Share

Chapter 32

last update Last Updated: 2025-06-09 14:23:55

Valentine pov

I woke up with a start, my heart hammering against my chest like a warning drum. For a moment, I didn't recognize where I was. The scent of cedar and something warmer soothed the storm before it could break into full confusion.

My head was cradled against something hard and warm. No, someone. My eyes flashed open and I stiffened. Who the fuck is in my bed?

My first instinct was to panic, to try and break free, to run. But as I rose swiftly, I came face to face with Adrian. And then visions of the night before swept in upon me in waves crashing against the beach—his words, his kiss, the unspoken safety of proximity to him. We'd sat for hours talking, refusing to sleep. Sometime during the long night, we'd both finally dropped off. Funnily, we were still in our clothes.

A nervous laugh rose in my throat. He moved slightly, arms instinctively around me as if guarding something fragile as he slept.

"You're awake," he spoke slowly, voice gruff from sleep.

"I think so," I bre
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter

Latest chapter

  • The Billionaire’s Contract Bride   Chapter 38

    Adrian's PovThe first thing I felt was the heaviness in the air. Not the kind born of tension or fear, but the kind that crept over you when a person you loved finally rested after crying for hours. Valentine was curled up beside me, her head buried into my chest, her breathing finally calm after the storm of the night. I didn't move a single inch. My arm was numb from her weight, but I would not have traded it for anything.But then my phone screen lit up. Thankfully, it was on do now disturb so it didn't make a sound. I picked it gingerly, not wanting to wake her. One glance at the screen and the tension I had struggled to hold back a moment came crashing back like a hammer. It was a text from work. An investor was threatening to pull out and I had to do something fast. I shifted slowly, her arm across my belly like a padlock securing me in position. But I realized if I didn't assert myself in this moment, things would spin further out of control. I shifted slowly, moving out fro

  • The Billionaire’s Contract Bride    Chapter 37

    Chapter 37Valentine's POVMy thumb hovered against the screen. One click. That was it. One click and I would know whether the future I had picked up in both hands was already slipping from my fingers. Adrian stood there silently, his hand still wrapped around mine as though he could ground me in this second. As though he could freeze time, as though he could stop me.I clicked on it and the email opened with an appropriate heading: "From the Office of Academic Standards and Integrity." My gut was already twisted. I read over the first few lines for catchphrases, something that would enable me to steel myself for the blow that I expected to receive."Having given careful consideration to evidence submitted and under investigation into the facts surrounding your academic performance and honesty, the university has decided to suspend you academically pending the investigation."Suspended, not expelled seemed good. But that single word had been crushing me like an anvil on my chest. I

  • The Billionaire’s Contract Bride   Chapter 36

    Valentine's POVThe room was quiet, save for the occasional creak of the ceiling fan and the soft tick of the old clock on the bookshelf. I sat on the edge of the bed, folded knees up, fists clenched into the hem of the duvet. My phone rested face-down on the nightstand. I hadn't answered it since I got back from campus.I had chatted with Oliver for a while but shortly after he slept off, the effect of his drugs I suppose. It was hours since Adrian had left, I didn't question him where he was going. But I had my suspicions and a part of me hated the fact that I wouldn't be able to stand up to whatever was coming with him. But another part, the quiet, scared part, was relieved. Because I knew what he believed about me.They thought I was a thief who stole their golden boy. A leech clinging to his last name like it was my own. And maybe once, it was. But now? I just wanted him.Not his name or the power that came with it. I wanted Him. I reached for my phone again, flipping it over.

  • The Billionaire’s Contract Bride   Chapter 35

    Adrian's POVThe drive home was eerily silent, but not the awkward kind. Valentine leaned on my shoulder, her breathing slow and steady, her body warm beside me. The driver kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead, keeping a distance from our personal space. For so long, I let myself imagine a world where this was not making things difficult. Where we could go home and watch a movie on the couch. Where she could sleep beside me without worrying about who was watching.She was not speaking, and neither was I. But her hand rested near mine on the chair, and that was sufficient.And then suddenly, my phone rang. I moved carefully, not wishing to bump into her. The screen lit up.Message from: FatherCome see me, now. Alone.I read the message again. Why did he emphasise on coming alone. The word brought all the warning signs to mind. My dad hardly ever messaged me directly. Messages concerning him always passed through his secretary, or his assistant, or through staff members within the fam

  • The Billionaire’s Contract Bride   Chapter 34

    Chapter 34Valentine's POVThe hum of the fluorescent light in the bathroom was the only sound accompanied by the frantic pounding of my heart. I was standing in front of the mirror, with hands still wet from washing, staring at my own reflection without even realizing. My phone was in my hand, the screen lit up with a trending news. What I didn't expect to see was my face in the post. What the fuck? Adrian made the post. He did it. He really did it. I blinked, wondering if I was seeing it right. But no, the words were there, unapologetic and clear, on display for the world:"Married to the most incredible woman. Our journey hasn't always been typical, but it's ours. Here's to love, persistence, and seeing it through together."God! I traced the actual post and it led me to Adrians profile. He had 2.5 million followers and this as his first post. So why exactly were they following him? I can never understand the impact money has.I stared down at the picture and I didn't even remembe

  • The Billionaire’s Contract Bride   Chapter 33

    Valentine's POVThe hum of the fluorescent light in the bathroom was the only sound accompanied by the frantic pounding of my heart. I was standing in front of the mirror, with hands still wet from washing, staring at my own reflection without even realizing. My phone was in my hand, the screen lit up with a trending news. What I didn't expect to see was my face in the post. What the fuck? Adrian made the post. He did it. He really did it. I blinked, wondering if I was seeing it right. But no, the words were there, unapologetic and clear, on display for the world:"Married to the most incredible woman. Our journey hasn't always been typical, but it's ours. Here's to love, persistence, and seeing it through together."God! I traced the actual post and it led me to Adrians profile. He had 2.5 million followers and this as his first post. So why exactly were they following him? I can never understand the impact money has.I stared down at the picture and I didn't even remember when it w

More Chapters
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