Semua Bab Pregnant With The Billionaire's Twins : Bab 191 - Bab 200

Renee’s povDacre blinked at me, confused for a moment. “What?”“You said her name.” My voice cracked between disbelief and fury. “Don’t lie to me, Dacre. I heard it.”“I didn't mean for this… I thought…”“Oh my God,” I said weakly, stepping back. My hands shook as I crossed my arms over my chest. “How could you—you think of me that way?”“Maybe you misheard,” he tried, his voice calm but tight.“Don’t you fucking gaslight me man,” I growled. “I heard you. Plain as day. Katherine.”He sighed heavily, jaw tight. “Look, we were kissing. Things get—mixed up sometimes—”“Mixed up?!” My laugh was sharp, hard. “So what, you weren’t kissing me? You were kissing her—in your head?”Dacre’s eyes flickered, and for the first time that night he looked guilty. Actually guilty.And then it hit me. “Oh my God. That’s it, isn’t it? You were doing all this to her and not me. You thought she was me.”“Renee…”“Was it me you wanted? Or was it Katherine?”He didn't say anything which only angered me even

Zelda’s pov. The kiss was an earthquake. A fundamental shifting of the continents of my life. Alistair Croft. My husband’s nemesis. My own… Adversary. And now… this.His mouth was on mine, and it wasn’t a gentle exploration. It was a claiming. A collision of thirty years of pent-up frustration, rivalry, and a shocking, terrifying kind of recognition. It tasted of expensive whiskey and a shared, brutal understanding of how the world worked.He grabbed my waist as I held his suit with a solid fist.We kissed for a while before he broke away from me with a sigh.“Zelda… let’s take a break.”It was then I realized that I was to be here for my son and not with him.The gala. My son. The carefully constructed narrative I was supposed to be overseeing. I nodded. “I need a break.”He studied my face, his own expression unreadable in the dark. He didn’t smile. He didn’t look triumphant. He just looked… serious. “Of course.”I nodded and walked away from him.The ice queen. The matriarch. The

Zelda’s povThe champagne in my flute had gone flat. I didn’t want another one as I just stayed there.My son had vanished. My future daughter-in-law had been caught in a compromising position with… with Jake, of all people. I didn't even know what to say or do. Soon, Alistair showed up. “You left quite fast,” he smiled. “What’s the matter?”I kept my eyes fixed on the rows of expensive bottles behind the bar. “What do you want, Alistair? Come to gloat? To see the great Zelda Thorne’s perfect plan explode in her face?”“I just wanted to know if you were okay,” he sighed. It was worse than gloating. “You looked… shaken.”A bitter laugh escaped me. “Shaken. That’s one word for it. I just caught my son’s supposed fiancée—the girl I’ve been shoving down his throat for months—locked in a rather passionate embrace with another man. Because my son is too stupid and too heartbroken to see her as anything other than a stand-in for the woman he actually loved.” The words tasted like ash. I fin

Renee’s povFor a second, nothing happened. Then a laugh came through.“Well, that’s not the sweet hello I wanted, sweetheart.”I froze. That voice. I knew it. My skin knew it.“Jake,” I whispered.“Miss me?” he teased.My grip on the phone tightened. “How the hell did you get my number?”He chuckled in a slow and dark way. “A man like me always finds a way. Call it… resourceful. Call it hungry.”“What do you want?” I shot back. I tried to sound cold. It came out shaky.“What do I want?” His tone was lazy, amused. “I wanted to check on you. Saw the mess tonight. Big headlines already. ‘Thorne Heir’s Gala Disaster.’ Ouch. That has to sting.”“You were watching me?” I asked.“Of course,” he said. “I always watch.”“I’m fine,” I lied.“You don’t sound fine,” he said. His voice dropped lower into a smooth and intimate way. “You sound wound up. Still thinking about me? About us? About that balcony?”Heat rushed to my cheeks. “That was a mistake.”“No,” he said firmly. “That wasn’t a mistak

Dacre’s povThat got her. She lowered the tablet and looked at me in a sharp way as she was assessing me. “No? Dacre, the Volkov merger isn’t going to review itself. After last night, there are fires everywhere. And you think you can just sit here sulking?”I took a sip. It burned my tongue, didn’t even help. “I’m sure you can handle it the way you handle all other things.”“That is not this works,” she said in a sharp tone. “Hiding away at home. Feeling sorry for yourself. It doesn’t fix anything.”I rubbed my temple. “I’m not hiding. I’m just… regrouping.”“You’re wallowing.” She set the tablet down with a snap. “You should be seen. The world saw weakness last night. We must correct that. Lunch at the country club. Smile. Be charming. Control the story before someone else does.”The words hit like nails. The country club—god, no. A room full of vultures, gossiping, smirking, already telling their version of last night. I shook my head. “No. Absolutely not.”“Dacre, be reasonable. Yo