All Chapters of The Billionaire Hidden in Plain Sight: Chapter 151
- Chapter 160
200 chapters
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY TWO
Emma did not sleep much that night. She lay awake beside Liam, listening to his steady breathing, staring at the ceiling while her thoughts moved in circles. The words from the meeting replayed in her mind again and again. CEO of Titan Global. The scale of it felt unreal, like a door opening to a room she had never planned to enter.By morning, she had made her decision. She rose quietly, careful not to wake Liam, and went into the bathroom. The woman who looked back at her was calm, but her eyes held something new, resolve.When she returned to the bedroom, Liam was awake, propped against the headboard, watching her with that familiar, steady look. “You didn’t sleep,” he said.She smiled faintly. “Neither did you.”Later that morning, Emma was back at Harper’s Construction. The office no longer felt like a battlefield. It felt like work again, honest and demanding in the way she liked. Mia followed her into the office with a tablet in hand, her expression bright but cautious.“You lo
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THREE
Margaret sat on the veranda with her legs crossed neatly at the ankles, a porcelain cup resting between her palms. The tea had cooled slightly, but she didn’t mind. She liked holding it more than drinking it, the warmth gave her something to focus on. Victoria lounged nearby, feet tucked under her on the outdoor couch, phone in hand. She scrolled lazily, stopping now and then to smile at something on her screen. Every few seconds, she glanced up, as if to reassure herself that nothing had changed.Margaret hummed under her breath. A tune she’d hummed for years and Victoria noticed it, the way she always did.“You’ve been humming that song since morning,” Victoria said without looking up.Margaret smiled faintly. “It helps me think.”Victoria snorted. “You hum when you’re worried.”Margaret took a careful sip of her tea. “I’m not worried.”“You are,” Victoria said lightly. “You just don’t like admitting it.”Margaret’s eyes shifted to the gate. “The gardener should have been here an h
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY FOUR
Emma was halfway through a document when the noise reached her.Raised voices, footsteps moving too fast down the corridor and the sharp scrape of shoes against polished floors. Her pen paused mid-sentence but didn’t look up immediately. She’d learned that rushing often gave panic more power than it deserved.Then the door burst open. Ethan stumbled inside first, then two security officers entered after, one reaching instinctively for his radio and behind them.“Stop him!” one of the guards shouted.Ethan stumbled forward a step, breath uneven, jacket hanging loosely from his shoulders. He looked thinner than the last time she’d seen him. He even looked desperate as if something inside him had been burning for too long. His eyes were too bright and his smile, when it appeared, didn’t quite fit his face.Emma finally looked up. Her expression didn’t change although her heart was racing. “It’s fine,” she said calmly.The room froze. The guards looked at her like she’d spoken another lan
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY FIVE
Emma was still at her desk when the office door opened again.She hadn’t gone back to the document she’d been reading earlier. The screen was still on, lines of text untouched, the cursor blinking patiently like it expected her to return at any moment but she hadn’t. Her hands rested flat on the desk, fingers relaxed but unmoving.“Come in,” Emma said.Mia stepped inside and closed the door behind her immediately but she didn’t have her usual smile and that alone told Emma everything.Mia stood there for a second, breathing hard, like she’d walked fast or argued with someone on the way. Her eyes scanned Emma’s face first, then the room, as if she expected Ethan to still be there, hiding behind the chairs or the shelves. “Are you okay?” Mia asked.Emma leaned back slightly. “I’m fine.”Mia frowned. “I just got back, and everyone is already talking.”Emma lifted an eyebrow. “Talking about what?”Mia walked closer, dropping her bag on the visitor’s chair without sitting. “About Ethan. I
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY SIX
Emma had just finished adjusting the strap of her bag when Liam’s phone rang.He looked at the screen and sighed, the kind of sigh that came from someone already tired of the answer he was about to give. “Of course,” he muttered.Emma raised an eyebrow. “Bad news?”“No, it’s a meeting,” he said. “They want to move it forward.”She glanced at the clock on the wall, then at him. “Now?”He nodded. “Apparently, it can’t wait.”Emma smiled softly, stepping closer. “You can’t cancel it.”Liam shook his head with a slight frown on his face. “I already did once this week and I promised you today.”“You promised me you, not your calendar,” she said gently. “Go.”He studied her face, like he was trying to see if she truly meant it. “Are you sure?”“Yes,” she said. “Victoria and I will still go baby shopping. You’ll survive missing it.”He laughed quietly. “I wanted to be there.”“I know,” she said, reaching for his hand. “But you’ll be there for plenty more.”He hesitated, then reached into his
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY SEVEN
Emma and Victoria got home before Liam. She dropped her keys in the bowl by the door and stood there for a moment, catching her breath. She walked slowly to the living room and sat on the couch, resting her hand on her stomach without thinking. The baby kicked lightly, or maybe it was just her imagination. She smiled anyway. “Easy,” she whispered. “I’m here.”She stayed like that for a while, shoes still on, mind drifting between thoughts she didn’t want and feelings she couldn’t name. The mall replayed in bits, Victoria’s laughter, the soft weight of baby clothes in her hands and the man’s face she still couldn’t place. She shook it off.Later, she changed into something loose and comfortable and went upstairs to the nursery. The room wasn’t finished yet, but the crib had arrived. It sat in the center like a promise waiting to be assembled.She knelt and opened the box. By the time Liam came home, the house smelled faintly of lemon cleaner and something warm from the kitchen. He loo
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY EIGHT
Saturday mornings in the house were usually slow in the best way. No schedules, no meetings and no one rushing out the door with phones pressed to their ears. The curtains stayed half-drawn, letting sunlight spill lazily across the living room floor. The television sounded in the background, some old movie no one was really watching. Emma sat curled up on the couch with her feet tucked beneath her, a bowl of fruit balanced on her lap. Liam sat beside her, one arm stretched along the backrest, the other resting loosely on her knee. He wasn’t on his phone and that alone felt like a small miracle.Victoria sat on the rug, scrolling through pictures on her tablet, occasionally talking about random things that came to her mind. Margaret stood near the window with a cup of tea, watching the garden like she always did. George was in his chair, reading the paper, glasses perched low on his nose. It was ordinary and comfortable.Then Margaret straightened suddenly. “Oh,” she said. “That mus
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY NINE
Emma had long since drifted off to sleep, her breathing even and calm, the small rise and fall of her stomach reminding Liam of just how fragile and precious everything had become. The soft glow of the bedside lamp was the only light in the room, he lingered by the doorway for a moment, watching her sleep. He brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead and kissed it lightly, murmuring, “I’ll keep everything under control.”She shifted slightly in her sleep, murmuring something unintelligible, and Liam took it as his cue. Quietly, he slipped from the room, careful not to disturb the household, moving toward the garage. The night outside was dark and quiet, but he felt the tension in his chest. He had called in his sources hours ago, running a complete background check on Thomas, Harper’s long-time gardener. By now, Liam had the address, verified, confirmed, and ready.He drove in near silence, the black sedan blending in the night. Each block brought him closer, and with each step
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY
The only sound that could be heard in the quiet room was the sound of the air conditioning. Liam sat in his chair, fingers crossed in front of him, his eyes narrowed, listening intently. Across from him, Thomas fidgeted in the seat, his hands clasped tightly in his lap, knuckles white. The child’s bedroom in the Harper mansion felt safer somehow than the small living room in Thomas’s house, but that didn’t stop the fear from creeping into his bones. He was still trembling from the memory, from the knowledge that even now, he wasn’t safe unless he followed every instruction.“I need you to tell me everything,” Liam said, his voice calm but firm. “No detail is too small. I need to know exactly what happened.”Thomas swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I… I don’t know where to start,” he stammered, voice shaky. “It’s… it’s all too fast.”“Start at the beginning,” Liam prompted. His gaze was sharp. “From the moment you left your house to come here, every step.”Thomas exhaled, sha
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY ONE
Liam returned home long after the city had settled. The house was quiet, the lights along the driveway glowed softly, and for a moment he stayed in the car with the engine off, his hands resting on the steering wheel.Veridia never comes back without a reason. The thought sat heavy in his chest.He stepped out of the car and walked in, nodding at security without slowing. Inside, the house smelled faintly of lavender and something sweet, Emma’s perfume, probably. It was a small thing, but it hit him harder than he expected.He climbed the stairs quietly, each step careful. When he pushed open the bedroom door, the lamp beside the bed was off, but moonlight slipped through the curtains. Emma was asleep on her side, one hand resting on her stomach, the other curled near her face.Liam stood there longer than necessary.She looked peaceful. Her breathing was slow and even, the kind that came only when sleep was deep and unguarded. He could wake her, he almost did. The words pressed again