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Chapter 52
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2025-03-19 01:05:11
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Billionaire's Regrets:He Hurt Me But Wants Me Backย ย ย Chapter 53
Felix POVI sit behind my desk, fingers tapping lightly against the polished mahogany surface as I wait. The air in my office feels heavier than usual, the silence pressing in around me. The minutes stretch longer than they should. I know Iโm being irrationalโthis is a simple matter, a minor inconvenienceโbut something about Leahโs unresponsiveness gnaws at me.Then, finally, the phone on my desk buzzes. Judith.I pick it up immediately. โWhat did they find?โHer voice is calm, efficient as always. โMr. Carrington, the men checked the penthouse. Leah is not there.โI exhale slowly, tension ebbing, but not disappearing entirely. โDid they find anything unusual?โโNo signs of forced entry, no disturbances. The apartment is intact. However, from what they observed, it appears that she left willingly. They couldnโt determine when she would return.โA pause.โI see,โ I say, leaning back in my chair.This is not the worst news I could have received. At least I know she hasnโt been abducted.
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-19Billionaire's Regrets:He Hurt Me But Wants Me Backย ย ย Chapter 54
Leah's POVThe moment I step off the plane, the warm Mediterranean air envelops me, carrying the scent of salt and sun-warmed stone. Greece. A place I had always dreamed of visiting. Now, I finally had the chance. The timing wasnโt ideal, but maybe this was the perfect opportunityโan escape from everything weighing me down.I pull out my phone and stare at the endless list of missed callsโmy father, Ethan, Judith, even Cece. I know theyโre worried, but I canโt deal with them right now. Talking to any of them would mean explaining, justifying, confronting. Iโm not ready for that. Maybe I never will be.Without hesitation, I switch my phone to airplane modeโnot that I need to, since Iโve ignored every call anywayโand shove it deep into my bag. For once, I need silence.Outside, I hail a cab, giving the driver the name of the hotel where I had made a reservation. The ride is smooth, the city unfolding around me in a blur of ancient ruins, narrow streets, and flashes of blue sea in the di
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-20Billionaire's Regrets:He Hurt Me But Wants Me Backย ย ย Chapter 55
Leahโs POVThe rhythmic sound of waves crashing against the shore echoes through my open balcony doors, blending with the soft hum of the city beyond. The morning sunlight filters through the sheer curtains, casting golden streaks across the plush bedding. I should feel relaxed. I should feel at peace.But I donโt.I stretch out on the bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind restless despite my bodyโs exhaustion. Last night, I had barely slept. My thoughts had been too loud, too persistent, pulling me into a spiral of guilt and uncertainty.Everything about this trip had been so impulsive, so out of character for me. Iโve never been the type to just pack up and leave like this. My father must be livid.My phone sits on the nightstand, its screen lighting up every few minutes with missed calls and unread messages. I havenโt turned it offโI just canโt bring myself to answer. I know my father has called. More than once. I know Ethan must have, too. And I know Cece is probably worried sick.
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-20Billionaire's Regrets:He Hurt Me But Wants Me Backย ย ย Chapter 56
Ethanโs POVI swirl the amber liquid in my glass, watching the ice cubes clink against the sides. The city stretches out before me through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my penthouse, but I barely notice it. My mind is elsewhere. On her.Leah.My phone sits on the table, dark and silent. No messages. No missed calls. Just emptiness.Iโve lost count of how many times Iโve called her. How many texts Iโve sent. Sheโs ignoring me. Sheโs never ignored me like this before.I exhale sharply, pressing my thumb and forefinger against my temples. This wasnโt supposed to happen. Leah was supposed to be mine. She was supposed to be by my side, smiling, trusting, believing every word I told her.Everything had been perfectโuntil it wasnโt.I played my part flawlessly. I gave her everything she wanted, everything she needed. I was the perfect boyfriend, the perfect choice. Steady. Reliable. The man she could count on.And she was mine. Until Dwight came back.I grip my glass tighter at the thought
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-21Billionaire's Regrets:He Hurt Me But Wants Me Backย ย ย Chapter 57
Dwightโs POVThe airport blurs around me, a chaotic mix of voices, footsteps, and the distant hum of jet engines. I donโt pay attention to any of it. My focus is singular. My steps are fast, my pulse relentless. I move with purpose, my jaw tight, my mind set.Carter is already waiting near the private terminal, his stance straight, expression unreadable. He never asks questions, never pries. Thatโs why heโs the only person I trust with things like this.โEverythingโs set, sir,โ he says as I approach. โThe jet is fueled and ready. Iโve stocked the cabin with everything you might needโclothes, essentials, the usual.โI barely acknowledge him with a nod, climbing the stairs two at a time. The flight crew offers polite greetings as I pass, but I donโt respond. I head straight for my seat, sinking into the leather with a heavy breath.The engines hum beneath me, vibrating softly, a reminder that the moment we take off, thereโs no turning back.I pull out my phone and see one missed call fr
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-22Billionaire's Regrets:He Hurt Me But Wants Me Backย ย ย Chapter 58
Leahโs POV The soft hum of Athens at night filters through my hotel window, the distant chatter of locals blending with the rhythm of a city that never quite sleeps. Even though exhaustion tugs at my limbs, my mind refuses to quiet.I thought putting an ocean between me and my past would help. That the distance would dull the thoughts, ease the ache. But it turns out, no amount of miles can quench the affection still lingering in my chest.Dwight is still there. In every corner of my mind.I groan, pressing my fingers against my temples as I sit on the edge of my bed. This wasnโt the plan. I didnโt fly to Greece to mope. I came to breathe. To reclaim a part of myself that I had lost somewhere between heartbreak and pretending to be okay.I glance at my phone, searching for somethingโanythingโto pull me out of my own head. And then I see it.Cine Thisio.An open-air cinema, nestled in the heart of Athens. The kind of place that feels like stepping back in time, where the air is filled
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-22Billionaire's Regrets:He Hurt Me But Wants Me Backย ย ย Chapter 59
Dwightโs POVThe glow of my phone screen is the only light in the dimly lit cabin. Iโve been staring at it for too long, checking and rechecking for updates. The silence stretches, thick and heavy, as the jet cuts through the night sky.Then, finally, my phone vibrates. A new message from Parker.Parker: She stepped out of her suite. Looks like sheโs going out. Sheโs alone.Thatโs it. No details about where sheโs heading. No insight into her plans. Just a confirmation that sheโs no longer tucked away inside her room.I exhale sharply, rubbing a hand across my jaw.Sheโs alone.It shouldnโt matter, but it does.I donโt waste time replying. Instead, I push out of my seat, already unbuttoning my cuffs as I move to the cabinโs small en-suite. I glance at myself in the mirrorโtired, tense, but focused. I splash cold water on my face, letting it wake me up. I need to be clear-headed when I see her.Because I will see her.By the time the jet lands in Athens, Iโve already made up my mind. Iโ
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-23Billionaire's Regrets:He Hurt Me But Wants Me Backย ย ย Chapter 60
Dwightโs POV"You didnโt have to come," she says. But that's not a plea to leave.She doesnโt tell me to leave.She doesnโt move.For a long moment, we just stand there, locked in some unspoken war. Her pulse beats fast under my fingers, but she doesnโt yank her wrist away. And I donโt let go.Not yet.Leah is the first to break the silence. โI donโt want anyone blowing hot and cold on me, Dwight.โ Her voice is quiet but firm, laced with a weight that tells me this isnโt just about tonight.I already know what she means.Sheโs talking about everythingโthe way I pulled her back in only to push her away again. The easy camaraderie we had whole we auditioned models. The fun at the restaurant we'd gone to eat at, before she'd blurted out her plans and I'd gone cold on her. She exhales sharply, shaking her head. โIโve seen it, Dwight. Itโs easy for you. You compartmentalize, push things aside, and act like we never existed. Like I never mattered.โA muscle ticks in my jaw. That shouldnโt
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-24
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Billionaire's Regrets:He Hurt Me But Wants Me Backย ย ย Chapter 124
EPILOGUE Leah's POV I sit quietly by Dwightโs hospital bed, my fingers gently wrapped around his, the steady beeping of the heart monitor grounding me. After two surgeries, heโs finally resting.When Iโd been told that Dwight was shot, I had felt my entire world crashing down. Iโd cried all the way to the hospital, and itโd taken three men to keep me out of the operating room.But miraculously, heโs alive. Still here. Still breathing. Still mine. And yet, it all feels surrealโthe whirlwind of the past few days catching up in uneven bursts. Ethanโs arrest, Geraldโs disgrace, the truth about Glimmr being Dwightโs all along becoming public. But nothing compares to the ache that comes from the one betrayal I never saw comingโmy uncleโs.I had trusted him. Loved him. Thought of him as a steady force in my life. But behind all the warmth and concern was a man plotting to control meโusing my heartbreak, pushing me toward Ethan, and scheming to seize Veloura for himself. Heโd sat there at t
Billionaire's Regrets:He Hurt Me But Wants Me Backย ย ย Chapter 123
Dwight's POVThe road coils like a serpent beneath my tires, black and endless. Trees lean in on either side like silent witnesses, their twisted branches clawing at the pale sky. Geraldโs directions run through my head again and again, carved into memory. The House of Silenceโwhat a sick, ironic name. My grip tightens on the wheel as I push forward, heart hammering in a rhythm I havenโt known in years.I tap my earpiece.โParker.โStatic, then his clipped voice. โSir.โโI have done it. Coordinates check out." I tap on my screen, sending a screenshot of the map Gerald had handed me.โMr. Spencer, wait. Iโm pulling in backup. Donโt go in alone. I mean it.โโI donโt have time. He could be doing God knows what to that young woman right now. He needs to be stopped.โ I couldn't let them do to her what they'd done to me.โDwightโโโThereโs no time, Parker. You wonโt make it before itโs too late.โHe curses under his breath. โAt least wait nearby. Donโt breach. Iโll be there in fifteen.โBut
Billionaire's Regrets:He Hurt Me But Wants Me Backย ย ย Chapter 122
Ethanโs POVShe looked like porcelain under the low light.Pale, trembling, slick with sweat. Her chest heaved as she lay on the stained cot in the far corner, wrists bound to the headboard with nylon straps, ankles tied tight. Her hairโlight brown, maybe even blonde in the right lightโwas matted against her temples, soaked. And those eyes. Translucent blue, darting like a cornered rabbit, searching for a way out that didnโt exist.โI donโt know what I did,โ she sobbed. Her voice cracked like something brittle. โPlease, please let me goโฆโI didnโt move. I just watched her from the shadows, still as a breath held underwater. She tried to sit up, trembling, her arms pulling at the restraints with a sound like Velcro peeling from skin.โIโll give you everything,โ she cried. โMy paychecksโevery single one. I swear. Just donโt hurt me. My boyfriendโฆ he doesnโt have money. He canโt pay ransom. PleaseโฆโGod. She was alive. Alive in the way most people forgot how to be. The kind of aliveness
Billionaire's Regrets:He Hurt Me But Wants Me Backย ย ย Chapter 121
Dwight's POV Gerald Carrington lived in a two-story villa tucked behind a quiet cul-de-sac on the cityโs west end. The neighborhood had a curated calm about it โ hedges trimmed to military precision, pavement scrubbed of all disorder. Unlike his brother Felixโs sprawling estate with its sweeping gates and Greek statues, Geraldโs home was the kind of place that whispered wealth rather than screamed it. Tasteful. Secluded. Expensive, but not decadent.I parked three blocks down and approached on foot, dressed in dark jeans and a charcoal sweater. No cologne. No jewelry. Nothing that caught the light.Judith had delivered the address an hour ago. Sheโd also found a layout of the house โ a scanned blueprint buried in some renovation permits from two years back. I studied it on the ride over, memorizing the entry points, camera placements, the blind spots between hedges and roof angles.I wasnโt here for a polite conversation.I was here for answers.The backyard was mostly covered โ two
Billionaire's Regrets:He Hurt Me But Wants Me Backย ย ย Chapter 120
DWIGHT'S POVThe office around me โ my own private quarters at Glimmr โ felt too big, too empty, too quiet. Every tick of the clock on the wall sounded like a drumbeat inside my skull.I couldn't sit still.Couldn't stop moving.Pacing back and forth in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows like a caged animal.My hands itched to do something โ to tear something apart, to find Ava, to end whatever nightmare she was living through because of me.Ava had trusted me.Worked for me.Smiled at me, grateful for opportunities and promises.And I had failed her.Just like I had once failed myself, locked in that dark, cold hell three years ago.I dragged my fingers through my hair, jaw locked so tight it ached.Where was Parker?Where was the goddamn call?My phone buzzed sharply on the desk.I lunged for it like a drowning man reaching for a rope.โTalk to me,โ I barked, not bothering with hellos.Parkerโs voice crackled through, low and urgent.โWe hit Ethanโs place. Just finished. He's not
Billionaire's Regrets:He Hurt Me But Wants Me Backย ย ย Chapter 119
Dwight's POV The tires screeched against the pavement as I pulled out of the driveway, my hand clenching the steering wheel so hard the leather groaned beneath my grip. The night sky stretched endless above me, but I barely saw it. All I could see was Ava's face. Bright, smiling Ava, who was now missing โ God knew where โ because somewhere, somehow, I'd let my guard down.Not again. I wouldn't lose another innocent to this madness. I swore it.I jabbed the button on the dashboard, calling Parker first.He answered on the first ring. "Boss?""I need you to move," I barked, weaving through traffic like a man possessed. "Ava's missing. Her fiancรฉ called the office โ she never showed up back there after leaving my house."A sharp intake of breath. "Shit. You think it's connected?""I know it is." My gut was screaming, every instinct sharpened to a fine, deadly edge. "I need you to pull every favor, use every contact you have. Track her phone, hack into traffic cams, do whatever it take
Billionaire's Regrets:He Hurt Me But Wants Me Backย ย ย Chapter 118
Dwight's POVIt was dark out. Leah lay half-sprawled across my chest, the silky strands of her hair tickling my skin. Our clothes were scattered haphazardly across the room, abandoned in our urgency. The heavy rug under us cushioned our bodies, still slick and languid from the intensity of our lovemaking. I still couldn't believe the feelings that coursed through me as I'd made love to her. It was better than all the times I had allowed myself to imagine... to fantasize.It had been pure magic. Messy, but perfect. And having her here in my arms filled me with the duty of contentment that had been missing for three years. I could have stayed like that forever. Her breath warm against my skin. Her heart beating in slow, contented rhythms against mine. Her fingers moved idly over my chest, tracing lazy patterns. Every touch sent aftershocks through my nerves, subtle reminders of how close we had just been, how perfect she felt wrapped around me...And then her fingers stilled. She brushe
Billionaire's Regrets:He Hurt Me But Wants Me Backย ย ย Chapter 117
Dwight's POV The clock on the wall ticked mockingly at me, but I barely noticed it anymore.I sat behind my desk, staring at the documents spread out before me, but none of the words made it past the thick wall of energy thrumming in my veins. It was all background noise. Filler. Nothing compared to the singular, burning thought anchoring me:Leah.Home. Waiting for me.The thought wrapped itself around every nerve ending, making it almost impossible to sit still. I knew it wouldnโt lastโthis arrangement was temporary. But even knowing that, I couldn't stop the anticipation that practically vibrated in my blood. The pull toward her was too strong, too fierce to deny.I remembered the kiss we shared. God, I remembered every detail. The tentative way I had brushed my mouth against hers. The way she had frozen for a breathless second before melting against me, kissing me back like it was the only thing keeping her alive. That kiss had shattered something inside me. It wasn
Billionaire's Regrets:He Hurt Me But Wants Me Backย ย ย Chapter 116
Leahโs POVAfter Ava left, the house felt much bigger.Much quieter.And somehow, even though I knew I was safe, the silence made me feel small.I sprawled on the plush sofa in the sunken living room, laptop abandoned beside me, staring out at the endless stretch of green beyond the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. The afternoon sun slanted in golden beams across the polished floors, painting everything in warm, sleepy light.I could still hear Avaโs cheerful goodbye ringing in my ears."Call me if you need anything, okay?"I had promised I would. But really, there was nothing Avaโor anyoneโcould do for me now.I needed time. Space.Maybe even forgiveness.The soft shuffle of footsteps pulled me out of my thoughts. I sat up just as the house chefโa kind-eyed woman named Marlaโapproached, wiping her hands on a white apron."Miss Carrington," she said with a polite nod, "would you like anything for lunch? I made a chicken and asparagus salad. Fresh bread too."My stomach gave an unexpe
