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Chapter one hundred and thirty

Author: Elira sloane
last update publish date: 2026-08-24 07:07:07

THE FAMILY TABLE

ROMAN'S POV

I stood in front of the mirror and fixed my shirt for the third time.

Noelle sat on the edge of the bed watching me. Milo was curled up beside her. The penthouse felt quiet and warm.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come?” she asked gently.

I turned and looked at her.

“Not tonight,” I said. “I need to do this alone. Just the family. If things go well, there will be other dinners. You will be there for those.”

She nodded. She did not look hurt. She understood.

“Oka
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  • THE BILLIONAIRE'S DIRTY SECRET: A FORBIDDEN SECOND CHANCE   Chapter one hundred and thirty-two

    LUNCH BREAKNOELLE'S POVI stood in front of the tall glass building and looked up.This was the main company building. The one Roman had returned to after the investigation ended. I had not been here in a long time. For a moment I almost turned around. Then I fixed my bag on my shoulder and walked inside.The lobby was bright and quiet. People in suits moved across the shiny floor. I went to the front desk and smiled at the receptionist.“Hi. I’m here to see Roman Ashford.”She typed something on her computer and then pointed me toward the elevators.“Top floor. His secretary will meet you.”“Thank you.”The elevator ride felt long. My stomach was a little nervous, but not in a bad way. I just wanted to see him. I wanted to surprise him and maybe steal him away for lunch.When the doors opened, a woman was already waiting. She was tall, with perfect hair and a polite smile that did not fully reach her eyes.“You must be Noelle,” she said. “Mr. Ashford is in a meeting right now. You c

  • THE BILLIONAIRE'S DIRTY SECRET: A FORBIDDEN SECOND CHANCE   Chapter one hundred and thirty-one

    GOOD NEWS IN THE KITCHENNOELLE'S POVRoman left for work early that morning, after I had repeatedly pushed him away from me.He kissed me goodbye at the door, told me to rest, and reminded me that food was already in the fridge if I got hungry. After the door closed, the penthouse felt quiet. Milo walked around my legs and then jumped onto the couch like he owned the place. I was happy he was here with me. Bria had called me earlier saying she was coming.I was still in my pajamas when the doorbell rang.I opened it and found Bria standing there with two big grocery bags and a bright smile.“I came to cook,” she said. “Move out of the way.”I laughed and stepped aside. “You always say that.”“Because it’s always true. Rowan doesn't feed you properly.” she said, shaking her head.She walked straight to the kitchen and started unpacking the bags. Chicken, vegetables, rice, spices, and a bottle of juice. She looked comfortable in Roman’s kitchen now, like she had cooked there many times

  • THE BILLIONAIRE'S DIRTY SECRET: A FORBIDDEN SECOND CHANCE   Chapter one hundred and thirty

    THE FAMILY TABLEROMAN'S POVI stood in front of the mirror and fixed my shirt for the third time.Noelle sat on the edge of the bed watching me. Milo was curled up beside her. The penthouse felt quiet and warm.“Are you sure you don’t want me to come?” she asked gently.I turned and looked at her.“Not tonight,” I said. “I need to do this alone. Just the family. If things go well, there will be other dinners. You will be there for those.”She nodded. She did not look hurt. She understood.“Okay. Just Call me if you need anything.”I walked over and kissed her forehead.“I will. Don’t wait up if it gets late.” She smiled a little.“I’ll wait up anyway.”I left the penthouse with a strange feeling in my chest. Part of me wanted to turn around and stay home with her. The other part knew this dinner had been waiting for years.The drive to my mother’s house felt longer than usual. The old gates opened slowly. The driveway was lined with the same trees I remembered from childhood. The big

  • THE BILLIONAIRE'S DIRTY SECRET: A FORBIDDEN SECOND CHANCE   Chapter one hundred and twenty-nine

    APOLOGETIC CALLROMAN'S POVI was sitting in the living room when my phone started ringing.Noelle was in the kitchen making tea. Milo was asleep on the couch beside me, his small body warm against my leg. That still felt like a miracle. The penthouse was quiet and calm. For the first time in a long while, things felt steady. No danger. No rushing. Just a normal evening.I looked at the screen.Derek.I stared at the name for a few seconds. We had not spoken properly in a long time. Most of our conversations had been cold or angry. Some had ended with one of us hanging up. I almost let the call go to voicemail. My thumb hovered over the red button. Then I answered.“Derek.”There was a short silence on the other end before he spoke.“Roman. Are you free to talk?”His voice sounded different. Not mocking. Just tired and serious. It made me sit up a little straighter.“I’m listening,” I said.Derek took a breath. I could hear it through the phone.“You need to come back to the company.”

  • THE BILLIONAIRE'S DIRTY SECRET: A FORBIDDEN SECOND CHANCE   Chapter one hundred and twenty-eight

    WEIGHT OF COMPARISONDEREK'S POVMy father sat behind his big desk like a judge. The city lights behind him made his face look harder than usual. A single folder lay closed in front of him. I already knew what was inside. The contract we had just lost.I stood on the other side of the desk.Richard looked at me for a long time before he spoke.“You lost it,” he said. His voice was low and controlled. That was worse than shouting.“I know,” I answered.“Do you?” He opened the folder and turned it so I could see the papers. “This was not a small deal, Derek. This was a long-term contract. The kind that keeps people employed. The kind that builds trust with partners. And you lost it.”I clenched my jaw. My hands stayed at my sides so he would not see them tighten.“The client changed their terms at the last minute. They wanted guarantees we could not give without putting the company at risk.”“Roman would have found a way,” my father said.The words landed exactly where he meant them to.

  • THE BILLIONAIRE'S DIRTY SECRET: A FORBIDDEN SECOND CHANCE   Chapter one hundred and twenty seven

    THE CAT PROBLEMROMAN'S POVI knew something was wrong the moment Bria walked through the door.She was carrying a plastic pet carrier. Inside it, something moved. Then I heard a low, angry sound. It was not a normal meow.Noelle sat up on the couch right away. Her face lit up.“Milo!”Bria laughed and set the carrier on the floor.“Someone missed a certain human, ” she said. “So I brought him. You’re welcome.”Noelle was already on her knees opening the carrier. The moment the door opened, a fluffy grey cat stepped out, looked around the penthouse, and then locked eyes with me.I swear the cat’s eyes narrowed.“Hey, buddy,” I said carefully.Milo’s ears went flat.Noelle picked him up and hugged him. The cat purred for her right away. He rubbed his head under her chin like she was his favorite person in the world. Then he looked at me again over her shoulder.The purring stopped.Bria crossed her arms and grinned.“Oh, this is going to be good.”“What?” I asked.“He hates men,” Bria

  • THE BILLIONAIRE'S DIRTY SECRET: A FORBIDDEN SECOND CHANCE   Chapter fifty

    NO!NOELLE'S POVThe penthouse was quiet when I arrived.Roman had texted me earlier that day, a simple message: Come over tonight. We need to talk. Just us.I knew what it was about.After the photos Derek sent me, after the fight at Sylvia’s birthday dinner, after weeks of avoiding the name that

  • THE BILLIONAIRE'S DIRTY SECRET: A FORBIDDEN SECOND CHANCE   Chapter forty-nine

    MOTHER'S WARNINGNOELLE'S POVThe knock on my office door came at 4:17 p.m. on a quiet Tuesday afternoon.I was buried in final gala paperwork, headphones in, trying to drown out the noise in my head. The photos Derek sent me were still hidden in a drawer at home. Liana’s name still lingered like a

  • THE BILLIONAIRE'S DIRTY SECRET: A FORBIDDEN SECOND CHANCE   Chapter forty-eight

    BROKEN EXNOELLE'S POVMonday morning at DANS felt strangely empty.I arrived early, hoping the routine would ground me after the chaos of the weekend. The office was quiet, the usual hum of conversations and ringing phones still muted. Most people were still trickling in, coffee cups in hand, chat

  • THE BILLIONAIRE'S DIRTY SECRET: A FORBIDDEN SECOND CHANCE   Chapter forty-seven

    ROMAN'S POVThe penthouse was too quiet.I sat on the edge of my bed in the dark, staring at my reflection in the floor-length mirror across the room. The city lights outside cast long shadows, but they couldn’t hide the damage.Black eye swollen nearly shut. Lip split open, crusted with dried bloo

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