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CHAPTER NINETY SEVEN

Auteur: Whisker Whispers
last update Date de publication: 2026-06-13 15:12:02

XAVIER

The boardroom was cold, and it wasn’t because of the air conditioning. It was the kind of cold that settled in when everyone in the room was unhappy.

But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t expecting this.

Twelve faces around the table. Most of them careful, composed, giving nothing away. Donnelly sat three seats to my left with his hands folded looking the most scorned.

I let the silence sit for a moment before I started.

"I know you've all seen the Morrison offer," I said. "I'm not go
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  • The Billionaire's Ultimatum   CHAPTER NINETY EIGHT

    XAVIER “Laura. She left a note saying she was shopping with you. Is she with you right now?" "I—no." Juniper said carefully. "I haven't seen her today. I thought she was at the Penthouse." My blood ran cold. "What do you mean she isn’t with you? When last did you speak to her?" "Yesterday afternoon. Before the interview." There was another pause. "Xavier, what's going on?" "Nothing. I'll handle it." I hung up. Marcus picked up before the first ring finished. "Track Laura's phone. Now." "Boss—" "Now, Marcus." I was already moving toward the door. It took four minutes. Marcus called back while I was in the elevator. "Grant Park," he said. "She's stationary. Near the Buckingham Fountain." Grant Park. The Buckingham Fountain. I thought about the way she'd kissed me this morning. Long and warm and slightly urgent. The brightness in her face that hadn't quite reached her eyes. “I'm fine. Go win your board meeting.” She'd known. All morning, she'd known she

  • The Billionaire's Ultimatum   CHAPTER NINETY SEVEN

    XAVIER The boardroom was cold, and it wasn’t because of the air conditioning. It was the kind of cold that settled in when everyone in the room was unhappy.But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t expecting this.Twelve faces around the table. Most of them careful, composed, giving nothing away. Donnelly sat three seats to my left with his hands folded looking the most scorned.I let the silence sit for a moment before I started."I know you've all seen the Morrison offer," I said. "I'm not going to pretend it isn't attractive on paper, because it is. They've done their homework and they've put together a package designed to make you question whether staying the course with me is the right choice." I looked around the table. "It's a smart tactic. It's also built on information they shouldn't have."That landed. A few faces shifted uncomfortably."Someone in this company has been leaking confidential documents to our competitors," I continued with a slight smile on my face, but it

  • The Billionaire's Ultimatum   CHAPTER NINETY SIX

    XAVIER I smelled the burning before I even opened my eyes.Smoke. Faint but unmistakable. The acrid kind that meant something had been left on the heat for too long.I sat up in bed, already reaching for my phone out of habit, then stopped. The clock read 7:14. Laura's side was empty. The sheets were still warm.I pulled on a shirt and followed the smell to the kitchen.She was standing at the stove with her back turned to me, spatula in hand, shoulders squared with the determined energy of someone who refused to admit defeat. The pan in front of her was doing something questionable. There was toast on the counter that had gone well past golden and was a crusty black at the edges.I leaned against the doorframe and watched her.She hadn't heard me come in. She was muttering something under her breath, nudging the contents of the pan like that might somehow fix whatever had already happened to them. Her hair was loose and she was wearing my old Princeton t-shirt that hit her mid-thigh

  • The Billionaire's Ultimatum   CHAPTER NINETY FIVE

    LAURA “I found someone complicated. Someone damaged by his upbringing but trying to be better. Someone who makes mistakes but owns them. Someone who—” My voice softened. “Someone I fell in love with, even though that wasn’t part of the original plan.”Sarah’s expression was thoughtful. “Some people would say you’re being manipulated. That Xavier Blackwell is a powerful man who knows how to make people believe they matter to him.”That stung, but I kept my composure.“Some people haven’t lived my life,” I said firmly. “I grew up in an orphanage. I was adopted by a family who treated me like an obligation rather than a daughter. I’ve spent my entire life learning to recognize when people are using me versus when they actually care.”I looked directly at the camera.“I’m not going to pretend our marriage started conventionally. But I’m also not going to let people who don’t know me tell me what I feel. I know my own heart. And I know Xavier’s.”Sarah asked about my lineage, my biologica

  • The Billionaire's Ultimatum   CHAPTER NINETY FOUR

    LAURA After Xavier’s promise to pamper me, I spent the rest of the evening being absolutely spoiled. A private spa came to the penthouse—actual professionals with massage tables and natural oils, hot stones and everything. I was genuinely impressed. I’d never experienced a masseuse before, talk less of all this. They set up in one of the guest rooms and for two hours straight, I was kneaded and buffed and moisturized until I felt like a completely new person. When I emerged, wrapped in a fluffy robe and feeling boneless with relaxation, Xavier was in the kitchen. Cooking. Or attempting to cook, at least. His back was turned to me, his black shirt clinging just enough to emphasize his broad shoulders and lean frame. He was so immersed in what he was doing he didn’t even notice me standing there. His eyebrows drew together in concentration as he sprinkled paprika into whatever he was making. What a sight this was. “What are you doing?” I asked as I moved closer, peeki

  • The Billionaire's Ultimatum   CHAPTER NINETY THREE

    LAURA And just like that, my brain went into autodrive. My world as I knew it was tilting against its axis. “What do you mean by—” “This is not the proper place to talk,” he cut in, his voice low and careful. “I’ll drop the time and location of where you can meet me so we can talk. I know you have many questions, and I’ll answer all of them then.” The phone clicked before I could even respond. I slowly looked back at it in bewilderment, as if it had bitten me. “Laura?” Xavier called out, his face written in pure concern at my reaction. “Laura, who was that?” “My… my brother,” I whispered in disbelief. “I have a brother?” My vision suddenly blurred, my head spinning, and just before my knees gave out, Xavier laid his hands on my shoulders, settling me down against the sofa. My hand went to my throat as nausea curled in my stomach. How did I suddenly have a brother I knew nothing about? This entire time? Or was it simply a spam call? But it didn’t sound like one. The v

  • The Billionaire's Ultimatum   chapter Eight

    LAURAI looked out of the window at the passing buildings as we drove at high speed. The car was relatively silent despite there being four people in it.The driver, Juniper at the front seat, and of course my lovely soon-to-be husband right next to me. The silence was suffocating.It wasn’t helpi

    last updateDernière mise à jour : 2026-03-17

  • The Billionaire's Ultimatum   CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

    XAVIER “Boss, boss, boss!” I could hear Marcus’s voice through my haze of sleep and I was already annoyed. I forced my eyes open, the bright lights of the infirmary stabbing into my skull. My head was still pounding, my body felt like it had been run over by a truck, and the last thing I needed w

    last updateDernière mise à jour : 2026-03-26

  • The Billionaire's Ultimatum   CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

    LAURA “Ughh,” I groaned as I tried to move my limbs but it was no use. Everything hurt.Pain was the first thing I registered as consciousness slowly crept back in—a throbbing sensation that radiated from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. As my eyes slowly opened, my vision swam, blurry

    last updateDernière mise à jour : 2026-03-26

  • The Billionaire's Ultimatum   CHAPTER THIRTEEN

    XAVIER “Right this way sir,” the chauffeur gestured to the elevator and I gave him a slight nod before entering.When the metal doors shifted to a close, I released a breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding.Tonight, I was meeting with the heads of the other families in Chicago at the China tw

    last updateDernière mise à jour : 2026-03-19
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