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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
Last Updated : 2025-04-19The 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
Last Updated : 2025-04-20The 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
Last Updated : 2025-04-22The 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
Last Updated : 2025-04-23The 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,
Last Updated : 2025-04-24The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 1
Bella's POV I may be the bride at this wedding, but I’m definitely not the center of attention. Stella stood out, wearing a stunning white gown. White. Everyone knew the first rule of attending a wedding was to not wear white but Stella didn't care. I stared at her as she walked into the wedding, her head glancing left and right, I knew who she was looking for, my soon-to-be husband, and her brother who treated her like she was the whole world, Leo. Sensing my gaze on her, she started to walk our way. I closed my eyes tight, my fist in a ball beside me. It had been three years since Leo and I got together, and since I started living with him in his family's mansion. No one had taken me in after losing my parents in that wretched accident sixteen years ago but Leo was the first to keep me by his side. He was my Mr. Perfect, if I could forget Stella, his adopted sister, existed . She was like a barnacle that clung stubbornly to him, popping up during our every crucial
Last Updated : 2025-01-09The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 2
I stared at the blood beneath me, my entire body frozen. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst. “Help! Somebody, please help!” I screamed, my voice breaking and echoing into the empty forest. No one answered. No one ever looked back until the last guest disappeared from my sight. As if to make things worse, I heard the cracking sound of thunder through the skies, immediately followed by pouring rain that drowned out my cries. My hands trembled as I pressed them to my stomach, tears streaming down my face. “No, no, no,” I whispered, shaking my head. My breaths came in short, shallow gasps as fear hooked me. I grabbed my phone, dialing Leo with shaking hands. It rang once, twice, then straight to voicemail. My stomach sank. He wasn’t coming. I decided to text him instead, ‘Leo I’m bleeding , I need help.’ For a moment, I just sat there, helpless and scared. I clenched my fists, forcing myself to breathe through the pain. “You can do this,” I whispered. M
Last Updated : 2025-01-09The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 3
I resumed walking slowly and my confusion soon turned to dread as I reached the door and peered inside. My hands fell limp to my side and the color drained from my face. Stella’s laughter reached my ears first. She was lying on the hospital bed, she didn’t look sick one bit but she smiled as Leo fussed over her. He adjusted her blanket, brushed her hair away from her face, and spoke to her in a low, tender voice. So he was here this whole time, while I cried alone, and wanted to die, he was here with her, ignoring my calls, my messages, leaving me in the dense forest alone struggling to live. Tears stung at my eyes and I couldn't bring my feet to move. My heart sank further when I saw what he held in his hand—the ruby necklace. My grandmother’s heirloom. He placed it gently around her neck, his fingers lingering just long enough to make my stomach twist. Stella’s face lit up with joy, and she touched the necklace like it was a treasure. The way they looked at each other—it
Last Updated : 2025-01-09
Latest chapter
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
