All Chapters of The Billionaire’s Masked Obsession : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

CORINNELyra Flynn.The name hang in the air like a curse. It’s been so long since I’d heard those syllables spoken aloud that for a second, I didn’t even recognize them as my own.Of all days…My heart hammered against my ribs, but I quickly schooled my expression and let out a forced sound that should’ve been a laughter. “What are you even talking about right now?”Lucian dragged a hand across his mouth, like he was holding himself back from saying too much. “Corinne, please—”I pushed to my feet before he could finish. “I don’t know who that is. And clearly I’m not the one you should be having this conversation with, so—”The sound of a folder hitting the desk stopped me in my tracks.“I know who you are, Corinne,” he said, and there was something different in his voice this time. Not anger. Not even accusation. Just… certainty and exhaustion. “I’ve known for a while. Let’s stop dancing around this, please.”My hands shook as I reached for the folder.I opened it to find an encyclop

CORINNE“Nathan and I met at a company event while I was still at Hargrove Financials,” I began shakily. “I was twenty-four, ambitious and had the big names in the industry seeking me out.”I stared into my tea, letting the steam dampen my face. “I’ve always been the type to keep my head down. I didn’t care to entertain people, I had no time for friendships or distractions. It was just me, myself and more work so I still don’t know how I let him in.”I let out a snort. “Actually, that’s a lie. I know exactly how. That night, we ended up stuck in the same corner and he made me feel like we were the only two sane people in a room full of pretentious assholes, we bonded over how much we hated the industry.”Lucian bristled but he didn’t say anything. I glanced up at him briefly before looking away again.“Nathan was… charming. Effortlessly so. The kind of man who can make you feel like you are the only person in the room when he speaks to you, he listens and pays attention. We liked the s

LUCIAN“Is she on her way?”Isaac didn’t even bother to look up from the file in his hands when he asked, and that’s because he had already said the same thing twice in the last ten minutes.I checked my watch anyway, more to keep my temper in check than for the time.“This is the third time you’re asking,” I said, fighting the sudden urge to throw my pen at his head. “And I already told you. She’ll be here by noon.”I angled my wrist toward him. “We still have thirty-five minutes.”He exhaled loudly then began tapping the edge of the document against the desk like he was trying to shake answers out of it.Corrine and I had spent most of last night locked in the library, going through every possible angle. Every move Nathan could make and every weakness we could exploit, and Christ... the whole time, my head was spinning as I found myself watching her more than the papers.Seeing the way her brilliant mind worked—how she could spot a diverted fund and errors before I even finished the

LUCIAN“Why are we here?” she asked from beside me and I tried to ignore the way her grip tightened in my hand as she looked up at the boutique’s signage.I pointed to the ruined silk of her shoulder. “To get you out of that.”Her brows drew together immediately. “Lucian, it’s just a torn sleeve. You are acting like I’m walking around half naked.”“You might as well be doing just that.”She let out a quiet breath and tugged at my coat wrapped around her shoulders. “Your jacket is literally swallowing me whole. No one can even see the tear.”She isn’t wrong. My jacket hung off her frame with the hem hitting the back of her thighs and the sleeves burying her fingers completely.I shook my head at the mix of guilt and possessiveness swirling in my head and immediately cut my gaze to the doorman. He withered under my stare, stepping back as if he were the one who had laid a hand on her.I returned my gaze to her. “I can see it.”“You are exhausting to deal with.”“You will survive.” I told

CORINNE“This is a bad idea,” the words slipped out the second the car came to a stop in front of his parents’ house. “I really don’t think I can do this.”Lucian’s face is a mask of composure, showing none of the jagged anxiety currently tearing through me as he shifted in his seat and turned his full attention toward me.“Why do you think it’s a bad idea?” he asked.I looked out the window at the sprawling estate. It’s grand, certainly, but it also lacked the intimidating touch of Lucian’s fortress. This place feels lived-in and it has an aura of warmth that’s making my stomach do a nervous flip.I tore my gaze away and went back to twisting the diamond on my finger—the ring we’d decided was a necessary part of the ‘truth’ we’ll be presenting today.“I’ve never done this before,” I admitted in a whisper as I stared at my lap. “I’ve never been introduced to someone’s parents as their partner. Even if this is just a role we’re playing, I don’t want to ruin anything for you.”“Ruin what