All Chapters of THE BILLIONAIRE'S FORGOTTEN NIGHT: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

70 Chapters

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

Aria’s POVIvanna stood in my doorway in a silk blouse and tailored trousers, her hair pulled back in a bond. The reporters outside that we thought had left had infact not move an inch, they only went out of view to create an illusion that they’ve left. Her eyes swept the room in one second flat, studying the environment and every other person in it in just one glance.Her eyes moved back to me in the room. I stepped forward, moved past Xavier in the door way until I was standing right in front of her.Her eyes washed over me again“You’re actually leaving with him,” she said askingly. An accusation wrapped in form of a question, delivered in a specifically controlled tone.“Ivanna,” Xavier called from behind me, already moving toward us again but she ignored him completely.She took one step into the apartment but I didn’t move back. That would be the last thing to happen; getting intimidated in my own house. Never.The reporters were all out of their hiding, camera flashed over

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

Aria’s POVThe north side property was beyond my expectation.I had been picturing a different view during the drive, something sterile maybe, the kind of investment property that communicated its owner’s wealth through marble surfaces and expensive flashy setting. What we walked into instead was wooden floors, high ceilings, windows that ran the full length of the sitting room and looked out over a quiet street lined with trees that had kept their leaves longer than seen. Fully furnished too but not lavishly, giving a solitude vibe. It smelled like a place that had been closed up for months.Xavier opened the windows immediately we stepped in for fresh air to rule over the stark one.Bryan had immediately identified the longest corridor and disappeared down it to assess the property’s full potential, which was his standard approach to any new space.“Easy baby,” I called after him.Xavier and I were alone in the room.“What do you need?” He asked already moving to a space I guess w

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

Aria’s POVThere’s no one in the whole of this city and beyond that doesn’t know Mr. Kingsley Sinclair.He was one of the most notable men in the city. He’s well influential and one that you’ll stay clear off and not be on his bad side. He’s capable of making his opponents disappear without trace.I met him once when I was working in my formal job. It was an issue concerning one of his clients. Even the managing director fidgeted at the sight of him.I had never reasoned that Ivanna could be related to him, not to talk of being his daughter. My whole body trembled.Xavier was looking at me with the attention of a man who had just received an information that needed an urgent reply.I set the can of drink down on the small table beside the couch.“Not personally,” I replied gently. “But I’ve seen him once at Mr. Murphy’s accounting firm.”He looked at me questionably.“My previous job,” I confirmed. “Oh! Okay.”“Kingsley Sinclair was one of the firm’s clients,” I continued. “But he o

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

Xavier’s POVI drove to the estate with my phone on silent.Messages still flooded in from numbers I recognized and some I didn’t. Board members, PR contacts, two of my distant cousins who had never once initiated contact with me in the previous five years had suddenly found their voice this morning. My legal team sent three updates about the metadata search, each one saying the same words in different technical language.I didn’t read any of them.The estate gates had two cars parked outside when my car drew nearer, cars that didn’t belong there, meaning it was for reporters just as I presumed. The security guard waved me through without maintaining eye contact.I drove in slowly.Margaret met me at the door.“He’s in the study,” she said, before I could ask.“Has he eaten?” I asked before making my down to the study.“He had tea,” she replied, her tone announced that she had complained also that tea was no substitute for breakfast and probably got ignored.“I’ll talk to him,” I s

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

Xavier’s POVThe question kept hanging in the air as I drove back to the north side apartment.The DNA result already sitting in my jacket pocket. Then Bryan’s voice recalibrated back into my head, echoing louder than when the words were said.Daddy, are you leaving us already?The way he called me ‘daddy,’ it felt so surreal and unmistakably wonderful. I had a leap of joy in me that I had never felt. A feeling I cannot immediately note.I remember how they made me froze for a second. I could feel Aria’s shock too. She was just as surprised as I was. None of us knew where that came from.Regardless, my body leap to hear more of it.I pressed on the accelerator harder, I need to be home soon.‘Home.’ I giggled. That sounds quite rich. My home as always being the penthouse when I finally came of age and took over the family company. But now, I called somewhere else home and felt adrenaline shot through me in excitement.“Baby,” Aria had called Bryan, her voice light and careful. “Mr.

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

Aria’s POVAfter several hours on the game device, Bryan finally fell asleep on the floor.The game was still in his hand. He rolled sideways at some point and the game slipped out of his hand and hit the floor, it made a small sound but Bryan didn’t stir.Xavier and I looked at each other over his sleeping body, his words still hanging in the air.I stood up and went to where Bryan was, I was about to bend down and raised him to my shoulder when Xavier spoke, the first words he’ll be saying after the long silence that says between us.“Let me do that,” he said, already moving toward us.I stayed back and let him. “Careful, he has more weight than he looked,” I warned.“I got him.”He lifted him up in one attempt and raised in so as his body will lean against his shoulder and started walking down the corridor to one of the bedrooms.I picked up the game device and followed behind. He laid him on the bed and pulled blanket over him. Bryan tossed in his sleep when the blanket touched

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

Aria’s POVI listened as Xavier placed the food order, rattling off what sounded like half a menu.“What’s the estimated delivery time. Okay, thirty minutes then.” I watched him dialogue over the phone with whom I presumed would be the cashier.His shoulder lowered as he dropped his phone on the table.“Sounds like you ordered for an army,” I teased.“Bryan looks like he eats like one.”He leaned back into the couch and reached for his phone again to check something on it. I reached for mine too.That was my biggest mistake today. I should have just left the phone. Because the numbers had not only climbed. My phone had almost exploded.My Instagram DMs alone had over four hundred unread messages. I opened just two before I stopped myself. ‘You’re nothing but a silly home wrecker,’ the first message read.The second was a long message that filled my whole phone screen with nothing than insults and various demeaning names. I couldn’t even bear to read two paragraphs before I closed the

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

Ivanna’s POVMy phone lit up against the bar table to see Julia’s contact flashing across it. Julia was my distant cousin and one of my best buddy. She has been my best friend since we were little kids.She knows a lot about me and my relationship with Xavier but only what I wanted him to know.“Girl, have you checked the internet lately,” she announced, “it’s literally blowing up.”I rolled my eyes and lifted the glass of whiskey seated before me to my lips. “I know.”“Really!” She exclaimed. “So you mean you’ve seen Xavier’s official statement.”My eyes widened, the grogginess behind my eyes disappeared in a flash. “What statement?”“Huh! I thought you said you’re aware,” she sneered.“Don’t joke with me at this time please,” I snapped. “Just answer my question.”My phone pinged with notification.“Check your WhatsApp inbox, girl.”My phone almost dropped as I fumbled to check the app. What stared back at me was false.Yes, it’s false. It can’t be true.“Babe, take it easy,” Julia

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

Aria’s POVI barely slept that night.Bryan on the other hand slept like someone had switched him off, the way he always did after an eventful day. Xavier slept in one of the other bedrooms.All that was on my mind was how my Monday will go. I kept running around it in circles.Sunday’s scandal. Monday’s office. I was going to walk into that building tomorrow and every person who saw me would have an opinion. Most people in whispers on the professional floors. And the looks. The conversations I envisaged would stop immediately I passed. The ones that would whisper ‘that’s her’ in a tone that had nothing to do with admiration.No, I had worked too hard for that.Five years of rebuilding from nothing. Every single endurance I had to go through without asking anyone for help, and now people were going to look at me and see the woman who got a job because she had the CEO’s child.That was not who I was.***I dropped Bryan at Joel’s the next morning, Monday.Joel’s mum, Sandra, a jovial

CHAPTER SIXTY

Xavier’s POVMy executive assistant knocked once and opened the door.“Sir, there’s something you need to see.” She said as she walked briskly to my table, placed a printed document on my desk and stepped back.I casted her a questionable glance before I picked it up and read it.*Beaumont Group Board of Directors: Formal Notice of Immediate Suspension of Ms. Aria Ashford.*I sighed and dropped the document.I knew the board will make a move but I hadn’t thought they would have such effrontery to suspended Aria, even after my official statement release. Without seeking my opinion first.No, this is precarious.“When did this go out?” I asked.“About ten minutes ago, sir,” she responded.“Who called the meeting?”“The notice lists Mr. Robert Fedson as the convening member,” she replied. “Seconded by Mr. David Kingsley.”“Robert Fedson.” I repeated. I had known that for a dismissal board meeting as such to take place, Robert would definitely be at the top of the table. I only asked to

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