All Chapters of The Billionaire's Rebel Fiancée: Chapter 121 - Chapter 127

Adriana's POVI flew to San Francisco after the first video interview I'd had on Tuesday morning was a success. Zayn drove me to JFK, kissed me goodbye at the gate, and said, "Go get your dream job."The flight felt both endless and too short. I rehearsed answers to potential questions, reviewed my notes on Apex's recent projects, and tried to calm my nerves.This was real. Apex Intelligence occupied three floors of a sleek building overlooking San Francisco Bay. Floor-to-ceiling windows, open workspace design, a place that screams innovation and impact.The Head of AI Safety, Dr. Rebecca Martinez, met me in the lobby. She was younger than I expected, maybe late thirties, with a sharp focus that came from years of high-stakes technical work."Adriana, thank you for flying out." She shook my hand firmly. "We're excited to talk with you."The day was a blur of interviews. I met with the engineering team, the policy division, and the executive leadership. Everyone asked variations of th

Adriana's POVI woke up the morning after accepting Apex to the smell of coffee and something sweet baking. Zayn's side of the bed was already empty, and the sheets were cool to touch.When I walked into the kitchen, I found him at the stove flipping pancakes while humming something I didn't recognize. It was the first time I'd heard him hum since Marcus died.He looked up when I entered and smiled. "Morning babe. Sit down, breakfast is almost ready."The kitchen table was set with plates and mugs, and in the center was a small bouquet of bodega flowers. Not fancy, just cheerful yellow daisies in a water glass."What's all this?" I sat down, still half asleep."Congratulations on your dream job." He set a plate in front of me, pancakes perfectly golden, fresh strawberries on the side. "I wanted us to celebrate properly."We ate together while morning light streamed through the windows. He asked about the team I will be working with at Apex, what frameworks I wanted to build first, how

Adriana's POVThree weeks before the wedding, I woke up nauseous.Not the gentle kind of queasy that comes from bad takeout. This was different, rolling through my stomach in waves making me break out in cold sweat.Zayn was already in the shower. I lay there breathing carefully through my nose, willing it to pass.Wedding nerves. Oh yes! It'd be wedding nerves.By the time I got out of bed, the nausea had settled into a dull ache in my lower abdomen. I brushed my teeth and the mint toothpaste made my stomach lurch again."You okay?" Zayn appeared in the doorway, towel around his waist, hair dripping with water."I’m fine. Just didn't sleep well." I forced a smile and pushed past him to the shower.The hot water helped. I stood under the spray longer than necessary, trying to convince myself I felt normal.At Sage's office, I made it through the morning by sheer willpower.Around eleven I went to the bathroom and sat in the stall staring at my phone calendar.My period was three days