บททั้งหมดของ Falling For My Ex’s Dying Billionaire Dad: บทที่ 121 - บทที่ 130

••~~CORIAN~~••I pulled it out.Maddison: WE MADE THE FRONT PAGES, BOYFRIEND.A picture of the magazine. Of us kissing.My lips curved.She really liked that word.Boyfriend.And even though it made me feel like a pathetic teenager with his first crush...I loved it.Loved how it made her smile. Loved how it made her trust me more.Loved how she kept saying it like she was testing it out. Like she couldn't believe it was real.My chest felt full. Warm. Like something inside me was expanding.Like I could breathe deeper.I typed back: THE MEDIA LIVES FOR THINGS LIKE THIS. ARE YOU OKAY?Her response came immediately: I'M PERFECT.ME: GOOD. STAY THAT WAY, TIGER. IF ANYONE HARASSES YOU CALL ME.MADDISON: SURE BOYFRIEND.There it was again.Boyfriend.My chest did that stupid thing again. That warm, full thing.Fuck. I was turning into a sap.I put the phone back in my pocket. Started running again.My body felt lighter. Stronger.Like I could run forever.Like I co

••~~MADDISON~~••We got back home. Corian's Penthouse. Ausley had brought some things from the store. The pieces they could save.I sat on the floor. Started going through them. One by one. My heart hurt. But in a good way. And a sad way. Both at once.I heard Corian. Pacing back and forth behind me jabbing orders into his phone.I wanted to tell him to stop. That it was okay. That I was okay. But I wasn't sure if that was true.Still.I was grateful. So grateful to have him. To protect me. To care about me.Mom was still God knows where and I may be learning to cope without her but God I miss her.And without Corian. I'd be truly alone. For good this time. The thought scared me more than the broken store.I felt him beside me. Warm and big and safe.I was staring at a small piece. A wooden bird. Wings spread.Corian held me from behind. His arms wrapped around me.He sniffed my hair. My neck.Like he was breathing me in. Making sure I was real."Dad made this fo

••~~MADDISON~~•• The moment I walked to the Dean Blake’s office, she looked up from her desk. And she smiled. She smiled. That never happened before. "Maddison. It's good to see you." I sat down in the chair across from her. My hands in my lap. "Thank you Dean. I wanted to talk to you about…” "Maddison." She held up her hand. Still smiling. "You have nothing to worry about." I blinked. "I'm sorry?" "Your tuition. It's all been taken care of.You can get back to class immediately. We're so happy to have you back." What? Taken care of? "I don't understand. I didn't…” "Everything is sorted, Maddison. Just focus on your studies. We're very proud of you." Proud? She never said that before. Never smiled at me like that before. Never looked at me like this before. Like I was special. Like I mattered. But it didn't feel good. It felt wrong. Very wrong. "Who paid it?" I asked. My voice was quiet. "That's confidential. But you're all set. Just focus on your stu

••~~MADDISON~~••I walked into his office and my hands were shaking. From anger. Pure burning anger that made my chest tight and my vision blur at the edges.Rocky was standing by Corian's desk. Big guy. Serious face. Dark suit that looked like it cost more than my rent.He nodded at me. "Maddison."I barely looked at him. Just a quick glance. So that's Rocky. The voice on the phone. Big guy. Serious face. But I was too angry to care.My eyes found Corian instead. And God help me. He looked so calm. So perfectly put together in that dark charcoal suit that fit him like it was made for his body. Because it probably was.His hair was pushed back. His jaw was set. His green eyes were watching me with this intensity that made my stomach flip. He looked like he owned the world. While I was losing my damn mind."Maddison," he said. His voice was smooth like honey.I hated how much I loved that voice. I wanted to throw something at him."Did you have anything to do with

••~~MADDISON~~••Corian walked toward me. Each step made my heart beat faster. "Tell what's it going to take then, Maddison?" His voice was rough now. "What's it going to take to get you to trust me? Because I've never done this boyfriend and girlfriend thing before." He laughed. But there was no humor in it. "You have to know how pathetic it sounds to a man like me. But here we are. You won't sign the damn contract and that announcement was the only way I knew what we have is binding."What?He stopped in front of me. So close I could feel the heat coming off his body. "And getting you to depend on me is the only way I know how to do this thing," he continued. "Getting you to think of me if you ever trip or slip before even thinking of your own hands. To think of me if your water goes out. Or your gas is shut. Or you get a headache." His hand came up. Cupped my face. "I want you to think of me before you think of aspirin. That's how bad I want you to depend on m