Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Billionaire's Bargain: Kabanata 51 - Kabanata 60

CHRISTIANThe Tokyo branch office was quieter than usual, the kind of quiet that settled deep in your bones and made you feel like time itself had slowed. If I was going to be in Tokyo for a while due to Ryuji’s request, I might as well get some work done from over here. I sat behind the massive black walnut desk, staring at my screen but not really reading the emails piling up. Most of it was routine—shares, projections, security updates, supplier reports. Nothing that really needed my attention but everything that demanded it anyway.Liam stepped in, dressed like he owned the place, his tablet tucked under one arm.“We’ve stabilized the Osaka merger numbers,” he said, dropping into the seat across from me. “Once legal finishes the contracts, we can sign off.”“Good,” I said, barely glancing at him. “Send it through my encrypted line.”He nodded, swiping on his tablet, before setting it down and leaning back into the seat. “Also, the supplier in Hokkaido renegotiated. Wants twenty

PENELOPEThe dress was a last-minute decision. White. Simple, but not forgettable — a satin slip dress with a deep cowl neckline and a high slit that kissed the middle of my thigh with every step. I paired it with gold heels and swept my hair up into a messy bun, soft strands framing my face.I stood in front of the mirror for a second, debating whether to add jewelry, but decided against it. Tonight, I didn’t want armor. I wanted to survive it bare.Grabbing my clutch and the jar of cookies I packed earlier for Eve, I hurried downstairs.And there he was, standing by the door, a white shirt tucked neatly into black pants, a matching dark jacket slung over his forearm. He looked… dangerous. And heartbreakingly good. My fingers tightened around the jar. I forced my gaze away.Did he really have to wear the same thing as me, an awful way to apologize, if at all this is an apology.Without a word, I walked past him and out the door.The car was already waiting for us. I slid into the pas

PENELOPEThe door slammed shut behind Christian, and for a second, the only thing I could hear was the clink of silverware against fine china.I stared at the space he’d left behind, watching the way his chair rocked slightly from how fast he’d gotten up. I didn’t know if I was supposed to follow him. I didn’t know if I even wanted to.Alex cleared his throat. “So…Penelope, you’re my sister-in-law?”His voice was light, trying to break the awkwardness like cracking through the surface of a frozen lake. I turned to him slowly, half-smiling.“Looks like it,” I said, trying not to sound winded.“Damn,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “And here I thought I just had an insanely beautiful bakery buddy.”I laughed softly despite myself. “Well, that title is still accurate. Just with extra baggage now.”Alex chuckled. “You okay?”“No,” I answered honestly. “But I will be.”He nodded like he understood. “He looked like he wanted to murder me.” We both knew who he was referring to.“He a

PENELOPEI hadn’t slept in days.Not really. Maybe an hour or two here and there, but never long enough to forget his voice, or the way he looked at me when I told him I wished I married someone else.The bakery should’ve been my distraction. It usually was. But this week, I was off. Way off.“Penny,” Jess said, from across the counter, her voice soft, but edged with concern. “You just poured salt into the cupcake batter.”I blinked down at the bowl. Shit. “Sorry.”Jess gave me a long look. “You’ve measured the sugar wrong twice. You spaced out during a customer order. And now this. What’s going on?”I didn’t answer. I just dumped the batter and reached for a new bowl. Jess didn’t press, but I saw the way she watched me.When I finally told her—about Alex, about the dinner, about who he really was—her reaction had been… exactly what I should’ve expected.“Wait, wait, wait,” she’d said, gaping. “They’re brothers? Are you kidding me? No. No. Actually, it makes sense. The jawline. The wa

PENELOPEIt was 4:07 a.m. when the first truck pulled up.The street outside the bakery was wrapped in darkness, save for the amber streetlamps casting long shadows across the street.Headlights swept across the asphalt, catching the shine of my lavender sports car parked just out front, as two delivery trucks rumbled to a stop in front of our shop. For a moment, none of us moved—just stared, wide-eyed, flour-smudged, coffee-fueled and sleepless.Jess was the first to bolt for the door. Maya right behind her. I followed, my heart was beating faster against my ribs as if the adrenaline finally remembered it had a job to do.The delivery men hopped out of the cab, very unfazed by the hour. “Hilton Logistics,” one of them called. “We’ve got two truckloads for a ‘Mrs. Hilton’? Hope you’ve got space, ma’am.”I blinked. “You’ve got… two?”“Actually,” the second one grinned, “two and a half. Boss said pack extra. Said you’d figure out what to do with the rest.”He opened the trucks, and my k