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40: Losing His Mind Over Her
Last Updated:
2025-03-02 15:53:55
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Married To The Billionaire I Hate 41: Highschool Reunion (I)
Cole's POV.The email arrived on a Monday morning.I barely glanced at it before moving on to things that actually mattered…deals to close, calls to make, meetings to attend. It wasn’t until later that night, when Emily was curled up on the couch beside me, scrolling through her phone, that I reopened it.Class of 2014 – 10-Year Reunion Join us for an unforgettable evening of nostalgia, laughter, and reconnecting! Bring your spouse or significant other.I scoffed. Nostalgia? That was one way to put it.For most of them, high school had been the best years of their lives. For me, it had been a war zone. I was the quiet kid, the easy target. The one they could push around just because they could. The one who kept his head down and endured the sneers, the pranks, the shoves in the hallway.But they wouldn’t recognize that version of me now.After graduation, I disappeared for a year. Spent those months in the gym, learning how to fight, how to carry myself differently. When I entered un
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Emily’s POVThe silence at the table stretched. Dylan was still gripping his glass, jaw tight, his face frozen in an expression that screamed wounded pride. His wife, clearly uncomfortable, sat stiffly beside him, eyes darting between us.I took another sip of my wine, unbothered. If he wanted to dish it out, he should’ve been prepared to take it.One of the guys…Trevor, I think…laughed under his breath. "Damn, Dylan, you gonna let her talk to you like that?"Dylan didn’t respond. His fingers flexed around his glass like he wanted to crush it.I tilted my head, watching him. "What’s wrong?" I asked, voice smooth. "Not as fun when you're the one on the receiving end?"The others chuckled, some exchanging looks, some shifting uncomfortably. No one stepped in. No one defended him. Not even his wife.Cole sat beside me, silent but sharp, like a knife ready to be unsheathed. He hadn’t moved, hadn’t said anything, but his presence alone made Dylan uneasy."Careful," Dylan finally said, voic
Last Updated : 2025-03-02Married To The Billionaire I Hate 43: Untouchable
Cole’s POVDaniel drove in silence. The only sound was the engine and the occasional flick of the turn signal as we moved through the city streets. I sat back, one hand resting against my thigh, the other still curled into a fist, my knuckles throbbing from the fight. The scent of wine and expensive perfume clung to the air around us, mixing with the faintest trace of blood on my skin.Emily sat beside me, legs crossed, one arm spread lazily over the seat. She hadn’t said a word since we left, hadn’t turned to look at me, hadn’t even acknowledged what had just happened back there. It was like she had already moved on, like the whole damn thing had been nothing more than a mildly entertaining event to her.And that was what got to me.Most women would’ve been screaming, yanking at my arm, begging me to stop. Hell, some would’ve stormed off, called me reckless, called me insane. But Emily? She had sat there, sipping her wine, watching me beat the hell out of Dylan like she was enjoying
Last Updated : 2025-03-02Married To The Billionaire I Hate 44: The Vengeful Ex-Girlfriend
Vanessa’s POVI had never felt this kind of rage before.Riding my bicycle down the street like some normal person when I was in fact one of the top fashion icons in the city.I was keeping a careful distance from their car, I had seen everything. Every. Single. Thing.And I had never wanted to rip someone apart as much as I wanted to tear Emily out of Cole’s life.She sat there in that restaurant, drinking wine while Cole beat Dylan to a pulp, as if the entire thing was entertainment for her. And Cole…this powerful, untouchable man…had done it. For her. No hesitation. No second thoughts. Just pure, blind rage.The way he looked at her afterward. Like she was the center of his world. Like nothing else mattered. He never looked at me like that, during the time we dated and when I was his fiancée.I pedaled harder, breath coming fast, my legs burning from the effort of keeping up with their car. The tinted windows didn’t stop me from seeing them.And then it happened.Emily reached out.
Last Updated : 2025-03-02Married To The Billionaire I Hate 45: When She Gets Unsettled
Emily’s POVThe conference room was packed with Hart Enterprise and Greyson Corps executives, all seated around the long table, eyes fixed on the massive screen at the front. Discussions bounced off the walls, voices rising and falling as strategies were laid out, numbers dissected, and counterarguments made.It was the kind of meeting that separated leaders from followers.I sat at the center of Hart Enterprise’s side, my hands resting on the documents in front of me, posture straight, gaze sharp. Across from me, on Greyson’s side, sat Cole Greyson…the man who had become an unshakable force in my life, both personally and professionally.Even in a room full of powerful men, he stood out.But something felt off.For the first time in a long time, he wasn’t looking at me.The screen flashed with financial reports, logistical challenges, and market projections. A man from the supply chain department stood, adjusting his tie before speaking.“The delays in shipments have pushed back the
Last Updated : 2025-03-02Married To The Billionaire I Hate 46: Cole’s Confessions (I)
Emily’s POVIt was late.The office was nearly empty, the once-busy hallways now silent, save for the occasional footsteps of a lingering employee or the hum of the city outside. The golden glow of the skyscrapers had long stretches of light against the windows of my office, but I wasn’t paying attention to any of it.I was going through the final reports from today’s meeting, checking figures, running calculations in my head. Anything to keep myself occupied. Anything to keep my mind from wandering back to him.Cole.I could still hear his voice from the meeting, deep and smooth, but something had been missing. The way he usually looked at me, like I was the only person in the room…that was gone. He had avoided my eyes, shut me out.And I hated it.I wasn’t sure why.The soft click of my office door opening pulled me out of my thoughts.I didn’t have to look up to know who it was.Cole stepped inside, closing the door behind him. His movements were slow, deliberate. The tension betwe
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Emily’s POVI sat there, staring at him, trying so damn hard to keep my face blank. To stop my throat from tightening, to stop the sting behind my eyes.I wouldn’t let him see it.I wouldn’t let him win.Because God help me, I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe every word he said…that he loved me, that he saw me, that this wasn’t just about sex. And for a second, just a second, I almost let myself feel it.But I knew better.I knew what happened when you let someone in. When you let yourself believe in love, in forever, in happy endings.You got destroyed.You got left broken.I had been there before, and I swore I would never go back.I forced a breath out and pushed back in my chair, standing up. “That’s enough, Cole.” My voice was calm. Cold. Like none of this mattered. Like I wasn’t shaking inside. “It can never work out between us.”His face changed.That flicker of hope in his eyes vanished, replaced by something raw, something wounded.“Why?” he asked, his voice quiet b
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Cole’s POVI stood there, staring at the door she had just walked out of, my chest rising and falling like I’d just been punched.No, not like…I had been punched.Right in the fucking heart.The office felt empty now. Cold. I ran a hand down my face, my breath coming out harsh. I still couldn’t believe what had just happened."I hate you."Her words played over and over again in my head, slicing through me like a goddamn knife."I can never love you."I cursed under my breath, slamming my fist against the desk. A sharp pain shot up my knuckles, but I didn’t give a shit. The physical pain was nothing compared to what was tearing me up inside.This was too much.I couldn’t fucking think straight.I turned on my heel and stormed out of the office, shoving the glass door open so hard it rattled. Eyes turned to me, wide with shock, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t in the mood for their pitying looks or whatever gossip they were already cooking up in their heads.Daniel, my P.A., rushed up to me
Last Updated : 2025-03-02
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Married To The Billionaire I Hate 140: The Long Con
Stevie-lou's POV.It started with a warning. A heads-up. A whisper over wine and dim lighting."He has two meetings tomorrow. One at nine, one at twelve. Big shots. Foreign investors," I told Jeremy, keeping my voice low even though we were alone in the rooftop bar. My nails tapped the glass of my mimosa. "If they pull out, Hart bleeds. Bad."Jeremy didn’t even flinch. He leaned back in his chair, that slow, dangerous smirk pulling at his lips. Dressed in all black, like always. He looked like sin and sex and danger, and he was mine. Still mine."You got the names?"I nodded, passed him the folded napkin I wrote them on.He took it, barely glancing, before tucking it into his jacket. "Say less."That was the first time. The first chaos. Jeremy made some calls. Hired a guy who hired a guy who knew a guy. Something about an anonymous protest happening downtown. Just enough noise to block traffic, delay cars, reroute important men with no time to waste.The investors didn’t make it to Ha
Married To The Billionaire I Hate 139: Playing The Perfect Wife
Stevie-lou's POV.The honeymoon ended faster than it started.Smith had to get back to work, back to his throne at Hart Enterprise, where a single misstep meant losing billions and every shark in the water smelled blood. And me? I got a front-row seat to the life I’d only ever seen in dreams. Luxury. Power. Diamonds for breakfast, pearls for lunch. All wrapped in Smith’s smile like I was the luckiest woman alive."I have a surprise for you," he said one evening, stepping into the penthouse still in his tailored navy suit, tie loosened, phone glued to his hand.I looked up from the couch, brushing popcorn crumbs off my robe. "Another one?"He gave a crooked grin. "You're going to want to put on shoes for this."Ten minutes later, we were downstairs, and the valet drove up something that looked like it belonged in a superhero movie. A Bugatti La Voiture Noire. Black. Gleaming. Worth about $19 million."Holy sh*t," I gasped, my mouth hanging open.Smith just chuckled, handed me the keys,
Married To The Billionaire I Hate 138: Fever Dreams And Silk Lies
Smith's POV.My head was pounding.Not the kind of pounding that comes from a few glasses of wine or a late night, but the kind that makes your whole skull feel like it's cracking open from the inside. It throbbed with each breath I took, like a drum beating in my ears. I groaned, forcing my eyes open even though my lids felt like sandpaper. Everything was too damn bright. The curtains weren’t even drawn. Just a wide-open window to the Miami skyline, pouring sunlight into the suite like it had no mercy.I sat up slowly, every muscle protesting. My suit was still on me...wrinkled, sweaty, uncomfortable. Jacket half-off my shoulders. Tie loosened, hanging around my neck like a noose. My shirt was half unbuttoned and sticking to my chest. My mouth tasted like cotton. My tongue felt thick. I looked around, trying to focus through the haze."Petunia?" I croaked.And then I saw her.She was sleeping like a dream beside me. Her hair was sprawled out on the pillow like silk threads, her mouth
Married To The Billionaire I Hate 137: Not Your Typical Honeymoon
Stevie-lou’s POV.The presidential suite smelled like roses and expensive linen. The suite was bathed in low, warm lighting, gold accents reflecting off glass. Smith had his hand on my waist the moment the door shut behind us."God, Petunia…" he whispered against my neck, his voice thick with emotion and desire. "I’ve waited so long for this night. I’m losing my damn mind."I forced a laugh, soft and shy, the way I knew he liked. “We’re married now,” I said, tilting my head, brushing my fingers through his thick hair. “You don’t have to wait anymore.”His lips crushed against mine, hungry and possessive. He backed me up against the wall, kissing like a man who had been starving for years. His hands fumbled with the zipper of my dress, but I gently stopped him, brushing my fingers over his.“Not so fast,” I murmured. “Let me get us something to drink. You look like you need to relax first.”He grinned, flushed and breathless, hair slightly tousled. “Fine. But hurry.”I turned away, gli
Married To The Billionaire I Hate 136: The Wedding Trap
Stevie-Lou's POVThe thing about revenge is that it tastes better slow. You let it simmer. You add sugar, lies, soft kisses. You let the man believe he’s safe, loved, maybe even saved. And then you pull the rug.Smith Hart thought he found the one. He really did. And I played that part with the kind of grace that would make Oscar winners cry.I watched him now, standing at the altar. Tall, powerful, in his black tux that probably cost more than what my dad needed for his surgery. A fucking heart transplant. One point three million dollars. Just that. And Smith had it. Sitting in one of his fat accounts, probably bored. But when my father needed him, he refused to help."Not my problem," he said.My father died a week later. Gasping for air in a hospital room that smelled like antiseptic and poverty.So here I was. Petunia Monroe. Orphan. Some perfect ballet dancer that Smith Hart fell in love with. Sweet. Charming. Smart. Mysterious.His fiancée.I had already let my real mother fly
Married To The Billionaire I Hate 135: Meeting The Family
Smith's POV.Emily poured herself another glass of red wine, the deep crimson liquid swirling in the glass as she tilted it to her lips. Her reading glasses rested on the bridge of her nose, and her keen eyes skimmed over the pages of a thick manuscript...some up-and-coming author her publishing house had just signed. She looked so at ease in her cozy Hamptons home, legs tucked beneath her on the wide cream armchair, elegant in a charcoal turtleneck and worn jeans. The streaks of silver in her shoulder-length brown hair shone under the golden afternoon light that filtered through the tall windows. Outside, the trees swayed gently, leaves rustling in the wind, and inside, the fireplace crackled, throwing warm, flickering shadows across the Persian rug and soft cream walls."You’ve been awfully quiet," she said, her voice was calm but laced with suspicion, still not looking up. "Either you're hiding something, or you’re about to fire someone again."I leaned back on the opposite couch,
Married To The Billionaire I Hate 134: The Sweetest Lie
Stevie-lou's POV.He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear again, like he always did when we were out together. A signature move. A gentle caress that screamed affection to anyone watching. And I smiled up at him, letting my eyes soften just the way he liked. My lashes lowered, lips parting slightly, the faintest curve playing at the corners of my mouth. I’d perfected it.I hated the way my skin tingled under his touch...not because I wanted him, hell no...but because I was so damn good at pretending, I could fool even my own body. It betrayed me every time, responding to his closeness like a lover’s would. It made my stomach turn."You look beautiful tonight, Petunia," Smith said, his voice low and deliberate, fingers brushing the small of my back like he owned me."You always say that," I teased, brushing my fingers lightly along his wrist, my nails just grazing his skin."Because it’s always true."His eyes held mine a second too long, just enough to tell me what was coming. His ga
Married To The Billionaire I Hate 133: Red Wine And Reckless First Kiss
Smith’s POV.It had been days.And I couldn’t get her out of my damn head.Petunia Monroe.That name had stuck in my brain like a thorn I couldn’t pull out. Everywhere I turned, she was there. Not physically. But in my head. In meetings. In the boardroom while numbers were being thrown around, projections, investments, power plays…I saw her face. The way she tilted her head. The way her eyes held mine when we spoke.I had tried to fuck her out of my system. Tried it with a blonde influencer who kept giggling every time I so much as looked her way. Then with a brunette who knew how to moan on cue and say all the right things. Nothing. It all felt like cardboard. Cold. Pointless.She was still there. Her black feathered leotard, the way it hugged her body like it was made for her. That ballet performance wasn’t just art…it was a goddamn message. I didn’t know what it said, but I felt it like a slap to the chest.And I couldn’t stop playing it in my head.During dinner, seated alone at m
Married To The Billionaire I Hate 132: His Eyes, Her Mask
Stevie-lou’s POV.My heart was still racing as I wiped the sweat off my forehead. That performance had eaten me raw. Every muscle in my body was still vibrating. The black feathered leotard I wore...designed with precision and attitude...hugged my skin like a second layer, still warm from the heat of the spotlight. I felt it in my bones. The music. The rhythm. The eyes. Especially his.I had seen the way Smith Hart looked at me.He was far back in the dark hall but there was no missing the way he leaned forward during the dance. The others might’ve been sipping their drinks, whispering among themselves or pretending to care, but not him. Smith Hart had been watching like I was the only thing moving in that whole damn room. His stare cut through the air, bold and direct, as if he had seen something in me nobody else had. It shook me a little. Not because I cared. But because I knew exactly who he was...and I despised everything he stood for.The man was ruthless. Sharp-suited, sharp-to
