All Chapters of Discarded By The Billionaire: His Biggest Mistake: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

81 Chapters

Chapter 51: Out of Bounds

**Hayes’ POV**I hadn’t been myself at work all day. After this morning's emergency meeting with the board, I just couldn’t concentrate.Doyle Holdings was my life. I had poured everything in me into building this company, every late night, every calculated risk, every decision that kept us ahead. I would do anything to ensure it remained standing. Usually, I ignored the media noise about my personal life. I never let their critiques affect me. But when the board voiced their concerns today, it hit differently.By early afternoon, I realized I had been staring at the same document for twenty minutes without reading a single word. I wasn’t going to get any real work done, so I decided to head home early. I needed the quiet of my study to think about this 'strategic partnership' they were pushing. The idea still felt absurd.But the scene waiting for me in the family room was certainly not what I expected.Matthew and Leylie stood just inches apart. My best friend had his hand gripping

Chapter 52: The Forbidden Room

**Leylie’s POV**By eight in the evening, I was physically exhausted, but my heart felt lighter than it had in months. Ava was a delight. Spending the afternoon with her, watching her draw, seeing her shy smiles, and hearing the mechanical voice on her tablet read out her thoughts made me feel like I was doing something that truly mattered. For the first time in a long while, I wasn’t just surviving. I was helping someone.Before I settled in for the night, I decided to take a walk around the house. The house was so huge I felt like I was living in a museum. I wanted to get my bearings so I wouldn’t look like a lost tourist every time I had to find the library or the gym. I climbed the stairs to the second floor, footsteps slightly muffled by the thick, expensive rugs.I was walking down a long, dimly lit hallway when I heard a thudding sound. I knew I should have turned back and gone straight to my room, but I was curious.I followed the sound down the hallway. A door was slightly aj

Chapter 53: The Morning After

**Hayes’ POV**I couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened, or almost happened, the night before.The image of Leylie standing against the wall in the hallway was burned into my mind. Her eyes were so wide, so full of heat and confusion. Did I almost kiss her? Yes. Did I want to? More than I cared to admit. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to lean down and find out if her lips tasted as soft as they looked.There was something about her that made my heart race. It was a blend of vulnerability and a strange feeling of familiarity, as if I had met her in a different life.Matthew’s words from the day before kept echoing in my mind. He had asked if she looked familiar. Did he actually know her from somewhere, or was he just messing around to get under my skin? I needed to find out. I hated being the only person in the room who didn’t know the punchline to a joke.I sat at the long dining table, trying to make myself focus on the breakfast in front of me. I had promised Ava

Chapter 54: The Strategy Room

**Hayes’ POV**I walked into Matthew’s office at Apex Renewables just as a group of staff was filing out. They looked pale, like they’d just survived a firing squad. Matt was leaning against the edge of his desk, looking entirely too relaxed for ten o’clock in the morning.“Hey, bro, what’s up?” he asked, raising a brow. “For you to be in my office at this time is quite surprising. I thought the sky would have to fall before you left your desk before noon.”"The sky isn't falling, but the Board is on my nerves," I said, sitting on his leather couch.Matt came over and joined me, sinking into the cushions with a groan. “You look like you need something. Coffee or… whiskey?”"Whiskey? Come on, Matt, it’s early," I muttered, though a drink sounded better than it should."Alright, coffee it is." He leaned over and pressed the button on his intercom. "Mariam, bring coffee for my friend. Make it black, no sugar. And bring me my usual."He sat back and looked at me expectantly. "So, talk to

Chapter 55: The Slip

**Leylie’s POV**I was already on edge after the encounter at the gym and the awkwardness at breakfast, so I threw myself into preparing for Ava’s ballet lesson. I wanted everything to be perfect to prove I was worth the high salary Hayes was paying me. I double-checked Ava’s leotard, her slippers, the water bottle, and even the hair ties. I couldn’t afford any mistake.By three o’clock, Madame Claire, the ballet tutor, arrived. We were in the large, mirrored room that doubles as Ava’s dance studio, with Ava looking like a little angel in her pink leotard and ballet slippers, her face bright with excitement. I stood by the door, watching her warm up, heart full of pride for how hard she tried.Annabel was there too, lingering in the corner. She'd been pretending to help me all morning, but it felt more like she was breathing down my neck, waiting for me to slip.“I’ve already had the floors prepped for the lesson,” she whispered to me, her voice sweet, but her eyes looked cold, filled

Chapter 56 The Breaking Point

**Leylie’s POV**The door flew open, and he stepped inside, his face thunderous, eyes locked on me like I was the enemy.I guess this is where I get fired or something.“Explain,” he said, voice low and furious. “Now!”I lifted my chin, refusing to cower. “I didn’t do it, Mr. Doyle. I didn’t touch the floor. I wasn’t even in the studio this morning. Annabel is lying to you.”He moved closer, towering over me. “Annabel has been here for two years. There have never been any accidents at all. You’ve been here two days, and my daughter is hurt. You expect me to believe you over her?”“I expect you to believe the truth,” I said, my voice slightly shaking. “I care about Ava. I would never put her in danger. I love that little girl, and I’ve spent every second since I got here trying to make her feel safe and happy. Why would I sabotage her lesson?”“Because you’re careless,” he snapped, stepping closer. “Because you think you can walk in here and do things your way. Because you don’t listen

Chapter 57: The Proposal

**Leylie’s POV**The sound of Annabel’s sobbing and begging echoed from downstairs. I didn’t stick around to watch her be escorted out. I picked Ava up and carried her to her room, tucking her into the soft silk sheets and sitting beside her, smoothing her hair away from her forehead. She looked so small, eyes red-rimmed and tired.Then she raised her hand.She circled her chest, which meant Please in sign language. Then she crossed her arms and threw them wide in a sharp No. She pulled her hands back as if she were letting go of something, then spelled out my name with trembling fingers.“Please don’t ever leave me, Leylie.”Tears burned at the back of my eyes. I had no idea she could sign; Hayes had never mentioned it. I learned sign language when I was eighteen, working part-time at a school for students with speech impairments. Seeing her use it now felt like she was giving me a secret key to her heart.I couldn’t promise to stay forever. I wasn’t that delusional. I knew that in t

Chapter 58: The Offer That Changed Everything

**Hayes’ POV**The words were out of my mouth before I could fully process what I was saying.Leylie looked completely shocked. Her eyes were wide, her mouth parted in disbelief. In fact, she looked like she was waiting for me to laugh, to tell her it was a joke, or to say April Fools.When I didn’t smile, her face shifted from shock to confusion.“Marry me, Leylie,” I said again. I kept my voice steady, even though my heart was pounding hard against my chest.“I… I don’t understand,” she whispered. Her voice was barely audible over the hum of the air conditioner in the study.I couldn’t blame her. I was also confused, but I didn’t let it show; I never do. I hadn’t planned on telling her today. Hell, ten minutes ago, I was still weighing the pros and cons of the whole idea in my mind. But seeing her there, kneeling before her, noticing the bruise on her knee and the fire in her eyes when she defended herself, the decision made itself.“I need a wife,” I said, taking a step toward her.

Chapter 59 The Shadow of the Past

**Leylie’s POV**I was freaking out. Not just a little, but the kind of freaking out that makes your heart feel like it wants to burst out of your chest.After I left Hayes’s study, I didn’t go to sleep. I spent hours pacing back and forth in my room, bare feet silent on the cold floor.Me, Leylie Field, marry Hayes Doyle? Pretend to be his wife? Living in this house, not as an employee, but as his wife? Even if we wouldn’t share a room, it was all too much. I had just escaped an abusive marriage. There was no way I was jumping into another arrangement like this, even if it wasn’t real.I would have to see him every day, smell that intoxicating scent of his, and feel that electric pull between us for two whole years.My stomach clenched every time I thought about it.How was I supposed to pretend for that long when just being in the same room with him made my thoughts scatter?And how the hell was I supposed to say no to one million dollars? That kind of money meant a new life for May

Chapter 60: The Night I Said No

**Leylie’s POV**“You have got me all wrong,” I murmured, my voice barely audible over the low hum of the Ferrari’s engine.Matthew gripped the steering wheel, eyes fixed on the dark road ahead as we sped away from Hayes' house. “What do you mean by that?” he asked, not sparing a single glance in my direction.I mean… I’m not after Mr. Doyle’s money,” I said, my heart racing fast. “That’s not the reason I acted like I didn’t know him at the club.”That actually made him turn. He looked at me, eyebrows raised in amusement. “Then why did you? Why the act, Leylie? You were practically a different person when you wore that red corset.”"I... I fell for him,” I confessed. The words slipped out before I could stop them. “It was kind of like an instant attraction. From the moment I saw him, something just... clicked.”Matthew snickered, then let out a loud, harsh laugh that filled the car and made my ears ring. He shook his head, looking at me like I was a comedian telling a horrible joke.“

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