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Home / Romance / The Billionaire's Binding Proposal / Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

All Chapters of The Billionaire's Binding Proposal: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

106 Chapters

~ 61

Chapter 61~ Niklaus ~"I'm sorry, I was just..." I trailed off, realizing how ridiculous it would sound to explain to Helen that I'd been distracted by an employee staring at me through the restaurant glass. That said employee had then fled like she'd been caught committing a crime.It wouldn't make sense. So I just stopped talking.Helen was looking at me with those eyes — the same eyes that had once made me lose my train of thought in university seminars. Now they just made me uncomfortable. She was waiting for me to finish the sentence. Waiting for me to say something that would make this easier, that would give her hope, that would validate her decision to come all this way to Kleetford after seven years.But I couldn't give her that.I shifted in my seat, aware of the weight of the silence between us. The coffee in front of me was still steaming, untouched. Helen's hands were now wrapped around her cup as if trying to draw warmth from it, but she hadn't taken a sip either.I too

~ 62

Chapter 62 ~ Niklaus ~The moment I stepped into the Data Analytics department, Dante Jerome practically jumped out of his chair."Mr. Specter!" His voice came out higher than normal, startled. The surprise was evident in every syllable. "Sir! We weren't expecting you!"He was holding a burger — halfway to his mouth and he immediately set it down on his desk like I'd caught him stealing office supplies instead of eating lunch at 8:30 in the morning. A bit of lettuce fell out and landed on some papers, but he didn't seem to notice.The entire department had gone silent. The usual hum of conversation and clicking keyboards had ceased abruptly, replaced by an almost oppressive quiet. I could feel eyes on me from every cubicle, could sense the shift in atmosphere that always happened when the CEO made an unexpected appearance. Derek was frozen mid-bite of his own burger, his jaw slack. Marcus had emerged from the restroom, looking confused and slightly alarmed, his hand still on the doo

~ 63

Chapter 63 ~ Kesley ~I was literally the only one using the female restroom on the entire departmental restroom, which was both convenient and deeply awkward.Convenient because I never had to wait in line. Never had to deal with those passive-aggressive notes women left about toilet seat etiquette or borrowed tampons. Never had to make small talk while washing my hands or pretend I didn't notice someone having a minor breakdown in the stall next to me.The female restroom was my private sanctuary since I started working in SpecterTech. Just me and the industrial hand soap and the fluorescent lighting that made everyone look vaguely ill. My own little kingdom where I could check my phone in peace, fix my hair without judgment, or just take a moment to breathe when the testosterone levels in the department got overwhelming.But it was also a stark reminder that I was the only woman in the entire Data Analytics department. The only one who needed this bathroom. The only one who didn't

~ 64

Chapter 64 ~ Niklaus ~I stepped into the elevator and watched the doors close, cutting off the view of the Data Analytics department.Cutting off the view of Kesley Bellamy, who was now probably collapsed at her desk trying to recover from the awkwardness of that interaction. I could picture her there, head down, mortified, replaying every word she'd said and cringing at each one.The moment I was alone, I caught my reflection in the polished metal doors.I was smiling.Actually smiling. Like an idiot. Like someone who'd just had the best conversation of his life instead of a thirty-second professional exchange in a department I had no business visiting.What the hell was wrong with me?I wiped the expression off my face immediately, forcing my features back into neutral CEO mode. But it was too late. I'd seen it. That stupid, unguarded smile that had appeared the moment Kesley had looked up at me.She'd known I was staring and was shy about it, pretending to focus on her phone whil

~ 65

Chapter 65 ~ Kesley ~My phone was ringing.I stared at the screen, my heart pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. Could feel the pulse in my throat, in my wrists, in every nerve ending.Meerkat calling...Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my GOD.Why was he calling me now? Right now? Literally five minutes after leaving the department? Did he recognize me? Did he really put the pieces together—Kesley Bellamy and Aria are the same person? Did something about our interaction trigger the connection in his mind?My thumb hovered over the answer button, frozen with indecision. Paralyzed by the weight of what answering this call could mean.Wait. No. If he'd recognized me and was trying to confirm I was Aria, he would have called while he was still here. Would have confronted me in person, or pulled me aside into one of the conference rooms, or done something more direct than just... leaving and then calling.Right?That made sense. That was logical. That followed the pattern of behavior I

~ 66

Chapter 66 ~ Niklaus ~I pushed open the door to my office, composing my expression into something calm and professional despite the panic coursing through my veins. My pulse was racing, my mind already running through worst-case scenarios.Grandfather looked up from the Financial Times he'd been reading and smiled. A genuine, warm smile that immediately told me this wasn't an ambush. At least not the kind I'd been dreading."Klaus!" He set down the paper with care, folding it along its creases, and gestured around my office with a sweeping motion. "I hope you don't mind me sneaking in here like a common thief. I didn't want your father to know I'd come down."The tension in my shoulders eased slightly. This was a social visit, then. Not a business emergency.I glanced toward the ceiling, as if I could see through it to the floor above where my father's office sat. "Father's upstairs?""Yes, yes. Chairman duties and all that." Grandfather waved his hand dismissively, that familiar ge

~ 67

Chapter 67 ~ Niklaus ~Grandfather was still waiting, his expectant gaze fixed on me with the patience of someone who'd built an empire by refusing to take no for an answer. He clearly wasn't willing to let this go."Pictures can be deceptive," I said, trying a different angle. Shifting tactics. "Why not wait until you see her in person? You'll get a much better sense of who she is face-to-face than from some photo on a phone screen."It was a reasonable argument. Photos could be filtered, edited, carefully staged to present a particular image. Meeting someone in person was always more revealing."What's the point of waiting when I'm going to see her anyway?" Grandfather countered, his logic annoyingly sound. He leaned back in my chair and folded his hands over his stomach. "A picture now doesn't preclude meeting her later. It just gives me something to look forward to. A preview, if you will."He leaned forward again, his eyes bright with genuine excitement. The kind of enthusiasm I

~ 68

Chapter 68 ~ Kesley ~How can he request for a picture?I stared at my phone screen, at Niklaus's message demanding I send him a photo, my mind spiraling into full-blown panic mode.What kind of obsession was that? Who asked for pictures like this? It felt invasive. Controlling. Like he was checking up on me, verifying something, conducting some kind of investigation.Was this normal behavior for fake fiancés? I had no frame of reference. No guidebook for "How to Navigate a Contractual Marriage with Your CEO."Oh wait.My heart stopped.Actually stopped beating for a full second before hammering back to life with painful force.Why was he asking for a picture?Not just casually, like "hey, send me a selfie." But specifically. With urgency. After seeing me this morning in the department.Did he recognize me? Did seeing me in person—Kesley, the nervous data analyst with her hair down and her green blouse—trigger something in his memory? Was he planning to do some kind of face recogniti

~ 69

Chapter 69 ~ Kesley ~The clock on my computer screen read 4:10 PM.Around me, the department was emptying out in the usual Monday evening exodus. Derek had already packed up and left ten minutes ago, throwing a casual "see you tomorrow" over his shoulder without bothering to wait for a response. The other guys were gathering their things, stuffing laptops into backpacks, laughing about some inside joke I wasn't part of—something about a fantasy football league and someone's terrible draft picks.Normal end-of-workday activities. The familiar rhythm of office life winding down.Except nothing about today was normal.I sat frozen at my cubicle, staring at my phone like it might spontaneously combust or transform into something useful, willing it to ring.Taraji still hadn't called. Hadn't texted. Nothing.No "I got the stuff," no "on my way," no "your mom asked questions but I handled it." Just radio silence.I'd tried calling her three times in the last ten minutes. Each time it wen

~ 70

Chapter 70~ Taraji ~Shit. Shit, shit, shit!I stared at my dead phone for the hundredth time, as if willing it to magically turn on would actually work.It didn't.Of course it didn't.I'd forgotten to charge it after school, and then in my rush to get to Kesley's apartment, grab the Aria costume, and avoid her mother's questions, I'd left my charger sitting on my desk back in my classroom.Now I was driving through rush hour traffic with a bag full of wigs, heavy makeup, and a dress so tight it probably violated several public decency laws, and I had absolutely no way to contact Kesley.No way to tell her I had the stuff. No way to coordinate where to meet. No way to let her know I was running late because traffic on the interstate was moving at approximately the speed of continental drift.She was probably panicking. Probably thought I'd abandoned her or forgotten or decided this whole thing was too insane to be part of.Which, to be fair, it was insane. Completely, utterly insane

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