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80. Homecoming, with Consequences

last update Last Updated: 2025-05-03 22:00:02

The city greeted them like a sharp intake of breath, brisk, fast, and unrelenting. The city felt colder than she remembered. Gone were the soft rustle of palm trees and the endless lull of ocean waves. In their place horns, high heels clacking against pavement, and a skyline that blinked with a thousand ambitions.

It wasn’t just the weather—though it was gray and damp, a soft drizzle peppering the windshield as the car glided down the familiar road that led to Adrian’s penthouse. No, it was something else. The way the skyline looked more steel than silver. The way the buildings rose like jagged teeth rather than shimmering towers.

Amelia rested her forehead against the cool glass of the car window, watching raindrops chase each other down the pane.

Vaca

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  • Surrendering to the Billionaire   1. The Shattered Vows

    The boardroom was cold, sterile, and suffocatingly silent. The only sound was the faint hum of the air conditioning and the occasional shuffle of papers. Amelia Hayes sat at the far end of the long mahogany table, her fingers curled tightly around a stack of documents she had spent months perfecting. The weight of exhaustion pressed down on her, but she ignored it, forcing herself to sit upright. The contract in her hands was a masterpiece, a deal that would bring in millions, solidifying Cavendish Corporation’s dominance in the market.She should have felt victorious.Instead, there was only an eerie, lingering tension in the room.Across from her, Ethan Cavendish, her husband of five years, the man she had loved, built a life with, sat in his plush leather chair with the cool detachment of a man utterly indifferent to the woman sitting before him. There was something unsettling about the way he stared at her, as if he were a stranger rather than the man who had once sworn to stand b

    Last Updated : 2025-02-13
  • Surrendering to the Billionaire    2. A Familiar Stranger

    The next evening, Amelia stood in front of the mirror in her modest apartment, smoothing down the front of her dark blue dress. It wasn’t ostentatious but had an understated elegance that suited her current mood: guarded, determined, but still reeling from the events of the day before. She’d spent hours questioning why Adrian Black, a man whose name was synonymous with power, wanted to meet her.As she adjusted her earrings, her phone buzzed with a message:“Your car is waiting downstairs. – Adrian Black”“You arranged a car?”“I told you I would. Promptness is important to me.”He hadn’t sent a driver’s name or a car description, but when she stepped outside, there was no mistaking the sleek black sedan idling by the curb. The chauffeur stepped out, opening the door for her with a polite nod.The ride to the restaurant was silent except for the hum of the engine. Amelia’s mind churned with speculation, her gaze flickering between the passing city lights and the polished leather seats

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  • Surrendering to the Billionaire   3. The Wolves’ Den

    Amelia adjusted her blazer as she stepped into the grand lobby of Black Tower. The space was as intimidating as its owner: sleek, modern, and unapologetically commanding. Polished black marble floors reflected the pristine glass walls, and a massive geometric chandelier cast intricate patterns of light across the space. A steady hum of professionalism filled the air as employees moved with purpose.She approached the front desk, where a woman in a sharp suit greeted her with a knowing smile. “Ms. Hayes, Mr. Black is expecting you. Please follow me.”Amelia nodded, following Natalie to a private elevator tucked away behind a column. The elevator hummed as it climbed higher into the clouds, its soft chime breaking the suffocating silence. Amelia tried to focus on the rhythmic rise of the floor numbers, but her reflection in the elevator’s mirrored walls betrayed her nerves. She was stepping into unknown territory, and Adrian Black was waiting on the other side.When the elevator doors s

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  • Surrendering to the Billionaire   4. The Unraveling

    Amelia sat in the dim glow of her apartment, the only light coming from her laptop screen. The city outside buzzed with life, but inside, there was nothing but silence and the eerie glow reflecting off her wide, unblinking eyes. Her eyes traced over the email thread she had uncovered from Adrian’s flash drive, reading the ominous phrases over and over again.Cavendish Project: Phase One.She scrolled through the emails again, each vague phrase more unsettling than the last. “Acquisition strategies.” “Control measures.” “Necessary eliminations.” Her gut twisted. It didn’t sound like corporate restructuring, it sounded like war.She leaned back against the couch, rubbing her temples. What the hell is Adrian up to? More importantly, why was Ethan’s name all over these exchanges? The logical part of her brain screamed at her to stop, to shut the laptop, forget what she had seen, and disappear from this twisted game before it swallowed her whole. But another part, the part that refused to

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  • Surrendering to the Billionaire   5. The Edge of Control

    The contract sat in front of her, a single sheet of paper that held more power than anything in her life right now, mocking her with its pristine, untouched pages. Next to it, her laptop screen still glowed with the Cavendish Project: Phase One email thread, its cryptic phrases swirling in her mind like a storm she couldn’t escape."Acquisition strategies.""Control measures.""Necessary eliminations."Amelia leaned back into the couch, staring at it. Not signing meant she still had a choice. Signing meant surrendering to Adrian Black’s world. And she had no doubt that once she stepped into his world, there would be no escape.She hadn’t slept. She couldn’t. Ethan’s warning played over and over in her head."He’s not just coming for Cavendish. He’s coming for you."The words should have sent her running. But instead, they pulled her deeper. Because if Adrian was playing a game, then she needed to know what kind of piece she was on his board. A part of her had suspected Adrian was dang

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  • Surrendering to the Billionaire   6. Boundaries That Don’t Exist

    The scent of blood and whiskey still clung to the air. Amelia stared at the blood staining the contract, the deep red seeping into the stark white paper, spreading over the bold letters of her name, the ink smudged beneath the dark crimson stain.The silence stretched between them like a blade, sharp and unyielding. Across the desk, Adrian stood still, too still, his jaw locked, his grip on the shattered glass tightened, his knuckles white. The sharp contrast of his perfectly tailored black shirt against the violent slash of blood sent an uneasy chill down her spine.The tension in the air was suffocating, but he didn’t move. Neither did she.Something about the rage simmering beneath his surface sent a thrill of unease down her spine. Not because she feared him, no, the terrifying part was that she didn’t.Because at this moment, she knew one undeniable truth. Adrian Black would burn the world down before he let anything happen to her.And that should scare her.She should run. But s

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  • Surrendering to the Billionaire   7. The Contract That Changed Everything

    The pen felt heavier than it should.Amelia’s fingers hovered over the contract, her heart pounding in her ears, the words blurred together in her mind. Once she signed, there would be no going back. That’s all it would take. The contract sat between them, untouched, pristine, except for the dried blood staining Amelia’s name.She had spent the night turning over every possibility in her mind. She could walk away. She could ignore Adrian Black and everything he had placed before her. But deep down, she knew she wouldn’t. Because Adrian had been right.She had spent years building something for Ethan, only for him to discard her like she had been nothing. She had watched as men, powerful men took credit for her work. And now, for the first time, someone was handing her power.It didn’t matter that Adrian had his own motives. What mattered was that this time, she wouldn’t be the woman standing in the shadows.One stroke of ink, and she would step into Adrian Black’s world, a world where

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  • Surrendering to the Billionaire   8. The First Move

    The silver bracelet sat heavy in her palm. Amelia turned it over between her fingers, her stomach twisting as she ran her thumb over the engraved word.Mine.Not a gift. Not an accessory. Not a meaningless trinket.A claim.Her jaw clenched.Adrian Black never said the words. He didn’t have to. His actions spoke louder than anything else.She had signed the contract. She had walked into his world. But she had done it on her own terms. And if Adrian thought he could brand her like some pretty little acquisition, he was in for a rude awakening, he was about to learn exactly how wrong he was.She grabbed the bracelet and marched straight to the living room.Adrian sat near the floor-to-ceiling window, his posture unbothered, effortless. A coffee cup rested beside him, his phone in one hand, a document in the other.He didn’t look up as she approached. But she knew he felt her presence.“You’re up early.” His voice was smooth, like a man who was always in control.She tossed the bracelet

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Latest chapter

  • Surrendering to the Billionaire   80. Homecoming, with Consequences

    The city greeted them like a sharp intake of breath, brisk, fast, and unrelenting. The city felt colder than she remembered. Gone were the soft rustle of palm trees and the endless lull of ocean waves. In their place horns, high heels clacking against pavement, and a skyline that blinked with a thousand ambitions.It wasn’t just the weather—though it was gray and damp, a soft drizzle peppering the windshield as the car glided down the familiar road that led to Adrian’s penthouse. No, it was something else. The way the skyline looked more steel than silver. The way the buildings rose like jagged teeth rather than shimmering towers.Amelia rested her forehead against the cool glass of the car window, watching raindrops chase each other down the pane.Vaca

  • Surrendering to the Billionaire   79. Skin on Fire

    Adrian gently laid Amelia down on the plush blanket he had spread out on the sand. The cool night air and distant sound of waves provided a sensual backdrop as he gazed upon her beauty in the moonlight. His dark eyes smoldered with barely restrained desire as they roamed over her curves, taking in every detail.His hands slowly roamed her curves, caressing every inch of exposed skin as he undressed her piece by piece with aching tenderness. Amelia shivered under his touch, relishing the feel of his fingers igniting flames across her body. She arched into him, desperate for more."Adrian," she sighed, reaching for him.Their lips met in a deep, hungry kiss that spoke volumes of their longing for one another. Tongues twined and danced as their passion grew hotter. Adrian

  • Surrendering to the Billionaire   78. One Last Sunrise

    The last morning on the island came wrapped in golden hush, in a kind of silence that made everything feel heavier. Not sad, not quite, not yet. But something lingered in the air, something that felt like goodbye.Amelia stirred before the sun did. She heard the sound of waves, slow and rhythmic against the shore. The breeze, warmer now with summer’s edge, drifted in through the open terrace doors, rustling the white curtains and brushing across the bare skin of her arms.She reached across the bed, instinctively searching for warmth—but found only crumpled sheets. She blinked, eyes adjusting to the soft morning glow. Adrian wasn’t beside her. His presence was everywhere, the scent of his cologne faint on the pillow, the imprint of his body in the mattress, the echo of his voice from last night, whispering pro

  • Surrendering to the Billionaire   77. Tangled in Sunsets and Temptation

    The morning after felt like silk unfolded slowly, like molasses dripping under the golden spill of coastal light.Golden light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Adrian’s villa, catching on the fluttering curtains and dancing across the bed where Amelia lay wrapped in one of Adrian’s T-shirts and an oversized comforter. Her body was still humming from the way Adrian had kissed her last night, from the way he’d held her like she was something precious, not fragile, but irreplaceable.Adrian had gotten up early, but not before pressing a kiss to her temple and murmuring something about coming back with breakfast. She wasn’t entirely convinced that there hadn't been a bribe to stop her from demanding more rounds last night.She blinke

  • Surrendering to the Billionaire   76. Wild Hearts, Reckless Hands

    The ocean sparkled under the late-morning sun, a blinding expanse of endless blue stretching toward the horizon. The air was humid and salted, the sky painted in strokes of blue and gold as early afternoon pressed into view.On the private beach nestled below Adrian’s coastal villa, paradise looked like a postcard. Amelia, however, was not feeling particularly zen. Especially not when Adrian revved the engine of the jet ski and sent them flying across a wave that could’ve launched them straight into orbit.Adrian turned, smirking over his shoulder. “Ready, sweetheart?”Amelia stood on the dock, squinting into the sunlight. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail, oversized sunglasses perched on her nose, and a bright coral bikini peeking through the open

  • Surrendering to the Billionaire   75. The Way He Holds Me

    The moment Adrian’s lips crashed into hers, the world fell away. The air between them was thick with heat and longing, heavy enough to drown in.The storm outside faded into a distant hum, nothing but white noise compared to the thunder in Amelia’s chest. He kissed her like she was the only thing tethering him to reality, like the craving for her was so deep it had carved a permanent space in his soul. His mouth moved with a hunger that contradicted the slow burn simmering just beneath the surface.She responded just as fiercely.There was no rush to undress. No frantic fumbling. Just the fevered, maddening art of holding back of tasting, teasing, testing the limits of restraint.Adrian broke the kiss bu

  • Surrendering to the Billionaire   74. Marooned with a Madman

    The morning arrived with a storm, rolling in from the sea with an ominous rumble of thunder. Sheets of rain battered against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the villa, the wind howling like a restless beast. The sky was dark, casting an eerie glow over the room, but inside, cocooned beneath the thick covers, Amelia felt nothing but warmth. The sky outside was a deep shade of gray, casting the bedroom in a muted, dreamlike light. It was the kind of morning that begged for laziness, for tangled sheets and whispered words.She stirred against Adrian’s chest, her bare skin brushing against his. He was awake, his arm lazily draped around her waist, fingers tracing slow, idle circles on her hip. Even in sleep, he was possessive. Even in a storm, he was in control.Amelia sighed, her lips brushing against his collarbone. “It&rsq

  • Surrendering to the Billionaire   73. Jealousy is a Dangerous Game

    Adrian Black was not a man who shared. He didn’t tolerate competition. He didn’t believe in second chances. And he sure as hell didn’t like watching another man look at what belonged to him, especially not Amelia.Amelia knew this. She had known it the moment she first met him, the moment she first saw the raw, untamed intensity in his storm-gray eyes. And yet, she couldn’t help herself pushing him, teasing him, testing the very limits of his control every time she got a chance. It was a dangerous thrill she was hopelessly addicted to.That flirtatious street vendor might have been a harmless fool, but Amelia’s teasing? That was deliberate. She knew exactly what she was doing, stoking the fire, pushing him to the edge, daring him to lose control.

  • Surrendering to the Billionaire   72. Revenge is a Sin

    Amelia should have known better. Messing with Adrian Black was like playing with fire, dangerous, exhilarating, and bound to leave a mark. And judging by the wicked gleam in his storm-gray eyes, she was about to get burned.Still dangling over his shoulder, dripping from the ice-cold water she had just dumped on him, Amelia kicked her legs in protest. "Adrian! Put me down!"He ignored her, carrying her effortlessly through the villa. His grip on her thighs was firm, possessive, as if she belonged to him like she wasn’t going anywhere until he decided."Adrian," she tried again, squirming.His palm landed on her ass in a sharp, warning slap. "Keep struggling, sweetheart. I dare you."

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