All Chapters of The Billionaire Hidden in Plain Sight: Chapter 121
- Chapter 130
200 chapters
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWO
Emma stood a few steps away from the table in the quiet room, her back straight, her hands clenched at her sides. She had just asked the question that had been eating her alive.Did you marry me out of guilt or love?Liam didn’t answer right away.For a moment, she thought he wouldn’t. That he would do what he always did, retreat into silence, into control, and keep his distance.But then he stood.The chair scraped softly against the floor as he pushed it back, his eyes were only on Emma. “I loved you,” he said.Her breath hitched as she waited for him to complete his words.“I still do.” He finished.Her fingers twitched. She didn’t turn fully, but her shoulders stiffened.“I didn’t marry you out of guilt,” Liam continued, his voice steady but low. “I married you because you were the one place that felt real to me. Because when everything else was power and noise, you were… quiet and honest.”Emma swallowed hard.“I loved you before everything went wrong,” he said. “And I loved you
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY THREE
Ethan’s office smelled like expensive cologne and polished wood. Floor-to-ceiling windows showed the city below, but the blinds were half drawn. Tara sat on his lap, one arm looped around his neck, her legs dangling lazily.“You’ve been tense all morning,” she said, brushing her fingers over his collar. “Relax.”Ethan scoffed. “Everyone wants something from me lately.”She smiled, sharp and satisfied. “That’s what happens when you’re winning.”He leaned back in his chair. “And I am winning.”A knock came at the door.Ethan frowned. “I said I didn’t want to be disturbed.”The door opened anyway. His assistant stepped in, slightly out of breath. “Sir, I—”“What the hell is wrong with you?” Ethan snapped. “Can’t you knock properly?”“I did, sir, but—”Tara turned her head slowly, her smile gone. “Are you blind?” she said coolly. “Can’t you see he’s busy?”The assistant swallowed. “It’s important.”Ethan’s jaw tightened. “I don’t care. Get out.”“Sir, I really think you should—”“I said g
CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND FOUR
Tara stepped out of her car and looked up at the house.She didn’t pause because she was sentimental, she paused because she was searching.Her eyes swept the driveway first. It was empty and there were no unfamiliar cars, security detail or signs of power returning.Good.She adjusted her jacket, lifted her chin, and walked to the door like she owned the place.Inside, Margaret was in the living room, folding laundry. Victoria was nearby, flipping through a magazine she wasn’t really reading. George was seated at the dining table, glasses low on his nose.The door opened and Tara walked in without knocking. Margaret looked up first. Her hands stilled. “What are you doing here?”Tara smiled, slow and mocking. “Wow. No welcome?”Victoria shut the magazine. “You didn’t announce yourself.”“I didn’t think I needed permission to enter my family house,” Tara replied. Her eyes drifted casually around the room, sharp and searching. “Or has that changed too?”George stood. “This is not your h
CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE
Emma stood at the window, staring out at the quiet street. Her hands rested on her stomach without her thinking about it, the bump was small but real and unavoidable.Behind her, the door opened quietly. She didn’t turn. She knew it was him.Liam’s footsteps were slow, careful, like he wasn’t sure he was welcome in the same space yet. He stopped a few steps away from her. The silence between them was tense. “I didn’t know where else to stand,” he said finally. His voice was low and careful.Emma swallowed. “You can stand anywhere you want,” she replied. “You always do.”That landed harder than she intended.Liam exhaled slowly. “I deserve that.”She then slowly turned. She looked at him properly for the first time since the meeting room. This wasn’t the man who used to sit quietly beside her, wearing simple clothes and trying to blend into the background. This Liam looked solid and grounded. His shoulders were straight, his eyes sharp and controlled but when he looked at her, someth
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIX
Ethan noticed it in the smallest things first. His assistant didn’t smile when he walked in.The office still looked the same, glass walls and polished floors, but something felt off. People moved slower and conversations stopped when he passed. Phones were answered quickly, then lowered.“Cancel my ten a.m.?” Ethan asked, dropping his jacket on the chair.The assistant hesitated. Just a second too long. “It’s… postponed, sir.”Ethan looked up. “Postponed?”“Yes,” the assistant said quickly. “They asked to reschedule.”“Who?”“Ravenridge Capital.”Ethan laughed once. “Ravenridge doesn’t postpone. They either sign or walk away.”The assistant didn’t laugh with him. Ethan’s smile faded. “Why?”“They said they need… clarity.”“Clarity on what?”The assistant swallowed. “On Titan Global.”Ethan’s jaw tightened. “Get out.”The assistant left immediately. Ethan leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. One meeting meant nothing, investors panicked all the time. This was normal.He r
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY SEVEN
The house was quiet when Emma decided to leave. She stood in front of the mirror in her room, one hand resting on her belly.It was no longer something she could pretend wasn’t there. The bump was small, but clear. Her dress curved around it gently, not hiding it, not showing it off either.Emma stared at her reflection. She looked different.Her eyes had lost some softness. Her face carried weight now. She took a deep breath.“I’m just going out,” she said quietly, even though no one was there.Downstairs, Margaret looked up from the couch the moment Emma reached the last step. “Where are you going?” she asked, careful, gentle.“Just outside,” Emma replied. “I need air.”Victoria stood up immediately. “I can come with you.”Emma shook her head. “No. I want to go alone.”George watched her closely. “Are you sure?”“Yes,” Emma said. “I need to do this.”There was a pause, not resistance or fear, just love wrapped in worry.Finally, Margaret nodded. “Okay. Take your time.”Emma smiled f
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY EIGHT
Liam didn’t return to Titan Global the way people expected. There was no press conference or dramatic announcement. Instead, he moved quietly.The private meeting was held in a conference room that didn’t exist on any official schedule with no phones allowed inside.Six people sat around the long table. All insiders and loyal personnels and they were all nervous.When Liam walked in, the room went still. No one spoke at first, not because they didn’t know what to say but because they didn’t know how to speak around him anymore.He looked different, not just sharper or better dressed. That was obvious. It was the calmness. The kind that didn’t ask for attention but commanded it anyway.He took the seat at the head of the table without asking. “Sit,” he said quietly, though no one had stood.Everyone straightened in their chairs. Liam folded his hands on the table and looked at them one by one. He didn’t rush or smile at them.“I won’t waste your time,” he said. “And I won’t tell you th
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY NINE
Tara heard about Emma by accident and that was what hurt the most.She was standing by the vanity in Ethan’s apartment, fixing her hair and scrolling through her phone with one hand. She wasn’t looking for anything in particular, just killing time and pretending she wasn’t bored and restless.Then a voice drifted in from the living room.“…I’m serious,” one of Ethan’s friends was saying, laughing lightly. “I saw her myself. Emma Harper. She was out. Big baby bump and all.”Tara’s hand froze mid-air.Another voice replied, “Really? I thought she’d still be hiding.”“Nope. She looked calm, not broken at all.”Tara slowly lowered the phone. Her chest tightened. Calm?She stepped out of the bedroom quietly, standing just out of sight near the hallway. Her nails dug into her palm.“People were staring,” the man continued. “But she didn’t care. She even smiled at someone.”Tara felt something hot rise in her throat. A smile? That wasn’t how this was supposed to go. Emma was supposed to be r
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY
Liam stood at the doorway of the bedroom, his hand resting lightly on the doorframe. “Get dressed,” he said. “We’re going out.”Emma looked up from where she sat on the edge of the bed. She had been staring at nothing in particular, her hands resting on her stomach without realizing it. His voice pulled her back.“Out?” she repeated.“Yes,” he said. “Dinner.”She frowned slightly. “Why?”He shrugged. “Because we haven’t done that in a while.”Emma studied his face. He looked calm and this version of him made her uneasy. “I don’t feel like dressing up,” she said.“You don’t have to,” he replied. “Just… come.”There was something in his tone, it wasn’t a command or a plea.She hesitated, then nodded. “Okay.”He stepped back, giving her space. “Take your time.”When the door closed, Emma let out a slow breath. Her heart was already beating faster. She didn’t know why a simple dinner felt like a test she hadn’t studied for.She changed quietly, nothing fancy. A soft dress that didn’t pres
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY ONE
Liam didn’t answer her immediately. The silence stretched between them, thick and uncomfortable. Emma’s fingers curled slowly against the edge of the table. She didn’t look away, she refused to.“Say something,” she said quietly.Liam inhaled, then exhaled like the air weighed too much in his lungs. He leaned back in his chair and looked down at his hands.“I was hoping,” he said slowly, “that you wouldn’t ask tonight.”Emma let out a small, bitter breath. “Of course you were.”He looked up at her then. His eyes were dark, serious. “Emma—”“No,” she interrupted. Her voice didn’t rise, but it hardened. “Don’t start with my name like it’s going to soften what you’re about to say. Just tell me.”The waiter passed by their table. Liam lifted a hand slightly. “We’re fine,” he said.As soon as they were alone again, Emma leaned forward.“My brother died on a mission,” she said. “A mission tied to something powerful. A mission no one ever fully explained to me. You were there, you were alwa