Dumped Then Claimed By A Billionaire (Nerissa and Owen) novel Chapter 73

Chapter 73

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No one had any idea just how hyped Owen was right now.

He’d been waiting forever.

After all that waiting, it was finally happening!

Now, the Calloway Group and Owen’s name were blowing up all over social media.

Soon.

The Calloway Group’s stock was about to go through the roof!

He was about to turn the tables and become the top dog in Cilowesad’s gaming world!

Just thinking about it, Owen couldn’t hide the excitement on his face.

He was bursting with pride.

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Seeing Owen all hyped up, Yale rushed to set the record straight, “No, Owen, you’ve totally got it wrong! It’s Nerissa, Kinsbeat Game, and their new release, Splendor Peak, that are blowing up online!”

“Nerissa really led Kinsbeat Game to pull off an AAA game!”

“And, since Splendor Peak dropped last night, it’s already racked up a hundred million downloads!”

The best part?

Splendor Peak didn’t get even a single negative comment. There wasn’t a shred of criticism anywhere.

Kinsbeat Game had just made history, creating Cilowesad’s first-ever AAA game.

And it was not just a domestic success.

Their game’s quality was top-tier even on the global stage.

Yale continued, “Their game isn’t just going viral in Cilowesad. It’s blowing up on global platforms too! I heard GD, that big-name company from abroad, already sent people over to talk about licensing!”

He was talking about GD!

They were a global gaming giant.

But now, even they were looking to collaborate.

That said everything about how amazing Splendor Peak was.

If Kinsbeat Game sold their rights overseas, they were going to instantly become legendary!

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Even if Kinsbeat Game never changed a thing, the would stay unbeatable for the next thirty years.

‘What?!’ Owen thought, totally stunned.

He listened to Yale, feeling like he was in some wild dream.

Yeah, that was definitely it.

‘There’s no way this is real!’

‘Nerissa!’ Owen thought, his mind spinning.

“That country bumpkin? How could she possibly pull off an AAA game in just a month?

‘No way!

‘There’s just no way!’

‘How did the whole world flip upside down in just one night?’

‘Just yesterday, all eyes were on me!’

‘It was me!’

‘It was all about me!’

“It’s fake! It has to be! You’re lying! You’re just making this up!” Owen shouted, his voice cracking with fury. “Nerissa? Who does she think she is? She’s nothing but my simp! As if she could ever make an AAA game!”

“Owen, I know it’s tough to accept, but…” Yale sighed, sounding genuinely helpless. “It’s true. Nerissa really did it. She’s actually made it happen.”

Only now.

Yale finally allowed himself to believe it.

All those rumors from before, they were actually true.

Owen had only become the breakout star of the decade because of Nerissa. She was behind most of his

success.

Otherwise,

the Calloway Group wouldn’t have crashed and burned after she left.

Meanwhile, Kinsbeat Game, which had been a total train wreck, was now ruling the scene.

Just like their game’s name.

Splendor Peak!

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Owen’s face went ghostly pale in an instant. His hands were trembling as he grabbed his phone from the table.

As soon as he unlocked it, a flood of news notifications popped up.

Almost every single one was about Kinsbeat Game and Nerissa.

[The Mysterious Ms. Jamison!]

[Ms. Jamison: Queen of AAA Games!]

[Kinsbeat Game Makes an Epic Comeback, Crushing the Decade’s Dark Horse!]

[The Secret Mastermind Behind Kinsbeat Game]

[Kinsbeat Game Set to Sign with GD!]

Owen was totally floored, staring at those headlines as sweat broke out on his forehead.

‘Damn it, it should’ve been me making headlines!’ Owen thought, his head spinning.

‘It should be me!’ he kept telling himself, refusing to believe what he was seeing.

‘How the hell did Nerissa get to trample all over me and leave me totally humiliated?’ Owen fumed, his mind spinning with rage.

Now, Kinsbeat Game was the center of everyone’s attention.

‘What’s the Calloway Group supposed to do now?’ Owen thought, his heart sinking in utter panic.

Owen had thrown everything he had, his time, his energy, his passion, into this game.

‘Hell no,’ Owen thought, his mind spinning out of control.

Owen was seething with frustration.

He wasn’t about to let himself lose like this.

Yeah, that was right.

‘There’s still Nerissa,’ he reassured himself, desperate for a lifeline.

‘Nerissa’s crazy about me. She’d never let me crash and burn. She’ll come through for me, no doubt, Owen insisted to himself, clinging to that belief.

‘If Nerissa could take Kinsbeat Game from zero to hero, then she can totally pull me out of this mess too, Owen thought, desperately clinging to that hope.

Owen pulled up WhatsApp on his phone.

Nerissa still hadn’t accepted his friend request!

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Bang!

Owen couldn’t take it anymore, and slammed his phone down onto the floor.

“Owen!” Yale shouted.

He jumped, totally freaked out by how Owen just lost it.

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Owen shot Yale a furious glare. “Go tell Nerissa, she got what she wanted! I’ll agree to remarry her, but she needs to come see me at my house, right now!”

‘Disgusting!’ Owen thought, feeling sick to his core.

‘Nerissa is so disgusting, he grumbled to himself, unable to hide his contempt.

‘She’d do anything, no matter how shameless, just to get me back, Owen thought confidently.

‘I really underestimated her,’ he realized, bitterness flooding him.

In the past, not in a million years would Owen have agreed to remarry Nerissa, even if his life depended on it.

But now,

Things just weren’t the same anymore.

Kinsbeat Game had just launched an AAA title. If he didn’t make a move soon, they’d steal the Celestial Dome Awards right out from under his nose. If that happened, the Calloway Group would crash and burn, the whole team would jump ship, and they’d end up as nothing but a relic, a punchline for future generations.

As the CEO of the Calloway Group, Owen would never let that happen.

Whatever it might take.

he had to figure out a way to get through this mess.

So,

He could only grit his teeth and hold it together.

Even knowing full well this was Nerissa’s trap, he still had to play along and step right into it.

Yale’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Remarry?!”

“That’s right!” Owen choked back his revulsion. “Nerissa went to all this trouble just to make me take the first move, to get me to come to her and agree to remarry. Isn’t that what she’s wanted?”

“What about Audrey?” Yale blurted out in shock. “You two are already engaged.”

“This is just a stopgap! I might be remarrying Nerissa in name only, but Audrey’s still my real fiancée!” Owen snapped, his voice dripping with contempt.

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Audrey was the love of Owen’s life, the only woman he truly cared about.

No way was he ever going to ditch Audrey for Nerissa, not in a million years.

Yale frowned, “Owen, you’re really oversimplifying things. Just because you want to get back together doesn’t mean Nerissa will say yes. She’s not the same girl you used to know!”

Owen scoffed, a cold smirk on his face.

“Yale, you’re giving her way too much credit! Why else would Nerissa go to all this trouble? Why do you think she’s busting her ass for Kinsbeat Game? She’s just desperate for my attention, that’s all! She’s only doing all this because she wants me back!”

No one knew Nerissa like Owen did.

They might’ve only been married for less than a year, but Nerissa’s whole world revolved around him, and he was all she ever thought about.

She’d go all out with her makeup, just to make him happy.

She’d stick to wearing gray, just because it was his favorite color.

And since he liked his food bland, she wouldn’t even go near anything spicy.

Since he was obsessed with citrus-scented perfumes,

Nerissa had never worn anything but tangerine fragrance.

After the divorce, just to catch his eye, Nerissa had ditched the heavy makeup and switched to the whole sweet and innocent vibe.

And then she left and joined Kinsbeat Game.

She had been running circles just to get back together with him.

‘Nerissa can’t live without me, Owen thought, full of arrogant certainty.

Yale just couldn’t wrap his head around Owen’s logic, but he forced himself to stay patient and explain, “Owen, right now you shouldn’t be focusing on getting back together with Nerissa! What you need to worry about is how to get through this crisis. The Calloway Group put all its money into Starlight, and now that game’s crashed and burned. Splendor Peak’s the surprise hit everyone’s talking about, and a ton of our partners are already pulling out of their contracts!”

Even though Yale was starting to think that the Calloway Group had only managed to pull off a comeback against all odds because of Nerissa, he still hadn’t given up on Owen just yet.

If Owen was really the business genius everyone had said he was, then this blow shouldn’t be enough to knock him down.

Owen rubbed his temples, looking totally exhausted. “Enough with the nonsense. Call Nerissa right now and tell her to haul herself over here to see me, now!”

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“Sorry, Owen,” Yale said, shaking his head. “That’s not something I can do. If you really think you’ve got enough charm to get Nerissa to remarry you, then go talk to her yourself.”

Owen froze, completely taken aback. “What did you just say?”

Yale had always been his loyal sidekick, never once questioning him or defying him.

But today.

Yale actually dared to talk to him like that!

‘Unbelievable! Is he rebelling now?’ Owen thought, his mind reeling.

Yale met Owen’s gaze and said, “I’m telling you, I really can’t contact Nerissa!”

With that, Yale made up his mind. “Owen, I used to look up to you, and I really thought you were my idol. I always wanted to be a breakout star in finance, just like you. But after all this time learning from you, I’ve realized things aren’t what I imagined. Maybe the real dark horse in the finance world isn’t you… maybe it’s someone else.”

Owen’s eyes widened as he jabbed a finger at Yale, shouting, “Yale! Are you seriously questioning me? You were just some clueless brat who couldn’t even read a balance sheet. Who do you think you are to question me?!”

Yale’s words brutally stomped on Owen’s pride, shattering his ego.

It was like having his face dragged across the floor, total humiliation.

Seeing Owen’s reaction, Yale could see right through it now. He finally got the picture.

Some things just didn’t need to be said anymore.

Yale took off his employee badge. “Owen, Nerissa’s never going to remarry you. Stop daydreaming! I’m done here. It’s time for me to leave the Calloway Group.”

“You’re really quitting the Calloway Group?” Owen asked, unable to believe it.

“That’s right,” Yale said.

He nodded, resolute.

“You really sure about this?” Owen demanded, pointing at Yale in disbelief.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Yale replied, his voice steady and unwavering.

Owen laughed in disbelief, his anger barely held back. “Fine! Leave then! Yale, let me warn you, this isn’t some revolving door you can just waltz in and out of whenever you please. From now on, don’t even dream about setting foot in the Calloway Group again.”

Yale didn’t say another word. He just shot Owen a look, turned and walked out.

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As Yale walked away, Owen’s anger boiled over.

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He snatched up a vase and threw it across the room in a fit of rage.

Bang!

The vase smashed against the wall, shattering into pieces.

‘He’ll regret this,’ Owen seethed, his pride wounded and his anger simmering.

‘Yale will come crawling back, mark my words,’ Owen thought, his fury barely contained.

‘Just wait and see!’ Owen promised himself, clinging to his own delusions.

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‘Nerissa will be back any day now, begging me to take her back because she can’t live without me,’ Owen assured himself, his arrogance on full display.

Owen stormed out, striding into the main hall. He barked at the butler, “Go find out where Nerissa lives, now!”

He was going to track Nerissa down himself.

*****

Stratfordland.

Lennox was sitting at his desk in the study, eyes glued to his computer screen.

On the screen, Splendor Peak’s gameplay was front and center.

Lennox had pulled an all-nighter with Splendor Peak.

He was still wide awake, not even a hint of fatigue.

‘Whoever made this game is an absolute legend!’ Lennox thought, totally hooked.

‘She’s just changed the game for Cilowesad’s homegrown titles. This is the kind of masterpiece people will remember for years, Lennox marveled, full of admiration.

‘Still… I can’t help but wonder,’ Lennox thought.

‘Is this Ms. Jamison….

the girl Nerissa Jamison I know?’ Lennox mused, curiosity burning in his chest.

Thinking about it, Lennox narrowed his eyes with a playful smirk. The anticipation was almost too much, and he was itching to find out the truth.

“Meow!”

Snowball darted over and clung to Lennox’s leg.

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“Snowball, get off! You stink!” Lennox grumbled, grabbing him by the scruff and setting him down on the floor, looking totally grossed out.

Lennox was a stickler for cleanliness.

He would only reluctantly hold Snowball for a while right after he’d had a bath, any other time, no way.

Snowball hadn’t had a bath in over a month.

Lennox headed to the bathroom to wash his hands. But just as he reached for the faucet, he paused and sniffed. Wait, his hands weren’t nearly as funky as he expected. ‘Huh, not as bad as I thought, he mused.

There was this light, almost sweet fragrance clinging to his skin.

And it was a smell he recognized instantly.

Lennox skipped washing his hands and went straight back to the study. He crouched down, arms open wide, his whole face beaming with fatherly affection. “Come here, let Daddy give you a cuddle.”

Snowball froze.

‘Has Dad been possessed or something?!’ Snowball thought, totally spooked.

‘This is freaky!’ Snowball shuddered.

Before Snowball could even react, Lennox scooped him up.

‘That’s it,’ Lennox thought, a smile on his face.

‘That’s the scent,’ he confirmed to himself, his heart skipping a beat.

It was just like the fragrance of flowers blooming after a snowfall, crisp, pure, and carrying a subtle, refreshing

chill.

What really blew Snowball’s mind was that his usually cold owner not only scooped him up, but couldn’t stop nuzzling him and burying his face in his fur like he was totally obsessed.

Snowball was totally shy!

Meow!

‘So Dad really loves me this much!’ Snowball thought, his heart melting.

‘Honestly, besides Dad, the only person who ever smooshed and snuggled me like this was Nerissa!’ the cat thought.

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