Lahat ng Kabanata ng I AM BILLIONAIRE DAMON'S REPLACEMENT BRIDE : Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

Day three and I was getting used to thiswaking up slow, no alarms, no rushing, just existing Damon was already awake, I could hear him outside on the deckI found him with coffee, looking at the ocean, not his phone, not his laptop, just the ocean“Morning,” I said“Morning.” He handed me a cup. “Thought you’d sleep longer.”“Missed you.”He looked at me, surprised“What?” I asked“Nothing, just...you said that so easily.”“Said what?”“That you missed me, like it’s simple.”“It is simple.”“Is it?”“Yeah, I woke up, you weren’t there, I missed you, simple.”Something crossed his face, soft and a bit vulnerable“Come here,” he saidI did, he pulled me close and we stood there drinking coffee, watching waves“What do you want to do today?” he asked“This, exactly this.”“We can’t just stand here all day.”“Why not?”“Because...” He stopped, then laughed quietly. “Actually, I don’t have a good reason.”“Then let’s stand here all day.”We didn’t actually stand there all day but we came

Damon waited until Eve left for work before calling Marcus."I need your help with something.""What kind of something?""A wedding."Marcus was quiet for a second. "You're already married.""I know, but it wasn't real. Not the way it should've been. She wore Sophia's dress, said vows she didn't mean, married me to save her family, not because she wanted to.""And now?""Now I want to do it right. Actual wedding, her choice. Not a contract or obligation or anything else, just us.""A vow renewal.""Yeah, but I want it to feel like the first time, the real first time. Can you help me plan it?"Marcus laughed. "You want me to plan a wedding?""You're organized, detail-oriented, and Eve trusts you.""Does she know about this?""Not yet. I want it to be a surprise.""Damon, that's...are you sure? Surprises can go either way.""I'm sure. She deserves something beautiful, something that's actually about us, not about saving face or business deals or family expectations."Marcus sighed. "Oka

The two weeks flew by faster than Eve expected.Jessica took her dress shopping even though the dress was already made. Said they needed the experience, the tradition of it. They tried on ridiculous gowns they'd never buy and drank champagne and laughed until Eve's sides hurt."This is what it should've been like the first time," Jessica said."Yeah. It really should've been."Marcus kept Damon busy with last minute details. Apparently the florist had almost sent roses instead of peonies and Damon nearly lost his mind."Roses are what I sent Sophia," he told Eve later. "Peonies are yours. They had to be peonies."She kissed him for that.The night before the wedding, Jessica insisted on a girls night. Just the two of them, wine and takeout and terrible reality TV."You nervous?" Jessica asked."A little. Not about marrying him, just about...I don't know. Everything feeling real.""It is real.""I know. But sometimes I still feel like I'm waiting for it to fall apart, like someone's go

Two weeks passed.Two weeks of me jumping every time the phone rang, checking over my shoulder when we left the apartment, waiting for the other shoe to drop.Damon kept telling me I was being paranoid.I kept telling him I wasn't.Then she showed up.We were having dinner when the doorbell rang. Damon went to answer it while I cleared the table,then I heard his voice, sharp and surprised. "What are you doing here?""I need to talk to you." Then I heard Sophia's voice, shaking. "Please, it's important."My stomach dropped, my head started pounding. I knew it, I knew she was gonna come.I walked to the door and there she was, standing in our hallway looking pale and scared and clutching her purse like it was holding her lifeline."We're eating dinner, if you can wait a bit.," I said."This can't wait." She looked at Damon and ignored me completely. "Can I come in? Just for a minute?"Every instinct screamed at me to slam the door in her face but Damon was already stepping back, letting

Three days of texts from Sophia. Three days of her playing the scared pregnant woman who just wanted to talk, who just wanted Damon to acknowledge what was happening.Finally Damon cracked."We need to confront her," he said. "Get this out in the open, demand the paternity test and end this.""She's going to refuse.""Then we'll know she's lying."I wasn't so sure it would be that simple but I agreed anyway because waiting was killing us both.Damon texted her.Damon: We need to talk. All three of us. Tomorrow, 2 PM, that same coffee shop.The response came in seconds.Sophia: Thank you. I'll be there.Too easy, I thought. Way too easy.The next day dragged, I couldn't focus at work, I kept checking my phone even though there was nothing to check. My heart kept pounding and I couldn't sit still.Jessica caught me staring at my screen for the hundredth time."You okay?""We're meeting Sophia this afternoon.""What? Why?""To demand a paternity test, end this whole thing before it dest