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45 | THE RETURNED
JOY
"I’m glad that you’re okay," Vince said, his voice cheerful.
I was balancing the phone between my ear and my shoulder while signing some papers and smiling like a lovesick idiot. The days had been passing too quickly. Vince was in Seattle due to work, but that didn't mean he hadn't shown how important I was to him. We texted every day for the past week since I’d last visited his house.
It was new for both of us . . . whatever this was.
"Why wouldn't I be okay? Stop worrying about me so much.” I sighed. “I’m going to have lunch with my dad today."
"Oh, and here I thought you were so merry because I was coming back," he said playfully.
"You’re coming back?"
“Did I forget to pass the details?”
“Yes.” I squealed.
"I’m on my way to the airport," he said. "By the way, my mom wants you to have lunch with us tomorrow. It's a Sunday and hopefully, you don’t have any plans.”
"I don’t, and it
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The Billionaire's Second Endeavour 46 | ANYTHING FOR YOU
VINCE Paige had been clinging to me since I had arrived home. She hated it when I had to go out on business, and for the same reason, I hated it too. But there was little I could do about it. Everything I did, my job and all those business outings, were all to secure my daughter's future. "Did you bring anything for me?" she asked in her soothing voiceas I made her sit on the kitchen island. I nodded. "I did, but first answer my questions. Did you have lunch?" she nodded, smiling. "And what did you do all week?" "Granny and I learned origami." Her hands shot up to grab my nose. "What’s that?" I questioned in a nasal voice because of Paige's grip. "Origami is harder than it looks," Mum said, entering the kitchen with a smile on her face and glass plates in her hand. She walked to me and planted a soft peck on my cheeks. "Welcome back, honey." “We made butterflies, ships, wall hangers and so many more, Daddy. You have to
The Billionaire's Second Endeavour 47 | TO LISTEN AND ACCEPT pt. 1
JOY I knew talking to Vince would help, but I never thought it would convince me to do something I had never thought of all these years—talk to my mother and actually listen. I texted Dad. JOYCE:I’m sorry for leaving that way. I wasn’t in my right mind. GEORGE: I shouldn’t have kept it from you. She showed up two weeks ago, and I had the same reaction as you did. I laughed at the back of my mind. No wonder I was so like my father. JOYCE: But unlike me, you let her speak. GEORGE: Yes, and it did wonders. JOYCE:Is she still there? GEORGE:Yes. Do you want to talk to her? JOYCE:I’m coming over. Vince even let me process everything as he drove to Dad's place, as if he knew I was fighting myself at this. And when he parked in front of the hous
The Billionaire's Second Endeavour 48 | TO LISTEN AND ACCEPT pt. 2
JOY "Yes, Mom." I gritted out, “I needed you, but you weren’t here. You never were. You never cared.” "That's not true. I always cared, Joyce." I shook my head. "You're such a liar . . ." I looked away, as I tried to hold on to my tears, but those stupid things. She cleared her throat. "I was forced to marry your father. I never loved him. I know he’s a good man, and I knew it back then, too. But I was young, and I wanted more than just the marital propositions. I wanted to love, and I found that love with Luke. I was so ashamed of what I did, but I didn’t want to let this feeling go. So the best option for us all was for me to leave. And the reason I didn't call was that I thought I was leaving you all for good. I knew you both would be happy with your father." "That's no excuse for being a shitty parent. But damn right, we were happy!" I said, anger surging through my voice. "I’ve missed you both so much and every moment of the day
The Billionaire's Second Endeavour 49 | EVERYTHING GOOD
VINCE I glanced at my phone and wristwatch back and forth. For a sudden moment, something or someone on the second floor of Joy's house had caught my eye. At first, I thought it was Mr Gale but then when I’d narrowed my eyes to take a better look, there was no one there. The neighbourhood where Joy's father lived was very quiet. Even a slight shriek would've been audible to the entire colony. It was peaceful, though a little terrifying as well. I looked around and my eyes paused by the gate of the neighbour's house. A man was standing right by the door, staring at me. He wore huge black sunglasses and a dark hoodie that covered his hair and his body structure entirely. There was no movement from that man, which bothered me even more. It was as if he was frozen on spot. But what was weird was his smile. I couldn't see it clearly but the feeling of it was enough to wreck my nerves. The door unlocked and Joy walked out
The Billionaire's Second Endeavour 50 | EVERYTHING BAD
VINCE Neighbour?I seemed to have missed out on that little detail. My jaw twitched, and I looked away. I could kill anyone who crossed my path at this very moment. And Joy seemed to have noticed that. She kept a hand on my knees under the table. Mr Gale, too, saw me clenching his fists and blurted, "Everyone has a tragic past. Some are bad and some are worst, there's nothing in between. It's up to you if you want to hold on to them or move on," the latter, he said to his daughter, who only nodded. We ended their dinner on a peaceful note with random topics, but specifically about business and the collaboration project with Mr Gale's company. Joy and Agatha stood up and walked to the kitchen with the plates, leaving me and Mr Gale in the room. I wanted to tell Joy what she meant to me before Mum's surgery so that I could at least get something off my chest. Who knew what was to happen? I
The Billionaire's Second Endeavour 51 | HURTFUL REVELATIONS
VINCEJoy was standing by the door with her brows pressed together, studying us suspiciously. My heart skipped a beat. Somehow in my heart, it felt as though Joy wasn't prepared to know about Josh yet."We were—" Mr Gale's voice choked.I fell back on the chair, waiting for Mr Gale to clarify the situation. He would have to decide whether he would tell her. But my phone rang, drawing everyone’s attention to it. Beau's name flashed on it and I quickly answered, "Yes, Beau.""Vi, I have updates on Joshua. He was last seen around Joyce's house."His voice sounded rough, with a hint of horror."Joyce's flat?" I looked at Joy and watched her brows press slightly."No!"Beau panted, and then added in a breath,"George Gale's house."My eyes shot up at Mr Gale, beads of sweat dotting his forehead and his hands shaking. "When?"
The Billionaire's Second Endeavour 52 | SOME HURTFUL MEMORIES
JOY"Are you ignoring me?" Josh’s voice was rigorous as he pulled me into the house, his grip bruising my wrist.The house was dark unlike usual and I figured Uncle Jerry wasn’t home. I watched Josh close the door behind him with a loud thud and my entire body coursed with fear and anxiety. My gut feeling had always been strong and somewhat it had been too sensitive since morning. Like I knew something was about to happen."No? I have my exams next month. I thought I told you before," I snickered, knowing how attentive he was at times.Something about his features wasn't fitting well with me today. The dark circles under his eyes and then the awful smell. That smell wasn't unfamiliar to me."You’re drunk,"I acknowledged, shaking my head."I’m going home. Call me when you’re sober." I tried to move past him but he was quick enough
The Billionaire's Second Endeavour 53 | ACTIONS ARE NEEDED
VINCEI didn’t pick up. I couldn’t let my past ruin something that could be my future. I pressed the side button hard until the switch-off option popped up. I tapped on it with no hesitation and looked back at Joy, her eyes soft and face flushed red."Ms Gale, do you have any fucking idea how much you mean to me?" Placing a soft kiss on the throbbing pulse point of her throat, I asked, "Do you know how much I want you?"She shook her head playfully. "Actions are needed. Why don't you show me?""I can kiss you all day."“Then what’s stopping you?” She closed her eyes as I traced my kisses down her neck and released a heavy gasp. “Do you think of how I pleasure you when you're alone?” I asked against her soft skin.“Every fucking day,” she responded, her voice shaking.“Perfect. Because I am going to give you another memory to hold on to.” I dragged my tongue up to her lips a
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- The Billionaire's Second Endeavour Author's Note
- The Billionaire's Second Endeavour Author's Note
- The Billionaire's Second Endeavour EPILOGUE
- The Billionaire's Second Endeavour 65 | THE FOURTH STAGE
- The Billionaire's Second Endeavour 64 | THREE STAGES OF ANGER
- The Billionaire's Second Endeavour 63 | A LOT MORE PROBLEMS
- The Billionaire's Second Endeavour 62 | HIDDEN TRUTHS
- The Billionaire's Second Endeavour 61 | EVERYTHING’S BETTER
- The Billionaire's Second Endeavour 60 | END OF THE NIGHTMARES
