All Chapters of The Billionaire Bargain : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

To have a short talk with the chauffeur, he moved away and pulled his shirt cuffs down. On the spotless driveway Elizabeth waited patiently, watching him.A cold breeze caused the palm leaves all around to rustle and Elizabeth shivered a bit, tightening her coat around herself. Her mind was working rapidly. She didn't think she could read him today. Was Henri merely playing out a long and cruel game of corporate and personal manipulation, or did he really care for her enough to stay by her if she told the truth? If she looked him straight in the eye and said, "I'm carrying your child", would he hold her or would his corporate defence retreat once again?When Henri came back, he appeared completely unaware of the stream of questions bubbling behind her quiet eyes. He moved up beside her, putting his hand casually around the back of her, his long fingers spreading out comfortably over the small of her back. The contact was warm, possessive and electric, and then he led her up the broad

Henri left Elizabeth, having at last won her loyalty by promising to make their affair public. He was sure he had her—this was clear from the way her eyes shone with relief and excitement—though he couldn't get rid of the persistent feeling that she was hiding something from him. But he couldn't concentrate on that at the moment since the Gagnon merger was happening tomorrow and that required his full attention.As the private elevator chimed and the double doors opened, Henri stepped out. He froze in his tracks when he saw Marie sitting comfortably in his soft velvet armchair, a half-empty glass of his twenty-year-old single malt placed on the side table. The way she was there gave off a sense of intimate, domestic familiarity which made his teeth tingle."What are you doing here, Marie?" Henri asked, though his voice was surprisingly soft and had the dangerous cold of a man who had had his privacy invaded."I'm here to see you and to talk," Marie replied in a smooth voice, her eyes

As the clock on the digital display moved past 8:30 a.m., the air in the room became thicker.Benjamin pushed his glasses up his nose and went through a tall pile of addendums with blue margins. "In order to keep to the present timetable for the 8:45 a.m. press release we will have to deal with Clause 12, the non-compete clause. Madame Gagnon needs an exemption for independent consulting in the automotive and green-energy sectors."Sebastian gave a short, dry laugh and put his pen down with a clear snap. "An exemption? That way she could take our capital, walk across the street to a competitor, and hand them our proprietary battery schematics? By no means.""Such protection is standard for an executive of that calibre," Benjamin insisted, raising his voice a little. "Madame Gagnon's intellectual influence is built into the very structure of Gagnon Autos.""Sebastian replied, narrowing his eyes, that her intellectual footprint had put the company thirty million dollars in the red. The

The private elevator lobby had no architectural warmth about it, being instead a bare cavern made up entirely of brushed steel, polished concrete, and frosted glass. Marie stood next to the main structural column, her old coat neatly hung over one arm. Her shadow was thin as it stretched across the floor while she waited. As the heavy doors opened with a quiet mechanical hum, she did not jump or flinch at all and didn't move a single muscle; she just watched Sebastian step out into the silent part of the hallway. Sebastian halted, allowing the heavy doors to close behind him. A slow and unapologetic smile appeared at the corner of his lips, and there was a sharp, ruthless pleasure in the way his eyes shone with the thrill of having just won. He took his time with adjusting the cuffs of his tailored suit jacket, as if the silence between them had a tangible weight. "Marie, your legal team is still down in the basement going through your personal files," he said, in a light, casua

Is that meant to be a dress?She noticed Henri at the door, hearing actually a rush of air as if seeing her had stunned him. As she pulled the silky green fabric up over her hips and legs, she carefully kept her eyes away from his.Is that the Gagnon party? You said to buy something to amaze them. Go ahead and spend some money and buy the dress you've always wanted. Before I blow up like a balloon and have your bastard child."The key word was something," Henri grunted, "that is nothing."In the centre of his large, carpeted closet, Elizabeth stood in front of the mirror in a dress which was making her smile but which was causing Henri to frown, after which she flicked her hair and scoffed at his words.His glare grew sharper. "I'm not taking you when you look like this."​"Excuse me?"​"I'm serious."That is all I can offer. I spent a large amount of money on it. You told me—I don't mind what I said; at this moment I am saying that I'm not going to take you to a party with half the