think. But the other part—the one ruled by instinct—was screaming at me to run.I wasn’t naïve. I knew the kind of world I had stepped into when I married Alexander.But this?This was different.I grabbed my phone, my fingers hovering over Alexander’s contact. I hesitated.He was already on edge. Already carrying too much.And I hated
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This isn’t over until we cut out the rot."Alexander’s voice was steel, each word carrying the weight of a war that had dragged on too long. I watched him from across the room, the tension in his jaw tightening with every second that passed.It wasn’t just business anymore.It was personal.For months, we had been dismantling Cassandra’s empire, unraveling the chaos she had left behind, piece by piece. But now, the last thread had revealed itself—someone inside Steele Industries, someone still loyal to her, pulling strings in the shadows.And they weren’t going down without a fight.Alexander’s fingers drummed against the table, his eyes locked on the confidential report in front of him."Who is it?" I asked, my voice steady despite the storm brewing in my chest.He exhaled sharply, flipping the report shut before looking up. "Jameson Hale."I felt the impact of that name like a physical blow."Hale?" My stomach twisted. "But he’s been with the company for years—long before Cassandra.
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You need to make a decision, Alexander."The weight of those words hung in the air, thick and unrelenting.I sat stiffly in the boardroom, my fingers tightening around the armrests of my chair as I watched Alexander across the table. His posture was as rigid as steel, his face an unreadable mask, but the sharp tick of his jaw gave him away.They were cornering him.And I was the reason why.The men seated around us—billionaire investors, executives who prided themselves on running the empire with an iron fist—didn’t even bother to hide their distaste for me."She’s become a liability," Charles Weaver said, his voice smooth, cutting. "The press is running wild with stories about her influence, and investors are questioning your judgment."Another man, Richard Caldwell, nodded. "The company cannot afford more instability. The most strategic move would be to separate personal affairs from business."Separate.Like I was just another mistake he needed to erase.I swallowed hard, willing m
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"What are you not telling me?"The question escaped before I could stop it. My voice trembled, it was a quiet demand that sliced through the charged silence between us.Alexander’s fingers tightened around the glass in his hand, his knuckles whitening. The city skyline stretched behind him, but he wasn’t looking at it. He was looking at me.And I knew.Something had shifted.Something had been kept from me.And the moment I opened that file earlier today, my entire world tilted on its axis.He set his drink down, exhaling slowly, measuredly. "Leila, you don’t—""Don’t say I don’t understand," I cut him off, stepping forward, my heart pounding so hard I felt it in my fingertips. "Because I do. I just don’t know why."His jaw flexed. He ran a hand through his hair, a rare sign of unease. Alexander Hawke didn’t fidget. He didn’t hesitate. But right now, he was a man at war with himself."Tell me the truth," I whispered. "No more secrets. No more half-truths. I deserve to know."His silen
The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 74
"This isn’t a disaster—it’s a dumpster fire with a VIP ticket to hell." The words hit like a wrecking ball, shattering the last fragile hope I had that we could control this mess. I sat stiffly at the long mahogany table, my fingers curled around my pen so tightly my knuckles ached. The air in the boardroom felt thick, suffocating, charged with the kind of energy that came when billions of dollars were at stake. Across from me, Alexander leaned forward, his hands flat on the table, his expression carved from stone. His suit was crisp, his presence as commanding as ever, but I could see the tension rippling beneath his skin. He was holding on by a thread, his patience dangerously close to snapping. “Fix this, Leila,”* he growled, his voice a low rumble of impending thunder. *“Or I’ll start burying bodies instead of problems.” I exhaled slowly. *Stay calm. Stay in control.“We can fix this.” My voice was steady, though my pulse was anything but. Alexander’s gaze locked onto mi
The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride Chapter 73
The Breaking Point“I’m not asking for permission, Alexander.”The words hung in the air, thick and unyielding, daring him to challenge them.Alexander sat behind his desk, his fingers interlocked, his expression unreadable—except for the tension that gripped his frame, stretching taut like a wire about to snap.His gaze locked onto mine, sharp as ever, but something else lurked beneath it—something wary, something he was trying to hide.“You think this is about permission?” His voice was low, controlled, but I knew better than to mistake that calm for anything other than barely contained frustration.I crossed my arms, forcing myself to hold my ground. “That’s exactly what this is about. Every time I take a step forward, you pull me back. Every time I try to take control of my own life, you remind me why I shouldn’t.”His jaw clenched, and for a moment, he said nothing. Then, slowly, deliberately, he stood. His presence filled the room, but I didn’t let myself shrink beneath it.“Lei
