Lahat ng Kabanata ng BILLIONAIRE'S LIES: Kabanata 501 - Kabanata 510

Saben remained there in the silence of his office, the sound of Jenny's footsteps echoing away down the corridor. The words her refusal hung in the air like a chill. He gazed at the spot where she had been standing only seconds before, his chest constricting with a combination of anger and sorrow.Not ready.It was the words that rang in his head, echoing along with each heartbeat in his chest. He had wished, hoped even, that perhaps maybe Jenny would have loved him as much as he loved her. But now, it seemed as though a wall had been erected between them, and she wasn't willing to bring it down.He took a hand through his hair, his eyes drifting toward the window, though he didn't notice the view. His mind was full of the burden of his own wants and terrors. Jenny was the only person that had ever made him feel as if he could be more than businessman, son, brother. She had brought out in him something genuine. She was just not willing to make the same leap.Was it because of him?The

Jenny sat at her desk, the drone of the office surrounding her almost comforting in its repetition. The figures on her screen ran together, the staccato clicks of keyboards and hum of voices from around the office a dull ambient noise to the tempest in her head.She wasn't prepared for this. For him. For any of it.She had vowed to herself that she would concentrate she would keep going, keep working. But whenever she attempted to focus, the face of Saben, of his thoughtful eyes, would creep into her mind. She had never allowed personal emotions to stand in the way of her work, but this..this was different. Saben was not merely a co-worker. He was not merely a businessman she had encountered at an event. He was a problem she didn't know how to solve, and every time she attempted to, it seemed the knot grew tighter.Her phone vibrated, breaking her out of her reverie. She glanced down at the screen to see a text from Zina.Just checking in. How's everything going? You good?Jenny's fin

The soft amber light of the restaurant's ambiance danced around them, casting quiet shadows upon their table. The distant humming of hushed tones by other diners mixed with the ring of silverware, but to Saben and Clarisse, it was far away. It was only the two of them, in that instant, managing the tricky ground between the past and what they were hoping could be a fresh start.Saben had not seen this coming. In fact, when Clarisse had first approached him, so intent, so fragile, he had not known what to think. It had been years since they had parted company, each one of them harboring his or her own reasons, his or her own unspoken hurts. And yet, now that they were sitting across from one another, it was different. The atmosphere between them, though thick, was no longer oppressive. There was a change, a change that seemed as though it might be the start of something different. Clarisse leaned back in her chair, a quiet sigh breathed out on her lips as she looked at him. "I never t

Saben came from money, power, and a lifestyle that carried with it expectations. She came from having a small job at Zina Bank, a life defined by years of sacrifice and hardship. She had attempted to convince herself that their bond was something more than a transient flash of attraction, but the reality was that they were simply too disparate. And she did not wish to be the one to stifle him, to be the one he would resort to simply because he was seeking a rebound following the drama with Clarisse.She couldn't—no, wouldn't—be that type of person.Her phone buzzed, pulling her out of her thoughts. It was a message from Zina.“How did things go with Saben today? I’m dying to know.”Jenny swallowed hard. She hadn’t told Zina about her conversation with Saben, not because she didn’t want to, but because she hadn’t figured it all out herself. The last thing she wanted was to burden her friend with her unresolve

Each day, as Saben moved through his job, he caught sight of Jenny throughout the office—her intent eyes on her monitor, her reflective looks when she was making a call, her professional smile that always seemed so composed. At first, when he had been with her, everything had been so charged, so full of things left unspoken. Now, after time, the intensity had mellowed but it remained. But as he stood there, watching her from a distance, he rationalized that he was over her.There was the usual hubbub in the office, the common din of ringing phones, gossip between coworkers, and rustle of paper, but there was a stillness in Saben's heart. It had been a long, messy road, and Jenny still tugged at something within him. But it wasn't the desperate, nervous tug he had once felt. This time, it was more of a kind reminder of what might have been, and an awareness that it was time to move on.He had invested so many months entangled in feelings he could not quite make sense of, torn between d