Semua Bab Too Late for Sorry, Mr. Billionaire (Chasing my Wife Back): Bab 171 - Bab 180

THE kitchen seemed to shrink the moment Hazel stepped in.She stood by the doorway, school bag still slung over one shoulder, eyes fixed on the sight in front of her— her mother and… and Charles standing close, sharing a space that suddenly felt too intimate, too settled. Her brows knit together, lips pressing into a thin line.Well, she shrugged. He was her fiancé.“Good evening,” she muttered under her breath, the greeting barely audible.Without waiting for a response, she walked straight to the refrigerator, pulled it open with more force than necessary, and grabbed a pack of juice. She fetched a glass from the cabinet, her movements sharp, clipped. The sound of the fridge door closing echoed louder than it should have.Amelia exhaled softly.Sensing the shift, she slid her right arm around Charles’s left arm, her fingers curling reassuringly against him. It was subtle and instinctive, an unspoken ‘I’m here’.She lifted her voice, light, warm.“Hey, Hazel,” she said. “I didn’t rea

“YEAH, you wouldn’t believe it, I’m at his house right now,” Amelia giggled into the phone as she stepped further into the living room, carefully dropping a book she was holding on the arm of the couch.On the other end, Clara gasped dramatically.“Wait. His house? As in— Charles’ house?”“Yes!” Amelia lowered her voice playfully, as though Charles could somehow hear her through walls. “We just arrived not long ago. I told you I was going to come and cook for him today. I missed doing this.”Clara burst into laughter.“Look at you! Amelia Harlow, CEO, workaholic extraordinaire, abandoning her desk to perform domestic duties.”Amelia laughed too, shaking her head as she wandered slowly around the space, taking everything in— the muted colors, the clean but lived-in feel, the unfamiliar scent that still somehow smelled like Charles.“Oh please, don’t even start. It has been long overdue. When last did I visit my husband-to-be’s house and perform proper wifely duties, huh?”“Wifely dutie

SHANTEL’S small living room had become a storm center. Her phone lay on the coffee table, the screen lighting up with Charles’s social media posts, yet she hadn’t even touched it in the last five minutes. Instead, she sat cross-legged on the couch, her back hunched, her fingers running through her hair as she hissed for the umpteenth time. The sound was sharp, almost cat-like, as though it could slice through the thick tension that filled the room. She threw her arms over her face, then ripped them down again, her eyes glued to the phone.“Ughhh!” she hissed, slamming the phone back on the couch. She leaned forward, muttering under her breath. “Why isn’t he answering? Why? Why?”Her younger sister, Tiana, who had been perched on the arm of the couch with her legs tucked underneath her, finally looked up. She raised one brow, giving Shantel a sidelong glance. “Don’t tell me Charles is really making you act this way, sis?” she asked, trying to keep her voice calm despite the amused smi

THE black SUV rolled to a smooth stop in front of the Harlow residence, its engine purring softly before going quiet. The gates had barely finished sliding shut when the front door flew open.Mrs. Harlow stood there, hands clasped tightly to her chest, eyes glistening as she stared down the walkway like she was afraid the image before her would vanish if she blinked.The driver stepped out first, moved to the back, and opened the trunk.Then Valentine appeared.He had changed. He now looked taller, broader in the shoulders, his once-boyish face now sharpened by years and distance. But the moment his eyes landed on the woman standing at the door, everything else fell away.“Mother,” he breathed.That single word broke whatever composure Mrs. Harlow had been clinging to.“Oh, my son,” she cried, hurrying down the steps, her arms already wide open.Valentine barely had time to drop his backpack before she collided with him, wrapping him in a fierce, trembling embrace. He laughed softly,

“YOU are welcome, Uncle Val.”That was Hazel, her voice calm and measured, after the long, almost unnecessary introduction by her mother about the sharp looking young man seated at the dining table.Valentine turned fully toward her, a warm smile spreading across his face as he took in her composed posture and observant eyes. For a child her age, she carried herself with an awareness that was far beyond ordinary. He hadn't even experienced her display one yet, just the aura around her exposed that.“Thank you, Hazel,” he said gently. “You are such a smart kid. Keep that up.”Hazel smiled in response, but it was small and brief, polite rather than pleased. She nodded once, the way adults did when acknowledging a compliment they neither needed nor wanted. Then she turned on her heel and began to leave the dining area.“Where are my brothers, Mom?” she asked, pausing only slightly.Amelia dabbed her lips with a napkin before answering. “They are in their room. They should be done with t