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Chapter 37
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The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride Chapter 38
CLAIRE My eyes fluttered open. I don't know how long I've been asleep. I only knew that I felt too comfortable to move. This was the most relaxed that I've been in a long time. Somehow I wanted to pause this memory and capture it forever. I closed my eyes and sighed with contentment. It was then that I registered the warmth from the body that was coming next to me. I was buried in the crook of Asher's arm. His grip was firm and tight, like he was too afraid to let go. I didn't mind it. I could stay here all day if it were possible. I took my time admiring his features. The corners of my lips tilted up into a smile unconsciously as I stared at him for a moment longer than necessary. The hard edges of his face had become softer. His lashes framed his face, giving his cheekbones some sort of lift. I didn't know why it was alluring to look at him. I only knew that I never got tired. “If you keep on looking at me like that, I'll take that as an invitation to kiss you,” he mumbled sleep
The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride Chapter 39
ASHER I don't have a reason while I've seen smiling like an idiot. I just know that my chest didn't feel heavy. Heck. I can't even remember the last time I felt sick. I can't remember the last time I went for a checkup. I didn't see the need to. Besides, no checkups meant no more bad news from the doctor.It was almost as if Claire came in and suddenly everything was better. I couldn't go a second without thinking of an elaborate way to make her happy. Tonight I was thinking about surprising her with a candlelit dinner. We've been having dinner at home, and I wanted it to be different. You're just using it as a cover-up to see her in a dress. I didn't bother denying it. I was completely and utterly infatuated. I settled in the office ten minutes later before my assistant walked in. “You have a meeting scheduled for today,” she said. I could tell she was anxious from the way she twisted her fingers nervously. I looked at the file on my desk and realized that I've missed four meetin
The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride Chapter 40
ASHER“You're back to stay?” I asked, I didn't want to believe I had heard her correctly. Surely, Liah didn't think she could walk into my life just like that.“Yes, darling. I've been gone for so long, and I know you miss me,” she replied, placing the tip of her index finger on my shoulder.I gently pushed it off. Silently, I slid my hands into my pockets, taking in the atmosphere.One glance at my secretary, and she knew her presence was neither required, nor wanted. She walked out.“How about we have a seat? Maybe we can catch up on things,” Liah suggested,As much as I wanted to toss her out the window, I knew I couldn't.For starters, I needed her father's investment. “Yeah, let's get seated,” I agreed,We walked to the conference table, and I took my rightful spot.On seeing that she had literally any spot to sit, she took the one to my right hand.“So, how have you been?” She asked in that cute, light tone of hers.I sighed. There was something about Liah’s presence that alw
The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride Chapter 41
CLAIRE As I hurried towards the board room where Asher's assistant directed me to. My heart pounded frantically within my chest. Everything was happening. As I stepped outside. People's gazes lingered on me for a little longer than necessary. The attention I received made me want to crawl in my skin. It took every atom of composure to ignore it.I closed my eyes and sighed. I could already feel the pounding in my head. As I opened the door, I froze by the doorway as I took in the sight of Asher and another woman standing closer than usual. Asher pulled away almost immediately as his eyes met mine. I could feel my heart shattering to a million pieces. Breathe. And yet it was impossible. I was barely functioning. I could feel the air in my lungs beginning to constrict in my throat. “I was about to make my way over to your office,” he said. I remained silent. The words were stuck on the tip of my tongue, and I didn't exactly know what to say. My gaze traveled from him to the woman th
The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride Chapter 42
CLAIRE I spent the rest of the night tossing and turning. I had no one to blame for my turmoil apart from myself. I closed my eyes, and I tried to will the sleep to come, but I was unsuccessful. I should have said something. Maybe I shouldn't have made my jealousy such a big deal, but now I've acted on it, and I was beyond terrified that it was too late to take everything back. Something between us had been destroyed, and I couldn't shake off the nibbling guilt that I had been the one to destroy it. I stared at the ceiling in agony. The room was still dark, and I was certain that it was only the wee hours of the early morning. This was the first time that I was sleeping here without him. My heart crashed at the fact that I wouldn't be waking up next to him anymore. I wouldn't get to see him smile. I wouldn't have the opportunity to have breakfast with him once more. The lingering possibility of the both of us drifting apart terrified the hell out of me. I sprang up into a sitting p
The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride Chapter 43
ASHER “I don't want to be far from you anymore; it's torture.” That's what I wanted to say to Claire, word for word, as she quietly took little bites out of the French toast served in front of her on the table.Instead, I said nothing.Not a word.I just looked at her as she ate.Claire had no idea what she was doing to me, and quite honestly, I didn't either.I had barely slept the night before. I mean, how could I? It was complete torture knowing that Claire definitely thought otherwise because of what she had seen from my interaction with Liah. She kept hammering on the fact that she didn't care, but she wasn't fooling me. I could clearly see it on her face.I had hurt her.And no amount of explanation would be able to explain what Claire would have seen. From her perspective, whether or not Liah was coming on to me or vice versa, we were both in an extremely comprising position. I wondered how obvious it was that I didn't sleep a bit last before. I felt tired, and I could bare
The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride Chapter 44
CLAIRE I got back from the office. I got off earlier than I usually did. I haven't exactly been taking work seriously as I used to before. Who would have thought that I would close from work early before the supposed time? Maybe because it was the weekend and I was looking forward to spending the free time with my husband. My heart tingled as I lingered on the word like it was foreign. The thought of coming home to spend time with'my husband’ made my stomach roll with excitement. My heart tugged a bit in disappointment when I found out that he wasn't yet back from the office. With time, maybe I could convince him to move back in with me. His absence from the room was so achingly taunting that I was almost scared to spend one more night in this room alone. Today was a Friday, meaning I got to take him out to discover a new hobby. I decided that there was no point waiting for him to get home. I would use the time to prepare.I decided that this was the perfect time to run myself a b
The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride Chapter 45
ASHER I knew I was done for the moment I saw her standing there, framed by the light from the hallway. The dress I had chosen was doing things to me I couldn't put into words. It hugged every curve, every line of her body, and the crimson fabric only intensified how delicate yet powerful she looked. My fingers twitched at the thought of pulling it off her, but I forced myself to stay calm. “You look…” I began, my voice low as I pulled her closer to me, the words trailing off as they didn't seem enough. It was taking an incredible amount of restraint not to take her into my arms and pull it right off of her, right there and right then. Obviously I didn't, but as she walked closer to me, it made it a lot harder not to. Her eyes softened, a little bashful, as she adjusted the straps of her dress, her cheeks matching the color of it. "I'm glad you like it," she said quietly, with a hint of mischief behind her smile. "Like it?" I stepped closer, leaning in just enough that I could br
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The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride Chapter 72
CLAIREThe drive to Asher’s father’s house felt way too short, like the universe was speeding things up just to mess with us. The closer we got, the heavier the air seemed to get. I glanced over at Asher. His grip on the steering wheel was tight, his knuckles pale, and every so often, I could see his jaw tighten and then relax, like he was trying—and failing woefully—to keep it together.Neither of us had said much since we got in the car, and the silence was almost worse than any awkward small talk we could’ve tried. The tension between us wasn’t the kind you could ignore. It just sat there, heavy and obvious, like a third passenger we couldn’t throw out of the car.Outside, the scenery blurred past, but I barely noticed. My stomach was in knots, and my hands were clenched in my lap, fiddling with the edge of my sleeve just to give myself something to do.“You okay over there?” I asked cautiously, though I already knew the answer.“Absolutely not,” he muttered. “Going to see my dad i
The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride Chapter 71
CLAIREAsher had this way of making me feel like the only person in the world. It was the little things—the way his hand hovered near mine like he was ready to catch me at any second or the way he smiled like he knew a secret no one else did. It was comforting, almost addictive, and I found myself wanting it more and more.When we left the coffee shop, the city seemed alive in a way I hadn’t noticed before. Maybe it was the buzz of morning activities—people moving around, talking, going about their days. Or maybe it was Asher walking next to me, his hand brushing against mine every so often, sending little sparks of electricity through my skin.“Where to first?” I asked, glancing up at him.“You’ll see,” he said with a sly grin.Of course, he didn’t tell me. Asher loved a good surprise, and while it usually annoyed me, today I decided to let him take the lead.We ended up at a small flower market tucked into a corner of the city that I had never explored. Stalls lined the cobblestone s
The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride Chapter 70
CLAIRERegal was becoming a thorn in the flesh. I couldn't think of any way to get him to stop bothering Asher and I. The more that I tried to get him to stay away. The more he would keep coming back to prove a point and I was getting extremely tired of entertaining his antics. How could I not see that he has been such a pain when I married him. I closed my eyes and sighed.I shivered when Asher ran a finger over my bare arm tenderly. My gaze met his. Somehow, he had been awake and I didn't even know it. He had a way of taking his time to observe me before I became aware.“Whatever is bothering you. It's best you tell me so that I can take care of it,” he said softly. But then I still couldn't find the courage to bring up Asher. Bringing him up is going to ruin the mood completely and I wasn't so sure that I could have that. Regal had already caused so much tension between us. I wasn't going to let him ruin the morning too. “Nothing. Just thinking about the pile of work that I had
The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride Chapter 69
CLAIREI toweled off quickly, feeling the residual heat from the bath clinging to my skin. Asher's gaze lingered on me with a mixture of affection and intensity, which had me fighting a blush that I knew was already creeping up my neck. He wrapped his towel around his waist, his eyes never leaving mine. Back in the bedroom, I watched as Asher moved with ease, the muscles in his back flexing as he reached for clothes. For a moment, I just stood there, taking him in—the effortless confidence in his movements, the way the faint light caught on his skin. I found myself unable to look away."You're staring," he said without turning, but there was a hint of a smile in his voice, as if he had been watching me and not the other way around."You're too smug for your own good," I shot back, rolling my eyes to hide the flush creeping up my neck. "Maybe put on a shirt before your ego inflates."He turned around, one eyebrow raised. "So you admit you were enjoying the view?""Maybe I was just adm
The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride Chapter 68
CLAIRE“So what's in it for her?” Asher asked after a few seconds of silence.“That's the thing,” I told him, “I have no idea, and I can't seem to figure it out.” “That's very strange...and suspicious. Liah wanting to help someone for no reason? That's practically impossible, to be honest. The Liah I know wouldn't be caught dead doing someone a favor without getting a single thing in return.” He went back to massaging my scalp. It was more of him running his fingers absentmindedly through my hair while he spoke than it was a massage. "Well, I don't think it's for no reason. She kind of said she might be doing this for you when I asked what she would get out of it.” “Oh, that definitely sounds more believable. So what exactly did she ask for?”My body tensed up a little bit as I thought of answering his question, and he seemed to notice. “Anything wrong? You seen tense. What did Liah tell you?” He placed a hand on my shoulder gently, and I started to feel slightly relaxed. Then I r
The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride Chapter 67
CLAIREThe proximity between us evaporated as he clutched my face tenderly in his hands. My breathing heightened. I was still trying to recover from the heat of his kiss. I was drowning in the heat that threatened to consume me. My hands were on fire as soon as I realized they were still placed across his torso. It was impossible to concentrate. “I've been waiting for you all day. I thought you were going to take forever to get back home. Get back home to me,” his voice drifted into a whisper as he placed his head against mine.I closed my eyes. My heart was threatening to give way from my body. I couldn't breathe, but it was a good kind of discomfort. “I've been thinking about you all day too. I-” I paused as my eyes watered with tears. I was terrified that Asher was going to see me in a more vulnerable state than he has ever seen me in his life. I wondered if it was the right time to be vulnerable with him. I closed my eyes. I needed to breathe. I need to pause every negative thou
The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride Chapter 65
CLAIREIt was a good thing that I had a very firm practice of keeping my temper on a leash. The sight of Liah seated comfortably on the chair from across made me want to lung out in frustration. I was exhausted from feeling so many intense emotions in a day. Everything about her irritated me, right from the sight of her perfect legs to the cold, sassy smile on her face. My headache intensified and I inhaled deeply to at least regain composure because my anger was already beginning to rise to the surface. “I'm not sure I'm going to need your forgiveness for anything. I'm also certain that you're imposing on my private time. So if you're done spewing your BS. You can as well leave my office,” I said. I gave myself a mental pat on the back for sounding unbothered.I could have almost sworn that I saw irritation flash through her eyes, and when I looked again, the same smug smile still remained on her face.When she remained on the chair, making no attempt to move, I raised an eyebrow a
The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride Chapter 65
CLAIREI couldn't stop thinking about the look in Asher's eyes. Every inch of my body awakened each time my mind went to it. It was impossible to do anything else. Every inch of my body awakened each time I thought about how he confessed that he couldn't keep his hands off me. I knew that the both of us were on a tough path, but at least it was another sign to stay hopeful.I closed my eye and got out of the car almost immediately. I needed to stop thinking about Asher for the time being. I wasn't going to be able to attend to all that I had to today if I kept on thinking about his bare torso.As I headed closer to my office, dread engulfed me. This was certainly not the day where I had the mental capacity to tolerate Asher. I closed my eyes and sighed, and I breathed with relief when I spotted no one waiting for me by the door. I closed my eyes and sighed. It was indeed a great relief. “Good morning, miss. I've been expecting you,” Ella smiled at me. I wasn't really in the best of
The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride Chapter 64
CLAIREMy eyes fluttered open as I sensed Asher's warmth. I wanted to believe that JH was a figment of imagination, and it could easily be my mind conjuring up things since I craved his presence so much. I closed my eyes, sighed, and turned to face Asher’s empty bedside. His scent became stronger. My eyes flew open, and my lips parted open in surprise as my eyes caught his. I don't know how long he's been awake. My cheeks flushed with color as I thought about how long he might have been watching me. He was here, and somehow I wanted to believe that it was a figment of my imagination. After what happened yesterday, I was convinced that it would only be a matter of time before he let me know that he wanted nothing to do with me. “Hi,” he said quietly.I closed my eyes. Somehow the words were stuck on the tip of my tongue. Somehow I couldn't even come up with the right thing to say. My heart was soaring wildly within the confines of my chest. Hope. I felt it a lot of times to recogni
