Home / Romance / Hold on, Mr billionaire. / Chapter 36; The need for control

Share

Chapter 36; The need for control

last update Last Updated: 2024-10-27 20:22:16
(Adrian’s POV)

I tried to walk away from her. God knows I tried.

But as soon as I left Bella’s apartment, something gnawed at me. A tightening in my chest that wouldn’t ease. The thought of her, alone, thinking through everything that had happened with Lucas and Monica, replaying tonight’s disaster in her mind—it didn’t sit right with me. Not after the way her eyes had softened, calming me down when I was ready to tear Lucas apart.

I reached my car, hands gripping the steering wheel, but I couldn’t bring myself to drive away.

It had been a long time since someone had been able to bring me down from the edge like that. I’m used to having everything under control—emotions locked tight, decisions made with precision. But tonight? I lost it. Lucas had pushed me too far, and I was ready to break bones. If Bella hadn’t been there… No, I don’t even want to think about that.

She’s got this way of looking at me—like she sees the parts of me I’m too afraid to show the world. She makes me want
Melissa Genius

Heeeehheeeee

| Like
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter

Related chapters

  • Hold on, Mr billionaire.    Chapter 37; Feelings

    (Bella’s POV)It had been hours since Adrian left, but I was still replaying the night over and over in my mind. The warmth of his body next to mine, the way he held me like he never wanted to let go. His kisses, full of both desperation and tenderness, left my heart pounding long after he’d gone.I was falling for him. As much as I tried to resist, to keep my guard up, it was impossible. There was something about him that pulled me in, despite the walls I had carefully built. Adrian wasn’t just the cold, calculated businessman I had initially thought. There was more to him—layers I was only just beginning to peel back.But that didn’t mean everything was perfect.I couldn’t ignore the things I was learning about him. The ruthless business deals, the way he seemed to bulldoze anyone who stood in his way, even Lucas’s warning that Adrian could be unpredictable. It was all starting to pile up, and as much as I wanted to believe in the version of him I saw when we were alone, a part of m

    Last Updated : 2024-10-27
  • Hold on, Mr billionaire.    Chapter 38; how do I fix it ?!

    (Adrian’s POV)I had spent most of the day staring out of the large windows in my penthouse, the city sprawling below me like a maze of lights and shadows. A glass of whiskey sat untouched on the coffee table. It used to help—the burn in my throat, the warmth in my chest. But not today. Not with everything that had happened recently.I couldn’t stop thinking about her.Bella had a way of getting under my skin, of making me question every decision I’d made up until now. It wasn’t just the way she looked at me, her eyes always searching for something deeper beneath the surface, but how she made me feel vulnerable—like I wasn’t just Adrian Langston, CEO, the ruthless businessman who crushed anyone standing in his way. With Bella, I was... different.And that terrified me.I couldn’t help but think about how far I’d gone in my life to build this empire, to prove to everyone, especially my father, that I was worth something. That I could rise above the expectations, the suffocating famil

    Last Updated : 2024-10-27
  • Hold on, Mr billionaire.    Chapter 39; Brotherly reckoning

    (Adrian’s POV)The tension in the air was palpable as I walked out of the foyer and into the study, my mother’s ultimatum ringing in my ears. Reconcile with Oliver? She had to be joking. The resentment between us wasn’t something you could just wipe away with a handshake and a few words. It was years of bitterness, miscommunication, and betrayal that had festered into a wound neither of us was willing to address.And yet, here I was. About to do just that.The study was dimly lit, the warm glow of the lamps casting long shadows on the walls. My father’s presence seemed to linger in every corner, his influence still a weight on my shoulders even after all these years. I ran my hand through my hair, trying to push the anger down, but it was boiling just beneath the surface.Then the door creaked open, and there he was—Oliver. My younger brother. He walked in with that same cocky confidence that had always grated on me. Dressed in a casual suit, dark grey with a black shirt, he looked eve

    Last Updated : 2024-10-27
  • Hold on, Mr billionaire.    Chapter 40; You’ve got a child?!

    (Third person pov)The weight of betrayal lingered in the air like a suffocating fog. Oliver stood in his apartment, staring at his phone. The unexpected message from Lucas had been gnawing at him for hours now, but he couldn’t shake the need to know what was truly going on. After all the years of bitterness and distance between him and Adrian, was this just another layer of deception? Another crack in the foundation of their relationship?Lucas had reached out to *him*—not Adrian. And that in itself was unusual.He replayed the message over in his head: “I need to explain everything. Meet me at our old spot. It’s not what you think.”It was vague, cryptic, and reeked of desperation. Oliver couldn’t help but wonder what was driving Lucas to reach out now. What had he been hiding all this time? The Lucas Oliver had known growing up had been loyal to Adrian—a confidante, his right-hand man. That was until Monica Tate had come into the picture.Oliver had never liked Monica. She was manip

    Last Updated : 2024-10-27
  • Hold on, Mr billionaire.    Chapter 41; The price of secrets

    Oliver waited until the hallways of the building were quiet, shadows stretching long across the floor as most of the team filtered out for the evening. He’d decided to find Adrian in his office, knowing this was a conversation that couldn’t wait any longer. After learning the truth from Lucas, Oliver felt a simmering mix of anger, urgency, and an unexpected protective instinct toward both his brother and Lucas.He found Adrian standing near his floor-to-ceiling window, looking out over the city, his usual strong stance softened by the dim light filtering in from the buildings beyond. Adrian looked like a man who carried the weight of the world, and in a way, he did.Adrian didn’t turn when Oliver entered, but his voice was steady. “You’ve been quiet lately,” he said, as if sensing Oliver’s presence. “Everything all right?”Oliver clenched his jaw, trying to figure out the best way to start. He knew that pushing Adrian too hard could backfire, but there was no easy way to explain this.

    Last Updated : 2024-11-09
  • Hold on, Mr billionaire.    Chapter 42; A fragile alliance

    Bella entered Adrian’s office early, the silence of the space giving her a chance to gather her thoughts. The past week had left her with questions she couldn’t shake, pieces of a puzzle that didn’t quite fit, and an odd tension she sensed every time she was around Adrian and his brother, Oliver. She’d even felt a trace of that tension in Oliver’s hesitant smile, a look that made her wonder what he wasn’t saying. As she arranged her notes on the sleek table in front of her, she looked up to see Adrian walk in. He wore a perfectly tailored charcoal suit, a shade darker than his usual choice, and his expression was as intense as ever, but there was something different—an exhaustion clinging to the edges of his otherwise steady demeanor.“Good morning,” Bella greeted, trying to hide the nerves she felt every time she saw him lately. She knew her feelings were getting tangled in a way that was dangerous, in a way that felt irreversible. “Morning.” Adrian’s voice was softer than usual, a

    Last Updated : 2024-11-09
  • Hold on, Mr billionaire.    Chapter 43; Unveiling

    The days that followed were a whirlwind of damage control and calculated moves on Adrian's part. The storm Monica had tried to create was quieting, yet the questions still lingered, gnawing at the edges of my mind. The text I had sent Adrian back in the thick of things weighed heavily on me, a delicate balance between trust and suspicion.One evening, after the buzz of work had faded and I found myself alone in my apartment, I finally allowed myself to review everything I’d uncovered. The image I’d found in the archives, buried beneath decades of dust and silence, had shifted everything. My father and Adrian’s father, standing together in what looked like a boardroom, their expressions serious, as though they were on the verge of something monumental. They were once business partners, possibly even friends—an alliance that, somehow, had been completely erased from our family’s history.My thoughts wandered back to Adrian’s reaction when I’d hinted at this discovery. He’d dismissed it

    Last Updated : 2024-11-09
  • Hold on, Mr billionaire.    Chapter 44; Unmasked intentions

    The room felt both intimate and heavy with tension. The evening's silence was broken only by the distant hum of city traffic and the soft tick of the wall clock. Adrian’s eyes, softened just moments before, were now watchful, as if bracing himself.“Adrian, I need to know something,” I began, my voice more unsteady than I’d anticipated. I let go of his hand, pulling back slightly to see him more clearly. “Did you… did you know who I was before you hired me?”He seemed taken aback, his brow furrowing slightly. “Bella, I—” His gaze shifted, the truth simmering beneath the surface.“Just tell me, please,” I pressed, feeling the weight of every encounter, every moment shared, hanging in the balance. “Did you hire me because of my father?”He exhaled, running a hand through his hair, and his hesitation told me more than any words could have. “No, not exactly,” he finally admitted. “When I first met you, I didn’t know you were *that* Martinez. But… there are protocols for hiring. We do a bac

    Last Updated : 2024-11-09

Latest chapter

  • Hold on, Mr billionaire.    Chapter 107: A step towards Normal

    After everything that had happened over the last few weeks—the tension, the danger, the revelations—Adrian and Bella both needed a break. The office was no longer a sanctuary, not with all the lingering uncertainty. And so, Adrian finally made the suggestion: "Let’s go to the estate this weekend. Just you and me. We need a change of scenery."Bella had agreed, not because she needed convincing but because she too was yearning for a bit of peace. Still, there was something she couldn’t shake off. She had invited Grace to join them. Her younger sister had been a source of lightness in the midst of all the darkness. Besides, Grace had a way of cutting through the tension and making everything feel less complicated.When they arrived at the Langston estate, Bella couldn’t help but marvel at the sprawling grounds. The estate was nestled on the outskirts of the city, hidden from prying eyes. From the moment the gates opened, it was clear how expansive the property was—lush gardens, manicure

  • Hold on, Mr billionaire.    Chapter 106; the bait is set

    Langston Enterprises was quieter than usual, but not because the tension had faded. In fact, it was just the opposite.The air practically buzzed with anticipation.Everyone was pretending everything was normal. The departments operated as usual. Meetings were scheduled, presentations were given, and the coffee machine ran nonstop. But beneath the surface, a silent war was brewing—one that only a select few were aware of.Marcus Whitmore was the target. And the bait had been perfectly set.Adrian stood in his office, arms crossed, watching the monitors mounted discreetly in a corner of his private conference room. Each screen displayed live feeds from strategically placed cameras in the server wing of the company—the very place Marcus would try to breach.Bella entered the room, her heels clicking softly against the hardwood floor. She wore an all-black fitted pantsuit, sleek and commanding. A sharp contrast from her usual soft colors—but it matched the mood perfectly. Her laptop was

  • Hold on, Mr billionaire.    Chapter 105; I’m not your enemy

    Third Person POV**The storm had passed—at least, on the outside. Langston Enterprises was back to its usual hum the following day, but beneath the polished exterior, tension brewed.Adrian sat at the head of the strategy table, a silent figure of control and restraint. His dark suit was sharp, as always, and his face gave nothing away. On the surface, the meeting was about logistics—but Adrian’s thoughts were elsewhere.Lucas had requested a private word.And that wasn’t something Adrian could easily ignore.After the board had dispersed, and Bella left for a scheduled call, Lucas stepped back into the room, quietly closing the door behind him. The silence hung between them until Adrian leaned back, arms folded across his chest.“Let me guess,” Adrian said dryly. “You’re here to deliver more shade during someone else’s presentation?”Lucas smirked faintly. “You always did hate surprises.”Adrian’s expression didn’t change. “Start talking.”Lucas exhaled, stepping toward the glass wal

  • Hold on, Mr billionaire.    Chapter 104; He’s back

    Third Person POV**Langston Enterprises buzzed with the mid-morning hum of productivity. The sun filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting long, sharp shadows across the polished marble floor. Employees bustled around in quiet efficiency, the sound of heels clicking and keyboards tapping creating a low corporate symphony.Bella entered the office that morning feeling refreshed from the double date the night before. Her tailored tan suit and soft cream blouse gave her a professional yet calm appearance, her hair swept into a clean knot. She held a coffee in one hand and a folder tucked under the other arm, already making mental notes about her next pitch meeting with the design and tech teams.She hadn’t taken more than three steps into the executive corridor before she saw him.Lucas.The moment their eyes met, his lips curled into that familiar smug grin that always bordered on condescending. He leaned casually against the wall near the elevator, in a sleek gray suit tha

  • Hold on, Mr billionaire.    Chapter 103; warmth of home

    The boardroom at Langston Enterprises had been filled with the soft clicks of pens, murmured agreements, and the occasional sound of someone shifting in their seat. It was a quarterly strategy update, and though it had started like every other—formal, intense, and immaculately structured—there was something noticeably different in the air.Maybe it was the way Adrian kept subtly glancing at Bella across the table, a faint softness undercutting his usual steel-edged composure. Or perhaps it was how Diana no longer looked like she was suppressing an eye roll every time Oliver made a comment—because now, she actually smiled.As the final slides flicked across the large screen and the meeting drew to a close, Oliver leaned toward Adrian and whispered, “You’re unusually chipper today. Did you take up yoga or something?”Adrian shot him a deadpan look. “I had a good espresso.”“Must’ve been made with love,” Oliver muttered with a teasing grin, nodding toward Bella, who was already packing u

  • Hold on, Mr billionaire.    Chapter 102; You are always welcome

    The following days at the Langston estate were painted in warm hues of laughter, quiet conversations, and subtle glances. Life was finding its rhythm again. But for Oliver and Diana, everything suddenly felt… different.Not uncomfortable. Not rushed. Just different — like stepping into a space they hadn’t dared explore for too long.Oliver strolled into the conservatory early that afternoon, where golden light filtered through high arched windows and bathed the lush plants in a soft, romantic glow. The room smelled faintly of lavender and citrus from the fresh blossoms along the edges, and a gentle classical piece drifted through the air from the antique speakers tucked between the ferns.And there she was.Diana Monroe.Sitting on the tufted bench in the corner, an open legal folder on her lap, her glasses perched delicately on her nose. Her dark brown hair was pulled into a low bun, and she wore a simple, elegant cream dress that hugged her figure like it had been tailored with her

  • Hold on, Mr billionaire.    Chapter 101: New things

    **Third Person POV**The Langston estate had quieted down in recent weeks, its halls no longer echoing with the tension of crisis and whispered strategy meetings. With Monica finally behind bars and the tech empire stable once again, the family could breathe — for the first time in a long time. But even in the stillness, something stirred beneath the surface. Something gentler. More complicated.Oliver Langston leaned against the marble island in the family’s secondary kitchen — the cozier one, tucked away from the grandeur of the main space. A slice of lemon cake dangled between his fingers, and crumbs dusted the front of his faded jeans. His hair was a little too wild, his shirt a little too wrinkled, and his grin — as usual — far too smug.Across from him, Diana Monroe sat with perfect posture, her silk blouse tucked into a pencil skirt, not a hair out of place. She stirred her tea quietly, eyes fixed on the amber swirls dancing in her cup.“You know,” Oliver began, “I’ve noticed y

  • Hold on, Mr billionaire.    Chapter 100; the world moved on

    The courthouse was buzzing, reporters clustered outside the heavy wooden doors like moths to flame. Cameras flashed, microphones extended toward anyone who even looked like they had something to say. But inside the Langston Enterprise boardroom-turned-war room, silence reigned.Adrian stood by the window, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the chaos on the news screen. The live broadcast showed Monica being escorted into the courthouse, her expression unreadable behind large sunglasses and an expensive blazer that screamed defiance.Bella sat on the couch, her laptop open in front of her, though she hadn't typed anything for the past ten minutes. She was watching Adrian instead—studying the sharp cut of his jaw, the way tension rolled through his body like waves. He’d barely spoken that morning, save for the briefest exchange over coffee.The past few weeks had been war.But they’d finally won.The evidence Bella had uncovered—along with Oliver’s unexpected yet brilliant te

  • Hold on, Mr billionaire.    Chapter 99; calm before the storm

    **Bella’s POV**The warmth of the morning sun streamed across the kitchen table, golden rays spilling through the tall windows of Adrian’s penthouse. I watched as steam rose from my tea, curling in the air like whispers of the thoughts I couldn't quite silence.Even though Monica was behind bars, even though her networks were unraveling piece by piece, it still felt like we were holding our breath.The calm after a storm wasn’t always peaceful. Sometimes, it was eerily quiet—like the world was waiting for something else to go wrong.Adrian stood by the stove, sleeves rolled to his elbows, flipping pancakes like a seasoned pro. It was such a domestic sight that I almost laughed. The man who once ran international meetings from helicopters now took pride in making breakfast from scratch.He glanced over his shoulder, catching my gaze. “You’re staring again.”I shrugged, sipping my tea. “It’s not every day I see you act like a responsible adult.”He smirked, placing a stack of fluffy pan

Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status