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CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
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2025-03-17 15:23:45
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A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE WITH THE BILLIONAIRE CEOÂ Â Â CHAPTER ONE
âIâm divorcing you, Lacey.âCloud 9. Since the day she said âI doâ to Thomas, Lacey Thalmes had been on cloud 9. And she never wanted to leave. Today made it six months since she got married, and to some people, that might not seem like much, but to Lacey, it signified a lot of things. First, it was longer than her parentsâ marriage, which had lasted four weeks. It had been an elopement that ended with her dad running off after finding out her mum was pregnant. Second, it gave Lacey a chance to bite back at all the people who called her crazy for getting married so young. Sheâd found out later that some of her classmates made a bet that the marriage wasnât going to last up to a year. Lacey couldnât wait to prove them wrong. Crazy was jumping off a helicopter, trusting that a parachute was going to make you land safely on the ground; crazy was going swimming with sharks. As for love, that wasnât crazy, but if it turned out that it was, Lacey was glad she had that gift. âSometimes it
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2024-11-29A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE WITH THE BILLIONAIRE CEOÂ Â Â CHAPTER TWO
Lacey doesnât say anything. In a situation such as the one she found herself in, what was the right way to react? Was there even one? For oneâs husband to be away from his wife without any personal news, only to find out heâs planning to divorce youâĶWhat was the reaction here? With her phone still to her ear, Lacey started to count down the seconds as they passed. Maybe if she didnât say anything, Thomas would reveal that it was all a joke, and he was on his way home. Maybe. âLacey? Lacey?! Did you hear me? I filed for divorce last week, but it was delayed because the papers werenât ready. Be sure to sign it and send it back as soon as possible.âUp until then, Lacey had listened quietly. Her silly wish for it to all be a joke didnât look like it was going to come true. âWhy?â Resignation filled Lacey. Even though she wanted to scream at Thomas and order him to come home that moment, all that left Laceyâs lips was that one word question. âWhy are you doing this, Thomas?âOut of the
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2024-11-29A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE WITH THE BILLIONAIRE CEOÂ Â Â CHAPTER THREE
What a sick joke. Now was the time for Thomas to jump out from behind the curtains, yelling âsurprise!â Laceyâs laughter had subsided. Not because she felt calm, but because she knew if she continued, she would end up crying. And Lacey only cried when she was sad. At that moment she was devastated, but she wasnât sad. She couldnât be sad. ManipulateâĶ crazyâĶ safetyâĶ leftâĶ divorce. Thomasâ words from the press conference were stuck in Laceyâs head in fragments. âThomas got a divorce because Iâm a cheater and a manipulator.â Lacey repeated those words over and over, thinking that if she did that, they would actually become real. Or maybe she was a cheater and just didnât realize it. A manipulator too. Or else, why would Thomas say she was those things?Where Lacey was on the floor, she put her head to the ground. There was nothing to do. If she called her friends, they would only try to comfort her. Maybe some of them were laughing at her situation. Scrolling through social media was o
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2024-11-29A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE WITH THE BILLIONAIRE CEOÂ Â Â CHAPTER FOUR
âCall us if you need anything.âAfter one last group hug, Laceyâs friends got up and left. Sangah lingered by the door for a few seconds, even after Adi and Maddy were gone. âNone of this is your fault.âThose parting words did nothing to soothe Laceyâs heartache, but she forced on a smile for her friendâs sake. With all of them gone, Lacey pulled herself up from the ground and went into hers and Thomasâ room. Well, it was just her room now. It was already 3 in the afternoon, but Lacey hadnât had her bath yet. From when Thomas called her, up until this point, about five hours had gone by. Moving on autopilot, Lacey didnât put in a lot of effort as she took a quick bath, nor did she pay any mind to the clothes she wore. The thought of carrying on as if her life hadnât just been disrupted made her want to puke. It was at 3:48 that the doorbell rang. Lacey knew the specific time because she had been scrolling through her gallery, looking at pictures of her and Thomas. The sound made h
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2024-11-29A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE WITH THE BILLIONAIRE CEOÂ Â Â CHAPTER FIVE
âLace. Lace.âLacey woke up to someone shaking her. Her eyes seemed to have been shut close. A crick in her neck caused her to groan as she opened her eyes with some effort. There was also a hint of headache.Maddy was on her knees next to her. When did she arrive? âWas going to let you sleep, but that position looks uncomfortable. Did you have a good sleep?ââHmm.â Lacey could say it was a good sleep because she didnât dream of anything. Looking towards the open curtains, the sky outside had darkened. âWhen did you get here? How long was I asleep for?â She asked, sitting upright. To the left then to the right, Lacey twisted her neck to try to shake out the crick. Maddy tapped on her phone once before answering. âJust after 9 p.m. I got here twenty minutes ago. What time did you sleep?âAlthough she didnât specifically have a time for when she fell asleep, Lacey knew that Thomas and Eliza left around 4, and her manager called a few minutes later. It wouldnât have taken her long to en
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2024-11-29A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE WITH THE BILLIONAIRE CEOÂ Â Â CHAPTER SIX
Lacey stood to the side as Adi made a mess of her wardrobe. Not really a mess, but clothes were flying left and right, while Adi made occasional commentary like, âNopeâ or âWhy the hell do you have this?âAs a smart choice, Lacey refrained from revealing that most of her clothes were stuff Thomas liked or bought for her. Really, sheâd never had any reason or thought of impressing any man but him. As for dressing up for herself, it wasnât something Lacey took great interest in. Her fashion taste was limited to throwing on a simple outfit of jeans and tee, and carrying on with her day. But according to Adi, that wasnât going to cut it anymore. âSeriously.â Adi let out a fully-loaded sigh, shooting a glare at Lacey. âThereâs nothing to wear.âThat could be said to be a half-truth. Sure, there were tons of clothes, but a lot of the fancy ones were bought by Thomas, and if she had to wear a dress bought by him to what was meant to be a party to forget him, then Lacey would rather stay at
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2024-12-03A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE WITH THE BILLIONAIRE CEOÂ Â Â CHAPTER SEVEN
TWO YEARS LATER.âIf anyone has any reason why these two shouldnât be joined together in matrimony, speak now or foreverââThe priest hadnât even finished reading his part when someone in the congregation cried out, âI do!â and a woman rushed forward. Her face was hidden behind a facemask, but what people could see of her dolled-up hair and the luxurious clothes she had on, this was no ordinary woman. Sheâd been patiently waiting for this moment ever since the wedding began, and now, it was time for the show. âThey absolutely cannot get married!â The woman yelled, her voice filling the now-quiet hall. A pin drop could be heard in the silence. âDaphne, do you recognize me?âUnexpectedly, to the surprise of the wedding guests, the bride, who was called Daphne, suddenly burst into tears. Nodding ferociously, she replied, to the hearing of everyone, âI do, but I donât know how you found me.âThe woman grabbed Daphneâs hand as she faced the congregation of guests. âEveryone, the reason Da
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2024-12-03A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE WITH THE BILLIONAIRE CEOÂ Â Â CHAPTER EIGHT
âAnd how did you feel hearing those words?âFollowing Adiâs revelation, Lacey closed her eyes, transporting back to her third therapy session. The first two sessions had served as a sort of introduction, and trying to get comfortable with each other. The third time was when her therapist finally asked her about Thomas. âBetrayed. I guess you could also say I was bamboozled. It was like someone yanked the rug from under my feet, making me lose my footing.âLaceyâs therapist, Diane Cross, was a woman in her early fifties. She always had a smile and the right words, and asked the right questions. Diana had scribbled on her notepad, before meeting Laceyâs gaze again calmly. âDo you blame yourself for it?ââYes.â Laceyâs response was without hesitation. âIf I had been a little more spontaneous and less rigid, if I had been easier to approach, Thomas would have been more open about his real feelings.âDiana hummed softly, writing something down. âTell me, Lacey, do you actually believe th
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2024-12-04
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A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE WITH THE BILLIONAIRE CEOÂ Â Â CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
Two whole months had passed since the day Eliza left, and so far, Lacey had heard nothing from her. Not from lack of trying though. Sheâd called the other woman numerous times, but there had only been silence from her end. With that, Lacey left things as they were. How was she supposed to help someone who didnât want to be helped? The news about Thomas had also seemed to die down, although Lacey had stopped paying attention to that. At the current moment, she was out of a job, and unsure about how to move forward with her life. That was where Jamie came in. More than ever, Lacey appreciated the presence of the older woman in her life. And to think that their first meeting came about because of jealousy. With Laceyâs mind made up to leave the entertainment industry, she needed other options. Thanks to Jamie, who introduced her to online business courses, Lacey had started taking lessons. For someone who majored in acting, it was interesting to start learning about something so new a
A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE WITH THE BILLIONAIRE CEOÂ Â Â CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
âJonathan?âThe line was silent for a couple seconds before Jonathanâs familiar, deep voice came through. âYou sound tiredâĶDid I wake you?âLacey pulled herself to an upright position so that her back was resting against her pillow. For some reason, hearing Jonathanâs concerned voice immediately bettered her mood. A full smile bloomed on her face. âHearing your voice is better than sleeping.â It had been quite a day for Lacey. She thought about how sheâd originally planned to call Jonathan to tell him she was free to meet and to apologize for how she acted yesterday. Then Elizaâs issue came up, and sheâd pushed it out of her mind. An awkward cough was Jonathanâs response. âYou sound like youâre doing okay.ââHmm.â âIâm close to the apartment. I want to see you. Can I come over?ââYeââ Laceyâs first reaction was to agree, then she caught herself as she remembered her visitor. For Elizaâs privacy, she couldnât let Jonathan here. It went the other way around too. Eliza would surely r
A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE WITH THE BILLIONAIRE CEOÂ Â Â CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
After telling Eliza that she could stay for as long as she needed, Lacey showed her to the guest room, then gave her a change of clothes, which she now had on. Later, she started on lunch. Sandwiches, Eliza had agreed too. She was almost through with it when a noise from the living room came. âWhat is she doing?â After plating the meal, Lacey wiped her hand on a napkin, then carried them out. As she appeared in the doorway, the sound coming from Elizaâs phone suddenly stopped as the woman put her phone away quickly. When Lacey placed one plate in front of her and raised her head, Elizaâs attention was on something as she deliberately avoided Laceyâs eyes. âDid something happen? I heard you shout earlier.â Lacey initiated. âThomas, did he contact you? I hope you didnât tell him where you are.ââLacey.â Embarrassment and shame were visible on Elizaâs face when she finally met Laceyâs gaze. âThomas released an apology video. Thatâs what itâs titled, but he doesnât so much as apologiz
A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE WITH THE BILLIONAIRE CEOÂ Â Â CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
Jade Reign was one of the most interesting people Jonathan had ever met. Every action of hers wasnât without meaning, no matter how confusing it might seem to others. They had finished breakfast long ago and were now in the middle of a discussion. Except they werenât at Liam Tirroâs restaurant, Maria, anymore. With Jadaâs direction, the two of them had walked over thirty minutes to the other side of the city, a place Jonathan rarely had cause to visit, to a place Jada called âHer Little Paradise.â It was the first time in a while Jonathan had walked for that distance. But he wasnât complaining. The weather was nice out and was just the right amount of cool, so by the time they reached their destination, he wasnât a sweaty mess. Jadaâs Little Paradise turned out to be the top of a bed and breakfast, a quaint home that gave off a wealthy air. The owner appeared to be familiar with her because she didnât bat an eyelid when Jada and Jonathan walked past her with a simple greeting. T
A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE WITH THE BILLIONAIRE CEOÂ Â Â CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
This was way out of Laceyâs league. Stunned, she stared at the bruises on the woman in front of her. The choking marks around Elizaâs neck was just like what Thomas did to her also. Subconsciously, her hand rose to her neck. âThomas did this?â Lacey's tone rose with incredulity. She shouldn't have been so surprised having experienced firsthand what Thomas could do when he was pissed off. But seeing the abuse signs on Eliza was an eye-opener. It wasnât just something he did to only her like Lacey wanted to believe. Just who exactly had Thomas become? But more importantly, what was she supposed to do in a situation like this? Call the police? Call someone? Do nothing? While in thoughts, Eliza put on her mask again, hiding under the sunglasses and scarf. âYou should go to the police,â Lacey heard herself saying. After running through several options in her head, that was her conclusion. âReport him for domestic abuse.âBefore she even finished giving the advice, Eliza was already shak
A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE WITH THE BILLIONAIRE CEOÂ Â Â CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
It must have been due to a lapse of judgment, Lacey concluded. Or else why would she agree to meet up with Eliza? In any case, she was meeting her replacement in less than two hours. Over the phone, Elizaâs voice held something that sounded a lot like distraught, which was the only reason Lacey was moved. When it came to Thomas and feeling distraught, she knew the feeling all too well. Although, if Elizaâs fears turned out to be true, she was in a much better position than Lacey had been in. For one, she wasnât married to Thomas yet. And two, she held as much, maybe even more fame than Thomas, so if he somehow decided to pull what he did in the past and call for a press conference, Eliza would be better positioned to defend herself. âWhat to wear?â Lacey pondered out loud as she changed out of her indoor clothes. Something simple. The weather today was much warmer than the day before, so she settled on a light dress. At Elizaâs request, their meeting place was an art gallery. This
A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE WITH THE BILLIONAIRE CEOÂ Â Â CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
{This is Eliza. Thomasâ girlfriend. Letâs meet.}It was after breakfast, around noon time, when the message came in on Laceyâs phone. In the comfort of her room, Lacey stared at the device with blank eyes. Last she heard from Adi, Eliza and Thomas were still in a relationship. Not too long ago, Lacey learned from Adi that Eliza and Thomas had possibly gotten engaged. Did that have to do with why she wanted to meet? Since they were still together, did Eliza feel she had some sort of bone to pick with Lacey? And it wasnât a request either. It read more like a command. Speaking of Adi, he and Maddy had left earlier. The two lovebirds, Sangah and Holly, were still around, but before Lacey entered her room, they seemed like they were about to be on their way out too. For a brief second, Lacey let herself read Elizaâs message again. Eliza. A total stranger other than that time when Thomas brought her over along with the divorce papers. Ever since then, thereâd been no contact. Grante
A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE WITH THE BILLIONAIRE CEOÂ Â Â CHAPTER SIXTY
Leaving her two guests in the living room, Lacey disappeared into her room to dry her hair and change out of her wet clothes. That only took about ten minutes, but the next time she came out, there were now four people in her living room. Maddy and Adi had arrived. Adi was mid-conversation with Holly when he spotted Lacey. Immediately excusing himself, he walked over to her, stretching out his arms even before he reached where she stood. With a welcoming smile, Lacey let Adi hug her. Even before she was out of Adiâs hold, Maddy was already waiting to the side, and the moment Adi moved away, she took over the hug. âAre you okay?â Maddy asked as she gently swiped the palm of her hand up and down Laceyâs freshly-washed hair. âSilly question, but me and Ads saw the post you made. A lot of people are on your side.âIt was that comment that reminded Lacey that she was yet to put on her phone after turning it off earlier. Somewhere between her getting back to her apartment, washing her hai
A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE WITH THE BILLIONAIRE CEOÂ Â Â CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
Even though Jonathan didnât get the chance to talk to Lacey, he wasnât too bummed out by it after seeing that she wasnât mad at him. She was back home safe, plus she had a friend to stay with her; those were enough for him. Upon getting back to his Penthouse, the first thing he did was go through his mails. Tomorrow, he was meeting with Director Jada Reign, and he wanted to make sure that she hadnât sent an email canceling after the news his company was embroiled. Thankfully, there was no mail of cancellation, which meant they were still on for tomorrow. Jada had picked their meeting location; a newly opened fine dining restaurant Jonathan had never been to before called Maria. According to her, while she was in Italy, she had food made by the chef, and wanted to check out his new place. Jonathan didnât protest. Jonathan found it a little weird that she wanted to go to a fine dining restaurant in the morning, but he kept that to himself.There were also a couple messages from his pa
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