บททั้งหมดของ The Billionaire's Substitute Bride : บทที่ 11 - บทที่ 20

SOPHIA Cracks, a little at a time.I fled out of the hotel, blinded by my own rage and the sour taste of something I hadn't rightly placed in my mind.I hailed a cab immediately and lucky enough, there was one who had just dropped off some people. I got in and told the driver where I was headed.I'd barely gotten home when I got a call. Hatred was a fire.It didn't just burn; it overwhelmed me, spreading through my veins like poison, making my skin itch, my chest tight, and my fingers curl into fists as I sat motionless on my bed, replaying that goddamn phone call over and over."We had to make you hate Ricci so that you wouldn't turn back from the plan in the end."As if I was so soft that I needed their interference to keep my resolve. A motivation?That was something cheap. Nothing had made me like Ricci. Nothing would.It made me sick.I gritted my teeth, gripping my phone so hard it felt like I would crush it with my bare hand.They had planned this. Every second of my hate, my

SOPHIA A little escape.The morning had reason to be gloomy, I thought in her head. It did reflect the state of her mind.I'd been severely hungover when I woke up and was still struggling to keep my head up. Plus I couldn't.Or maybe I didn't want to.It didn't help me that I remembered everything from last night, I was not going to work today.And I would leave this mansion today. With or without Ricci’s permission.I still laid in bed, wrapped in the warm comfort of my covers when I heard a knock on the door.I stared at it with a raised brow but relaxed a bit when Isabella stepped in, holding a jug of delightful morning coffee and a mug.“Good morning,” Isabella mumbled and dropped the tray on the stool beside the bed.I reached out and poured myself a good amount; I drank it slowly, savoring the taste. I needed my head to come back around. Just then I noticed the way Isabella looked at me.Her eyes were intent on mine, a brow furrowed.“What?” I dragged the word out, ruffling my

SOPHIA Unwanted Company.I felt like death.I ached all over, I had a dry throat and my head throbbed in rhythm with my heart. Last night had been a tangle, one I didn’t have the strength to contemplate.I somehow made it through the hallway without my legs feeling like they’d crumble. The air in the mansion was thick, the walls pressing in on me as I dragged myself toward the dining room. I needed something—anything—to relieve this intolerable weakness.But what I didn’t expect was finding Ricci at home.He was seated at the head of a long dining table, eyes looking toward the ground, one hand draped lazily against the polished wood surface and the other lazily holding a cup of coffee. He wasn’t wearing a suit, he wasn’t carrying a newspaper, and he wasn’t in a rush. He was just... there.Watching.Waiting.For what? I didn’t know.I paused for a split second before pushing myself forward.“Skipping work?” When I spoke, my voice sounded hoarse, a testimony to the fever raging under

SOPHIA Unwanted Titles.I was burning up.Every inch of my body felt like it was on fire, my limbs heavy, my skin damp with sweat. But none of that mattered.Not when my father was coming.Not when Ricci had the answers I needed.I shoved the covers off and pushed myself up, my body immediately protesting. My legs wobbled as I stood, a wave of nausea crashing into me, but I forced myself forward.Isabella’s voice followed me as I stumbled toward the door. “Sophia, you’re not supposed to be walking around! Where are you going?”“Nowhere,” I lied, gripping the doorframe to steady myself.The hallway seemed to stretch further than usual, the walls pushing outwards as I stumbled one foot in front of the other. I was breathless and my head was pounding by the time I made it to the living room.Ricci stood at the window, hands in his pockets, posture relaxed in a way that annoyed me. How could he be so cool when my father was coming?He didn’t see me there yet or maybe he did and just did

SOPHIA Whispers and Warnings.I woke up in a fog, my body heavy, my limbs weighed down. The fever had broken, but a dull heat still smoldered under my skin, making me weak and restless. The room was dimmer now, curtains drawn back just enough for a sliver of the evening to tickle into the air. A faint wisp of Ricci’s cologne lingered in the air, clean and dark, but he was nowhere to be found.Not that it mattered.I slowly sat up, bracing my palm against my forehead. My body was no longer burning, but I wasn’t entirely well either. The fatigue hung over me, and it turned every movement into a slog through heavy air.I glanced at the door, half of me expecting him to come through it. The last thing I remembered was him catching me, his voice teasing but gentler than usual. The way he had been looking at me, the way he had held me… It disturbed me more than I would like to admit.But no sign of him now.Typical.I fought back the bitterness rising in my throat and forced myself to sta