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2025-02-14 23:53:51
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The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 30
Leo pov I walked out of the venue, my steps slow, my mind clouded. The flashes, the voices, the whispersthey all blended into background noise. None of it mattered. What mattered was that she was there. Bella. I thought I was in a dream. She looked so fucking beautiful I just wanted to keep her in my arms there and then. I was going crazy at this point. I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out. Dennis. “Did you know?” I asked, my voice quiet but firm as I pressed the phone to my ear. Dennis hesitated. “Sir, I didn’t,” he said quickly. “I swear, I had no idea she was coming.” I looked up at the night sky, still trying to make sense of it. “She wasn’t on the guest list.” “No, sir. She wasn’t.” “Then why was she there?” Dennis was silent for a moment. “I think it had something to do with Deon.” “We’ll, obviously, she’s claiming to be her assistant but how come we never found that out,” “No one knows what Le Deon looks like si
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-15The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 31
“What?” Stella blinked in confusion. I sighed, “I’m tired and I need to rest, today was stressful,” I got to my feet, heading to my room. I walked into my bedroom, rolling my shoulders, trying to ease the tension in my muscles. My conversation with Stella still lingered in my head, but I was too drained to think about it any longer. Bella had been there. I still couldn’t wrap my head around it. I ran a hand down my face and walked into the bathroom. The cold tiles against my feet sent a shiver up my spine. I turned on the shower, letting the water heat up as I pulled off my clothes. As soon as I stepped under the spray, I exhaled sharply. The hot water rushed down my back, washing away some of the tension, but my thoughts refused to quiet down. I wasn’t angry at Bella. No—I wasn’t even close to being angry. I was just… stuck. She just walked in as the assistant of some famous woman and she didn’t even blink at the fact that I was there. I hated that she wasn’t fucking phased by
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-16The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 32
I sat on the hospital bed, my hands resting on my lap as the doctor checked Ryan’s forehead. He winced when the doctor pressed a little too hard but stayed quiet. The nurse stood beside him, writing something down on her clipboard. “You both will be fine,” the doctor said after a moment. “Just a little exhaustion. Some bruising, but nothing serious.” Ryan nodded, rubbing his temple. “Thanks, doc.” The doctor turned to me. “You need to take it easy. Your body has been through a lot.” I nodded. I knew that. I felt it. My arms were sore, my head was still pounding, and my body felt weak, but I was alive. That was enough. After the doctor gave us some instructions and the nurse handed Ryan a small packet of painkillers, we finally left the room. Ryan sighed as we walked down the hallway. “It’s a good thing my father isn’t home. He’d lose his mind if he saw me like this.” I glanced at him. “So… where are we going?” Ryan ran a hand through his hair. “A hotel. Just for now. We’ll figu
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-17The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 33
I stared at Leo, my heart pounding, my hands clenched so tight my nails dug into my skin. He looked at me, waiting, like he had just said something that should change my whole world. I took a step closer. “What is wrong with you?” Leo’s jaw tightened. “Bella—” I didn’t let him finish. “You think you can just stand here and tell me that like it matters? Like it changes anything?” His eyes darkened. “It does.” “No,” I snapped. “It doesn’t.” My breath was heavy. “You have no right to stand in my way, Leo. None.” He exhaled sharply. “Bella, listen—” “No,” I cut in again. I pointed a finger at him. “You listen to me. If you don’t get out of my way right now, I will call the police, and I will get you arrested. Do you hear me?” Leo stared at me like he couldn’t believe what I had just said. His lips parted, but no words came out. I didn’t wait for him to respond. I turned on my heels, walked straight to the car, and got in. Ryan shut the door behind me and slid into th
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-18The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 34
Leo pov I drove back, my grip tight on the wheel, my jaw clenched so hard it hurt. Bella had looked me in the eyes and walked away. Like I was nothing. Like she didn’t care. She didn’t even hesitate. The streets blurred past me, but my mind was stuck on her. The way she stood there, cold, unshaken. The way she threatened to call the police, as if I was just some stranger in her way. I let out a harsh breath, slamming my palm against the steering wheel. So that was it? She really had no care for me. None. I pulled into my driveway and killed the engine, but I didn’t get out. I just sat there, staring ahead, my hands still gripping the wheel. Fine. If that’s how she wanted to play it, then I’d show her. She thought she could walk back into my world, make a statement, and then toss me aside? Oh, I was going to show her that I wasn’t letting go so easily. She shouldn’t mess with me. I ran a hand through my hair, scanning through the report on my desk. The numb
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-19The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 35
I leaned back in my chair, watching as Bella stood at the front of the boardroom. Her posture was confident, her chin slightly raised like she owned the place. She looked around the room, taking her time, making sure everyone’s eyes were on her. “My boss called this meeting,” she began, her voice smooth, steady. “Because there’s something important we need to discuss.” I crossed my arms, waiting. “The competition,” she continued. “It’s already a success, but I don’t believe in settling. We are going to take it further.” Murmurs spread through the room. Some of the board members exchanged glances. Others leaned forward, curious. Bella didn’t pause. “We are expanding the competition. Internationally.” Silence. Then, almost at once, the reactions came. “What?” One of the older board members frowned. “Internationally?” “Do you know how much work that would take?” another man asked, shaking his head. A woman near the end of the table adjusted her glasses. “That’s… a huge
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-20The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 36
Bella pov I kept my expression calm, my posture straight, my hands lightly clasped in front of me. Unbothered. Collected. Like I had everything under control. But inside? Oh, I was spiraling. This wasn’t the plan. Not at all. I had only called the meeting to push Leo out of sight. Not to launch an entire international expansion. That wasn’t what I came here for. But the moment the words left my mouth, I saw it—the shift in the room. The way the shareholders leaned in. The way their skepticism turned into consideration. The way Leo’s eyes narrowed at me like he was trying to figure out what I was up to. And I knew. If I backtracked now, they’d question everything. They’d start picking apart my motives, wondering why I suggested it in the first place. They’d doubt me. Doubt meant weakness. So, with the same unfazed smile, I said, “Sure.” And just like that, it was decided. The meeting continued for a while—discussions, planning, logistics—but my mind barely kept
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-21The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 37
Leo’s POVI stood by the window, arms crossed, watching the city lights flicker in the distance. My bags were packed, my schedule cleared, and lodged in the hotel ready to leave and yet here I was, stuck listening to Stella cry for the past fifteen minutes.“You can’t go, Leo!” she wailed, gripping the edge of my desk like her life depended on it. “You just can’t!”I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. “Stella, I have to.”She shook her head violently. “No, you don’t! Why do you have to follow her? Why do you have to go on this stupid trip?!”I exhaled, forcing patience into my voice. “This is business.”“This is Bella!” She looked at me, eyes red and swollen. “She’s dragging you into something. You know she is!”I didn’t answer. Instead, I walked over to my wardrobe and grabbed the last of my things. Stella let out a frustrated noise and stomped her foot like a child. “Leo! Are you even listening to me?!”I turned to her. “Enough.”Her mouth snapped shut.I hated that I was snappi
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-22
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The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 67
The airport buzzed with quiet tension. The kind of tired that settles in your chest after too many days of pretending everything is fine. We had said our goodbyes to the client hours ago. We’d packed up, handed off the last of the materials, and smiled for one final photo. The trip was over.Leo didn’t speak much. He just walked beside me. He carried my bag through the terminal without offering or asking. He simply reached for it when I shifted my weight, like he already knew it was getting too heavy.He was calm. Collected. Gentle in all the ways that used to make me suspicious. Now I just let it be what it was.We got through security without much delay. He kept checking the signs like he wasn’t used to waiting in lines. I stayed close, quiet. We didn’t talk about what would happen once we landed. We didn’t talk about what we were now. We just moved.At the gate, I sat by the window. He sat next to me. He didn’t scroll through his phone. He didn’t check his email. He just sat back,
The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 66
The papers were already on the table when I walked in. A pale folder, two pens, and silence.Ryan was sitting on the other side, dressed neatly, the same calm expression he always wore when things got heavy. His tie was slightly loose, like he’d taken a deep breath before I arrived. He looked up when I stepped in.“Hey,” he said quietly.“Hey.”I sat down across from him. The room was private, not too cold. Neutral tones, thick carpet, tall windows. A space designed to make final things feel manageable.We didn’t rush.The lawyer explained everything, but we barely listened. We already knew. There was no fight over assets, no long arguments over rights or blame. There had never been any mess between us—just a quiet arrangement, born from need.I flipped through the pages slowly. It felt strange, how easy it was. How quickly things ended when there was no damage to undo.I reached the signature line.He’d already signed.I picked up the pen.My fingers hesitated for just a second. Not
The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 65
knew something was different the moment the client pulled me aside. He looked like he had something to say that couldn’t be said in front of cameras. He waited until the end of the panel, after the last flash faded and Bella had stepped aside to speak with one of the stylists.“Mr. Rathore,” he said quietly, hand on my shoulder. “Can we talk for a moment?”“Of course.”We stepped into the shade beneath one of the trees lining the venue courtyard. The crowd was still buzzing behind us, photographers packing up, reporters chatting among themselves. Bella stood in the center of it all—tall, calm, a little flushed from the attention but holding her own effortlessly.He gestured toward her. “You didn’t know, did you?”“Know what?” I asked, my attention snapping back.“That the woman you and Miss Delano helped last week—the one in the parking lot—was my daughter.”I stilled.He nodded slowly. “She never told the hospital who she was. She’s stubborn. Wanted to keep things quiet while she sor
The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 64
he call came just after midnight. I was sitting alone at the small desk in our suite, answering emails, pretending I wasn’t listening for her soft footsteps from the other room. I didn’t expect to see her tonight. She had been quieter than usual during dinner, not cold—but pensive. I didn’t push.My phone lit up with her name. Mother. I stared at the screen for a moment before answering. I knew what this was.“Leo.”Her voice was sharp, not angry yet, but on the edge. Controlled. Intentional.“Mother.”“I don’t like what I’m hearing.”I didn’t say anything.“People are talking,” she continued. “The board, the press, your aunt, your uncle—do you know how many calls I’ve taken in the last two days?”“I can imagine.”“You’re embarrassing yourself,” she said. “You’re embarrassing this family.”The words didn’t hit like they used to. There was a time I would’ve flinched. Not anymore.“Is that what you think I’m doing?”“I think you’re letting emotion cloud your judgment. Again. You’re atta
The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 63
We were back on the couch again, wine glasses half-full, legs curled loosely beneath us, the dim lamplight softening everything around us. There was something about the way Leo sat—relaxed, patient, dangerously close—that made the air between us buzz, even when we weren’t saying anything important.“Are you ever going to stop looking at me like that?”“Like what?”“Like you’re trying to memorize me.”“Maybe I am.”“You already know what I look like, Leo.”“Not like this. Not after everything. Not when you’re actually letting me near you again.”“I’m not letting you near me. You just keep showing up.”“And you’re letting me stay.”“I didn’t say you could stay.”“You didn’t say I couldn’t.”“…You’re impossible.”“And you’re not saying no.”“Don’t push it.”“I’m not. I’m just sitting here. Drinking wine. Staring at the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.”I rolled my eyes, but my lips fought a smile. He leaned forward just slightly, resting his elbow on the back of the couch like he ha
The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 62
T he next few days passed like a quiet breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding for years. There were no confessions. No apologies repeated. No grand displays of love. Just small, careful gestures that lingered longer than they should have.Leo didn’t crowd me. He didn’t follow me too closely or fill the air with words just to hear himself speak. He simply stayed close. In step. In sync.When we walked to meetings or down quiet hallways with our clients, he carried my samples without needing to be asked. Not in a way that said he thought I couldn’t, but in a way that said he noticed the way my ankle still bent awkwardly if I put too much pressure on it. He reached for the heavier bags with ease, his hand brushing mine only briefly, and then let the moment pass without making it more than what it was.When we stood beside each other at tables or inside crowded booths, he never touched me first. But if my fingers grazed his, he didn’t move away. Sometimes, without thinking, his hand wo
The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 61
The air was cooler by the time I stepped out of bed. The curtains swayed gently from the breeze sneaking in through the open balcony door. I didn’t hear him, but I could feel that I wasn’t alone. The night had that charged stillness, like something was waiting to be said.I walked across the room, barefoot, careful not to put weight on my sore ankle. The ache had dulled to a throb. I reached the doorway and saw him.Leo stood with his back to me, leaning slightly on the railing, one hand resting flat on the cold metal, the other holding a glass he hadn’t taken a sip from. His sleeves were rolled up. His shirt clung gently to his back, just loose enough to move with the breeze.He didn’t turn when I stepped onto the balcony. I think he knew I was there the whole time.“You don’t sleep much, do you?” I asked.His shoulders lifted in a quiet shrug. “Not when I feel like I missed something.”The stars were brighter out here. The sky stretched above us, open and wide, but his voice pulled
The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 60
H e came quickly, like he hadn’t hesitated for a second. I didn’t even remember what I sounded like on the phone. Maybe I hadn’t said anything clearly. Maybe all he heard was my voice breaking. But it was enough.The door opened and closed gently behind him. He didn’t ask questions. He just walked to where I stood near the window, eyes red, the necklace still resting against my collarbone.He didn’t say a word.He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me, slow and careful, like he was afraid I might fall apart if he moved too fast.I melted into him. For once, I didn’t pull away.His hand slid up my back, the other resting lightly on the back of my head. He didn’t press me or kiss me or try to fix it all in one moment. He just held me like he was making space for the sadness I couldn’t carry alone anymore.We stayed that way for a long time.Eventually, he guided me toward the bed, pulled back the covers, and helped me lie down.He didn’t leave.He slid in beside me, fully cloth
The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 59
He didn’t say anything else after placing it in my palm. He just stepped back quietly, giving me room to breathe. My fingers had curled around the necklace before I even realized it. It was instinct. Muscle memory. The second I felt the shape of it the weight, the smooth stone, I couldn’t let go.I couldn’t look up at him either.The box sat open on the table, the air between us still. He didn’t speak, didn’t ask, didn’t reach for me again. He just waited. For what, I didn’t know.But I couldn’t hold it in anymore.“Can you… give me a moment?” I asked softly, my voice tighter than I meant.He nodded. There was no hesitation, no look of confusion or hurt. Just a quiet understanding in the way he stepped out of the room and closed the door gently behind him.The second it clicked shut, something in me broke.I turned away from the door, walked to the far corner of the room with the necklace still in my hand, and sank to the floor. My back hit the side of the bed, my knees folded to my c
