Chapter 13 Bastien Saves Lilian’s Marriage

Angel’s POV

I got to the packhouse in the late afternoon where I found Bastien and Finn already present. Victoria arrived a few minutes later, carrying two thermal containers and a canvas bag brimming with homemade dishes.

She looked exactly the same as she always had, upright posture, carefully styled hair, eyes warm when they landed on me. Of everyone in Bastien’s world, she was the only one who had ever truly welcomed me.

“I heard rumors about you two,” she said simply as she stepped inside. “So I came to take a look.”

Bastien barely glanced up from the sofa. “We have house staff. You didn’t need to cook.”

Victoria shot him a cool look. “I cooked because I wanted to.”

I smiled faintly, accepting the bags from her hands.

“Thank you.”

She squeezed my fingers briefly, as if reassuring herself that I was still here. She proceeded to serve me generously on my plate, insisting that ‘ I needed to eat more’. It was something that I was already used to since she basically treated me like I was her own daughter.

During the meal, Victoria spoke with Finn, asking about school, his classes, his friends. Bastien ate quietly, expression unreadable, posture relaxed in the way that always implied nothing in this household truly concerned him.

Then Victoria paused. Her gaze dropped to my hand. To my naked ring finger.

A silence fell, heavy and tense.

“Oh?” she said lightly. “Where’s your ring, Angel?”

I felt my chest tighten, but my face remained composed.

“I… left it at home,” I replied. “I was in a rush.”

Victoria studied me for a second too long. Then she nodded, as if accepting the answer, though something thoughtful flickered behind her eyes.

What I didn’t say was the truth.

That I had already taken the ring off, days ago, when I signed the divorce agreement. I had slipped it into the envelope next to the papers Bastien had signed without even reading, sealing the end of a marriage he hadn’t paid enough attention to notice was dying.

I had worn that ring everywhere for years. Training. Meetings. Social events. Even to sleep. I’d believed that as long as it stayed on my finger, I was still someone’s wife. Still chosen and important.

Now it lay cold and forgotten. But no one here could know that yet. Bastien didn’t even know. Victoria wouldn’t approve. Not yet. That was one of the reasons I came today. My absence would scream something was off, and to paint a normal picture, I had to come.

So I smiled and deflected.

After dinner, I sat across from Bastien, my full attention on Finn as he excitedly recounted a field trip, his hands waving, his eyes bright. I nodded and even asked questions.

I didn’t look at Bastien once. The distance was intentional, necessary. And he noticed.

I knew he noticed because the air around him shifted, irritation creeping in where indifference had once lived.

Finally, he broke the quiet.

“Why did you resign?”

The question landed bluntly, too loud to ignore.

“I didn’t want to work with you anymore,” I replied just as bluntly.

His fork paused midair.

Victoria inhaled sharply. “Angel…”

Bastien frowned. “That’s not a reason.”

“It’s my reason,” I said calmly.

Victoria immediately turned to him. “Bastien, you should help her find a new job. A woman can’t be left without security.”

He scoffed. “I never treated her unfairly.”

The words rang hollow in my ears. In all honesty, in every material thing, Bastien never held back. He spent so much money on my birthdays and the gifts. That was not even mentioning the Luna Suite which he had expensively decorated.

Victoria sighed, a deep, weary sound.  “ You two should get along more, “ she said “ Will you do that?”

Finn tugged at her sleeve, rescuing me from responding.

“Grandma, can we go outside? I want to show you something.”

She smiled and stood. “Of course.”

As soon as they left, I was left alone with Bastien in the room. 

He darted me a quick look, unsure of what to say or ask me, because sure as I knew, he had lots of questions.

 I knew that he was aware that I resigned and I was no longer sleeping in the Luna suite. And the fact that I had found him kissing Lilian was too heavy information to ignore. 

And Bastien knew that. So he could only silently and casually toy with his food.

I was preparing to get up when Bastien’s phone rang and its screen lit up. The name was saved as ‘baby’

My breath hitched before I could stop it.

I looked away instantly, focusing on the polished surface of the dining table. I had promised myself not to react. I had promised myself that his choices no longer mattered. 

But habits built over years didn’t vanish overnight.

Pain didn’t obey reason. I felt it anyway.

Bastien answered the call without hesitation.

“Hello,” he said gently.

I could hear Lilian’s voice through the receiver, soft, distressed, fragile by design.

She was being pressured by her family to have an arranged marriage. A match she didn’t want.

I watched Bastien’s expression change, not with anger, not with reluctance. With resolve.

“Why? I won’t let you marry someone you don’t love,” he said. “I’ll handle it.”

My fingers curled slowly in my lap. 

 I heard Lilian murmur something about not wanting to upset me.

Bastien chuckled softly. “Angel’s generous. She won’t be angry.”

The sentence hollowed me out.

He turned away slightly, issuing instructions to his men, buy gifts, prepare transportation, disrupt the wedding if necessary.

When the call ended, the silence between us felt suffocating. He didn’t look at me. Didn’t explain. As if my presence no longer required acknowledgment.

I stood and he didn’t stop me.

That night, after returning to Dana’s house, I called my lawyer.

“Begin the asset division,” I said calmly. 

He confirmed, saying he would begin it the first thing in the morning. When the call ended, I sat on the edge of the bed and thought.

So it has always been this way. Bastien never loved me. He merely used me, my patience, my obedience, my family’s standing until I was no longer convenient. But the things he had taken from me? My dignity. My loyalty. My sister’s future. I would not let them go unanswered.

I looked at my phone, already planning.

“Lilian,” I whispered. “Your wedding gift…”

A smile curved my lips—slow, deliberate, cold.

“…will be unforgettable.”