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Todos los capítulos de The Billionaire’s Regret : Capítulo 281 - Capítulo 290

328 Capítulos

280: EMPTY THREATS

ELARAS POV. My breath catches, but I force the words out. “You should go on Monday.” He stills. The teasing disappears from his face, replaced by something deeper. “We’re not doing this now.” “Yes, we are,” I say quietly. “You said you’d think about it.” His jaw tightens. “I did. And I’m not leaving you.” I’ve accepted it. He’s not leaving. I don’t even want him to. But how do I pretend it’s fine when I know what he’s risking just to stay? he could stay and keep what he loves. “It’s just a meeting, You’ll only be gone for a day,” I insist. “Marcus will help you handle things. I’ll be safe here.” “Elara,” he says, shaking his head, “you really want to talk business while I’m this close to you?” He rests his arm on the edge of the tub, his fingertips trailing absently through the bubbles. The small ripples he makes reach me a few seconds later, brushing against my skin like a whisper. It’s maddening. The way he keeps his distance but still feels everywhere. I swa

281: LIKE NORMAL COUPLES

ELARA’S POVThe sound of his cufflink snapping into place pulls me from the haze of sleep.Sunlight cuts through the curtains, glinting off his watch as he adjusts his tie in the mirror. He looks calm. Too calm. Like the man standing there isn’t the same one who had me trembling under his touch hours ago.My throat feels tight.The weekend bled out faster than I’d like. For once, I didn’t have to think about anything other than me and Nate, just us. No fighting, no running, no worrying about what he might be hiding.Over the past two days, it felt like nothing stood in our way. Well, except the constant challenge of keeping our hands to ourselves.I push back the tight feeling in my chest and focus on his reflection.He’s really going.“I can’t believe I actually convinced you,” I say, my voice still rough with sleep.He glances at me through the mirror, a small smile tugging at his lips. “You didn’t convince me, Elara. You just reminded me what I needed to do.”“That’s what convin

282:

ELARA’S POVThe waiting room smells Nothing like the warmth of Nate’s cologne that’s still clinging to my sweater.It smells like lemon polish and anxiety. It’s too clean. Too quiet. The kind of quiet that makes you hear every breath you take, every second ticking off the clock on the wall.I sit on the couch, my purse clutched in my lap like a shield. My fingers keep brushing against the pink diamond on my ring finger. The dread tightening in my stomach, felt nothing like the past two days.The Two days of peace.Two days of him.The mornings had been soft again. He’d kissed my forehead more times than I could count, traced my stomach with his thumb like it was something sacred. And when I got ready for my day, he’d left me breakfast with cute note that currently tucked away in the safety of my purse. In that moment, I forgot how it felt to be terrified. Now, sitting here, that peace feels like a lie I told myself to survive.The door opens.“Mrs. Hales?”The therapist is ca

283:

ELARA’A POV My hand hovers on the office door longer than it should. I read my nameplate once. Twice. Then again. Last time I walked into this office, it ended with a bloody note and my stomach emptying all over the floor. Ana’s silent gaze burns into my back. I force myself to twist the knob. The door swings open, revealing the familiar beige walls and neat arrangement of furniture. Everything’s back in place. No blood. No police tape. Like that night never happened. But dread curls in my stomach when I spot a massive bouquet on the coffee table at the far end of the room. I freeze. My feet won’t move. Is Nicolas trying to play another trick on me? What if it’s worse this time? The questions pile up, then still when I notice a small card tucked between the stems. My fingers tremble as I open it. I hope you miss me, because I miss you so much, love. A little red heart is drawn at the end. Love. Relief breaks through the panic. A smile almost slips out. Of course. It

284: ROSES AND SILENCE

ELARA’S POV: “We’ve finished the two side projects from a few months back,” Olivia said as she placed an overwhelming stack of files on my desk. “We only took the minor gigs, events and a few office jobs. Since you weren’t available, they were all approved by Mr. Sinclair before the team started working on them, of course.” My hands froze on the papers. “Mr. Sinclair?” “Yes, ma’am. You put him in charge when you left for your trip, right?” “Oh. Yes…” I don’t remember ever discussing that, but it makes sense now why the invoices look nothing like what I expected. “Please, go on, Olivia.” “Yes. We have a list of some of the more interesting clients we kept on the waiting list. Now that you’re here, we just need you to approve the ones we can take on for now.” “How many clients are we talking about in this top-priority list of yours, Olivia?” “If you flip to the next page in the file, we have ten.” “Ten?” “I know it’s not much, considering you must be all fuelled up and ready

285: I ALREADY KNEW.

ELARA’S POV I don’t know if it’s because today is the first time I’ve come home alone in a long time, but the house feels darker than usual. too still, too empty. A small disappointment settles in my stomach when I realize Nate still isn’t here. I haven’t heard anything back from him. Every call I made went straight to voicemail. I take a deep breath. He’s probably busy. Everything’s fine. It has to be fine. I tell myself that as I sink onto the bed. My shoes, bag, and coat are scattered around me, but I’m too tired to care. Even though I was careful not to overwork today, exhaustion still clings to me like a weight. I close my eyes taking the lingering cologne, The next thing I know, my phone is ringing. Groaning, I fumble for my purse and pull it out. The second I see the caller ID, sleep leaves me completely. “Hello?” A small smile slips through. “Hey.” Something in his tone twists my stomach. “I tried calling earlier. I guess you were busy?” I si

286: ITS GETTING A LITTLE ANNOYING.

ELARA’S POVI don’t know if I’m just cranky because I almost overslept, or because Nate didn’t call like he promised.He sent a bland ‘good morning, beautiful’ text.Seriously? What am I supposed to do with that and another massive bouquet of roses sitting right in front of my desk, even bigger than yesterday’s when I got to my office. I don’t even bother opening the note this time. I already know it’ll say something sweet. Something that doesn’t make up for the silence.I don’t want another romantic gesture. I just want a damn phone call. Just one call to hear his voice to know he’s okay, to know he’s coming back to me soon. But no.“Is everything okay, ma’am?” Olivia asks quietly, her eyes glued to the pen I’m pressing too hard against the clipboard.“Oh, it’s fine,” I force a smile.“Mrs. Greene said she wants your opinion on the merch arrangements that just got delivered.”“Right. Sure.” I turn, realizing Mrs. Greene has been staring at me like I’ve grown a third eye.“Can I take

287: BREAKING POINT.

ELARA’S POVWhen I finally give up and step out of the cubicle, my legs feel unsteady. I head straight for the sink, avoiding the mirror. The sight of my own reflection might just push me over the edge.“You’re finally out?”I don’t even have to look to know who it is. Her voice alone makes my stomach twist.Jenna.Of course. Because why wouldn’t the universe throw her in my face right now? I pump soap onto my hands, pretending she’s not there, focusing on the foamy swirl instead of the venom dripping from her voice.“Are you ignoring me?” she presses, taking slow steps closer. Her heels click against the tiles, each one like a needle under my skin.I still don’t respond. Silence is armor. And right now, I need it.“Oh, come on, Mrs. Hales,” she drawls, dragging out my name just to irritate me. “I heard you and Mr. Hales are patching things up, for what? The millionth time?” She laughs under her breath. “I honestly thought you’d be over the fairy tale by now. Some people never learn,

288:

288 ELARA’S POV I can’t stop the dry chuckle that slips out. Of course she wants something. “I’ll be damned before I give you a single dime in exchange for that information,” I say, voice flat. Jenna slowly pushes herself to her feet, squares her shoulders and crosses her arms like she owns the room. “Then I guess you’ll have to bask in your bliss before he takes it again,” she says, eyes glittering. “Oh, so he’s coming back for round two?” I arch a brow, forcing my hands to stop trembling. The itch to grab her collar again claws at me, but I don’t. I can’t. I need to think straight. If she actually knows where Nicolas is, nothing stays the same. “You think he’s hiding in some hole, scared of the feds?” She snap. Her voice is too loud for my liking, but it doesn’t matter. The more I push, the more I need to know. I shrugs, like everything is a joke. “He can plan all he wants. But this time? Things are different. I wanted him to show up” I smile. “But with whatever informat

289: LET THIS BE THE LAST

ELARA’S POV “You’ve got money,” Jenna wheedles, voice slick. “I just need a few grand. It’ll be nothing to you but a drop in your ocean.” If I didn’t know how good of an actress Jenna was. I could have fallen for this. “You already stole from me. Use that.” She rushes forward. “Please— if you don’t help me, I’ll keep coming.” “For your own good, let this be the last time I see you,” I say coldly. Yanking my hand away. She rolls her eyes and steps closer, hand on her hip. “What are you going to do? Call your precious husband? Your big brother?” she taunts. “You’re too scared to touch anyone, you are a good person I really need…” “Ana!” I roar. My chest is tight; my hands shake just enough that I have to force them to stay still. “Ana!” Ana appears in the doorway like a shadow — tall, controlled, dangerous. “Yes, ma’am?” she answers. “Look at this woman,” I order, pointing. Ana glances at Jenna, then meets my eyes. “Not a glance,” I say. “Look her in the face. Memoriz

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