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Chapter 71

Author: Kassy
last update Last Updated: 2024-11-20 22:41:45
CLAIRE

Asher 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
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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

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  • The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride   Chapter 73

    CLAIREThe room was shrouded in silence for a brief second, and I couldn't stop myself from wondering if it was because of me or because of the tension that traveled through the air. I didn't regret my outburst.I guess this would count as the first time that I had the luxury of putting Annabelle in her place without thinking of consequences. I took my time chewing into the chicken tenders. They were juicy and delicious. The only privilege of being in Gregory's company was that at least we had access to delicious food. That was the only thing that I was going to give him credit for. I was still trying to wrap my head and my mind around it. Asher and Regal were family. It dawned on me that there was a high possibility that I was going to be seeing more of Regal. Just when I hoped that I was done with him. “So tell us, Regal. Simply for curiosity sake. How did you two separate considering the fact that the both of you were once married?" Liah asked. I could see her lips curled up in

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  • The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride   Chapter 74

    CLAIREAsher held my hand the whole ride back home. We didn't even bother telling anyone goodbye. They didn't even know that we had left. Not to be a vindictive bitch, but I didn't care what anyone thought about me now. I wasn't bothered about what Gregory thought about me. I was simply relieved that I got the opportunity to get out of that place.Being around Regal and Annabelle made me choke with so many sensitive memories that there was a high possibility that I might explode on the spot. “You're tired,” Asher said the moment he got into the house. He crouched and undid the buckles of my shoes, and I automatically slipped out of the shoes. My legs felt relieved almost instantly. A small laugh escaped me when he automatically hoisted me up into his arms, bridal style. “What are you doing?” I asked, breathless with laughter. There was no need to ask any questions. I trusted him, but that didn't mean that I wasn't curious; I was curious to know what he was planning to do. “Just gi

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  • The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride   Chapter 75

    CLAIREThe good news is, it wasn't Regal.The bad news is, it was even worse.The moment I opened the door and saw Annabelle standing there, her perfectly styled blonde waves catching the sunlight, I knew my day had taken a turn for the worse."Hi, Claire!" She chirped, her voice disgustingly sweet, like honey laced with arsenic. It was the kind of greeting you couldn’t outright ignore, no matter how much you wanted to. I forced my expression into something resembling neutral, though every instinct screamed to shut the door in her face."What are you doing here?" I asked, unable to keep the sharp edge out of my voice. My fingers gripped the door tighter.Annabelle, in all her unbothered glory, waltzed past me as though she owned the place, her designer heels clicking against the floor with a rhythm I already despised. She took a deliberate glance around the living room, her sharp gaze sizing up everything in sight."Nice place," she said, running a perfectly manicured finger along the

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  • The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride   Chapter 76

    ASHER I walked into the house later than I’d intended. Dealing with Liah had drained me more than usual, her sharp comments and endless dramatics playing on repeat in my head. But the moment I stepped through the door, the scent of something warm and inviting wrapped around me, chasing away the irritation.It smelled like...rosemary and garlic. Claire was cooking. That wasn’t something I came home to often—she usually let the chef handle dinners. Curious, I dropped my briefcase by the door and headed toward the kitchen.When I stepped into the room, I froze.Claire stood at the counter, her back to me, carefully stirring something in a pot. Her hair, now a golden blonde, caught the light in soft waves that cascaded down her shoulders. She wore a fitted sweater and jeans that hugged her figure just right—casual but striking in a way that made my chest tighten."Hey," I said, leaning against the doorframe. I watched her turn toward me, and the look on her face was all kinds of surprise

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  • The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride   Chapter 77

    CLAIRE I stared into the mirror. My lips were painted red, and I started a bit longer at the dark liner underneath my eyes. I looked nothing like the woman I was three years ago. There was this startling change, and I was caught in between being terrified by it or welcoming it. I closed my eyes and sighed.Gregory's place was the last place that I wanted knowing that Annabelle and her asshole of a husband were going to be there. Let's not even forget Liah. That woman has a way of showing up wherever Asher was, and for some reason, she didn't want to take the hint that Asher was a married man.Married to me. Mine. I didn't know any other way that I was going to stress it to her, but I wasn't even going to bother a lot. Asher doesn't indulge in her childish tantrums.I closed my eyes and sighed. I was definitely exhausted, but I was going to make out for dinner.Deciding that I'd had enough of being vain and admiring my reflection, I finally stood up. The door creaked open the moment

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  • The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride   Chapter 78

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  • The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride   Chapter 79

    CLAIREAsher’s lips were relentless, tracing slow, heated paths down my neck while his hands roamed my body with purpose. My back pressed against the bedroom door, and I barely had the strength to breathe, let alone think. He kissed me like I was the only thing he’d ever need, and maybe that was the most disarming part of it all.“Dinner wasn’t so bad, right?” I murmured, breathless, as I tugged his shirt off his shoulders.“Terrible,” he said, voice low, before pulling me flush against him again.I laughed softly, but the sound dissolved when his fingers threaded through my hair, tugging just enough to make me gasp. My knees felt like they were about to give way. “Asher…”He leaned back, just enough to look at me. His dark eyes held that familiar spark—intense, unreadable. “You sure you’re okay?”I nodded quickly. Words weren’t coming to me, and even if they were, I wouldn’t know what to say. I just wanted him.As if he could read my thoughts, he scooped me into his arms, carrying me

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  • The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride   128

    He pinned Regal with an empty look. It was hard to tell what was going through his mind but I was sure that I didn't want to imagine it. I hoped for the life of me that the both of you wouldn't act on the tension between them. Their staring competition finally came to an end when the chefs brought over a plate of grilled turkey. The delicious aroma hit me and I was more than ready to dig in. I needed something to distract me from this tense dinner and grilled turkey seemed like the perfect option. “I can tell you how much I have missed this,” Liah finally spoke up. She smiled. “Barbecue. An outdoor dinner. All of it sounds too familiar. Don't you think Asher,” she grinned at him. Why she even felt the need to go down memory lane, regardless of the fact that she no longer had an effect was beyond me. It no longer bothered to the extent that I felt the need to get jealous but it did irritate the hell out of me. Why was she so concerned about trying so hard?“It doesn't, Liah,” Asher

  • The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride   Chapter 127

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  • The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride   Chapter 125

    CLAIRE “There's nothing to talk to you about,” the tone of my voice came off as cold and dismissive and no regret accompanied after. All I wanted to do was to be rid of his presence so I could make my way over to Asher. I closed my eyes to put my emotions under composure. I watched something flash across his eyes at the tone of my dismissal and I felt nothing whatsoever. I didn't feel the fear that I would usually feel each time I looked at him. All I felt was discomfort and irritation rising to the surface of my skin. I held back any insult that might have been stuck on my tongue. This wasn't the time to get into any arguments. “I know. After last night, I realized-” he paused like he was rethinking his words. I watched as the hurt flashed through his eyes as he held my gaze and I felt surprised. The Regal that I knew didn't care about anyone but himself. He didn't bother to think about the impact that his decisions might have on his emotions. He didn't care about anything else.

  • The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride   Chapter 124

    CLAIRE “I'll have you know that you're abnormally quiet. When you wanted us to join them for breakfast. I was getting the idea that you were beginning to feel better. Asher shifted the stray strand of hair that almost fell into my eyes as I laid back on the bed. The soft surface of the bed was comforting, and at least I had the luxury of time to relax.I closed my eyes and sighed. I was exhausted as I closed the small distance between Asher and me. In these past few days that passed by, he was the only thing that made sense. The only thing that stopped me from running out of my damn mind. If not, I doubted that I would be able to keep it together. I nuzzled my nose in the nape of his neck and sighed. He smelled divine. As usual. “I am better. I just wished I had the power to just make them disappear, you know,” I said as I furrowed my eyebrow slightly. “When I accepted Liah into the house. I was only doing it because I didn't want you to go through the stress of the tantrums that

  • The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride   Chapter 123

    CLAIRE Dinner at the dining table was awkward. Silence lingered between all of us at the table. The mint tea had dulled my headache earlier, so my appetite had returned. Not fully, but enough to put something in my stomach. Liah stared at me like she couldn't recognize me. I ignored her. I wasn't really in the mood to exchange comebacks, and if she made any attempt to get under my skin,. Then I was going to let her because I didn't know what else I could do. I closed my eyes and sighed for a short moment. I scanned my mind for whatever fun activity Asher and I could do. Our vacation was already coming to an end, and there were only two days left before we would return back home to our busy schedule. I didn't want to spend the rest of the days indulging in the drama that seemed to generate whenever Annabelle and Liah were present. I wasn't going to be indulging them. Not when there was so little time. “Do you feel better now?” Annabelle broke the silence between us. I was speechless

  • The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride   Chapter 122

    CLAIRE I groaned as I turned around. All I could feel was the loud pounding in my head. I turned around to see Asher staring at me with a small smile on his face. I was disconcerted for a short moment. My eyes were half closed. I raised my eyes to the clock. It was well into the afternoon. “How long have I been out?” I said. His fingers tenderly traveled through the strands of my hair. My eyes fluttered closed at the tenderness of his touch. I leaned into him. I cringed as the pounding in my head intensified. I closed my eyes for a brief moment. “I feel like I'm in hell,” I muttered under my breath as I relaxed my head against his chest while his arms wound around me almost immediately. “Trust me when I tell you that it could have been worse if you hadn't been hydrated yesterday,” he said. Before I could say anything in return, I felt the bile rise in the back of my throat. I quickly stepped down from the bed and rushed into the bathroom as far as I could. I closed my eyes and

  • The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride   Chapter 121

    CLAIREI could feel my heart screaming in disappointment as Asher pulled away. I captured his face in-between my hands and leaned forward to kiss him but he pulled away before I could. I felt the ache in the pit of my stomach and brows furrowed. Even if I was drunk, I could still feel the pain in my heart. I was tired and exhausted from being outside for so long and having a squabble with Annabelle and my stupid ex husband but for some reason, I couldn't seem to drag my attention away from the throbbing in-between my thighs. I wanted him. No. I needed him. “I'm not going to repeat this again. You're sober and you need rest. I'm not going to take advantage of this situation. You're drunk and your emotions are all over the place,” he said softly. I blinked in surprise. I didn't know what to reply that exactly. I was caught in-between convincing him or letting it go. I settled for the first. I leaned into him, wrapping my arms around his neck to steady myself. “I'm not drunk, I promi

  • The Trillionaire's Contractual Bride   Chapter 120

    CLAIRE “Take it easy. You've had too much to drink. I knew giving you more cocktails was a bad idea. Asher steadied me gently as I almost staggered in the other direction. His hand wound around my waist, and for some reason, I leaned into him. Everything was a blur. We had been drinking, and we had been laughing at the spot on the rooftop with so much to drink at Lance's diner. Lance couldn't come around because he had been busy and occupied by the customers that he had. And I couldn't blame him. I didn't blame him. It was such a busy night. I closed my eyes and sighed in satisfaction. The chicken wings and the tacos were literally the best that I had ever tasted. And I ate until I was sure that there was no space left in my stomach, and I insisted that we stay back and have some more cocktails. Of course, Asher had a weakness for my request, so he agreed, and now here I was. Barely able to keep it together, but it wasn't a problem because he was always there to hold me. “Everywh

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