All Chapters of The Billionaire Who Wants Me Next: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

ElaraI could barely keep the smile off my face.Everything was falling perfectly into place, piece by piece, like fate had finally decided to apologize to me for all the misery Louis had dragged me through.The meeting room smelled of polished wood and expensive coffee. Sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting sharp lines across the long conference table. Louis sat at the head of it, trying to look composed and in control, but I knew him too well. I could see the tension in the way his fingers tapped against the table whenever the investor asked difficult questions.And the investor had asked many.I sat quietly beside the presentation screen, observing everything while pretending to organize files on my tablet. Across from us, Mr. Victor flipped through the documents with calm precision. He was older, experienced, and far too intelligent to fall for Louis’s polished lies.Still, somehow, the meeting had gone smoothly.Better than smoothly.“I must admit,” Mr. Vi

ElaraThe moment the door opened and I saw them, confusion hit me so sharply it almost felt like betrayal.I turned to the man beside me, my brows knitting together. “Did you invite Louis and Celia?” I asked under my breath, trying to keep my tone neutral despite the irritation creeping in.He looked just as surprised, his gaze flicking briefly toward them before returning to me. “No,” he said firmly. “I didn’t. I have no idea why they’re here.”I scoffed softly, leaning back in my chair as my eyes set on their approaching figures. “Then it’s obvious,” I muttered. “They’re here to spy. They want to know what’s going on between us.”Right on cue, Louis and Celia reached our table, their smiles stretched too wide, too fake. Celia’s hand was on Louis’s arm, her posture stiff with forced elegance. Louis’s eyes, however, flickered briefly toward me with something unreadable,something calculating.“Fancy seeing you here,” Celia said sweetly, her voice dripping with false warmth.Before I c

ElaraIf anyone had told me that a simple dinner date would end with me acquiring a painting and returning home like a victorious art thief except I actually paid for it,I would have laughed in their face.Yet here I was.The car rolled to a stop in front of Alistair’s house, and I didn’t even wait for the driver to open the door before stepping out. The night air felt like freedom. Or maybe that was just relief from surviving Celia’s presence without committing a crime.“One moment, ma’am,” the guard said, carefully lifting the artwork from the backseat like it was a newborn baby.“Please don’t drop it,” I muttered, already walking toward the house. “I don’t have the emotional strength to go back and fight for another one.”He chuckled nervously, which told me he wasn’t entirely sure I was joking.Inside, the house was quiet—too quiet, which usually meant Alistair was either working or plotting something mildly concerning. I pushed the door open, slipping off my shoes as I stepped in

ElaraI woke up to someone yanking my blanket off with unnecessary force.“Elara!” Denise shouted dramatically. “Wake up before I pour water on you.”I groaned and buried my face deeper into the pillow. “If you value your life, you’ll put that blanket back.”Instead, the mattress dipped as she climbed onto the bed beside me. A second later, cold fingers grabbed my cheeks and squeezed them together.“Ow!”“You came back from a luxurious trip and thought you’d sleep peacefully without giving me details?” she demanded. “Absolutely not.”I finally lazily opened one eye. Denise sat cross-legged beside me, her curls tied up messily, eyes sparkling with curiosity. She looked far too energetic for morning hours.“You’re evil,” I muttered.“And you’re hiding things.”I rolled onto my back with a sigh. “There’s nothing to hide.”“That’s a lie already.” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Start talking.”I laughed softly despite myself. Denise had always been impossible to resist when she got i

ElaraThe moment we stepped out of Grandfather Valmont’s office, Louis grabbed my wrist so hard that I nearly stumbled in my heels.“What are you trying to do?” he hissed, dragging me toward the empty side of the hallway before I could react.Pain shot through my arm instantly.“Louis!” I gasped, trying to pull away. “You’re hurting me.”His fingers only tightened around my wrist. His jaw was clenched so tightly I thought his teeth might crack.“What game are you playing, Elara?”I stared at him in disbelief. Just a few minutes ago, his grandfather had practically threatened him in front of me, and somehow I was the villain?“I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” I snapped. “And I’m not going to stand here while you speak to me like I’m some child.”His eyes darkened.“I won’t sit back and watch my grandfather hand you everything,” he said coldly. “Not the company. And certainly not a place in this family.”For a second, I just looked at him.There it was.Not anger.Fear.No