All Chapters of STUCK WITH MR. BILLIONAIRE FOR CHRISTMAS : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

109 Chapters

Chapter 71: REELING IN GRIEF.

CINNAMONThe house felt off without Mom.It was too quiet, too empty, as if all the air had been drained away.People milled about, Mrs. Hartley had organized refreshments despite my objections. Sandwiches that no one would touch. Coffee that would soon grow cold. The awkward routine of post-funeral etiquette.Dove, Mrs. Moretti, and Thessa kept their distance, close but not intrusive, giving us space while signaling they were available if needed.Eventually, Thessa broke away and climbed onto my lap. She didn’t say a word; she simply curled up and held my hand.I welcomed her presence; her warmth was the only thing anchoring me to reality."Cinnamon." Mrs. Hartley appeared next to me, wringing her hands nervously. "I know this might be inappropriate timing, but I need to give you something."She handed me a folded piece of paper that looked official, legal in nature."Your mother drafted this the night before she... before." Mrs. Hartley's voice trembled slightly. "She transferred al

Chapter 72: WATCHING FROM THE SHADOWS.

DANTESix months...I was always nearby but never close enough. I watched her from distances that felt as vast as continents. I hired the best security team money could buy to keep her safe without her knowledge. I positioned them strategically, one in the apartment across from hers, which she hardly visited anymore, another at the coffee shop she used to frequent, and a third rotating through Meadowbrook whenever she went home, which had been often.They reported back daily, sometimes even hourly."She's not eating.""She hasn't left her mom's house in a week.""Someone threw a bottle at her window. We stopped them before they could do it again.""She's losing weight. Sir, she's not okay."I knew. God, I knew she wasn't alright. And it hurt to know I couldn't fix it. Couldn't hold her or share everything I'd learned and done to try to make things right.She blocked every way of reaching her: phone, email, social media, even changed her number twice. She returned my gifts unopened and

Chapter 73: IF THIS ISN'T MADNESS, WHAT IS?

DANTE"Technically," I said calmly, "I had you brought to me because you refused to meet with me.""That should've made it clear that we want NOTHING to do with you!" Risa's voice escalated with each word."I understand. But I can't live without Cinnamon.""Well, you'd better start getting used to it!" Khloe strode toward the door. "Now let us leave before I lose my temper."My bodyguard—six-foot-four and a former military man—blocked the exit. I knew what Khloe was capable of. Her words weren't empty threats. I saw what she did to Marcus during the funeral reception which gladdened my heart. She should've put him in a coma.Khloe spun around. "Tell him to move. NOW."Just then, my phone rang. Perfect timing.I checked the caller ID and saw my private investigator's name. Finally."Talk to me.""You'll receive a file within the hour," he said in a steady, professional tone. "Everything you've requested. The truth about what happened that day—all of it."Six months of investigation. Si

Chapter 74: THE MURDERER.

DANTEShe took a deep breath. "One rainy night, thirty-four years ago, your father was driving home from work when he spotted a desperate man on the roadside with a small child, probably around six months old. The rain was pouring down, accompanied by thunder and lightning. The man was drenched, and the child was crying."I saw her expression soften as she recalled the memory."Your father brought them home, fed them, and provided dry clothes. He learned that the man's name was Max and that he was searching for work to support his son. Out of kindness, we offered him a job and allowed him to stay in the guest house. He was grateful and hardworking, and the child, Marcus, was so sweet."Marcus. My brother, or at least I thought he was."Your father and I had been trying for a baby for five years," she continued. "We underwent every test and treatment available, but nothing worked. We were heartbroken. And then Max—" She paused to sip her wine. "Max offered us his son as a gesture of gr

Chapter 75: SOME SECRETS ARE BEST LEFT BURIED.

CINNAMON The thought exploded in my mind. These past months of pain, turning us into outcasts in this town, and it was Max Moretti behind it all. I almost began to question my own father.My chest felt constricted around my heart, which pounded against my ribs as if trying to escape.I had been saving for months. Three careful months of budgeting, every spare dollar set aside because I had decided just yesterday to hire a private investigator to finally reopen the case myself and clear Dad's name before I completely lost my mind.And now this.What did we ever do to deserve this? The question pierced me deeply, filled with anger. My family had suffered for nothing, victims of a crime committed by a man who had enough wealth to distort the truth, pointing fingers at an innocent man while watching him drown in accusations. We lost everything. Dad's reputation, Mom's health, my entire childhood, all collateral damage in whatever twisted game Max Moretti had been playing.But then anothe

Chapter 76: YOU CAN'T FIX WRONG WITH WRONG.

CINNAMON The incline bit into my calves as I pushed forward, lungs burning with each gulp of cold mountain air. Twelve hours. Twelve hours of unanswered calls left me with a growing dread that coiled tighter around my ribs until Khole's text finally arrived: We need help. Come now. It was followed by an address that made my stomach sink.My mind spun through scenarios I couldn't afford to entertain. Car accident. Injury. Someone following them. After Max Moretti's confession spread across every screen, the world seemed on edge, as if anything could break apart at any time."Stay positive," I told myself, even as my heart raced with disbelief.The path curved upward, and an unwelcome sense of recognition flashed through me. I'd been here before back when everything still felt possible, when Dante's hand had been warm in mine and the future hadn't yet learned to lie.I pushed the memory aside and continued climbing.The cabin emerged from the darkness like a skeleton. There were no lig

Chapter 77: NO REMORSE.

DANTEDistance had its bite, and it had been gnawing at me for over a month since my last effort to reach out to her. Every attempt to connect with Cinnamon had spectacularly backfired. The cabin incident, my desperate act, had only driven the knife deeper. I had seen it in her eyes before she left: not just anger but something more profound—betrayal. The kind that solidifies into permanence.Mom and Dove were no help. "Handle this yourself," they said, their voices gentle yet firm. "Truly earn her forgiveness. You hurt her, Dante."As if I didn’t already know. As if I didn’t wake up each morning feeling the weight of it constricting my chest.But how? How do you win back someone who would prefer to erase your existence?I adjusted my tie, the silk tightening around my throat as I stood at the podium. Cameras loomed like weapons, lenses focused on me, waiting for any sign of weakness. Behind me stood the Moretti estate—Dad's legacy, Max's mausoleum, the backdrop for today’s performan

Chapter 78: THE WILL.

DANTEI tightened my grip on the edges of the podium again, my knuckles turning white against the dark wood."I need to say something." My voice became louder than the murmur of reporters."I'm truly happy for my brother getting this contract." That was a blatant lie, but what followed was genuine."When I first arrived in Meadowbrook, I had one goal: to secure that development deal. Nothing else mattered." I paused, allowing my confession to sink in. "But somewhere between the town meetings and late-night diners, amidst the smiles exchanged by strangers and the way morning light touched Main Street, I fell in love with that place."A camera flashed. I didn’t flinch."My father loved Meadowbrook first, before any of us knew it existed, before it became a line item in a business proposal. He cherished it. Now I understand why."My throat tightened. "Which makes what I did even worse: I deceived all of you. The engagement, the speeches, the promises, they started as tactics."Silence t

Chapter 79: SEEKING FORGIVENESS.

CINNAMONThe press conference played on my laptop screen. Dante looked composed, all too in charge reciting from the speech he'd probably memorized. I could see choreography—manipulation disguised as remorse. I snapped the laptop shut and zipped my suitcase decisively.Mom's room was now empty. I'd spent two days boxing up her belongings, folding memories into cardboard boxes, letting go of the shrine I had created around her absence. The process had totally broken me some more. I thought the process would've been healing, giving me room to breathe again. I was wrong. It did the opposite.My own bags were packed too. I had decided to move to New York, get a motel room while I figured out my next plan or direction. I had quit my job on Tuesday through an email as I didn't know my boss before walking away with only what was left in my bank account. Meadowbrook had turned into a graveyard of everything I'd lost. It was time to bury it.Risa and Khole still didn't know. We hadn't spoken s

Chapter 80: MY HEART.

DANTEHer silence was unbearable. I needed her to say something. Anything at all.I knew forgiveness wasn’t something you could just switch on like a light. You couldn’t flip it because someone uttered the right words or knelt before an audience. I had broken something precious, and if kneeling wasn’t enough, I would lay myself at her feet. I would do whatever it took."I promised your mom," I said, my voice rough, "that I would always be there for you and Khole. So even if you don’t want me back, even if you can’t forgive me, I will make sure both of you are taken care of. Always."Cinnamon's shoulders shook as sobs wracked her body. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and watching them felt like a slow-motion death."My mind misses you," she gasped between breaths. "My body craves you. And my heart—" her voice barely above a whisper, "—my heart never stopped loving you."Time seemed to stand still."Dante." She looked up at me, her eyes glistening, lips trembling into the tiniest smile.

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