All Chapters of The billionaire , the ex and the fake fiance.: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Friday was here sooner than expected, by the time I reached Ethan's apartment, my stomach was already doing small gymnastics routines. He opened the door in jeans, barefoot, wearing that ridiculous 'Kiss the Cook' apron from college. "Don't judge," he said. "This apron survived three apartments, two breakups, and one very unfortunate soufflé." "I'm mostly impressed it's clean." I responded light-heartedly. Behind him, the kitchen smelled like sautéed garlic and roasted peppers, like every comfort food had made a pact to seduce me. "Welcome to Maythan's fine dining," he said, bowing dramatically. "Tonight's chef's special: Risotto, that won't double as construction adhesive." I laughed, stepping inside. "That's a bold claim and I see what you did there, with the name." He handed me a glass of wine, smiling. "Taste and see." I took in the room for the first time. Tonight, he'd lit candles and queued up jazz that pretended not to be romantic. The kitchen was a battle

The morning sun was very optimistic as it slipped between the blinds and warmed my pillow like it had solved all my problems overnight, but it hadn’t.For once, I did not have any notifications from slack vibrating on my nightstand. There wasn't any last minute Cross Development crisis waiting to ruin my omelette either, except the meeting I had fixed with their boss. I’d taken a personal day off and my boss never minded whenever I did , because let’s face it, I lived for that office.I was headed for my parent’s house, in my comfiest jeans and an old college hoodie, earbuds tucked away so I could hear the chatter of the city. Father had sounded tired and sleepy on the phone last night when I called, by the time I got home. The thought of his thinning frame always made my stomach ache, knowing he could be gone any moment. I resolved work could wait but my father didn’t have that luxury. Zane Cross’s empire could survive twenty-four hours without my input or contact, after all I'd

I was back at my apartment and working on some files when I heard the knock. Three gentle knocks, slow and patient like it was contrite.I wasn’t expecting anyone and Priye never knocked. Then I heard his voice.“ Are you in Maya?”I didn’t move, Ethan didn't tell me he was coming over and we hadn't spoken throughout the day.The knocking came again, more insistent.“Maya? It’s me.”I walked over to the door in my socks, flipped the chain, and opened the door. I had to physically step back because he was all flowers. The smell pleasantly assaulted my senses. He was holding a ridiculous, arm-aching, florist’s annual profit amount of flowers: roses, lilies, something that looked like a tiny pine tree having a glamorous crisis. One bouquet under his chin, two balanced against his ribs, another tucked in the crook of his elbow like a baby.“I panicked,” he said, breathless, eyes wide. “Forgive me, I couldn't recollect your preference and I didn’t know how to stop buying.”“You stood me u

“You’re sure Cross won’t see this coming?” Malcolm Kane asked without looking up, as he swirled the liquid in the crystal tumbler. The rooftop restaurant purred around them, soft jazz, soft voices, as the city below gleamed like an accomplice, bright, reckless and too far away to care.“He’ll see something,” Richard Hale said, “You boys never tire of underestimating men like Zane Cross. It’s adorable.”“ Exactly why we would stop him before he connects the dots together.” Victor added from the other end of the table.“Let’s skip the foreplay,” Malcolm said, leaning forward. “Cross Developments’s Harbor South filings lock the waterfront for five years, if he gets council sign-off. That’s a death knell to my pipeline.”“Correction,” Hale murmured, sliding a mint to the edge of his napkin. “It’s a death knell to our pipeline.”“And whose fault is that?” Malcolm said. “You were supposed to slow him.”In the shadowed corner, Leah crossed one silk-sheathed ,over the other the slit of her cr

The sky started crying first, before I joined in.As I cried, I told myself I wasn’t supposed to be here. I’d told Ethan I couldn’t make the gallery, pitch decks, my dad, a dozen good reasons. So why was I now crying? After all,was this not the outcome I was expecting? As the rain crawled under my collar. I felt a cold hand at my back, “Maya, wait. I was going to tell you.”“Were you?” I asked mildly in irritation and disgust. “Before or after tonight?”I noticed he wasn’t alone , he had the audacity to bring his evidence with him.Leah’s mouth tilted. Not a smile. An assessment. “I’ll give you two a minute,” she said, already stepping back as her fingers brushed his sleeve as she passed. The audacity was infuriating.He reached for my hand. I let him take air. “Please,” he said, “Let me explain.”“Start with the bar,” I said. “I know she was with you that night, your so called business meeting.”“It was nothing.” He insisted “She needed closure, that was all.” He then continued.