All Chapters of Ex-Wife Returns a Billionaire: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

A Desperate GamblePhilip sat at his desk, looking at the pile of papers that laughed at him and his inability to fill in the checks and sign the contracts. The place that was once filled with energy and high profile executives now felt lifeless, as if it was haunted. He had been heading the company for years and the past few days were the first time that he felt the reality of failure due to the firm’s bankruptcy. Brooks family was once one of the most powerful and influential in New York, and now the name was being smeared. Never in his life had Philip been more lonely. His mother and aunt, especially, who never wanted to meet him again, with whom he had once shared warmth and love, were now disgusted with him. And seriously, he couldn’t have blamed them. The reckless decisions he made put him here – most notably the gambling. He had risked everything, his company’s last dollar, expecting a change of fortune that never arrived.And now, there was Jacobs’ risky plan.Philip mas

The Cost of FailurePhilip sat outside of Aunt Elina's estate in his car, staring up at the large, front doors. The immaculate gardens and imposing stone walls had once been his house of comfort. On second thought, it wasn't a place he felt belonged to anymore. His parents were long gone, and Elina had been the closest thing to a parent he had left.Yet, subsequent to the recent collapse of his company, she had distanced herself even from him, while Philip knew in his heart that she was partly responsible for pushing him toward the very decisions which brought him down.Sighing, Philip got out of the car and straightened his jacket as he walked up the now-familiar stone steps. The door opened and Charles, the butler - an old family staff faced him in all his glory. His face was as inscrutable as ever."Mr. Brooks," he pronounced, moving aside. "Your aunt is in the drawing room."Philip nodded and stepped inside. There was the smell of lavender and polished wood wafting through the a

The ConfrontationKendra stood at the entrance of the gala and took a deep breath as she absorbed the scene before her. KEDIS Cosmetics was the talk of the night, and it should have been a moment of pride for her.But as she made her way through the crowd of people, her mind drifted back to Brian. It had been weeks since she'd spent an entire day with him, and the guilt was starting to gnaw at her."Kendra, you're looking radiant as always," Mr. Lane, one of the more seasoned investors said to her with a warm smile as she joined the group."Thank you, Mr. Lane. Good to see you, sir," she said, extending her hand and offering her trademark smile, now polished to perfection.The conversation turned to the future and the prospects that lay in store for KEDIS. Kendra played along, nodding at the right moments and fielding questions with a skill born of experience. Something nagged-at her, though.She would have excused herself in another minute when a known voice cut through the din."We

Unspoken EmotionsOf course he was. What had she expected?Memories of the night before returned in a slow, vivid wave: James standing in her doorway, his voice cracking when he'd said, "I can't sleep." The way her body had reacted without thinking, letting him into her room, into her bed. Something-something she hadn't allowed herself to feel in too long a time-had passed between them. Yet here she was, alone again.Kendra sat up, wrapping the sheets closer around her, as if they might protect her from the mess of confusion churning in her chest. Angry, hurt, or just acceptance that maybe she'd expected too much-after all, James was just James; he'd tumbled into her life like some storm, and maybe storms just weren't built to stay.Kendra shook her head and forced herself out of bed. She had work to do, a company to run. There wasn't time to dwell on a man who so obviously didn't think she was worth the effort of sticking around. She glanced over at the clock. It was still early,

Bianca's GoodbyeThe drive to her sister’s house seemed to take a lot longer than usual even though it was only twenty minutes from the house she had shared with Philip. Bianca sat looking out of the window with her reflection on the glass, but what she saw was a stranger. The woman in the reflection appeared to be exhausted – a woman who has lost all hope and has had to throw the towel in on something she should have let go of ages ago.She let out a deep breath and leaned her head against the seat. They started walking down the streets and the environment went past rather quickly but her thoughts were pretty coherent even if her emotions were not. It was clear to her long ago that she would leave Philip, even if she didn’t actually go through with it for years. She knew this was the right thing to do, but that did not make it an easy thing to do.How had it all gone so wrong? She recalled Philip, before Brooks Enterprises, before Kendra – before all the things that had led to the