Lahat ng Kabanata ng A Substitute Bride for the Billionaire: Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30
106 Kabanata
21.
Iris watched from the top of the stairs as Luca stormed out of the house with a resolve. She waited for his car to drive out of the compound before going down the stairs and out the front door. She looked around to make sure that no one was around watching her before creeping out of the house, grateful that Loren or Ace were nowhere in sight.The guards around the house paid her no mind most of the time so no one questioned or stopped her as she began the long trek to the gate with sweaty palms. She had not been outside the house since she arrived in London and didn’t even know where she was going.All she knew was that she needed to leave the house so she could clear her head and think clearly about how she was going to live her life from now on. Everything in the house reminded her of Luca which was the last thing she needed after the way he had talked to her this morning.“Where are you going?” Iris screamed as Ace’s smooth voice filled her ear and she felt his breath down the side
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22.
Iris saw a flash of surprise pass through Luca’s eyes, followed by anger. She may have tried to defend herself before but never had she raised her voice at him like she did just now. She had told herself countless times that she deserved all he told her but she was tired.She couldn’t do it anymore. The abuse, neglect, insults. She was done. She had gotten to her breaking point. She had let Vera and Helen abuse her for years because of the circumstances of her birth but why should she let Luca continue to treat her like this when she didn’t do anything wrong?She had to stand up for herself because no one would do it for her. If she didn’t speak up now, Luca would only continue to treat her worse every day. Today he was doing this in front of their staff, maybe next time it would be in front of thousands of people.“Just stop it” She said again, this time her voice was quieter, tired just as she was. Her shoulders slumped in defeat as she looked at him with pleading eyes.Luca did not
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23.
The sun came through the dark curtains, illuminating the room a little and Luca threw the duvet to the side before padding to the bathroom. His eyes were hurting, his head was aching and it was all because he couldn’t get any sleep last night.He had tried to sleep but couldn’t find the peace to close his eyes because whenever he did, all he saw was the pain in her eyes as she poured out her soul to him. He could still feel the raw emotions in her voice as she spoke.The words she said to him, the anger, the pain, they wouldn’t let him sleep until they dragged him to the night they had spent intimately. He could suddenly feel the way her body fit perfectly in his, how she withered with his every touch and how she came alive when he touched her in some places.He thought about her all night, recalling every inch of her skin he had touched and it surprised him how he could remember every single detail he saw just like the dimples on her lower back and how they deepened when she clenched
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24.
Iris stared at Luca with shock etched on her face. She was speechless and didn’t know what to make of the sudden offer to work at his firm. It was a total 360 of what she had expected to happen when she came down for breakfast this morning. She had imagined different scenarios in her head but Luca asking her to work for him was far from it, it never crossed her thoughts.“What?” She couldn’t help but whisper as she looked at him, trying to decipher if he was joking or trying to toy with her like he usually does.“I want you to work at my publishing house. We have been looking for someone to manage it and I noticed that you have spent most of your time in the house library. With the number of books you’ve read, I think you would do a pretty good job if you are taught properly and it would be a win for both of us, a double win for you since you’ll keep reading and kill your boredom at the same time”Iris couldn’t help but look at Luca like he was a stranger that had two heads because he
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25.
Iris groaned and turned to her side for what felt like the hundredth time in less than an hour. She let out a heavy sigh as she caught sight of the time on the alarm clock resting on the bedside table. It was 4 am in the morning and she had to get up by 6 so she could get ready for her first day at work and yet she hadn’t been able to close her eyes to get a few minutes of sleep.“Go to sleep, Iris” She ordered herself softly “How will you do well if you look like a zombie on your first day” She whined softly in annoyance, screwing her eyes shut and willing herself to sleep.Her eyes felt heavy and she could barely look at her phone screen without wincing at the light which was already at the dimmest it could go. That was how much her eyes were craving some sleep but her body had no way of giving in to the demands of her watery eyes.She opened her eyes shortly to glare at the ceiling. Of course, it hadn’t worked. Her body was so intent on punishing her and ensuring she made a fool of
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26.
When they arrived at the conglomerate’s headquarters there in London, Iris felt her jaw drop to the floor at the massive building with a big R on the top. It was the kind of skyscraper that could be seen for miles with its impressive height.Maverick got out of the car and went to open Luca’s side of the door for him. She was about to push open her side when it was opened from the outside and she saw Ace’s standing there with a smirk. Iris felt like it was all too much to be arriving with a lot of security. Even though she had gone out with security a few times already, she had spent more hours at home and had not gotten used to it. She was not the only one who was not used to it as people were starting to stare at her and Luca.She thought Luca came to work with a lot of security every day so she wondered why they were staring at them like it was the first time Luca was coming to work with bodyguards.Luca came around to meet her and shocked her by presenting his hand for her to tak
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27.
A knock on the door dragged Iris’s attention from the file she had been working on to the door. It’s been a week since she started working here and she loved every minute of it. She wasn’t an editor but she still got copies of manuscripts to go through and the employees always wanted to hear her feedback on things.Hailey poked her head through the door first before pushing her body through the gap when she saw Iris already looking at her with a smile “Come in, Hailey” Iris called out with a bemused expression even though Hailey was already standing in front of her.“It’s lunchtime. Do you want to eat with me?”“Already?” Iris asked surprised. She could swear she had only just sat down and picked up that manuscript so how come it was already lunch time? “You can go alone, I’m not hungry”“Nope. That’s not going to work today. I haven’t seen you have lunch since you started working here and I won’t allow it any longer. It’s not healthy to be so buried in your work that you have to miss
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28
Iris’s hands paused on the door just before she knocked. She could hear heated voices now and was thinking she should really go back in case it was someone important but then she heard footsteps coming down the hallways and quickly knocked so she wouldn’t be caught lingering in the hallways. She took a deep breath and waited as the voices quieted down so she knocked again to get the attention of Luca in case he didn’t hear her knock again. “Come in” The familiar cold voice called from inside and she turned the knob and pushed the door open immediately. She stepped into the office and shivered involuntarily as the cool air from the air conditioner hit her. She saw Luca first since he was seated opposite the door and he didn’t look trilled to have her there making Iris cuss herself more for coming. But the person with his back to her was almost familiar and it wasn’t until he turned with a smile that turned cunning as soon as he saw her that she was hit with a sense of déjà vu. Jace
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29.
When Luca finally closed the file he had been buried in, Iris felt like she was going to die from hunger. Sure, she hadn’t been hungry when she had been forced here by Hailey but as entertaining it was to watch him work, it also made her hungry.“I didn’t expect it to take that long. Shall we?” Luca apologized before standing up from his chair. He didn’t bother with his suit jacket again which was much better if you asked Iris.“It’s okay. I was the one who came here without notice” She told him, standing up to take the hand that he offered when he came to stand beside her.His hand curled around hers, fitting perfectly. Luca changed attitude like he was changing clothes, easy. He didn’t have the scowl he had earlier anymore. Infact, Iris wanted to dare herself and the universe and say he looked eager to have lunch with her.“We will have lunch at the company’s cafeteria. Don’t worry, they serve meals that could rival most high end restaurant” Luca announced as they left the office.“
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30.
Iris turned in her bed restlessly. She had been unable to sleep for two days straight and she was starting to feel the consequences of her actions. She still had the lunch from two days ago on her mind.Her relationship with Luca had backtracked so much, they now felt like strangers once again and it was all her fault. She shouldn’t have brought up Helen when she did after they had begun to make little progress.Since Luca walked out, he had gone back to ignoring her which was worse than when they just got married. At least then, he teased her from time to time. Now, she just felt invisible to him as he acted like she didn’t exist.Her alarm clock started to ring so she had to get up and begin to prepare for work. She dragged herself up from the bed, wincing at every movement she made. Her body ached like a bitch and she didn’t even do any exercise yet it felt like she was run over by a truck.Her nose felt stuffy as well, her head was banging and she felt nauseous to the point that e
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