Todos os capítulos de Getting back at my ex with his billionaire stepbrother : Capítulo 71 - Capítulo 80

The house smelled like roasted chicken and garlic, with warm bread fresh from the oven. It was the kind of smell that hugged you from the moment you walked in and Zara hadn’t realized how much she missed it until now.Her mother moved around the kitchen gently, almost like muscle memory. But behind each small movement placing plates, fixing the candles, smoothing out the tablecloth there was something deeper. As if, by making everything just right, she could somehow make up for all the years she had been gone.Zara leaned against the counter, quietly watching her mother. For so many years, this had only lived in her dreams, dreams that faded the moment she opened her eyes. But now it was real.The old table her father had built by hand had been cleaned until it shone. The silverware sparkled, and the glasses caught the soft, golden glow from the chandelier above.This wasn’t just dinner. It was something more, it was more like a quiet promise that their broken family was slowly b

“Zara, wait. “His voice cut through the rain raw and shaky, too full to ignore. She stopped mid-step, the storm pouring around her, breath still uneven from the kiss they’d just shared. Every part of her wanted to run. To protect her heart. To pretend this didn’t matter as much as it did. But the way he said her name… it held her still.She turned.Leo stood there, soaked from head to toe. Gone was the polished man in suits, the one who always seemed in control. That version of him had disappeared with the kiss. Now, he looked exposed ,real. Rain streamed down his face. His shirt clung to him. His hair dripped over his eyes.But it was his eyes that stopped her cold.They were wide open. No walls. No masks. Just the raw, burning truth he had held back for far too long.And this time, he wasn’t going to run from it.“I can’t do this anymore,” Leo said, stepping closer. His voice cracked, but he didn’t stop. “I can’t keep acting like you’re just a teammate. Just a partner or an ally .

Leo had never hated mornings not until now.The first light of day slipped through the tall windows of his penthouse, casting soft golden lines across the room. But to him, it felt cruel, like the sun itself was mocking him. It lit up everything he wanted to forget, the empty whiskey glass on the side table, the wrinkled tie tossed on the floor, the rain-soaked jacket still draped over the chair.But most of all, it revealed the truth, he had failed.He had finally said the words. After years of hiding, of building walls with work and silence and guilt, he had let it all out. He told her. The girl in the lilac dress. The woman who had haunted every dream, every quiet moment. The only person who made him feel like he was more than his name, more than the broken legacy of the Wellington-Beaunet line.He had told her he loved her.And she had run. She didn’t even say no.Leo dragged a hand down his face, letting out a sharp, humorless laugh. What had he expected? That she would fall int

Zara had never felt a day stretch so long. The day was slow and hours passed by slowly. The morning had slowly turned into afternoon, but Zara's heart was had not stopped racing since last night. Her mind couldn’t let go of one moment the kiss. The confession. The truth that shattered the quiet, fragile peace she had with Leo.She hadn’t slept much the night before. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him standing in the rain, soaked, eyes full of emotion, voice trembling as he said the words she never expected.That he had loved her all along. That she was the girl in the lilac dress. That he never forgot her. Not even once. That it started back in high school.At first, she was stunned. Then afraid. Her first instinct had been to run. To protect herself from love.But now, in the soft glow of daylight, something else started to grow inside her something unfamiliar and fragile.Hope.She sat on the edge of her bed, her phone balanced on her knee. She kept checking it. Again a

The café had quieted by the time Leo and Zara stepped outside. The city’s late-night sounds wrapped around them, cars passing, distant laughter, the soft hiss of tires on wet roads. The air was cool but still damp from earlier rain, it was carrying that fresh, earthy smell of wet pavement.Leo walked beside Zara in silence. His hands were deep in his pockets, his shoulders tight like he was holding back more than words. Zara clutched the strap of her bag, her eyes flicking to the shop windows across the street. But every step felt heavy and thick with the weight of what they hadn’t said and hadn’t done.It wasn’t awkward silence. It was loaded. It held questions, hopes, maybe even a bit of fear.When they reached the curb, Zara paused. Her breath came out in a mist. “You didn’t have to walk me out,” she said quietly.“Yes, I did,” Leo said, his voice steady. His eyes stayed on her, serious and sure.She looked at him. The streetlight hit his face just right showing the sharp lines o