All Chapters of ONE NIGHT STAND WITH MR.BILLIONAIRE : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Melinda stood in front of the tall mirror, her fingers tugging nervously at the silk collar of her blouse. The courthouse was quiet that morning, almost eerily so. The sun filtered through the high windows like a silent witness to the union about to take place not one forged in love, but necessity, secrecy… and the ache of unspoken history.James stood beside her, impeccably dressed in a dark charcoal suit that hugged his form with authority. His tie was perfectly knotted, his face unreadable. But his eyes those sharp grey eyes flicked toward her every few seconds, as though trying to gauge what lay behind her practiced calm.The marriage certificate lay between them on the mahogany table, crisp and accusing.“This isn’t a real marriage,” Melinda said quietly, her voice barely a whisper. “It’s for the twins, for the public, for”“For protection,” James finished, his tone firm but not unkind. “I’m not asking for love, Melinda. I’m asking for loyalty. For a united front.”The pen felt h

The echoes of the gala still clung to the inside of Melinda’s skull like an expensive perfume that wouldn’t fade. She sat in James’s penthouse now barefoot, her dress discarded on the chaise, wrapped in a silk robe. The city stretched out beneath her, glittering like nothing had happened. Like she hadn’t just exposed years of pain with a few razor-edged sentences.James stepped out of the shower, towel wrapped low around his waist. “You didn’t have to say all that,” he said, not accusing just observing.Melinda looked at him from the balcony seat. “Maybe not. But I wanted to.”He approached her slowly, water glistening on his chest. “You burned Andrew alive in front of everyone. His reputation won’t recover.”She gave a half smile. “Good.”James studied her. “You’re dangerous.”Melinda tilted her head, gaze sharp. “And you like that.”A small smile curved his lips. “I do.”But beneath the charged silence, something in James’s eyes had shifted. Subtle. Flickering. As though her words

Morning came too soon, sunlight spilling across Melinda’s face like a cruel reminder that nothing was as it seemed.James was already dressed, buttoning his crisp white shirt in front of the mirror. His reflection caught her eye, and for a moment, she simply watched him carefully, cautiously.The man who had once made her feel safe now seemed wrapped in questions she hadn’t dared ask.“You slept like a rock,” James said, his voice warm and teasing as he adjusted his cufflinks. “Did you even hear the thunder last night?”She gave him a faint smile. “Didn’t notice.”He leaned over, kissed her forehead, then her lips. “I’ll be late tonight. Board meeting with the East Coast investors. You remember Thomas, right?”She nodded slowly, committing the name to memory. “Of course.”He kissed her once more before leaving, and as the door clicked shut behind him, the silence roared to life. She waited ten minutes long enough for him to get into the elevator and drive off before grabbing her bag a

Melinda didn’t sleep that night.The image of Selene’s sharp smile haunted her, a phantom behind her closed eyes. James had held her hand on the way home, reassuring her with a quiet, tense strength but the silence between them afterward spoke volumes. There were things unsaid. Things Melinda couldn’t ignore anymore.The morning light filtered through the large windows, golden and gentle, but it did nothing to ease the tightness in her chest.James was already awake, standing shirtless by the window, coffee in one hand, phone in the other. His jaw clenched as he read something, and for the first time, Melinda noticed how tired his eyes looked. Not physically James Morrell never seemed physically tired. But emotionally? He looked like a man at war with himself.She sat up in bed slowly, the sheets slipping off her bare skin. “Who is she?” Her voice was soft but steady.James didn’t pretend not to know. He turned slowly, placing his phone on the table. “Selene.”“Yeah,” she said, foldin

The city was strangely quiet that night.The kind of quiet that pressed on your chest like a warning.Melinda stood at the edge of her apartment balcony, staring at the skyline she once dreamed of conquering. The wind tugged at her robe, her bare legs chilled, but her mind was burning.Hazel’s words still rang like an alarm inside her.“Selene’s been using you.”“You’ve been bugged from the start.”“She wants James broken, and you gone.”She clutched the folded photo Hazel had found an old newspaper clipping, yellowed with age.Grace Harrow and Jonathan Rowe City’s Power Couple-to-Be?There was her mother radiant, younger, arm looped with James’s father. And beside them, tucked subtly in the background, stood a much younger Selene, eyes full of envy.Melinda could barely breathe.Why hadn’t her mother ever told her this? Why lie? Why keep James’s name off her lips all these years?Her hands shook as she reached for her phone and dialed the only number that could give her answers.It r