Lahat ng Kabanata ng CHASING THE BILLIONAIRE'S SUBSTITUTE EX-WIFE: Kabanata 61 - Kabanata 70

VIVIENNEI had to be fair. Ezekiel had missed so much of Vince and Vera’s lives, and as much as I wanted to keep them close to me, I knew I couldn’t be selfish. To be honest, I wasn’t used to the idea of being away from my kids for three days at a time, but I needed to get used to it. I had to remind myself that this wasn’t just about me anymore. This was mainly about what was best for Vince and Vera too.So, after our family day at the adventure park and after Ezekiel and I had an agreement, I knew it was time to talk to the kids. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves as I gathered them in the living room. Vince and Vera sat on the couch and their curious eyes were on me, waiting for whatever I was about to say.“Kids,” I began, my voice soft but firm, “I need to talk to you about something important.”Vera perked up immediately, always eager to know what was going on. Vince, on the other hand, looked a bit wary, like he already sensed that this wasn’t going to be someth

EZEKIEL“No, Dad, that’s not how you do it!” Vera giggled, reaching over to adjust the way I was holding the dolls.We were now on the floor of Vera’s new room. I had a Barbie doll in each hand, trying my best to mimic what I thought was Barbie's behavior. Vera was sitting across from me, her eyes wide with amusement as she watched me struggle to make the dolls interact.I didn’t know that being a father would make me do this but fuck it. I’ll do anything to please my daughter anyway. “Barbie has to talk like this.” Vera made her voice high-pitched and sweet, giving an exaggerated smile as she moved her Barbie doll around. “See? Like this.”I couldn’t help but chuckle at how serious she was about it. “Got it,” I said, trying to mimic her tone. “Like this?” Oh Lord!I made my doll talk in the way she showed me, and Vera nodded approvingly.“Much better!” she exclaimed, clearly pleased with my improvement. It wasn’t easy for me to play like this. I wasn’t used to it, and honestly,

VINCE FELT BAD about how he acted toward his dad. He didn’t mean to shout at him. He was just surprised when he saw Ezekiel looking at his wallpaper. Vince’s heart started to beat faster as he wondered if Ezekiel noticed that the font on his desktop wallpaper was the same one he used when he hacked the Harrington Luxe website.As soon as Ezekiel left the room, Vince sat up in bed. He went to his desk again and grabbed his laptop to open it. He quickly changed his wallpaper to something different—a picture of a forest. He wanted to be sure no one could ever figure out the connection.After he changed it, Vince felt a little better, but he still felt guilty. Vince knew his dad was just trying to help. He didn’t mean to be rude, but he was scared Ezekiel might have seen something he shouldn’t have.Vince put his laptop back on his desk and lay down again. He pulled the covers over his head and tried to sleep, hoping he could make it up to his dad tomorrow.EZEKIEL ARRIVED AT his office

VINCE AND VERA sat at the kitchen table, each working on a letter for their dad. Vivienne stood nearby, watching over them to make sure they were doing everything correctly. Vera was focused, her tongue slightly sticking out as she carefully added stars to her letter. Her letter was colorful, with little stars drawn all around the edges, and her handwriting was neat and playful.Meanwhile, Vince kept his letter plain and straightforward. He wasn’t much for decorations, and his letter reflected that. It was simple, just a few sentences expressing his feelings. His handwriting was a bit more serious, but that was just Vince’s way.“Mom,” Vera asked, holding up her letter proudly, “Is this okay? I added stars for it to be more pretty!”Vivienne smiled warmly at her. “It’s perfect, sweetheart. Your dad’s gonna love it.”“Yey!” Vera grinned and was clearly pleased with her mom’s approval. Then Vince looked up from his letter. He was a bit more hesitant compared to his sister. “What about

EZEKIELI watched as Vince and Vera excitedly dug into their plates, surrounded by my maids and Brooks. Their laughter filled the room and it made my house feel alive again. For a moment, I just stood there and took it all in. It felt like a dream, one I didn’t want to wake up from.“Thank you, Vivienne,” I said softly, turning to her. She was standing beside me and a small smile was playing on her lips as she watched the kids.“For what?” she asked when her eyes met mine.“For convincing Vince to reach out to me. It means more than you know.”After she heard what I said, her smile widened. “He wanted to, Ezekiel. He just needed a little push. Vince... he’s been holding onto a lot, but I think tonight was a good step forward,” she stated. I nodded. “It’s hard, you know? Trying to connect with him. I don’t want to push too hard, but I also don’t want to give up.”“You’re doing your best,” Vivienne reassured me. “And that’s all that matters. Vince will come around. Just give him time.