Lahat ng Kabanata ng Claimed By The Billionaire At The Altar : Kabanata 91 - Kabanata 100

KIMANI It was the morning of Christmas. And for once… it was quiet. Suspiciously quiet. Alaric and I were still in bed, tangled in warm sheets and softer silence. Our room was soundproof—one of Alaric’s many “necessary architectural decisions”—which meant whatever disaster was unfolding downstairs had not yet reached us. The world outside could burn and we would not know. I was curled into him, my cheek resting against his chest, his arm heavy and secure around my waist. The sunlight filtered through the curtains in soft golden streaks, warming the edge of the bed. We were both awake. Neither of us had moved. Alaric brushed his thumb lazily against my side. “Should we leave the house to them?” I tilted my head up to look at him. His hair was slightly tousled, his expression calm in a way that only existed inside these walls. No CEO composure. No guarded stillness. Just him. “You want to escape?” I asked. He nodded once. “I’m sure it’s chaos down there.” He didn’t deny i

KIMANIWe migrated back to the living room like a victorious army returning from battle—only our weapons had been whisks and spatulas, and the casualties were limited to flour-covered countertops and Alex’s wounded pride.The center table was now crowded with plates of pastries from every group. Our caramel tarts gleamed under the warm lights, Denise and Dominic’s croissants sat in perfect golden layers, Adrian and Zendaya’s red velvet cake looked straight out of a bakery window, and Ava and Malik’s chaotic brownie-cookie invention leaned slightly to one side but somehow held together. My dad’s simple sponge cake rested modestly among them, quietly dignified.The Christmas lights were still wrapped around the banister and glowing softly. Outside, the sky was dark but restless; faint pops of early fireworks echoed in the distance. It was a few minutes to midnight, and anticipation hummed in the room like static.Ava and Malik had stationed themselves on the rug directly in front of the

KIMANI “Where are we?” The question slipped out of me in a breath, barely louder than the waves rolling against the shore below. Alaric stood in the doorway, watching me from across the room as dawn began to bleed into the horizon behind me. The sky was shifting from deep navy to soft gold, and the ocean stretched endlessly, calm and impossibly blue. He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he walked toward me slowly, hands tucked into his pockets, expression composed in that infuriating way he had when he knew he’d succeeded in surprising me. “It’s a private island,” he said finally. I blinked. “A what?” “A private island.” I turned back toward the ocean as if it would suddenly confirm his words in bold lettering across the water. “You’re joking.” “I’m not.” I stared at him again, trying to gauge whether this was one of his dry, subtle jokes. It wasn’t. “You bought an island?” I asked carefully. “Yes.” “Like… bought bought?” “Yes.” My mouth opene

KIMANIThe silence after Alaric left felt… different.Not empty.Just quieter than usual. Back home the mansion was always alive in one way or another especially the last few days that we spent together for Christmas and new year's eve—staff moving around, Ava bursting through doors without warning, Malik’s voice echoing from somewhere he definitely wasn’t supposed to be, Alex laughing like the world existed purely for his entertainment.Here?It was calm.Just the soft rush of waves brushing against the shore and the distant cry of seabirds gliding somewhere above the water.I leaned back in the chair for a moment, staring through the glass walls again.The sunlight had fully claimed the sky now. The ocean looked brighter than it had earlier, the surface shimmering like a field of moving diamonds.It was beautiful.Peaceful.Almost too peaceful.I pushed my chair back and stood up, curiosity pulling me toward the far side of the living area.If the bedroom upstairs had resembled ou

KIMANI “Did you explore?” Alaric’s voice cut gently through the quiet. I turned my head toward the sound, blinking as if I had been pulled out of a trance. He stood a few steps inside the living room, sunlight outlining his tall frame through the glass doors behind him. For a moment I just looked at him. He had taken off the blazer he wore earlier. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled neatly to his forearms now, and there was a faint trace of heat in his expression from being outside. “You’re back,” I said. “Yes.” I sat up slightly on the couch. “That was fast.” “I said an hour.” I glanced at the clock on the wall and lifted a brow. “Forty-eight minutes.” “I finished early.” That sounded exactly like him. He walked closer, stopping beside the couch. His gaze moved briefly toward the ocean view, then back to me. “So,” he said, “did you explore?” I shook my head lightly. “Not really.” His brow creased faintly. “No?” “I looked around the house a li