Semua Bab The Comeback of a Star: Bab 11 - Bab 20

AYRAI walk into the restaurant, dressed head to toe in designer clothes, fully aware of the impression I'm making. Brielle and I had agreed looking materialistic would be the perfect strategy for tonight. She followed me in but would be entering after I did, hiding behind dark glasses to watch the date unfold from a distance. My Jimmy Choos clicked sharply against the floor with each step, the sound of them echoing in the space.A server led me to my table, confirming I was Brielle Rosa Caruso when my eyes landed on a fine pair of grey ones. His beauty had a roughness to it. The table was empty, and he had been looking at the menu. There was nothing on the table, which was a sign that he wasn’t going to impose, waiting for me to make the first move. Not bad. I moved closer and said, “Hi, Valentino.”He looked at me, taken aback by my appearance, maybe, but I schooled my face straight, betraying none of my thoughts.“Rosa? You look a bit different. Well, I haven’t seen you since you w

AYRA"He also wants you to fake date someone else to take the heat off the whole situation, so it wouldn't seem like you feel miserable about the whole divorce thing."I didn't know why I expected any better, but I didn't dare say anything. I just stood there and listened to my father speak like he wasn't asking me to commit social suicide. And what broke the camel's back was when he said:"And he's also giving me the investment I asked for. I already have everything planned, the business is finally looking better—""You can't be serious… You can't be bloody serious," I said, my voice deadly low. My nails dug into my palms, threatening to draw blood."Ayra, what is your problem this time? This is basically a win-win for everyone of us. Can't—""Can't I what? Understand? Make space? This is what I've always been and will always be to you, isn't it?—a bargaining chip." The words tasted bitter on my tongue, years of resentment bubbling to the surface.Ayra, get married to Christopher Yald

AYRA"Please, the news I've gotten lately has given me enough shocks to last me a lifetime," I said dryly while tapping my fingers on the desk absentmindedly.Matt's lips curled into a deep smile, while he reached for two white envelopes on the left edge of his desk.I watched him quietly, while Raven, who had been quiet this whole time, came forward to see what he wanted to show. She was still upset about his near betrayal.After what felt like forever, he handed me a paper, and I rolled my eyes, "What's this?"Raven collected them from my hands, going through them lazily, then I saw it—her eyes lit up as she broke into a big grin.She turned to Matt, "Seriously? This is insane. She hadn't even officially come back yet, and they are offering this? I thought it was rumoured that Rina was going to be taking this title."I turned to look at her, now very lost with what they were both speaking about, "I still do not know what that is, Raven. Care to explain?"Raven tapped her forehead lig

AYRARina came over with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, Callum trailing behind her like an expensive accessory. The cameras ate it up—two stunning women in identical dresses, about to embrace for what would undoubtedly become tomorrow's most talked-about photo."Ayra, darling," Rina purred, pulling me into a hug that looked affectionate to the outside world. But as she pressed close, her voice dropped to a venomous whisper only I could hear."You do that dress no justice whatsoever. The Lilies board will be able to tell who the real deal is and who's just an imposter claiming what she's not." Her nails dug slightly into my back. "And it's definitely not you."I smiled brighter for the cameras, my voice equally sweet as I whispered back, "We'll see about that, won't we?"Meanwhile, Callum had positioned himself next to Liam, his posture screaming intimidation tactics."You must be the Yaldon," Callum said, his voice carrying that entitled drawl only billionaire heirs possessed. "I

AYRAI woke up disoriented, sunlight streaming through unfamiliar windows. For a moment, I couldn't remember where I was and then it all came flooding back. Liam's house…the chase…and his blood.I must have been more exhausted than I'd realized. All I remembered from the previous night was taking a shower, picking up some book that was probably just there for decoration, and then... nothing. I crashed hard.Raven must have called me a dozen times by now.I reached for my phone on the nightstand, expecting to see a screen full of missed calls and increasingly frantic texts. But there was nothing. No notifications at all.That was weird. I hadn't told her I wasn't coming home, and she'd definitely want to know what happened at the event, especially with the dress disaster.As if summoned by my thoughts, my phone started ringing. Raven's name flashed across the screen.I smirked. "As expected.""Well, well," Raven's voice was coy, practically purring through the speaker. "How was your n