Lahat ng Kabanata ng Love, Lies, and Billion-Dollar Secrets: Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

A loud thunderclap rocked the night, and without thinking, I shoved him hard—full force—away from me.Still, he didn’t break eye contact, that mischievous grin never leaving his lips.I swallowed the lump in my throat when he put his thumb to his mouth—the same thumb he’d just used to brush my lower lip earlier.Heat burned from my stomach, flushing all the way up to my cheeks.Before I could even process it, thunder boomed again.“Papa!” I screamed, covering my ears as the thunder cracked.I dropped down on the floor, squeezing my eyes shut tight.I was scared—like, truly terrified of lightning and thunder.The weather was fine just moments ago when I left my room. The moon had been shining bright… but now, everything was dark and ominous.Another crack of thunder nearly gave me a heart attack.I stopped thinking about where I was.All I could do was sob quietly from the nerves twisting inside me.If only I were at home with my dad—then maybe I wouldn’t be such a scared little mess.

I had no choice but to follow him outside.He waited in the corridor, and his answer kept playing in my head. He didn’t say yes or no. He just said he wasn’t cheap. That meant something. That meant he wasn’t just some ordinary guy. I was seriously intrigued by who this guy really was.“Ow!” I yelped, hitting my forehead. I grabbed it and gave him a side-eye glare. I caught him lowering his hand.“Stop overthinking,” he snapped.And just like that, he left me at the top of the stairs. Sadist! After a few seconds, I trudged down.When I got to the bottom, I was about to pass by him when he called me.“Change your clothes. I’ll be waiting by the front door,” he said, then turned away.I let out an annoyed sigh, rolling my eyes as my heavy feet dragged me back to the Servants’ Hall.The first thing I saw was Giselle talking to Tiffany—the girl in charge of grocery runs and supplies. Giselle was giving Tiffany some instructions, but as soon as they spotted me, they both stopped talking.“O

The first thing that greeted me was the warm glow reflecting off the clean, dark wooden floors. The place was spotless—so well cared for that the shine almost blinded me. A single porcelain vase stood as the only decor, sitting near tall sliding windows made of wood, draped with sheer white curtains. Even the walls had that rustic wood paneling look. Cozy, calm… almost too calm.To the right was a staircase, but it faced the wall, so you'd have to loop around just to go up. At the far end of the hallway, I spotted a small altar with a crucifix and two candles softly burning.“There are four rooms up here,” Lily started as we climbed the stairs. “So far, three are already taken. If you’re taking the last one, that makes four of you.”She didn’t smile. Just gave me facts straight up.“The other three are students,” she added casually.When we reached the second floor, the vibe stayed the same. Wood floor, wooden walls, and clean white curtains framing two large windows on the right. All

I looked away when I noticed the way his face darkened again.Yup. He’s pissed. Tsk.No matter how hard I tried to process everything he just told me, it still didn’t make any sense. I mean—who in their right mind would believe this crap?I narrowed my eyes at him. “Okay, but seriously. How did you get inside my room?”“I teleported,” he said, dead serious.I blinked. “Ryoushin, what the hell?!”He rolled his eyes. “What? I’m telling the truth. And stop calling me by my name. I’m older than you!”I gave him a look. “Oh, really? What now, you're as old as my dad?”He stepped forward.Fast.Too fast.By the time I realized he was moving, he was already in front of me, and I couldn’t back away anymore.He leaned in, meeting my gaze straight on, his sharp brows pulled together in that annoyingly broody way. “I’m older than you think, Amara.”I raised a brow, refusing to break eye contact even as my heart went full cardio.“So what now? Should I start calling you Uncle Ryoushin? Or maybe G

“I’m hungry,” he suddenly muttered, completely changing the topic.I sighed loudly and rolled my eyes, standing up with a dramatic stomp like a teen being forced to do chores.“Then go home and eat, Your Highness,” I snapped. “Do your little teleport thing.”His smirk instantly disappeared. Mission: success.“That’s not how it works, Amara,” he said with that low, serious tone again. “They’ll see me.”I blinked. “Wait—what? Who’s gonna see you if you just teleport from here to the mansion?”He chuckled like I asked the dumbest question on Earth. “Silly girl. I can only teleport from here to the apartment gate. You really want me to vanish in the middle of the day with people walking around?”Okay. Valid point.I slumped my shoulders and groaned. Then—whap!—I smacked his shoulder.He glared at me, rubbing the spot like I broke a bone.I gave him a sheepish smile, cheeks heating. “S-So, what now?”“I can’t leave yet. And I’m starving.”“And I can’t leave either, okay?” I said, now fully