Inicio / Romance / Losing Ryker: The Billionaire's Second Chance / Capítulo 21 - Capítulo 30

Todos los capítulos de Losing Ryker: The Billionaire's Second Chance : Capítulo 21 - Capítulo 30

105 Capítulos

Chapter 21

Ryker The drive to the hospital wasn’t long. After years of continuous movement, it was mundane. But it couldn't tamp down my restless thoughts. When I finally arrived. Stepping out of the parking lot, I quickly found the sleek black limo that belonged to the Falloways. The driver who stood outside nodded at me in acknowledgement and I did the same. There was just in time, the doors opened and the doctors alongside Alice stepped out. I sucked in a breath. Her frail figure looked even smaller amongst the bodyguards waiting. As soon as she saw me, her face lit up. Without hesitation she rushed past the bodyguards and jumped onto me enthusiastically. “You came.” She smiled, burying myself into my arms. She wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug, and like clockwork, I held her back. “Why wouldn't I be here?” I asked, ignoring the unpleasant weight that came with her closeness. This was normal, something I was used to. She was my fiancée and my childhood friend. I cared for

Chapter 22

Ryker I watched in silence as the car drove off with Alice alongside the bodyguards until it was out of sight. The night chill dug into my skin as it disappeared from sight, against my face, I could feel the sliver of her touch. I reached out but didn't dare wipe it. This was supposed to be normal. Yet for some reason all I could think of was the fading sensation on my cheek. The same one Zerah slapped back then during the party, glaring at me with an intensity. What else did she say back then? Yes, that I had ‘disgusting opinions’. My jaw clenched. There was something wrong with me to think of them in the same length. Alice was my fiancée. Zerah was nothing. I shoved every other thought aside. Amidst the events of today, one thing stood clear. I couldn't let this matter between Zerah and I come out in the open. At least not until I was done getting my children from her hands. And that part was already underway. … Stepping into my penthouse, the city's skyline stretched

Chapter 23

Ryker The silence felt stone cold. Processing everything, disbelief coursed through me in waves. “So, she's been living a normal life.” I said, my voice sounding distant to my own ears. "All signs point to it. There's been no luxury spending, no travel outside the state. If anything, it’s a boring trail.” Marcus huffed, “Believe it or not, she's made little waves within the past five years. No overt sightings, no big financial transactions and nothing that can count as a minor scandal. All of her co-workers and acquaintances within City Z and even Geronimo’s branch like her. I checked for anything hidden and there's none. There's no suspicious coverup either. It's just the lifestyle of a normal single mother. Well, a single mother, with her own mother and her children. If she did, she’s done a damn good job covering it. But I doubt it. I'm thorough.” I knew that all too well. It was the reason I'd given him this chance. If there was anyone that could get any evidence I needed to ge

Chapter 24

Zerah “Here you go Miss Grayson. I'm sorry for bringing it so late—” “It's okay,” I said, giving the young bespectacled man a small assuring smile as I took the folder from his hands. He was a new employee or at least, newer compared to the others. Adjusting to City A wasn't as smooth at first. With Nathan and I being the only ones to leave the branch, I had to adjust afresh to new faces. They were competent and good acquaintances now, but still relatively unfamiliar. He, unlike the rest of them, had just come in fresh out of college as a junior worker and errand boy. Seeing him, I was equally reminded of several instances in the past and softened. After a brief look over it, I confirmed that everything was in good shape and looked back to his still nervous gaze. “Everythings fine. You did well.” I said and his shoulders relaxed a fraction. Scrutinizing him, I sighed. “Have you eaten? You look exhausted.” “No- I mean Yes. Yes, Miss Grayson.” he stammered, face flushin

Chapter 25

Zerah My breath hitched as I processed his words. What? Surprise filled me as I looked up at him. The look on his face, once slightly distant, now looked a mix of sheepish and guilty. “About that day, the words I said weren't nice. They were derogatory and dismissive and not like me.” he said, bowing his head slightly, "I'm sorry for not apologising earlier. I wanted to do so over the past few days, but I couldn't get the words out. The way things went, I didn't know if you were still angry at me.” My mind went blank. Angry? At him? Shouldn't it have been the other way around? Wait… my gut clenched. If he kept his distance because he believed I was angry and I did the same…didn't that mean that we had been running around in circles? “I swear, it's not like me to act so…so—” “I'm the one who should apologise,” I blurted out, cutting him off and ignoring how he looked up in shock, “It was my fault. I shouldn't have been angry when it wasn't directed at me.” Which technically, it

Chapter 26

Zerah My jaw clenched, meeting his gaze from the distance. There were moments where I had questioned my own sanity. With parenthood, even with the help and guidance from my mother, during the early days where I inevitably ran on little sleep, seeing phantoms and losing it a bit was a given. How I wished I could make that same mistake now. He remained standing with that cold, unreadable expression he always wore. His suit was sharp and pressed. He was just as handsome and even more so out of place in this suburban neighbourhood. He was also blocking my path. I vaguely remembered spotting the car as I stepped into the grocery store, but didn't think too much about it. Did he arrive here moments ago? Had he followed me here? Had he simply waited here, anticipating me? It didn't matter, I thought. The sole consensus remained. He was here by design and that meant he was here for me. But he would be disappointed. I took a deep breath and, with the bags in my hands, walked forward

Chapter 27

FLASHBACK: SEVEN YEARS AGO CONTINUED Ryker My head was pounding. The room spun a little as I opened my eyes, blinking against the dim light filtering in through the curtains. The faint scent of perfume lingered in the air. Sweet, soft, unmistakably Zerah. The next thing I knew, we were already home. I had no memory of the cab ride except her shoulder under my cheek. Now we were at the front door, and she was holding me up. Her arms were smaller than I remembered, but stronger somehow. Maybe it was the drinks. Or maybe it was her. "Come on," she said softly, slipping one of my arms over her shoulders. "Let's get you to bed." My legs wobbled under me, and I leaned into her. She smelled like something floral, with a little hint of vanilla. Comforting. Distracting. She helped me up the stairs, her arm tight around my waist as she pushed open my bedroom door. "You're almost there," she muttered. Her voice was low, gentle, and patient. It was the kind of tone that made me paus

Chapter 28

PRESENT DAY Ryker The memory still lingered. Like a slow-burning echo behind my eyes, I could see it, feel it. Her skin, her breath, the way she whispered my name like it meant something. But now it was gone. The flashback faded like smoke, and I was standing in the present, watching her from across the office floor. Zerah. She stood there, oblivious to the storm unraveling inside me, organizing files with a level of focus I envied. I hated that my gaze lingered. I hated that I was standing here like some schoolboy too frozen to speak to a woman in his class. I was her boss, damn it. I owned this building, every inch of it. I could snap my fingers and have her in my office in seconds. I could order her to leave. To explain herself. To never wear her hair like that again. But none of that power was doing a damn thing right now. I stood rooted like an idiot. Why couldn’t I move? The answer was as clear as it was frustrating. The memory of that night wasn’t fading fast

Chapter 29

Ryker The doors to the elevator slid shut behind me with a soft mechanical sigh, muffling the distant chatter of the office. Alone inside the mirrored box, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. My shoulders slumped slightly as I reached up to loosen my tie. Zerah’s laugh was still playing in my head like a broken record, looping again and again, even as I tried to shake it. It was just a damn laugh. So why did it feel like someone had knocked the wind out of me? I straightened as the elevator dinged, the doors opening to the executive floor. The boardroom doors were already open. The heavy tension inside hit me before I even stepped across the threshold. Twelve people sat around the massive, polished mahogany table. The board of SparkForge, my family’s company. My birthright. And yet, as I looked around the room, it felt more like a courtroom than a business meeting. Cold faces. Sharpened eyes. Judgement. I had to set the meeting here at this location, Falloway c

Chapter 30

A FEW HOURS EARLIER Zerah The office was quiet that morning, too quiet. The kind of quiet that should've felt peaceful, comforting even, but instead, it buzzed under my skin like a reminder that something wasn’t right. I tried to focus, I REALLY did. After confronting Ryker earlier this morning, I thought maybe, just maybe, I’d feel some kind of closure, some shift in the strange tension that clung between us like fog. But if anything, it only made things worse. Why was he like this? Why did he act like I belong to him? I opened my laptop, watched it blink to life, then stared at the screen like it held the answer. I clicked through emails mindlessly, archiving, replying, deleting, but I couldn’t concentrate on a single word. My thoughts kept circling back to his voice, rough and possessive, his eyes stormy with something that looked far too much like concern. But that couldn’t be it… right? I shook my head and forced myself to focus. There were invoices that needed approva

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