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The Almighty Tycoon Returns For Her

The Almighty Tycoon Returns For Her

For a whole year, April believed her billionaire husband, Bartholomew, abandoned her in Europe the day after their arranged wedding. She hated him so much she drunkenly prayed for his death at a club. But he suddenly returned that very night, catching her red-handed. Instead of a divorce, he trapped her, threatening to bankrupt her bloodsucking family unless she moved into his penthouse to play the devoted wife. Forced to comply, she attended a dinner with her toxic family. Her stepmother deliberately served her lobster—knowing April had a fatal allergy. "Eat up, darling. I know hospital food is dreadful." When April refused and exposed their massive gambling debts, her furious father raised his hand to strike her across the face. But it was Bartholomew, the ruthless tyrant she despised, who caught her father's arm and snapped his wrist. "If you ever try to touch my wife again, I will erase your family by sunrise." April was completely stunned. Why was he defending her with such murderous rage? And why did he keep a cheap paper airplane she had made at age six preserved under a glass dome in his study? The answer came that night. When Bartholomew stepped out of the shower, April saw the massive, jagged surgical scar sliced directly over his heart. He hadn't run away; he had been fighting for his life on an operating table. Staring at the man who had silently survived just to come back to her, April made her choice. She was going to uncover the truth behind his surgery and their past.
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Chapter 5

The diner owner, wiping his hands on a stained apron, walked over with a pair of sticky menus. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Bartholomew's immaculate suit. Bartholomew didn't even glance at the menu. "One well-done cheeseburger and a hot oat milk," his deep voice rumbled. It was April's exact hangover cure. April's eyes widened in shock. She opened her mouth to ask how he knew, but he cut her off. "And a black coffee for me," he added, handing the menus back to the owner. The owner scurried away. The booth fell into a suffocating silence. Rain lashed against the dirty windowpane, casting distorted, moving shadows across Bartholomew's sharp jawline. April couldn't handle the psychological warfare. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest, her fingernails digging into her sleeves. "Spit it out," she snapped. "Stop playing these mind games. What do you want?" Bartholomew picked up his glass of ice water, took a slow sip, and dropped the bomb. "My medical leave in Europe is over. I am moving back to New York. Permanently." The words struck April like a physical blow to the chest. The comfortable, independent life she had meticulously built over the past year shattered into a million pieces. "You can't do that," she argued, her voice rising in panic. "The prenuptial agreement clearly states we live separate lives. You can't just change the rules!" Bartholomew let out a low, dark chuckle. His eyes locked onto hers, sharp as scalpels. "Did you actually read the addendums, April? Or did you just sign where your father told you to?" He leaned across the table, his broad shoulders invading her space. "As long as the Poole family continues to suck the blood out of Reynolds Group, you will fulfill your duties as my wife." At the mention of her family, all the color drained from April's face. The defensive spikes she had raised instantly wilted. The waitress arrived, slamming the steaming burger and the hot oat milk onto the table, breaking the tension. Bartholomew pushed the plate directly in front of April. "Eat," he commanded. "Pad your stomach before we talk business." April wanted to shove the plate back in his face, but her empty stomach let out a loud, traitorous growl. A flush of embarrassment crept up her neck. She bit her lip. Under his heavy, unblinking stare, she picked up the burger. She took a small bite. The familiar, greasy taste instantly soothed her frayed nerves. Watching her chew, a microscopic softening appeared in the corner of Bartholomew's eyes. But it vanished just as quickly. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and tapped the screen. He slid the phone to the center of the table and pressed play. The sickeningly sweet, greedy voice of her father, Gregory Poole, filled the space between them. "Barty, my boy! Now that you're back, I was hoping we could fast-track that port development project. The Poole family needs that cash flow, you know how it is. April would be so happy..." April stopped chewing. The food turned to ash in her mouth. A wave of profound shame washed over her, making her skin burn. Bartholomew stopped the recording. He slipped the phone back into his pocket. "Your family's appetite is becoming a liability," he stated coldly. April dropped the burger. She wiped her mouth with a napkin, her hands shaking slightly. "I will not help him extort you," she said, her voice trembling but resolute. "I won't." Bartholomew nodded slowly, approving of her answer. "Good. Because I have a solution. I can cut off the Poole family's greed at the knees." He paused, letting the weight of his next words settle. "But in exchange, you will pack your things. You will move into my penthouse on Central Park. And you will play the role of a devoted, loving wife to the public." April recoiled as if he had slapped her. Moving into his territory meant giving up the last shred of her freedom. She shook her head frantically. Bartholomew saw her panic and delivered the final, fatal strike. "If you refuse, I will cut all funding to the Poole Group tomorrow morning. And when they go bankrupt, Gregory will not hesitate to sell you off to that forty-five-year-old Wall Street investor who's been eyeing you since you were twenty." April's breath caught in her throat. Her stomach plummeted. She knew he was telling the absolute truth. She had zero leverage. Zero escape. She closed her eyes. The fight drained out of her body. "Fine," she whispered, the word tasting like poison. Bartholomew's lips curved into a satisfied smirk. He raised his hand, signaling for the check. He stood up, towering over her defeated form. "My assistant will be at your apartment at 8 AM to pack your bags," he informed her, his tone devoid of mercy. "Tonight, you are coming home with me."

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