Lahat ng Kabanata ng TAMING THE BILLIONAIRE; My Brother's Best Friend : Kabanata 91 - Kabanata 100

Aaron’s POVThe rest of the day was a blur, almost unreal; it was as if my body moved through time while my head was elsewhere. I'd been useless at work, pretending to read reports that looked more like blurred lines and white noise. The entire boardroom could have caught fire, and I wouldn't have noticed.I'd had Clarice rebook half my meetings and Cheryl handle the investors. She didn't question it, thank God. She probably thought I was sick. Maybe I was-just not in a way any doctor could diagnose. My thoughts were filled with one person. One very specific, maddening, beautiful, confusing person.Ethan.I don't think I have ever driven this fast before. The car hummed beneath me, the engine growling every time I pushed the pedal harder, like even it was begging me to slow down. But I couldn't. Not tonight.I'd put too much hope into the possibility that he'd say yes to this… whatever this arrangement was supposed to be. A trial relationship. A test. A temporary sanity check before w

Mandy's POVPart of me was excited for Ethan and another part worried, which was stupid because those two emotions weren't supposed to coexist. But here they were, clawing at each other inside my chest like two feral cats fighting over a piece of bread.God.Why did love have to be so complicated?I flopped backward on my couch, Mean Girls playing on the TV because it had somehow become my therapy movie over the years. Regina George was mid–“Get in loser, we’re going shopping,” and normally I’d scream the line with her, but tonight my brain was too wrapped up in Ethan’s mess.Because when he mentioned Aaron?His whole face lit up.Like fireworks.Like Christmas lights being plugged in after months of storage.Like he wasn't even trying to hide how much that man still meant to him.And I… well, I just didn't know what to feel about it.Part of me was very happy for him, though. I loved seeing him hopeful, soft and glowing.On the other hand?I was terrified.Terrified, because if Aaron

Ethan's POVMy fingers were white against the steering wheel. It was a wonder the leather wasn't tearing. I could hardly feel my hands anymore, numb from the cold panic crawling through me. Streetlights bled into each other, stringing like explosive stars across my vision as I raced through the dark, trying-failing-to breathe. My heart had taken up residence somewhere in my throat.That fucking news report…"A truck lost control on the bridge… there are casualties… a black Bentley was among the vehicles struck…"His car.I pressed harder on the gas.“No,” I said into the night, like the sky could change reality for me. “No. He’s fine. He has to be. Nothing’s going to happen to Aaron.”But I didn't believe a word of it. Not really. My mind was screaming every terrible possibility at me at once.How long had I known him again?Eight years if you counted the gap. Eight years since he vanished without a word. Eight hours since he kissed me like he'd never left. Eight minutes since I thoug

Ethan’s POVThe silence of the apartment was wrong. Too still. Too normal. As if the world had no idea someone I loved lay in a hospital bed, struggling to remember how to breathe without pain.My hands moved automatically: chopping vegetables, boiling water, seasoning without thought. I'd made this soup a hundred times, but never like this. Never with my heart beating hard enough to bruise ribs. Never not knowing if he'd actually get to taste it.Rule number one, back when we were still together, Aaron needed homemade soup when he was sick. Not store-bought. Not delivered. Not reheated trash from the freezer. He needed my soup.At the time, he was being dramatic.Now… it's because he almost died.I was chopping the carrots with too much force; I could feel myself breathing out hard, my chest tight. I'd left him alone for three hours. Three fucking hours. With a concussion. Broken ribs. Bandages wrapped around his head like the universe was trying to remind me of all the ways I could'

ETHAN'S POVI always thought "house rest" meant peace. Quiet. A man recovering in bed while the world politely slowed down to match his pace.No one told me when Aaron was the one on house rest, the whole world would, instead, speed up and come at me full force.If I'd have known Cheryl was going to turn into a tyrant the minute she realized I'd be the only one physically capable of entering the building, I would have faked a fever and stayed glued to Aaron's side like he wanted.“This is punishment,” I mumbled to myself as I shut down Aaron’s laptop. “This is actual punishment.”Cheryl had called me eight times. Eight. All with the same frantic tone:The investors want a representative, the board wants updates, and the clients need reassurance.Apparently I fit the coat far too well.And then there was Mandy, Andrew, and Jonathan — a group of demons cloaked in the outfits of coworkers."Morning, Mrs. Warner," Andrew had chirped as he passed me the first report.“You wanna minute to t