{"id":502,"date":"2026-01-21T15:37:37","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T15:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/?p=502"},"modified":"2026-01-21T15:37:37","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T15:37:37","slug":"paper-vows-novel-chapter-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/paper-vows-novel-chapter-16\/","title":{"rendered":"PAPER VOWS Novel Chapter 16"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
PAPER VOWS<\/div>\n
CHAPTER 16<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cSo many likes in just a few minutes,\u201d says Giselle after I show her the ten thousand likes I got on the flowers I posted. Mind you, I used to get two hundred likes maximum on my photos; now I am getting ten thousand in just ten minutes. I swear it\u2019s like these people were on their phones waiting for me to post. Not only am I getting a lot of likes, but I am also getting lovely comments. People are telling me how cute my man is and how I\u2019m lucky to have him.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s crazy if you ask me. I am not used to getting this many likes and comments.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Giselle replies, \u201cGet used to it girl. People are talking this much while you two are still dating. Imagine how they will talk when you two get married.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m already loving it though. I have never gotten this much attention from the media.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cEven I got followers for being your sister, so I understand,\u201d she says, sitting on the couch. I join her, folding my legs.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cHow do you feel about all this? If I am going to be in the spotlight like this, I think the whole family will be in the spotlight too.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI don\u2019t care about these things, Jade. Do what makes you happy. Just don\u2019t become those people who are happy on the media but miserable in real life,\u201d she tells then gets off the couch, telling me that she is going to get started on dinner.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
The kitchen is just a few feet from the dining area, so I sit facing Giselle, who is now defrosting something she took out of the fridge. \u201cDante said I can move in with him if I want. How do you feel about that?\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Giselle answers, \u201cI am a grown adult. I can handle myself. If you want to move in with Dante, you are free to. You are thirty-six, you don\u2019t need your sister\u2019s permission to do anything.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m just checking. We have been staying together since I was twenty-eight years old. It will be the first time being apart, and I wanted to know how you feel.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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She looks at me and smiles, \u201cI appreciate you thinking about my feelings, but I will be fine.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cAre you and James ever going to move in together or get married? You guys have been together for ten years.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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She shrugs her shoulders, \u201cI don\u2019t know, hey. Things seem fine as they are. He has never mentioned if he wants to get married or move in together.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cNot to be all up in your business, but have you ever asked him? You have been with this man for ten years. He should have married you by now or mentioned it.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cCan you please stop. I get that you met a billionaire who asked to marry you, but that doesn\u2019t give you the right to question my relationship with James. All this while we have been fine and you have never asked anything – let\u2019s keep it like that,\u201d she snaps. I don\u2019t understand what she is getting angry about, but maybe she is right. I should let her be.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cMy bad, I didn\u2019t mean to upset you.\u201d I get off the couch, grab my phone from the table and the things that I got from Dante. \u201cI will be in my room.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I get to my room and change into something comfortable. As I said to Dante, this is not a dress to just chill in. I take the phone I got from Dante, power it on while I back up my things on the other phone. The phone is cute, has good camera quality and lots of space. I make sure to thank Dante for it.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I might have fallen asleep while setting up the new phone because I am woken up by a knock on my bedroom door. I sit and check the time. It\u2019s now almost eight pm.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m coming!\u201d I get off the bed, stretch myself and attend to the door. It\u2019s Giselle.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cHey, I am done cooking.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m coming, give me a second,\u201d I say, closing the door. I grab my phone and then go to use the bathroom and rinse my mouth. Dante still hasn\u2019t replied to my message \u2013 I wonder what he is busy with.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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From the bathroom, I join Giselle, who is already eating. She made spaghetti and meatballs. Giselle and I eat in awkward silence. After how she snapped at me earlier, I don\u2019t have anything to say to her. I get that she didn\u2019t want me to speak about her relationship, but she didn\u2019t have to bring Dante into it like that. Does it mean she will throw how I met Dante in my face every time there is a misunderstanding?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Giselle clears her throat and says, \u201cHow many likes are you on now?\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Really now? She is going to make small talk with me as if nothing happened. But then she is my sister – I check my phone and say, \u201cThirty thousand now.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cSweet. I see you are now using the new phone. It\u2019s pretty, I bet it has good camera quality.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt does,\u201d I answer. I don\u2019t have anything else to say. I am going to eat, do the dishes and go to sleep.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhat are you going to do with your other phone?\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI don\u2019t know, I am going to give it to Mom, or you can have it if you want.\u201d I have only had that phone for six months – it\u2019s in good condition.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI would love it if you don\u2019t mind. Mine is giving me problems. I have been thinking of a way to get James to buy me a new one.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I nod, \u201cSure, you can have it.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cDon\u2019t tell me you are still angry about what happened earlier?\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cYou snapped at me, of course, I am angry.\u201d She owes me an apology for snapping at me. I wasn\u2019t even fighting with her; I was trying to make her see things differently.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m sorry. I didn\u2019t mean to. You were all up in my business. You know James loves and takes care of me.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I say, \u201cI know he loves you, that\u2019s why I was asking when he is marrying you or if you two are going to move in together. You said it yourself that we are grown adults \u2013 we should be living with our partners at this age. In my defence, I was single for years. You and James have been together for ten years. That\u2019s a very long time.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI know, but James hasn\u2019t mentioned it. I don\u2019t want to make it seem like I am forcing him into it.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cMaybe talk about it in passing and see how he reacts to it. Ten years is a long time, Giselle.\u201d I mean this with all the love in the world.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI will talk to him.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cAnd next time you talk to me like that, I\u2019m going to burst your lip,\u201d I warn her. I don\u2019t care that she is my older sister; she has no right to speak to me like that.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cNoted.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cBut you know I love you, right?\u201d I say. She tells me that she loves me too.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Giselle and I eat, then I do the dishes and go to bed. There is still no response from Dante. What is he so busy with that he cannot even answer his phone for so long? I send him a goodnight message and sleep. All I dream about is that fine chocolate king. I dream about his kisses and his anaconda that I wake up at three am wet as hell.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u2018Dante Lyon!\u2019 I send him a text message and then go to use the bathroom.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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When I get back into the room, I have a response from Dante. \u2018I thought we agreed to upgrade from full names. Shouldn\u2019t you be sleeping?\u2019<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I reply, \u2018I woke up to use the bathroom. What\u2019s your excuse for being up at three in the morning?\u2019<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u2018I am still at the club. Had to take care of a few things.\u2019 \u2013 Dante.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u2018At the club on a Saturday night, should I say Sunday morning since it\u2019s three?\u2019<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u2018Saturday is when most people are out drinking, Jade Marshal.\u2019 – Dante.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u2018What happened to upgrading from full names? For a second I thought you were ignoring me.\u2019<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u2018I would never ignore you. Did you maybe want to see me?\u2019 \u2013 Dante.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u2018Not really. Just alarmed that you had not replied to a message I sent hours ago.\u2019<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u2018Apologies on that, I got caught up with work, but I will make it up to you for that.\u2019 \u2013 Dante.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u2018I will be waiting. I am going back to sleep, take care.\u2019<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I put my phone away and try to sleep. Is this how he is going to be? Working until the wee hours of the morning? Will I be able to handle that? Will I be able to sleep comfortably knowing that he is out there so late? But he did promise to be in bed with me every night if we are together. Let me not overthink all this \u2013 he gave me his word – I\u2019m going to trust that he keeps it. It takes me a couple of tossing and turning to finally get back to sleep. Dante Lyon is starting to invade my thoughts and dreams. It worries me. I have no business falling in love this hard.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
The first thing I see in the morning when I open my eyes is Dante Lyon. At first, it feels like I am still dreaming until I realise that Dante is in my room, in my bed, and I am in his arms. How did he get in here without me hearing him? My finger pokes his chest just to confirm if I am still not dreaming.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u201cGood morning,\u201d he greets, with his eyes still closed.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cHey, when and how did you get here?\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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He answers, \u201cI got here at seven, Giselle let me in. I just need to close my eyes for two seconds, then we will wake up.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PAPER VOWS CHAPTER 16 \u201cSo many likes in just a few minutes,\u201d says Giselle after I show her the ten […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-paper-vows-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=502"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":516,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502\/revisions\/516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}