All Chapters of The Heiress's Choice : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

84 Chapters

71. Caleb

Elena's POV "What are you doing here?"My voice came out sharper than I intended, but I couldn't help it. I stood in front of my building, staring at Caleb like I was seeing a ghost.He pushed off his car, taking a few steps toward me, his hands still in his jacket pockets."I was in the area," he said, staring softly at me.I raised an eyebrow."Okay, that's a lie," he admitted, grinning now, "I came to see you.""When did you get back?" I blurted out, even though I already knew from Jenna."Two days ago.""And you're just coming to see me now?"He shrugged, that familiar smile still on his face."I was giving you time to miss me."I scoffed, crossing my arms.Then he tilted his head, studying my face carefully."You look tired," he said, "You have bags under your eyes."I gasped, my hand flying up to touch my face immediately."I do not have bags under my eyes!"He laughed, loud and genuine, and I hated how much I'd missed that sound.His laughter died down and silence came again.

72. Coffee and Confessions

Elena's povSaturday morning traffic was light, and the city felt slower than usual, like Denver was still half asleep.I pulled into the parking lot of the old coffee shop on Fifth Street and immediately spotted Caleb’s car.Of course he was already here.Back then, he used to be early for everything. Practice, classes, games, even group projects he didn’t care about. Meanwhile, I was always the one running five minutes late with coffee in one hand and my bag half open.I parked a few spaces away and sat in the car for a second, looking at the familiar building.The sign was new, the paint was new, but the place still looked the same. Same big windows, same small patio outside, same stupid bell on the door that used to announce our arrival like we were regulars in a movie.We practically grew up here.I grabbed my bag, stepped out of the car, and walked toward the entrance. When I opened the door, the bell chimed above my head, and the smell of coffee hit me immediately.I stopped

73. Game night

ELENA'S POV Sunday morning was quiet.I woke up late, and stayed in bed longer than I should have, staring at the ceiling and thinking about everything that happened the last two days.Caleb being back still felt a little unreal, like I was going to wake up and find out the last two days had been a dream.I was just glad to have my best friend back. I mean, yes, I had Jenna and Claire but my friendship with Caleb had always been different.My phone buzzed on the bedside table, pulling me out of my thoughts.Jenna: Come over today. Claire is coming too. We’re cooking, drinking wine, and forcing you to talk about your life.I smiled at the message. Speak of the devil.Me: That sounds less like an invitation and more like a threat.Jenna: It is absolutely a threat. Be here by 4.So by Sunday evening, I was standing in Jenna’s kitchen, cutting garlic while music played in the background and Claire criticized my cooking like she always did."If you add any more garlic to that, we'll all b

74. Secrets and schedulings

ELENA'S POV Monday mornings were usually my reset button.New week. New deals. New problems to solve.By the time I walked into the office lobby with my coffee in hand, I was already mentally running through my schedule for the day. The Axiom deal was sitting at the top of my priority list, along with three meetings, two conference calls, and a board update I still needed to finalize.I was just stepping into my elevator when my phone buzzed in my hand. I unlocked it.Adrian: I'm in your office. Where are you?I stared at Adrian's text, my coffee cup halfway to my mouth, and felt irritation flood through me.The elevator door opened in front of me and I started walking faster, my heels clicking loudly against the marble floor. Caleb told me Adrian was the one who informed him about Damien and me and now I was going to give my brother an earful about keeping his mouth shut.I pushed through the doors to the executive floor, ignored Patricia's greeting, and walked straight into my of

75. Sara

ELENA'S POV Packing for a one-day business trip shouldn’t be this difficult, but somehow my entire closet was now on my bed and my suitcase was still half empty."Finished packing yet?"Caleb's voice came through my phone speaker as I stood in my bedroom surrounded by chaos.My suitcase was open on the bed, work clothes scattered everywhere, my laptop sitting on top of a pile of files I still needed to organize.Everything was a complete mess."Just finished," I lied, shoving a blazer into the suitcase. "Flight's tomorrow morning.""Good," he said slowly, "Then you're free tonight.”I paused, holding a pair of heels."Caleb, why does that sound like you're making plans for me?""Because I am," he said, and I could hear the grin in his voice."Caleb…""My full team's back in town," he said quickly, "We're celebrating our win tonight, at a lounge on Fifth, you should come. I want you there.""I don't know...""Come on," he said, "You're part of my life, Elena, you should know my friend

76. The lie

ELENA'S POV London moved past the window in a blur of grey buildings and red buses as the car carried me toward Axiom headquarters.I landed about two hours ago. I barely slept on the flight. The hotel had been beautiful, the kind with crisp sheets and a view of the river, but my brain had refused to shut off long enough for me to enjoy any of it.This meeting was too important.If this deal fell apart, the Board would never let me forget it. Catherine would never let me forget it.My phone buzzed in my hand, pulling me out of my thoughts.Caleb: Knock them dead today.I stared at the message for a second longer than necessary before typing back a quick, Thanks.Then the car pulled to a stop and I looked out to see we'd arrived. The building was all glass and steel, modern and intimidating.My heels clicked against the marble floor as I stepped out of the car and walked through the lobby, my portfolio tucked under my arm.A receptionist directed me to the twentieth floor.When the

77. Tomorrow

ELENA'S POV The flight from London to Denver felt longer than it actually was.Or maybe it just felt that way because I had spent the entire flight staring at the same email without reading a single word of it.I closed the Axiom deal.I should have been relieved. Proud, even.Instead, I was sitting in the back seat of my car, still in yesterday’s blazer, sunglasses on, head resting against the window, thinking about the exact moment yesterday I acted without thinking.I had lied in boardrooms before.I had negotiated, bluffed, and said whatever needed to be said to close a deal.But this?This was different.This time, I didn't lie about numbers or projections or timelines.I lied about a person.I had told a room full of very important, very serious people that Caleb was my boyfriend.Caleb, who still had absolutely no idea he was my boyfriend.I closed my eyes and groaned quietly, pressing my fingers against my temple.“Ma’am, are you okay?” my driver asked from the front seat.“Y

78. My fake boyfriend

Elena's pov "Okay, so I'll just say it was a mistake, the deal was about to fall through..."I was talking to myself in my car, my hands gripping the steering wheel so tight my knuckles had gone white.I'd been rehearsing what to say to Caleb for the last twenty minutes, sitting in the parking lot of the coffee shop Caleb and I practically grew up in, talking to myself like a complete idiot.Just tell him the truth, it's simple. You went to London, you panicked, you lied, now you need his help.Easy.I got out of the car and walked toward the entrance, my heart pounding harder with each step. Maybe I should just turn around.No. I can handle this.Ugh, I wish I didn't have to drag Caleb into my corporate mess.I pushed open the door, and the bell chimed above my head as I stepped in. I glanced around then I saw him.He was sitting in our corner booth, the same one we'd sat in a million times growing up.He was wearing a simple black hoodie and joggers, his blond hair still damp li

79. Telling the truth

Caleb's pov I should have said no.That was the first thought that crossed my mind the moment I stepped off the field, sweat still clinging to my skin, my chest rising and falling from the last drill.Any smart man would have said no.But I’d never really been that smart when it came to Elena.My phone buzzed in my hand.“Office. Now.”Rebecca's text came through as I was walking off the field, still sweaty from our friendly practice.With the international tournament over, we had a little free time to ourselves before the next season.I stared at my phone, already knowing this wasn't going to be fun.I sent her a message last night, keeping it short and simple, just wanting to get it over with.Me: So Elena and I are in a fake relationship now. Long story, but yeah, I thought you should know.Probably not the best way to break that kind of news to my PR manager.I grabbed my bag, walked off the field and headed to the main building, taking the stairs two at a time.When I walked int

80. Going public

Elena's POV Monday morning felt like the calm before a storm I had personally created and now had absolutely no idea how to stop.After spending the weekend having a mild panic attack about the whole fake dating situation, I was now at work, trying to pretend everything was normal.I was sitting in my chair, halfway through an email when Adrian appeared at my office door, leaning against the frame."So," he said, arms crossed, looking way too pleased with himself. "Anything you want to tell me?"I slowly closed my laptop and dropped my face into my hands, groaning."Please don’t start."Adrian laughed and walked into my office like he’d been waiting his whole life for this moment."Too late," he said, sitting down across from me. "I already know."I looked up at him."Know what?""About you and Caleb dating," he said, making air quotes around the word dating.My stomach dropped."How do you already know?""I'm still the CEO, Elena," he said, leaning back in the chair, "Partnership co

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