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2025-05-29 07:11:57
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The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 121
The room exploded.I couldn't even hear my own heartbeat over the chaos. People stood up, voices layered over one another, gasps turning into shouts, chairs scraping across the floor. Shareholders whispered frantically to each other, some of them backing away from the table, phones already out, recording. Someone dropped a pen, and it rolled along the glossy wood without anyone bothering to catch it.Leo didn’t flinch.He kept walking, one measured step after another. His face was unreadable, calm in a way that almost scared me more than if he'd been angry or broken. He walked like he hadn't just returned from the dead. Like he hadn't been missing for weeks while everyone speculated and grieved and planned behind his back.I stood there frozen, watching him come closer. My legs were locked in place, my mouth slightly open, but no sound came out. I blinked once, then again, trying to confirm he was real.He looked directly at Carla first.She stepped back instinctively. Her eyes were w
The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 120
The morning came faster than I wanted.I barely slept the night before. I kept checking my phone for any updates from Dennis, nothing and no sign of Leo, there was no lead on Julie, just silence, I sat at the edge of the bed long before the sun came up, staring at the floor, holding my phone in both hands. Eventually, I stood and went to the bathroom. I turned on the light, squinting at the mirror, my face looked tired, my eyes were dull, and the dark circles under them didn’t go away even after splashing water on my face.I brushed my hair out slowly, piece by piece, then pulled it back into a sleek, low bun. I wanted to look sharp, focused. I reached for the navy blazer I’d picked out last night and slid it on over a white blouse. I buttoned the front and adjusted the collar. I stepped back and stared at my reflection.“I wish you were here,” I whispered. “I wish you were walking in with me.”The silence in the mirror didn’t answer.I grabbed my small leather case and walked downs
The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 119
I spent the next several hours calling every name Derek had flagged in the shareholder list. Each call started the same. I would introduce myself, explain that I wanted to speak briefly about Leo, and ask for a meeting, just ten minutes, face to face. I wasn’t asking for much. I wasn’t making threats. I kept it professional, calm and clear.Most of them didn’t answer at all.The ones who did gave short responses. Some polite, some cold. One assistant told me to submit a request through a corporate scheduling portal. Another said her boss was out of the country for the next two weeks. Another said, “The board already has a path forward,” before hanging up.I sat in a quiet booth in a corner café, my phone resting on the table next to an untouched glass of iced tea. I’d circled the same five streets all morning trying to make this work. Ryan had offered to come with me, but I told him I needed to do this alone.By noon, I had three confirmed responses. All rejections.One shareholder’s
The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 118
I sat at the kitchen table, one hand curled around my coffee mug, the other hovering over my phone. I stared at the contact screen for a good thirty seconds before finally pressing the call button. My heart beat a little faster than it needed to. I hadn’t spoken to Derek Parrish in years.The phone rang three times, then picked up.“Hello?”“Derek? It’s Bella.”There was a pause on the line.“Wait—Bella?” He sounded stunned. “From senior year contracts class? Are you serious right now?”I smiled just slightly. “Yeah. I wasn’t sure if you’d even still have the same number.”“Oh my God. I haven’t heard from you in forever.” His voice had that same fast, enthusiastic rhythm I remembered from college. “Wow, this is crazy.”“It’s been a while.”“No kidding.” He chuckled, then suddenly hesitated. “Okay, so, I’m just going to say it, I used to have the biggest crush on you back then. Like embarrassing levels of obvious. I’m pretty sure even the janitor knew. Wow. I can’t believe I just admit
The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 117
I woke up with sunlight coming through the curtains and a dull ache in my neck from sleeping sideways on the couch. The blanket Ryan gave me had slipped halfway off during the night, and one of the tea mugs was still on the table, now cold and forgotten.I rubbed my eyes and sat up slowly, the house was quiet except for the low murmur of a morning news show playing faintly from the kitchen. I stretched my arms over my head, took a breath, and stood.Last night had been chaos, Julie disappearing, the funeral disaster, everything closing in from every direction but I couldn’t let it weigh me down this morning. There was too much to do, too much at stake. If I let it eat at me, I’d fall apart again, and I didn’t have the luxury of falling apart anymore.I slipped on my hoodie and padded barefoot across the hallway. I paused outside Jack’s bedroom, hand on the doorframe, then gently knocked before pushing it open.He was already awake, sitting up in bed with a blanket pulled over his lap
The Billionaire’s Runaway Bride 116
The ride back was quiet for the first few minutes.I sat in the backseat with the door still half-open until Ryan walked over and gently closed it for me. He didn’t say anything when he slid into the seat beside me, his hand rested near mine, not touching, just there. The window next to me was still halfway down, and the air outside was cold against my skin.He looked over at me carefully. “Are you okay?”I didn’t answer.He shifted toward me. “Hey… talk to me.”I blinked hard and leaned my head back against the seat. “No. I’m not okay.”He nodded slowly, giving me space to speak. “Tell me what you need.”I stared straight ahead. “The new CEO’s going to be announced at the shareholders’ meeting.”“I know.”“And once that happens,” I said, “Leo loses everything, his name, his company, the legacy he built from the ground up.” I swallowed hard, “alll of it, gone.”Ryan reached for my hand, this time he held it. “The shareholders love Leo, they know what he’s done for that company, they w
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