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Home / Romance / The Billion Dollar Wife / Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

All Chapters of The Billion Dollar Wife: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

32 Chapters

#11.

The following morning, the estate was bathed in a deceptive, quiet gold. Ava descended the grand staircase, the hem of her silk nightgown brushing against the cold marble. She found Dominic in the foyer, the sharp lines of his charcoal suit a stark contrast to the soft morning light. He was the picture of lethal composure, adjusting his cuffs with a precision that made her skin prickle."Good morning," Ava said, her voice sounding thin in the echoing space.Dominic didn’t look up immediately. He finished with his cufflink before his gaze drifted toward her. He raked his eyes over her—not with the heat of the previous night, but with a cold, analytical detachment that felt far more dangerous. It was the look of a man checking a perimeter for weaknesses. Without a word of greeting, he turned to the men flanking the door, barking a series of low, sharp orders that sent them into immediate, silent motion.As he reached for the brass handle of the front door, Ava took a step forward. "Will

#12.

The red Ferrari was a blur of crimson against the grey asphalt of the city. She spent the afternoon drifting through high end boutiques and doing some food stuff shopping. Her final stop was the Dior boutique, where the air was filled with the cloying sweetness of expensive blossoms and the hushed tones of the elite.She selected a few bottles of perfume and a sleek gold-cased makeup kit, her movements fluid and detached. As she reached the counter, the young woman ringing up the items paused, her eyes lingering on the diamond band on Ava’s finger and the expensive lines of her silhouette."You have such exquisite taste," the clerk murmured, a trace of envy coloring her professional smile. "It’s truly inspiring to see young ladies like yourself finding such success so early in life."Ava leaned in over the glass counter, the scent of the perfumes she’d just sampled clinging to her skin. A small, sharp smile played on her lips. "I’m not successful," she whispered, her voice dropping in

#13.

The informant sounded uncharacteristically hesitant, his words uncertain."I couldn’t gather much, Boss," the man admitted, his voice crackling with static. "It’s as if her history has been scrubbed clean. There are no school records that stick, no digital footprint beyond the last few years. But from what I’ve observed... I don't think she’s a bad lady. She doesn't fit the profile of a professional plant."Dominic’s jaw tightened, his eyes fixing on his own reflection in the darkened window. "You wouldn’t know that," he argued, his voice a low. "In my world, the ones who look the most innocent are usually the ones holding the knife. Lack of a record isn't a sign of goodness, it’s a sign of a very talented handler.""I’ll keep digging, Boss," the man promised. "There has to be a thread somewhere.""You better do that," Dominic snapped. He ended the call with a sharp flick of his thumb and tossed the phone onto the bed. He needed a shower to wash off the grime of the warehouse and the

#14.

She went rigid, her spine turning to stone against the heat of Dominic’s palms. Every nerve in her body ignited where his skin met hers, a traitorous reaction she couldn't suppress. "I didn’t—I didn’t..." she began, her voice a mere splinter of sound."Didn’t say what, Ava? Come now, speak up. The truth is usually much louder than a whisper." Dominic’s hands tightened around her waist, his fingers digging into the fabric of the shirt with a force. He pulled her closer until the buttons of his own waistcoat pressed against her, erasing the last shred of distance. There was nowhere for her to retreat, no place to vanish into.She could only stare at him blankly, her eyes wide and dark with a mixture of terror and a strange, burgeoning heat she didn't want to acknowledge. Dominic didn't look away, instead, his gaze began a slow roam, lingering on the curve of her mouth before returning to her eyes."If you are as innocent as you claim," he growled, the vibration of his voice buzzing ag

#15.

The drive back to the estate felt longer than the journey away, Ava lingered in the city, drifting through quiet squares and watching the sky deepen into a bruised purple. She needed the distraction.The evening had fully settled by the time she steered the car through the wrought iron gates. Dominic stood in the center of the gravel courtyard, flanked by a phalanx of his men. They were a unified wall of black dark suits. The sight of them, so still and formidable, made the steering wheel feel slick under her palms.She parked the car with slow precision. Through the windshield, she felt the pull of Dominic’s gaze. He wasn't looking at the car, he was looking through it, his eyes locked firmly on her with an intensity that suggested he had been counting the seconds of her absence.Ava stepped out, she forced her chin up and walked toward him, the gravel crunching under her heels like breaking bone."Leave," Dominic said. It wasn't a shout, but the single syllable carried enough autho

#16.

The silence of Dominic’s departure the following day had lingered for a full day, He had been absent, ava retreated to the velvet sofa, her mind looping through the man’s instructions.The sudden knock at the front door shattered the quiet. Before she could rise, a small procession of women entered the foyer. They moved with elegant urgency, their arms draped with heavy garment bags and their hands clutching professional makeup kits that clinked softly with the promise of a transformation."Hi, you must be Ava," one of the women said, offering a polite but distant smile that suggested she was used to dealing with the wives of powerful men.Ava’s face scrunched in a moment of confusion, her guard rising instinctively. "Yes, I am," she responded, her voice cautious."Dominic sent us," the woman explained, smoothing the plastic of a garment bag. "We’re here to prepare you for the gala. We have the Dior selections ready."The tension in Ava’s shoulders dissolved, replaced by a sudden spar

#17.

The interior of the limousine and the ride was quiet. Dominic sat in the darkness of the plush seat, his gaze fixed on Ava with an intensity that lacked even a shred of modesty. He didn’t hide his scrutiny, his eyes moved over the shimmering gold of her gown, tracing the lines of her throat and the way the silk clung to her frame.Ava felt the weight of his stare. She shifted, the sequins of her dress whispering against the upholstery. Eventually, she couldn't help herself and met his gaze. Her pulse skipped, and she offered him a small, nervous smile that barely reached her eyes before she looked away, swallowing hard against the tightness in her throat.Dominic didn't look away. He turned his head slightly, his eyes performing another slow, thorough sweep of her silhouette."Why are you looking at me like that?" Ava asked, her voice quiet but edged with the friction of the evening."It’s nothing I haven’t seen before," Dominic replied, his tone clipped and cool. He adjusted the cuff

#18.

Dominic didn’t just approach, he laid claim, his arms winding around her waist from behind with a possessive force that left no room for escape. The man saw this a scramble away immediately. "Why are you trying to get their attention?" he murmured against the shell of her ear, his voice a low rasp.Ava went rigid, the sweetness of a berry bursting on her tongue like a secret. She forced herself to remain calm, though her heart was performing a rhythm against her ribs. "I’m not doing anything, Dominic. I’m simply eating berries.""Every man in this room has been tracking you like a hungry hyena from the second you stepped inside," he growled, his grip tightening until the silk of her dress groaned. "Every eye is on you, Ava. You’re practically glowing under their scrutiny.""It isn’t my fault," she whispered, leaning back just enough to feel the solid, unyielding plane of his chest. "I didn't ask them to look."He raked his eyes slowly over the curve of her shoulder, his gaze heavy an

#19.

The journey back from the gala was a stifling affair and with Dominic’s unspoken fury. He sat in the far corner of the leather seat, his profile a silhouette against the passing city lights. He didn't look at her, didn't move, didn't breathe a single word. The violence of the corridor still hung about him. Ava watched him from the corner of her eye, carefully. The silence pressed down on her chest, but she refused to break it first.Good.Let him stew in it.Let him feel it.When the car finally came to a halt within the safety of the estate. Dominic stepped out the moment the door was opened, his stride long and purposeful as he vanished into the house without a backward glance."Dominic!" Ava called out, her voice echoing off the stone walls of the garage.He didn't stop. He didn't even flinch. He simply continued on, his back a wall of unyielding charcoal wool. Ava watched him go, a slow, calculated smirk spreading across her lips once he was out of sight.“Possessive,” she murmur

#20.

Ava stared back at him, her chin tilted at an angle that spoke of a defiance her trembling hands couldn't quite mask. Dominic straightened up, his movements fluid. He reached out, his fingers brushing the hem of her gown where it had ridden up against her thighs and smoothed the silk down over her knees with a gesture that felt less like gallantry."You might want to start packing for our honeymoon," he said, his voice dropping into a low, detached tone."Honeymoon?" Ava’s voice tripped over the word, her eyes widening in genuine shock. Dominic locked eyes with her, his gaze as cold as the marble floors under them. "Do not look at me with such expectation, Ava. I didn't organize this farce. A vacation is the last thing on my mind, and quite frankly, the last thing I have time for. But it seems my father has decided we need to play the part of the blissful newlyweds for the world to see.""Where are we going?" she asked, her heart hammering a rhythm against her ribs."Italy," he repl

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