All Chapters of The Billionaire's Regret: Chapter 191 - Chapter 200

216 Chapters

The People Time Couldn’t Erase

I pointed at Sebastian with my chin. “He told you about her?”Zenna rolled her eyes. “Told me is a very generous way to put it. He sent one picture, told me her age, then said she likes croissants and isn’t afraid of him.” She squeezed my arm. “Does she really look like Sebastian?”“Tragically,” I said.Zenna’s smile widened. “I’ve always wanted to meet my niece.”“You didn’t even know I had a child until a few days ago.”“That doesn’t erase the desire retroactively.”“That isn’t a real concept.”“In this family, money makes a lot of concepts real.”I shook my head, but a smile escaped anyway. “I’ll introduce you. After all of this is over and I’m sure no one is trying to plant another tracking device inside her favorite stuffed animal.”Zenna’s expression softened.“Later,” I said. “I promise.”“Tomorrow?”“Zenna.”“Fine. I’ll wait until the day after tomorrow.”“You disappear for five years and still manage to keep Zenna waiting.”I recognized the voice.Zane Romano stood a few feet

Last Updated : 2026-07-16

What Answered Before I Did

“I can do the splits, hold a handstand for fourteen seconds, and dive without pinching my nose.”I looked at Zoe more closely.The last time I’d seen her, she was three years old and asleep in my arms during Christmas dinner. She had once fallen asleep under a table, on a hotel lobby couch, and, on one memorable occasion, inside an open coat closet because she’d decided the fur coats were blankets.“I used to carry you around all the time,” I said.Zoe narrowed her eyes and studied my shoulder. “I remember a little.”“Only a little?”“I remember you smelled nice. And your shoulder was comfortable.”“At least I left behind an important legacy.”“I don’t fall asleep in random places anymore,” she said.Krystal snorted. “You slept under a restaurant table last week.”“I was waiting for dessert.”“With your eyes closed?”“I got tired of waiting.”Zoe looked at me again. “Mama said you have a daughter.”“Her name is Poppy.”“I heard she’s four.”“That’s right.”“I can teach her the splits.

Last Updated : 2026-07-16

What Else Didn’t He Tell Me?

The main ballroom had transformed while we were talking outside.The candles on the tables had been lit. The chandeliers had been dimmed until the crystals cast nothing but warm gold over the guests’ heads. Onstage, three enormous screens displayed the Romano Foundation emblem in an animation far too elegant for an organization whose meetings mostly consisted of people interrupting one another.The orchestra stopped playing.The silverware stopped clinking.Five hundred rich people finally sat down after spending an hour standing around purely to make sure everyone had seen their clothes.Sebastian guided me toward the main table.I didn’t need to check the place cards to know my seat was beside his. Zenna had probably decided that separating us by two feet would compromise national security or ruin the photographs.A board member stood near the table, narrow-framed, his silver hair combed so precisely it looked as though someone had used a ruler.“Mr. Romano.” He shook Sebastian’s ha

Last Updated : 2026-07-17

Our Names Under Failing Lights

People at several tables rose to their feet. Bellandi slapped his palm against the table twice before joining the applause. The camera beside the stage swung around.The lens pointed straight at us.Sebastian’s face appeared on the two side screens.Then mine.The applause grew louder.I turned toward Sebastian without letting my smile slip.He was smiling too.“What did you do?” I asked, barely moving my lips.“Nothing.”“Our names are on a screen next to ten million euros.”“I can read.”The camera zoomed in.Sebastian lifted one hand slightly in acknowledgment. Just a small gesture from a man who had been applauded far too many times for moving amounts of money large enough to make a small country reconsider its annual budget.I raised my glass too, because apparently I was part of the performance now. “You donated ten million euros without telling me?”“No.”“If you’re going to lie, at least furrow your brow so it looks like you’re making an effort.”“I didn’t donate it.”“Then wh

Last Updated : 2026-07-17

To Get In or Out

Poppy.What about Poppy?I grabbed my clutch from the table.Sebastian already had his phone out. “The villa,” he said as Luca approached.“Being confirmed.”“Now.”Luca spoke into his earpiece, his gaze moving from the doors on the right to the small balcony above the ballroom. “Èze team, status.”A pause followed.Too long.My fingers had already opened Salma’s contact when a voice came through Luca’s earpiece.“The villa is secure. Perimeter intact. Poppy is upstairs with Salma and two officers. No changes.”I pressed the screen hard enough to close the app again.Sebastian glanced at me. His hand shifted from my shoulder to the back of my neck, his warm palm settling against the skin just below my bun.“She’s safe,” he said.“I heard.”“Jas.”“I heard.”His hand stayed where it was.At the front of the room, Zenna still stood behind the podium. She switched off the already-dead microphone, stepped down from the stage, and spoke to one of the security officers in a voice that didn’

Last Updated : 2026-07-18

Bring Her to Me

We reached a narrow hallway that ended at a staircase leading down. The lighting was too white. The smell of kitchen grease, metal, and cleaning solution replaced the expensive perfume of the ballroom.Through another door, I could hear the media still gathered near the arrival area.Luca stopped at the corner. “The press line is still active by the side entrance,” he said. “They should’ve been moved already.”“Should’ve?” I repeated.“The access system went down. Some of the staff lost their instructions.”“Impressive. We can donate ten million euros to a hospital, but apparently not enough to buy walkie-talkies.”Sebastian looked at Luca. “How many?”“Twelve photographers. Three video crews.”“Use the lead vehicle.”Luca turned to one of the officers. “Clear a path. No stopping. No questions.”The side door opened.The night air came in first.Then the light.Camera flashes exploded before my heel even touched the stone outside.“Mr. Romano!”“Jasmine!”“Are you leaving the gala tog

Last Updated : 2026-07-19

Blood on the White Cuff

Sebastian looked out the window.I noticed the red line on his cuff again.It was larger now.“You’re bleeding.”He didn’t turn. “No.”I stared at the stain slowly spreading through the white fabric. “Interesting. Apparently your suit has started menstruating from the wrist.”Luca coughed in the front seat.Sebastian tugged his cuff down and covered the stain with his jacket. “It’s a scratch.”“From the door?”“It doesn’t matter.”“A favorite sentence among men trying to get infections.”He looked at me. “I’m fine.”“Of course. You also forgot you had ten million euros. Your judgment tonight is no longer considered reliable.”The SUV stopped in front of a private entrance to a high-rise overlooking the sea.No main lobby.No concierge.Only a dark steel door that opened after one of the officers scanned a card and entered a code.We got out in an enclosed parking area. The air was cold and smelled like concrete.No cameras.No press.Just four security officers and an elevator waiting

Last Updated : 2026-07-19

Maybe Slap Him, Maybe Kiss Him

The cut ran from beneath his thumb to the center of his palm.It wasn’t deep, but it was open enough to keep bleeding. A small shard of glass was still lodged near the edge.I stared at it. “You called this a scratch.”“It is.”“This is not a scratch. This is a stupid attempt to add character to your palm.”“I already have enough character.”“That isn’t the word I’d use.”I picked up the tweezers. “This is going to hurt.”“I know.”“I’m giving you permission to complain.”“I don’t complain.”“Right. You just make everyone around you suffer in silence with you. Very masculine.”I pulled the shard free.The muscles in Sebastian’s forearm tightened.His expression didn’t change. If someone shot him, he’d probably just check whether the bullet had scratched his watch.I placed the piece of glass on the gauze. “Done.”“You look disappointed.”“I was hoping it would be large enough to justify your theatrics.”“I wasn’t being dramatic.”“You hid blood under your cuff while evacuating your ex

Last Updated : 2026-07-19

The Distance She Closed

My phone buzzed on the table.Neither of us moved.The vibration stopped.Then started again.Longer this time.A video call.SALMA filled the screen.I pulled my hand away so quickly I nearly took Sebastian’s bandage with me. He leaned back.I grabbed the phone.The first thing that appeared was one enormous green eye.“Mommy!”I moved the phone farther from my face.Poppy filled the screen.She was strapped into a car seat, her chubby body wrapped in pink pajamas and a yellow cardigan buttoned unevenly. Her long hair fell in a mess over her shoulders. Her bangs covered nearly her entire forehead and one eyebrow. Bunny was trapped beneath the seat belt with her, one ear pressed against Poppy’s cheek like he’d been taken hostage too.Streetlights flickered across the rear window.“Why is the camera so close?” I asked.“I want to see Mommy’s pores.”“No four-year-old needs to see her mother’s pores.”Poppy narrowed her eyes at the screen. “Why are your face red?”“I’m not.”“A little r

Last Updated : 2026-07-20

The First Crack

Poppy entered the penthouse like a SWAT team assembled from sugar, bangs, and far too many opinions.First, she crashed into my legs.Second, she crashed into Sebastian’s.Third, she turned to survey the entire room, took a deep breath, and announced, “Daddy Sebastian’s house is too empty.”I looked around.Marble living room. Floor-to-ceiling glass. A gray sofa that looked like no human being with real problems had ever sat on it. A low black table. Expensive lighting. Monaco glittering outside as if someone had spilled diamonds into the sea.“This isn’t a home,” I said. “It’s a waiting room for men without hobbies.”Sebastian set his phone on the console table. “I have hobbies.”“Buying property and withholding information?”“Two hobbies.”Poppy was no longer listening. She ran toward the windows and pressed both small hands against the glass. “Mommy! Look! So many lights! It’s like glitter for grown-ups!”“Don’t lick the window.”“I’m not licking it!”I looked at her.She slowly pu

Last Updated : 2026-07-21

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