Semua Bab CLAIMED BY THE MYSTERIOUS BILLIONAIRE : Bab 1 - Bab 7

BELLE"Belle, is that my dress?" Faye's voice sliced through the air. My heart lurched as I spun around to face the defying look on her face."What? N-no, it's a gift from Rowan, I swear... he specifically told me to wear it tonight. Otherwise, I wouldn't..." My voice faltered under her piercing glare. She took a step closer, her lip pressing into a thin line before twisting into a sneer."Rowan? Buy you a dress? Don't make me laugh." She spat in my face. "Faye, I promise you, I didn't—""Of course, you didn't." Her face twisted into a mocking grin. "Aren't you always innocent?" She took a step closer to the door with a sly grin plastered on her face."F-Faye, p-p-please," I wavered."What? I haven't even done anything yet," she chuckled before letting out a piercing yell. "Mom! Look what I found!"Dread clawed at my chest. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself as the sharp click of heels echoed down the hall.Laura.When she appeared in my room, the cold disapproval on her face w

BELLE ~FIVE YEARS LATER~"Jordan! Jamie!" I shouted for the hundredth time within the last five minutes. "Get back here!" My goodness! Nobody said becoming a single mother was this stressful."Jamie... come on, you don't want to stress Mommy, right?" I sighed in defeat as I sat on the couch.I looked around my little space, and there was hardly anywhere to hide, but somehow, those kids always managed to fit in somewhere invisible.Just when I was on the verge of giving up, I felt a tiny hand on my leg."Sorry, mommy," Jamie apologized with her puppy face."We were playing hide and seek!" Jordan added, jumping out from behind the curtain like a little ninja."Okay. You win. But no more hide and seek till the weekend, alright? Mommy's got enough gray hair." They nodded with guilty smiles when the front door cracked open."Kara!!!" They jumped in excitement as they ran into her arms. "What's up, pumpkins!" Kara grinned, carrying in two bags filled with junks."Kara," I called, cros

BELLE "Tell me you're quitting," Kara demanded as soon as I stepped into my apartment. She wouldn't even allow me to take off my shoes before she exploded.She paced around my living room, raging with fury. "I won't have you go anywhere near that bitchy stepsister of yours. and who did you say your boss is? THAT MAN?!" I sank onto the couch, already too exhausted to argue. "Kara, the pay is good. I can't keep letting Faye control my life.""You think this is just about that bitch?" Kara spun around to face me. "He's already throwing sexual advances at you. You said he looked down on you!"I hesitated before speaking. "It's...complicated.""Not really. You've got two kids to think about, Belle. What happens if he finds out about Jamie and Jordan?"A lump formed in my thraot. For the first time in my life, I regretted telling her everything. "He won't. My kids are never going near him," I said quickly. "And keep your voice down. They're asleep."Kara sighed and dropped to the armres

BELLE My chest tightened as I left his office, and I could no longer hold back my tears.God! How did everything get this hard?I went into the restroom and regretted it immediately."Look, who finally decided to show up," Faye sneered, her eyes gleaming with a smug smile.I inhaled a deep breath as I stepped inside. One glance at the mirror, and I could barely recognize myself. No wonder Zalden was furious. I looked like a wreck.I rinsed my face while Faye stood behind me, rejoicing in my misery."Looks like I don't even have to lift a finger to get you fired," she chuckled. "You're just a charity case with a fancy job title. You'll be out of here faster than you came in.”I just needed a break. A minute to breathe. To be away from all of this… the humiliation, the constant bullying.It was only my first day and I already felt like I was crumbling."I gave you a week, didn't I?" Faye came to stand behind me, and I didn't miss how she scrunched her nose in disgust. "Maybe I overrat