All Chapters of The Billionaire’s Bargain: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Stepping out from the restaurant, streetlights cast warm circles on the sidewalk, and the hum of the city gave very gentle background noise. Robin strolled with me, hands plunged deep into pockets. Easy shoulders that smile danced again upon his lips as he turned to me."See? It wasn't so bad, was it?"I shook my head; a smile, a real smile, tugged at my lips. "No, it wasn't. Thank you, Robin. I needed this.""I think you did. And I'm glad you let me drag out. Seriously, I was starting to think maybe I'd lost my touch.""Never," I answered as I lightly elbowed him with my shoulder. "You're still the champion of dragging me out of my shell.He chuckled, all warm and familiar. Light and easy conversation continued, making up for the gaps: work, mutual friends, and the future.And though my ears ached for whatever Robin said, my mind drifted back to Brandon again and I hated myself for letting him affect me like this."Nat," and however I turned it, Robin had been speaking to me the whol

Natalie's P.O.V.I sat in the office, feeling tons of paper was due on me, the morning sun lighting the restaurant right through the windows. But I just sat there working those numbers, though my mind kept going back to the fight the prior night that Brandon and I had had. It was tension like it had never been between us, and I was feeling more of the sting from his words, hurt boiling underneath the anger.Wouldn't allow the luxury of it. Not now. Work had always been my solace, my refuge from the tempest that rattled at the gates of my personal life. Today would be no different.I exhaled and pushed thoughts of Brandon to the back of my mind, burying myself once again in the reports in front of me. My restaurant was doing well—I needed to do well. I had to be top, right from the word go and to make sure everything was perfect, more so now that we were entering into peak season.There was a very light, soft knock that soon ushered in heavier raps before I was seized from my inventory

NATALIE'S POV“What are you doing here?” She asked, looking down at the sheets of paper in front of her."I needed to talk to you,” I replied, shoving my hands in my pocket.“You could have waited till I got home. There was no point in coming here.” She kept her eyes glued to the paper.“It couldn't wait.” I moved closer to her.The next moment, she simply glanced at me without a single word, fixing me with those bright eyes of hers. Then she rocked backward in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "About what? You and your ex-girlfriend showing up at my workplace, trying to remind me of your history together? Your ex-ex-girlfriend already filled me in, so you don't need to waste your time telling me again.”“No, Nat.” A bitter fierceness underlined her words; I winced. "I do know you have every right to be angry, but whatever Arlys said — it is a lie. She and I broke up years ago; there is nothing left between us."Her eyes turned back to me, filled with hot anger. "Then why

Natalie's POVI stood right in the middle of my office, staring through the door Brandon had just walked out of. I indeed did have a thousand different thoughts swirling inside my head. His kiss was still fresh on my lips, his touch scorching to the tips, and the things he had said still echoing in my ears—that he cared for me, that he had feelings for me. Now, it was as though everything that I had ever thought about this marriage, about us, lay toppling to the ground, over and lay there, topsy-turvy.How could I set this straight? It was like grasping at smoke with my bare hands. That was supposed to be a concocted business contract, nothing now…now it had turned into something, something so much dirtier.My door creaked just about when I was going down, lost in thoughts. I turned back to face Brandon again, but the head poking in was Hailey's. Her eyebrows furrowed, a mix of worry and concern."Natalie?" she asked hesitantly. "Are you okay? I saw Brandon leaving… Is everything all

Brandon's POVThe sun had barely heated the rims of the horizon when I pulled up to headquarters. By most standards, it's early, but today I need to get an edge. If what happened with Natalie last night has anything to say on the matter, I'm more driven than ever to square things—not just those between her and me but all around.I got out of the car and started up to the entrance, but was hardly aware of the confusion or whatever it was up near the security desk. I squinted, trying to figure out what was going on, and there was my stomach, which twisted right away at the sight: a familiar figure, Arlys, whose voice rose in frustration with an altercation against security guards."Let me in! I have every right to be here!" she was saying, her strident voice slicing through the room. The guards, to their credit, stood firm, not letting her past the threshold.I gathered my pace together, now heading directly towards the scene. A cold anger started bubbling up within me. What in God's na