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CHASING THE BILLIONAIRE'S SUBSTITUTE EX-WIFE의 모든 챕터: 챕터 61 - 챕터 70
189 챕터
More Time With Them
VIVIENNEMy heart automatically ached when Ezekiel mentioned our first child. Although years had already passed and I even got Vera and Vince now, the pain of the miscarriage was never really gone. It just stayed within me, occasionally getting triggered. I could still clearly remember how alone I felt during that time. How everything seemed to crumble around me. And worst of all, I felt like I had lost Ezekiel too. He became so distant, so cold. It was as if the miscarriage took away more than just our child; it took away the man I had fallen in love with.But I didn’t want to dwell on those thoughts. So, I pushed the negative feelings aside."Anyways," I began, trying to change the subject, "don’t you have work to do? How were you able to travel from Paris to New York and come here to the park with us?"Ezekiel looked at me. The guilt faded from his expression. He was probably guilty when he brought up our lost child earlier. Now, a small smile played on his lips again. "I cance
더 보기Move In
VIVIENNEI had to be fair. Ezekiel had missed so much of Vince and Vera’s lives, and as much as I wanted to keep them close to me, I knew I couldn’t be selfish. To be honest, I wasn’t used to the idea of being away from my kids for three days at a time, but I needed to get used to it. I had to remind myself that this wasn’t just about me anymore. This was mainly about what was best for Vince and Vera too.So, after our family day at the adventure park and after Ezekiel and I had an agreement, I knew it was time to talk to the kids. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves as I gathered them in the living room. Vince and Vera sat on the couch and their curious eyes were on me, waiting for whatever I was about to say.“Kids,” I began, my voice soft but firm, “I need to talk to you about something important.”Vera perked up immediately, always eager to know what was going on. Vince, on the other hand, looked a bit wary, like he already sensed that this wasn’t going to be someth
더 보기Disappointment?
EZEKIEL“Are everything perfect already?” I asked the room organizer I hired to fix the rooms of Vince and Vera in my house. “Yes, Sir. Everything’s according to what you wanted us to do.” “Good.” I had been planning for this day ever since Vivienne and I agreed on the new arrangement. It wasn’t easy, trying to juggle my work and getting everything ready for Vince and Vera. But I wanted it to be perfect. I spent hours guiding the organizers fixing up their rooms, making sure every detail was just right. I wanted them to feel at home here, to know that this place was just as much theirs as it was mine.The day had finally come, and as I stood in the hallway, waiting for the kids to finish examining the house, I felt nervous and excited at the same time. I wanted them to love it here. I wanted them to feel like they belonged.“Okay, are you two ready to see your rooms?” I asked, trying to keep the anticipation out of my voice.Vera’s eyes lit up, and she practically bounced on her f
더 보기Play With Them
EZEKIEL“No, Dad, that’s not how you do it!” Vera giggled, reaching over to adjust the way I was holding the dolls.We were now on the floor of Vera’s new room. I had a Barbie doll in each hand, trying my best to mimic what I thought was Barbie's behavior. Vera was sitting across from me, her eyes wide with amusement as she watched me struggle to make the dolls interact.I didn’t know that being a father would make me do this but fuck it. I’ll do anything to please my daughter anyway. “Barbie has to talk like this.” Vera made her voice high-pitched and sweet, giving an exaggerated smile as she moved her Barbie doll around. “See? Like this.”I couldn’t help but chuckle at how serious she was about it. “Got it,” I said, trying to mimic her tone. “Like this?” Oh Lord!I made my doll talk in the way she showed me, and Vera nodded approvingly.“Much better!” she exclaimed, clearly pleased with my improvement. It wasn’t easy for me to play like this. I wasn’t used to it, and honestly,
더 보기Familiar Font
EZEKIEL"How was their first day?" Vivienne asked.I was standing outside the kids' rooms with my phone pressed to my ear as I spoke quietly with Vivienne. I wanted to check on them before calling it a night. I glanced toward Vera's room, where the door was slightly ajar. "Well, Vera had me and Brooks, playing with Barbies earlier," I said, trying to keep my tone light.Vivienne laughed, and for some reason, it made my heart leap. For a moment, I closed my eyes, letting the sound wash over me. God, I missed her laugh. It had been a long time since I’d heard her laugh like that, and I couldn’t help but appreciate it more than I was allowed to. "Poor Brooks," she chuckled, "I can only imagine his face."I grinned as I recalled Brooks’ pained expression while he awkwardly held a doll in each hand, trying to follow Vera’s detailed instructions. "Yeah, he didn’t have much of a choice. Vera’s very persuasive.""That sounds like her.”I pushed the door to Vera’s room a bit more so that
더 보기Karma
VINCE FELT BAD about how he acted toward his dad. He didn’t mean to shout at him. He was just surprised when he saw Ezekiel looking at his wallpaper. Vince’s heart started to beat faster as he wondered if Ezekiel noticed that the font on his desktop wallpaper was the same one he used when he hacked the Harrington Luxe website.As soon as Ezekiel left the room, Vince sat up in bed. He went to his desk again and grabbed his laptop to open it. He quickly changed his wallpaper to something different—a picture of a forest. He wanted to be sure no one could ever figure out the connection.After he changed it, Vince felt a little better, but he still felt guilty. Vince knew his dad was just trying to help. He didn’t mean to be rude, but he was scared Ezekiel might have seen something he shouldn’t have.Vince put his laptop back on his desk and lay down again. He pulled the covers over his head and tried to sleep, hoping he could make it up to his dad tomorrow.EZEKIEL ARRIVED AT his office
더 보기Present
VIVIENNE Seeing the pain in Ezekiel’s green eyes hurt me more than I expected. He tried to hide it, but I knew him too well. Although he was acting calm and collected, his words were filled with sadness, and it broke my heart to see him like that. I knew he wanted to be close to Vince, but hearing our son say he didn’t want to stay in his house must have been a heavy blow.“It’s just the first day, Ezekiel,” I said, trying to reassure him. “Vince just needs time to adjust. He’ll come around.”Ezekiel shook his head slightly and his lips formed a slight sad smile.“I don’t think so, Vienne. But really. It’s fine. I’ll be busy with work anyway. I wouldn’t be able to take care of the kids properly. It’s better if they stay with you.”I frowned, knowing he wasn’t being entirely truthful. Ezekiel had the kind of job where he could easily adjust his schedule if he wanted to. He was the CEO of Harrington Luxe, after all. He could delegate tasks, rearrange meetings, or even take some time
더 보기This Was All For You
VINCE AND VERA sat at the kitchen table, each working on a letter for their dad. Vivienne stood nearby, watching over them to make sure they were doing everything correctly. Vera was focused, her tongue slightly sticking out as she carefully added stars to her letter. Her letter was colorful, with little stars drawn all around the edges, and her handwriting was neat and playful.Meanwhile, Vince kept his letter plain and straightforward. He wasn’t much for decorations, and his letter reflected that. It was simple, just a few sentences expressing his feelings. His handwriting was a bit more serious, but that was just Vince’s way.“Mom,” Vera asked, holding up her letter proudly, “Is this okay? I added stars for it to be more pretty!”Vivienne smiled warmly at her. “It’s perfect, sweetheart. Your dad’s gonna love it.”“Yey!” Vera grinned and was clearly pleased with her mom’s approval. Then Vince looked up from his letter. He was a bit more hesitant compared to his sister. “What about
더 보기Best Birthday Ever
EZEKIELI never imagined coming home to this—a birthday celebration in my own house, with my kids smiling up at me.I stood in the middle of the living room as I was still in shock from the surprise. My mind was struggling to catch up with what was happening. I turned to Vivienne, who was standing nearby with a soft smile on her face."Did you prepare all of this?" I asked. To be honest, I had forgotten it was my birthday today. The day had been long, filled with work and thoughts of the kids, and the date had slipped my mind completely.Vivienne’s smile widened. "The kids helped me and Brooks," she said simply. Her eyes were warm as she looked at me, and for a moment, the tension of the past few days seemed to melt away.Before I could say anything else, Vera tugged at my sleeve. "Dad, make a wish and blow the candles!" she insisted.I looked down at her and gave her a smile. “Alright, baby.”There were so many things I could wish for, but as I looked at my daughter’s eager face
더 보기Moan My Name
EZEKIELI watched as Vince and Vera excitedly dug into their plates, surrounded by my maids and Brooks. Their laughter filled the room and it made my house feel alive again. For a moment, I just stood there and took it all in. It felt like a dream, one I didn’t want to wake up from.“Thank you, Vivienne,” I said softly, turning to her. She was standing beside me and a small smile was playing on her lips as she watched the kids.“For what?” she asked when her eyes met mine.“For convincing Vince to reach out to me. It means more than you know.”After she heard what I said, her smile widened. “He wanted to, Ezekiel. He just needed a little push. Vince... he’s been holding onto a lot, but I think tonight was a good step forward,” she stated. I nodded. “It’s hard, you know? Trying to connect with him. I don’t want to push too hard, but I also don’t want to give up.”“You’re doing your best,” Vivienne reassured me. “And that’s all that matters. Vince will come around. Just give him time.
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