Semua Bab The Billionaire's Bargain: Bab 81 - Bab 90

CHRISTIANThe room was filled with small talk, silver clinking against porcelain. Laughter spilled here and there, but I wasn’t part of it. Not really.Penelope was deep in conversation with Jess and Lucas, her face lit with an excitement I hadn’t seen in months. Lucas said something, and she tipped her head back to laugh, picking up her wine glass and taking a huge gulp of the contents inside of her glass.On the other side of the table, Maya leaned toward my mother, murmuring something that had them both smiling like co-conspirators. Liam was near the fireplace, having a quiet conversation with my father—I don’t even know how he puts up with my egoistical father.Like you don’t take after him—my thoughts jabbed at me.Which left me. And Alex.He sat two seats away, sipping from his glass, his gaze flicking toward Penelope more times than I could count. I clenched my fist under the table.He looked over, finally meeting my eyes. “Do you want to take a walk?” Asking quietly to not get

PENELOPEMy heels echoed as I stepped into the glass-paneled atrium of Castillo Inc. The conference room was buzzing—reporters, board members, familiar faces, and cameras all turned in my direction. But all I could think was: Mom, I’m here.I adjusted the peach suit jacket Jess helped me pick out that morning. The matching knee-length skirt hugged my figure, the side slit giving just enough movement and confidence. My hair was pulled up into a clean, classic bun—her idea, too. I could still hear her giddy voice echoing from earlier: “You’re finally going to sit in the Queen’s chair, Penny! That deserves a full transformation!” She had danced barefoot in the hallway when I told her about today. I’d laughed, promising to stop by the bakery after the event.As much as I’d have loved her to be here, Eve referred Sweet Delights to one of her clients, who requested for a private tasting, saying her daughter is getting married and she’d love to surprise her with a cake and some other pastrie

CHRISTIANI had barely stepped into Liam’s house before the weight of everything dropped on me like a slab of concrete. I had been staying here since Penelope asked me to leave last night.The lights were off—I didn’t bother turning them on. I made my way straight to the liquor cabinet, unscrewed a half-empty bottle of whiskey, and let it burn down my throat. It didn’t help. Not really.My phone buzzed.Liam.I answered with a low grunt. “Tell me you’re not drinking in the dark like some washed-up politician.”“I’ve been worse,” I muttered.“What the hell happened with Penelope?”“She asked if I killed Daniel Crest.”The other end was silent for a moment, as I downed another mouthful, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. “She didn’t accuse me. She just… asked.”“Well. Did you expect her not to, with a goddamn detective showing up at her office?”“She wasn’t supposed to know about Crest. Or Vladimir.”“Christian, you made both disappear. People notice when bodies drop.”I leaned a

PENELOPEThe bakery was packed today! It was one of those days where time slipped through my fingers, where I couldn’t tell if it was still morning or if we’d somehow leapt into early evening. Every table was full. Every seat taken. The line never seemed to shrink. Jess and I were moving nonstop—taking orders, refilling cups, bagging croissants, restocking the display. The bakery smelled like cinnamon, espresso, and heat. Bolt lay curled behind the counter, his tail twitching every so often in response to the commotion. I didn’t know when he had snuck into the car when I was saying goodbye to Alfred this morning. Only to find him wagging his tail, when I was offloading some boxes out of the car with him jumping out.I couldn’t make the drive back to drop him off, so he had to stay locked behind the counter until I was done with work, and so far he has been a good boy—as long as I kept his mouth busy of course.I barely had time to think, which was a small mercy after the emotional

PENELOPEMaya still hadn’t shown up.It was the sixth day in a row.“She said she’s still feeling sick,” Jess said, flipping a tray of cinnamon rolls. “Didn’t sound great on the phone.”Maybe because I had been thinking about what Samantha said a few days ago, about keeping an eye on her, I hope she doesn’t hurt her just because she wants to get at me.“I hope she’s okay,” I murmured, kneading the dough with more force than necessary. “But if she doesn’t come in by Friday, I might have to call for backup.”“She’ll be fine.” Jess’s voice was too upbeat, her shoulders bouncing slightly with energy. I narrowed my eyes.She’d been smiling all morning. Unnecessarily. Sweetly. Suspiciously.I watched her over the counter. “Okay, what’s going on?”“What?” she said innocently, turning to face me.“You’ve been smiling since sunrise. What gives?”“Nothing,” she said too quickly, biting down on her bottom lip like it would stop her face from glowing.I set down the dough, wiping my hands. “Spil