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CHAPTER 81
Last Updated:
2025-03-26 08:46:04
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Forced To Be The Billionaire’s Bride CHAPTER 82
In his private study, Howard sat in the dim light surrounded by the strong smell of polished wood and aged whiskey. With the exception of his fingers tapping rhythmically against the mahogany desk, the silence was maintained.Howard liked the kind of quiet that was deliberately regulated and unbroken. A quiet in which secrets flourished.He grabbed his glass and swirled the amber liquid inside, observing the way the light reflected off the crystal. He then set the glass down steadily, grabbed his phone and dialed a number he had long since committed to memory. Almost immediately, the call was placed.From the other end came the low gravelly voice, “Sir.” Howard's face was unreadable as he reclined in his chair. “Inform me that you have something.” After a moment of silence, the man answered, “I do.... “Howard's eyes stayed cold, but his lips slightly curled. “Continue. . .”Before the man continued in a measured voice, there was a rustle of papers from the other end. “I was able to
Last Updated : 2025-03-26Forced To Be The Billionaire’s Bride CHAPTER 83
Aaron wrapped his arms around her, providing both security and comfort. He kissed the top of her hair and pulled her even closer as he stroked her back slowly.Marie rested her head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart, and she let herself drown in his powerful arms, unwilling to pull away from the comfort it gave. With a deep voice that was a calming vibration against her cheek, Aaron laughed. “Are you tired?” She hummed quietly. “Mmm... more accurately satisfied.”Aaron smirked as his fingers touched her spine, causing her already sensitive body to tremble once more.“That will be a compliment to me. . . “She raised her head just enough to give him a glance. The love, contentment and something else— raw and possessive—glowed in his dark eyes.Marie's mouth curved into a gentle grin. She acknowledged, lightly tracing his jawline with her fingers. It was amazing... With a deep exhale, Aaron tightened his hold on her. “You were incredible.” She gave a small
Last Updated : 2025-03-26Forced To Be The Billionaire’s Bride CHAPTER 84
The road ahead stretched like an endless ribbon of faded asphalt, and the drive to the country was quiet and long. As his thoughts swirled, Howard's fingers tightened slightly as he held onto the steering wheel.He found this remote tiny house tucked away behind a line of tall oak trees thanks to the GPS. That was the location. He blew out his breath and looked around the grounds. The wooden exterior of the modest house had been exposed for years.There was a single rocking chair on the porch, sitting still in the still air. Behind the curtains, one light flickered faintly from within. Howard took a while to look.He sat quietly, looking around, letting the engine hum beneath him. Why was Richard so abruptly gone? And why did it feel like this? OFF?As he considered his strategy, his fingers pounded on the steering wheel. He would not receive the answers he required by storming in. He needed to be astute about this. He got out of his car, looked around and walked to the front door. Th
Last Updated : 2025-03-26Forced To Be The Billionaire’s Bride CHAPTER 85
Howard grabbed the steering wheel and got into his car, but he didn't turn on the engine. His stomach roiling with anxiety, he continued to stare at the house.Howard had acquaintances. He had been dealing with criminals, con artists and liars for years. The man at the door had all the telltale symptoms of someone hiding something: his forced casualness in speech, his stiff posture and the way his eyes darted away too quickly. He was making a false statement. Exhaling, Howard drummed his fingers on the dashboard. “What on earth went wrong here?” He grabbed his phone and quickly browsed through his contacts.A short while later, he hit the call button. After two rings, a recognisable voice answered. “Yes?” Howard was uninterested in polite conversation. “Tell me. How on earth did you make this so bad?” The pause. Then a sigh. “What do you mean by that?” Howard tightened his jaw. “I rapped on the door. Richard was gone according to the man who answered, left, departed silently.”One
Last Updated : 2025-03-28Forced To Be The Billionaire’s Bride CHAPTER 86
It was a suffocating dream for Marie. Her bare feet started to sink into the muddy ground as she ran through a pitch-black forest. She was caught by strong invisible hands that dragged her back and into the abyss. She snapped out of it. She was surrounded by warm arms from behind before she could even regulate her breathing. Aaron pressed his chest against her back and whispered “Shh…” against her ear. “You are safe. I've got you.”Eventually, Marie's tense body relaxed as he pulled her closer, his strong arms enclosing her and shielding her from the aftereffects of her nightmare. She nestled her face into his bare chest as she turned in his arms, inhaling his reassuringly fresh masculine aroma.She mumbled her voice trembling, “It felt so real.” Her fingers lightly touched his skin as she held onto him even more. “It felt like my whole being was being consumed.” As Aaron gave her back soothing strokes, his breathing remained steady. He said in a steady, quiet voice, “It was only a
Last Updated : 2025-04-01Forced To Be The Billionaire’s Bride CHAPTER 87
Aaron’s fingers lightly touched her smooth skin as he moved his hands down Marie's bare arms.Marie's voice was shaking as she uttered his name in a whisper, “Aaron.”There was a lot of uncertainty and longing in the sound. Aaron looked into her worried eyes with his dark ones. He could see the vulnerability that she was trying so hard to conceal, the fear that was still present behind her eyes.Her heart pounded, but this time it wasn’t out of fear. Something else—something more profound—occurred inside her whenever he was near. “I have always been scared. For a very long time, even before the nightmares, I was afraid.”As if he could protect her from all pain and anxiety, Aaron’s eyes grew softer, and he bent down to plant a kiss on the top of her forehead. “I understand,” he said in a whisper. “Marie, I understand. But you no longer need to bear it alone. I'm always here for you."His words were so genuine that they made her breath catch in her throat. She found comfort in the war
Last Updated : 2025-04-01Forced To Be The Billionaire’s Bride CHAPTER 88
Strangely, the mansion was silent.Marie was reading a magazine in the living room when her thoughts drifted. When she woke up, the bed was empty because Aaron had left early for the office. She usually spends the morning curled up in his arms with soft sheets, but today was different. Lonely. With a sigh, she threw the magazine on the coffee table. There was nothing to do. Her bones began to grow restless. Although she could have gone for a walk, she didn't enjoy the idea of being by herself in the expansive estate. Rather, she got up and walked toward the main hall, her bare feet softly tapping the marble floor.As she passed the open archway leading to the grand foyer, she noticed movement. A couple of maids were busy cleaning the staircase railing and polishing the furniture. Marie came over to them with a smile. “Do you require any assistance?”The maids' eyes widened as they turned to her in shock. A short woman with graying hair gave a quick shake of her head. “Oh no, Mrs. Sa
Last Updated : 2025-04-01Forced To Be The Billionaire’s Bride CHAPTER 89
Marie gripped the photo with shaking fingers. As she struggled to process what she was seeing, she breathed in sharp, short gasps. This is totally strange. There should be no such thing. How manage? She asked herselfThen—. The door flew open. Marie’s heart hit her ribs as she jolted. Howard entered, engulfing the room with his massive frame that blocked the doorway.The maids huddled together in fright.They were aware. They felt terror. Marie had hardly time to respond. Between her feet the picture fluttered to the floor as it slipped from her shaking fingers."What the hell are you doing here?” He yelled.Marie swallowed. “I was just—" “You were just what?” His fists were clenched at his sides, but his voice remained uncannily composed.Marie made herself talk. “I was only tidying up.” Howard's eyes strayed to the cloth she was still holding. His jaw muscle twitches. “Cleaning?” he asked again incredulously.Marie nodded and took a deep breath. Howard, however, was not persuade
Last Updated : 2025-04-01
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Forced To Be The Billionaire’s Bride CHAPTER 111
Marie felt sick to her stomach when she woke up. The dull ache throbbed through her body, and she moaned as she slowly sat up. A reassuring gesture that had always calmed her hands automatically went to her stomach bump, but today it didn't help. It felt strange.Susann, who had been sitting close by, saw her stir and hurried over to join her. She put a delicate hand on Marie's arm while her eyes were worried.She said in a worried tone, “How are you feeling?” Marie swallowed forcefully, attempting to ignore the vertigo that was weighing her down. “Not great”, she muttered in a feeble voice. “I feel... unwell. What happened, and why am I here?” A stray hair fell from Marie’s forehead, and Susann’s face softened. Her eyes were full of sympathy as she said softly, “You passed out in the kitchen, remember? We have you here to recuperate. You were not doing well.”Susann went on using a steady but worried tone. “You have food poisoning," the doctor had said. He prescribed medication to
Forced To Be The Billionaire’s Bride CHAPTER 110
The only sounds in the bedroom were Marie's steady breathing and the slight hum of the rain hitting the windows. Although the storm outside had subsided, Aaron's inner turmoil persisted, growing more intense in quiet than ever before. He sat next to her, staring at her sleeping form with his fingers loosely laced together and his elbows resting on his knees. Slow, shallow breaths caused Marie's chest to rise and fall as she lay motionless. She no longer had the flush of pain that had hit her earlier; instead, she was paler and had a faint gleam of perspiration on her forehead.With a slight parting of her lips, her dark lashes spread out like shadows across her cheeks. She appeared to be the only thing that was pure in the midst of all this chaos, even now after everything had happened. Aaron couldn't take his eyes off it.He felt a sharp aching pulse of relief in his chest. She didn't get hurt. Despite the doctor's conclusion that she wasn't expecting the baby anytime soon, the baby
Forced To Be The Billionaire’s Bride CHAPTER 109
Aaron’s heart pounded in his chest as he ran down the hallway, barely registering the sound of the mansion's front door slamming shut. He had been torn like a lightning strike by Susann's emergency call, and his mind was racing with the worst-case scenarios. He whispered to himself, “Marie…” as he pushed open the master bedroom door.His gaze instantly fell on her. Her body, pale and limp against the soft white sheets, was still unconscious. Her skin had a thin coating of perspiration. As he knelt next to her and gently brushed a damp lock of hair away from her face, his heart lurched.His voice was tight just above a whisper as he asked, “Is she okay?” Susann stood next to him with her arms crossed over her chest. Her face was pale, and she had worried eyes. “Aaron, the doctor is en route. He'll understand what's happening.”Aaron took some time to respond. He kept his gaze on Marie, observing her chest's gradual rise and fall. He had a nagging suspicion that something was wrong...
Forced To Be The Billionaire’s Bride CHAPTER 108
Susann's silk robe was pulled tight around her as she made her way through the dim hallways to the kitchen. There was an eerie calm about the mansion tonight that made her chest tighten with something she couldn't replace.Although she didn't know what had gone wrong earlier, she had a feeling. There was an oppressive silence as if a storm had swept through the house. Just in time to hear the scream, she arrived at the kitchen hallway.It was like a blade cutting through the air. High. Angular. Identifiable.Marie.Susann's breath caught in her chest as she froze at the doorway. The tray she was carrying clattered noisily to the floor, broken by the impact of the porcelain. Her hands suddenly pushed open the kitchen doors with a violent lurch of her heart.Her heart raced with cold panic at what she saw. Marie lay on the floor, her hands gripping her stomach as she fell close to the counter. Now every breath she took caused her baby bump's gentle curve to heave.Sweat was dripping fro
Forced To Be The Billionaire’s Bride CHAPTER 107
It was too silent in the mansion. The cold tiles beneath Marie’s feet grounded her more than she liked as she padded down the hallway. Aaron's words kept repeating in her mind, and she had her arms crossed tightly across her chest, more out of nervousness than cold.She had to do something before the weight in her chest got too much. She turned on the warm lights above and walked to the kitchen. The room was immaculate—a pristine shell concealing the decay underneath—because it was cleaned every day just like the rest of the house, not because anyone used it.Reaching over to the counter, Marie filled the kettle. To her senses, the sound of the running water was like static. After gently putting the kettle back down, she leaned both palms on the counter's edge and let out a slow exhale.I was described as a distraction. The memory made her stomach churn. Aaron had expressed his anger in a very quiet way, but there had also been a wounded and dangerous look in his eyes. When he decla
Forced To Be The Billionaire’s Bride CHAPTER 106
The far-off crash sounded like a gunshot in the middle of the night, echoing down the hallway. When Marie heard the muffled sound of wood splintering, she had just arrived at the end of the hallway. Her fingers tightened around the folds of her robe as she stopped, her breath caught in her chest.There was silence after another thud. A tense rather than peaceful silence filled Aaron. She made no hesitation. Turning on her heel, she rushed down the corridor. When she arrived at his room, her bare feet hardly made a sound on the marble floors. Her hand hovered over the doorknob as she paused at it.A shiver went down her back. She gave a soft knock. “Aaron?” Not responding. Slowly opening the door, she saw the chair near the far wall broken in two.“Aaron?” she repeated a little softer this time as she entered and shut the door.He didn't move right away. His fists were clenched at his sides, his head was slightly bowed, and his shoulders were tense. Papers scattered on the floor, a br
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With such force that the walls shook, Aaron rushed into his room and slammed the door shut behind him. Through the void of the enormous mansion, the sound reverberated like thunder.He was pacing with his shoulders stiff and his fingers twitching at his sides as if they were searching for something to rip apart as soon as the lock clicked into position. He had his jaw clenched, his teeth grinding in unspoken rage. He felt angry—an unstoppable storm. The lamp by his bed flickered from the disturbance in the air as if even the light itself was uncertain whether to remain, and the shadows in the room seemed to grow longer with each step he took. The oak bookshelves, the velvet curtains and the chilly steel-framed pictures of people posing as a family all seemed to belong to him. Howard. Aaron was furious, and his footsteps echoed his anger like war drums on the hardwood floor. No longer was his heart thumping in his chest out of fear. That had long since burned out. Now he sensed somet
Forced To Be The Billionaire’s Bride CHAPTER 104
Aaron’s breath came in sharp, ragged bursts as he strode through the long dark hallway, his steps heavy. His father's remarks were reverberating in his mind like a vicious taunt, and he was consumed by a storm of rage. “You’re nothing without me.”. . . His knuckles turned white as his fists clenched so tightly his nails digging into his palms. It seemed as though the mansion itself was attempting to ensnare him in its ruthless, frigid clutches because the air around him was heavy and oppressive.He was hardly aware of the dim glow of the wall sconces as the hall stretched out in front of him with dark wooden panels reflecting it. He could hear and feel nothing but his own rage hammering unrelentingly.He could still hear his father's voice in his ears. . . “You’re toying with me.” With a start, he halted his boots scuffing the shiny floor. His chest was heaving, and his breath was harsh as he struggled to maintain his balance. Tonight his father had said far too many things, but th
Forced To Be The Billionaire’s Bride CHAPTER 103
The smell of whiskey filled the dimly lit study, clouding the space with a strong, almost oppressive odor. Howard sat behind his desk, he swirled the amber liquid in his glass while staring into the depths of the drink.A firm and pointed knock was heard on the door.Howard called “Come in” in a steady, low voice that showed no signs of the storm that was building inside.Aaron entered as the door squeaked open. His stance was straight, his face tight with annoyance, and he stood tall. Howard closely observed him, his keen eyes scrutinizing each nuance and facial movement. Aaron was very much a reflection of himself; he was obstinate, strong-willed and self-destructive.“Aaron, sit. We must have a conversation.” Aaron, however, did not move. His body was tense as he stood there staring at Howard’s face. His voice was tight as he said. “I'm not here to sit. I'm here to know why you called me.”The corner of Howard’s mouth curled into a thin smile as he raised an eyebrow. Savoring the
