Pustaka
Cari
Beranda / Romance / His Trial Bride, My Exit Plan / Chapter 3

Share

Chapter 3

Penulis: Tinny Milkboy
No one moved until I walked out.

Then Flora's voice cut through. "Really, Mia? Making up some taaffeite ring story? Dad didn't even give ME one—why would he give it to her?"

The crowd jumped on it.

"Yeah, right. Like that ring's real."

"She even paid some guy who sounds just like Austin Anderson—the guy who basically runs the Anderson empire. Bet that cost a fortune."

Warren finally relaxed, smirking. "Please. Like she could ever land my uncle? No one else would even want her. Just being dramatic. Give it a few days—she'll be begging me to take her back."

Laughter burst out again, all the tension gone.

"Told you. She's obsessed with Warren."

"She'll drop the drama before the wedding."

***

The wind hit hard as I tried flagging a cab.

Then a sleek car rolled up.

Window down. Him.

Sharp jaw. Clean lines. Cool like he didn't even try.

"Get in." Calm voice. Zero room for debate.

I slid in. "Mr. Anderson."

He laughed. "That formal? Think I'm skipping out before payday? Relax. I keep my promises. Just call me by my name."

I did. That's when he nodded—like that's what he'd been waiting on.

He didn't bring up the scene back there. Maybe he was being nice.

He drove me straight to what should've been my future with Warren. But the second I saw those stupid flowers—[Warren Anderson and Mia Montclair Forever]—I felt sick.

This was supposed to be my home. Now it made my skin crawl.

The wallpaper? Loud and ugly. Flora's "forest vibe." Warren went with it, no questions.

She hated portraits, so our photo got swapped for some bland landscape.

She trashed my lavender garden. Warren turned it into a dog park—for her dog.

The more I saw, the worse it felt.

Right in front of Austin, I ripped the flowers off the wall, grabbed our photo, and cut Warren out.

"This isn't my home anymore."

I threw my stuff together, ready to crash at a hotel.

Austin had been leaning on the door, arms crossed, quiet. Then he stepped in, grabbed whatever I couldn't reach.

"If you need anything, say it. You don't have to handle this alone—not with me here."

I mumbled a quick thanks. Didn't push him away.

He packed fast and carried my suitcase like it weighed nothing.

The whole ride, I braced for him to drop me at the Montclair estate. My stomach was a mess.

But he didn't.

He pulled up to the city's most expensive hotel. Booked the presidential suite.

"I'll come by on the wedding day."

Then he handed me a black card. Eyes soft. Shadowed lashes. A hint of a smile that made me wonder if he was waiting for an invite in.

My heart skipped—I bolted.
Lanjutkan membaca buku ini secara gratis
Pindai kode untuk mengunduh Aplikasi
Bab sebelumnya Bab selanjutnya

Bab terbaru

  • His Trial Bride, My Exit Plan   Chapter 11

    I slammed into the door as the car veered.We were seconds from flying into the ravine—Then blinding headlights cut through the dark.A silver sports car rammed us, jerking Flora's car off course.The car that had been chasing us sped up and blocked us."Mia!"The door flew open—familiar warmth wrapped around me.Austin. He'd come. Again."Mia, I'm not letting anything happen to you..."His hand trembled in mine. Tears slipped down his face, voice cracked and raw.I gave him the softest smile. "Babe... don't cry..."He swallowed hard, pulled me into his arms, and carried me to his car.Then—a bright light flared outside.I turned.Both cars were on fire.Through the glow, I saw it—the silver sports car had slammed into Flora's.It was Warren's.My eyes locked on the crushed front end.He was still inside. Bloody. Trapped.My hand twitched, reaching—wanting Austin to help.But before I could say a word—The fire exploded.Austin yelled, "It's gonna blow!"The gro

  • His Trial Bride, My Exit Plan   Chapter 10

    He licked his lips, trying to play soft. "Mia... you doing okay?"I stepped back."Yeah. Austin's got me covered."He flinched at the shade in my voice. "Flora messed with my head. I just wanted to make you jealous. I swear, jail gave me time to think. If she hadn't interfered, we'd still be good."He grabbed my hand, all teary-eyed. "Remember when I caught butterflies for you? You hugged me and said you'd marry me if I did it forever. I still can. Just... forgive me."I ripped my hand away, laughing dry. "Seriously? We've been done. I'm your aunt now. And the past? Don't remember it—so don't bring it up."I walked off.He dropped to his knees behind me, sobbing, begging.I didn't even glance back.Halfway down the path, someone called my name.Before I could turn, hands clamped over my mouth.Sharp chemical stench hit my nose.I kicked, twisted—Too late.Everything went dark.When I came to, someone was screaming."All your fault, you worthless tramp! You weren't even

  • His Trial Bride, My Exit Plan   Chapter 9

    Graham let out a pathetic yell as he hit the ground.Austin pulled me into his chest, strong and steady. "Don't be scared," he said softly. "I've got you."Kimberly's smug front cracked the second she realized who she was really up against.Already in too deep, she doubled down—screaming that I was cold and heartless.Austin's voice went sharp. "I don't hit women. But don't expect your family to walk away clean."Kimberly shrieked louder, trying to spin it into something bigger.I slipped from Austin's arms, stepped up, and slapped her clean across the face. "He won't hit you. I will. Act your age, or don't cry when no one respects you."Austin raised a brow, lips twitching with the faintest smile."You heard her. One more word, and my wife won't go easy."He slung an arm around me, and we walked out, leaving Graham and Kimberly burning with rage.Back home, Austin kept hovering—asking if I was hurt, what went down. I waved it off. "I'm fine. Seriously."He pulled me close,

  • His Trial Bride, My Exit Plan   Chapter 8

    Kimberly looked twitchy. She'd known about Flora and Warren all along.But since her precious son wasn't the victim? She stayed out of it.She took a fake-sip of her tea, like that could wash away the guilt. "Warren loves you. He'd never cheat. Flora said you dumped him 'cause you were sleeping with Austin!"Still spinning lies. I didn't bother arguing—I just hit play on the backup video Austin gave me.Flora's face drained. She hadn't expected I'd still have the receipts.She tried to sneak out."Flora," I said, voice flat, "where you going?"She froze. No escape.Graham and Kimberly turned beet red as the video played. Every second hit like a punch.Kimberly shot up and slapped Flora—loud and brutal. "It was you! You manipulative little tramp! You tricked Warren, got him locked up, and trashed our family name!"Flora clutched her cheek, fake-sobbing. "You watched me grow up! I'd never—"Kimberly shoved her back. "Save it. You're not even a real Montclair! We let you near W

  • His Trial Bride, My Exit Plan   Chapter 7

    Austin's assistant passed the tablet to the cops without a word.The video lit up. First thing out of Flora's mouth? "I should marry him first so he gets the hang of it. Sounds good?"Boom—engagement party footage.The whole room sucked in a breath.Even the lead cop glanced at Warren like, 'Really? Cheat on your fiancée, fake a breakdown, then cry fraud? Yeah. No wonder she ditched you.'He turned to me, a little sheepish. "Looks like we've got the full story. Sorry about that."I shrugged. Not their fault.Just as they started to head out, Austin chimed in. "Pretty sure filing false reports is illegal. That not a thing anymore?"They stopped cold.Warren and Flora, already red-faced, went ghost white.Warren gawked at Austin. "You're really having me arrested over HER?"Austin didn't flinch. "Guess you still need to cool off. A few days behind bars should do it."Cops stepped in, cuffed him, and hauled him off.Their little rich-kid crew? Escorted right out too.With th

  • His Trial Bride, My Exit Plan   Chapter 6

    Gasps broke out across the crowd."That's AUSTIN Anderson?!""Why would he go for HER?""She must've tricked him!"Warren looked like he wanted to disappear. "Uncle Austin, don't listen to her! She dumped me at the party!"Flora jumped in, all fake sweet. "Mia picked up bad habits while she was away. She probably used every trick in the book to get close to you. But it's not her fault—no one ever taught her better."Translation: I was raised without a mom. Cute.I shot her a look. "You're right, I'm nothing like you. You've got lying down to an art—say what people wanna hear, fake some tears, call it a day."Her eyes went glossy, tears ready to spill. "Mia, I'm just trying to help."Warren pulled her into a hug like he was in some soap opera. "Don't cry."Then he snapped at security. "Get her out of here! A snake like her will NEVER be part of this family!"The guards moved toward me.Austin let out a cold laugh. "Warren, since when do YOU run the family?"Silence hit hard

Bab Lainnya

Anda juga akan menyukai

Jelajahi dan baca novel bagus secara gratis
Akses gratis ke berbagai novel bagus di aplikasi GoodNovel. Unduh buku yang kamu suka dan baca di mana saja & kapan saja.
Baca buku gratis di Aplikasi
Pindai kode untuk membaca di Aplikasi
DMCA.com Protection Status