All Chapters of The Billionaire is a Jerk: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Chapter 72Vanessa's POV:The first thing I saw that morning wasn’t the sunlight or the alarm clock blinking 6:45 a.m. No. The first thing I saw was my phone—lit up with dozens of notifications, buzzing nonstop like it was about to explode.My heart skipped a beat. Somehow, the social media algorithm had picked up that I was somehow related to DGG, because my feed was flooded with news about the company.Frowning, still groggy, I tapped the first post made by a gossip blog. The headline screamed at me in bold black:> DGG CEO, Andre Garcia Caught in Secret Kiss with Mystery Woman at Paris Gala!The next post was the bombshell.A photo—grainy, shadowed—of Mr. Garcia and me, kissing.The angle was terrible, like someone had snapped it from behind a curtain. The lighting was low, the photo half-blurry. But Mr. Garcia’s face was unmistakably clear, while mine was buried in his.Still, I knew. I knew in the way my heart clenched and my lungs froze. My back, the curve of my neck, my dress—G

Chapter 74Vanessa's POV:I twisted the doorknob slowly and entered. I didn’t hope for anything, especially not Claire standing in front of the door, waiting for me with arms crossed and brows knitted in a frown.The glare she shot at me could slice concrete. She was scrolling through her phone, and the moment our eyes met, I knew.She had seen it.The headlines. The photographs. The story that twisted everything out of proportion—making me look like some sugar baby caught in the arms of her billionaire boss."Vanessa," she said coldly, before pulling me with her to the room.“What. The hell. Happened?”I didn’t answer.Instead, my lips quivered, and I took two shaky steps toward her before I just… crumbled.Right there. My knees hit the ground like they’d given up holding my weight. Silent sobs tore out of my chest as I hugged myself.Claire rushed to me immediately. “Vanessa? Hey! What’s going on? Talk to me!”But I couldn’t. I couldn’t even breathe. The tears were stuck halfway bet

Chapter 76Andre's POVI leaned back in the cold leather chair, fingers steepled beneath my chin as voices clashed across the polished mahogany table. Every member had a complaint-each louder and more insistent than the last."Andre, this is a disaster.""It's only a matter of time before the media eats into company affairs.""The shareholders are restless.""You need to distance yourself from the girl."The girl.The way they said it made my blood boil. Like she meant nothing, but she means alot to me."Her name is Vanessa," I said at last, my voice low and sharp enough to slice through the noise. The room fell silent. The air grew heavy. "And she is my assistant.""Exactly," one of the older members snapped, tossing a printed blog article across the table. The headline was bold and damning:CEO Gives Former Waitress 'Special Favors'?"That's the problem. Your assistant, an undergraduate-"I didn't flinch. I stared at the headline a second, then slid it back toward him. "This company

Chapter 78Vanessa’s POV:I didn’t see her at first.Mr. Garcia’s arms were around me, his cologne still lingering on my shirt. His warmth felt like being covered in a blanket.And for a second—just one stolen second—it felt like everything was okay.Then I saw her.Claire.Across the street, standing like a pillar of fire in her bright yellow hoodie, her eyes locked on us like twin daggers. My heart jolted—thump!—like it skipped several beats. My stomach twisted into a tight knot. All the breath in my lungs vanished.“Oh God,” I whispered.“What is it?” Mr. Garcia asked, pulling back slightly, concern etched into every inch of his face.I panicked.I pushed him—gently but quickly—out of the hug. My palms pressed against his chest as I tried to shield him from her line of vision, but it was too late. Her eyes were on us. I could feel the heat of her glare from across the road.“I—uh—I think you should go,” I muttered. My voice shook, betraying the storm inside me.His brows drew toget

Chapter 80Vanessa's POV:After spending the night creating different scenarios of how the theatre night might play out—from disastrous to dreamy—I woke up feeling like I had swallowed a hive of bees.Not butterflies—bees. Angry bees buzzing my chest and stomach.I paced my room in a complete daze, muttering to myself while digging my fingers into my skin. My eyes darted to the clock every few seconds like it would somehow calm me down, but it didn't. It was ridiculous. Absurd.I had survived months under Mr. Garcia, endured his cold, emotionless stares, rude remarks, and the relentless pressure of trying to prove my worth in that chaotic office where I could find my place. I had cried my eyes out in storage closets, screamed silently in the washroom, had days where I felt worthless, and almost quit more times than I could count.But now?Now that he was smiling at me instead of scowling, holding my hand instead of handing me loads of paperwork, kissing my forehead instead of trying t