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بيت / Romance / The Billionaire's Anonymous Bride. / Chapter 7

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Chapter 7

مؤلف: halo
last update تاريخ النشر: 2026-04-06 12:00:42

Evelyn sat on the edge of the hotel bed, staring at nothing in particular. The room was quiet. Her phone was still in her hand, but she wasn’t even looking at it anymore. Her mind kept replaying everything she had heard earlier.

Every word. Every tone. Every decision that wasn’t even hers to begin with. She swallowed slowly. So it was real.

Lucien really said no, and now everything was just… falling apart.

She let out a small breath and leaned back slightly, staring at the ceiling like it might give her answers. But there was nothing there. Just white paint and silence.

Her phone suddenly rang. She flinched a little before looking down at the screen. “Father.”

Her chest tightened immediately. She hesitated for a second before picking up. “Hello…” her voice came out soft.

There was a short pause on the other side before her father spoke. “We need to talk,” he said, calm.

Evelyn sat up straight. “Is it about the contract?”

Another pause. “Yes,” he replied. “Lucien has arranged a meeting. A dinner. Tonight. 8 PM.”

Evelyn blinked slowly. “What?”

Her brows pulled together. “That doesn’t make sense. I heard him clearly earlier. He refused. He said he wasn’t doing anything further.”

There was silence again. Then her father spoke like it was nothing important. “Things change.”

Evelyn sat up fully now, heart starting to beat faster. “No, they don’t just change like that. He literally— I heard him myself. He was angry. He said no.”

Her father sighed lightly on the other end.

“You don’t need to question it. Just get ready and go.”

Evelyn froze. “Wait… you want me to go?” she asked slowly.

“Yes,” he said simply. “Be there.”

Her grip on the phone tightened. “But why? If he already refused—”

“Evelyn,” his voice cut in a bit sharper now. “Don’t start this. Just go to the dinner.”

That tone made her go quiet. She lowered her eyes.“…Okay,” she said finally, even though she didn’t understand anything anymore.

The call ended and just like that, she was alone again. Evelyn stayed sitting for a while, phone still in her hand, just staring at it like it might ring again with better answers.

But nothing came. Eventually, she stood up.

The hotel room suddenly felt even bigger. Even emptier.

She walked slowly to the window and looked outside. Cars moving. Lights flashing. People living normal lives.

Meanwhile, her life felt stuck in something she didn’t even agree to. She sighed and turned away. “Eight PM…” she repeated quietly to herself.

She didn’t even know what she was supposed to say to him. Or how she was supposed to act.

Neutral? Normal?

After everything?

Her stomach twisted a little at the thought.

************

By six thirty PM, Evelyn was already getting ready. She stood in front of the mirror, staring at herself like she was trying to recognize who she was supposed to be tonight.

Just neutral.

That was what she kept telling herself.

Neutral.

She picked out a simple outfit. Something that made her look like she had control, even if she didn’t feel like it.

Her hands moved slowly as she fixed her hair. Then her makeup. Light and clean.

But no matter what she did, her mind kept drifting back. To that contract. To Lucien’s voice.

To the way everything was being decided without her in it. She blinked at herself in the mirror. “Just dinner,” she whispered. “It’s just dinner.”

But her chest didn’t believe her.

She left the hotel.

The ride to the restaurant felt longer than it should’ve. Every red light felt personal. Every stop made her more aware of her own breathing.

She kept looking out the window, but nothing outside helped calm her down. Her fingers stayed tightly wrapped around her phone.

She didn’t even know why she was nervous. It wasn’t like this was supposed to mean anything.

By the time the car stopped in front of the restaurant, Evelyn’s heart was already beating fast. She looked up at the building.

It was fancy and quiet. The kind of place people came to talk about serious things without interruption.

Of course it was.

She swallowed and stepped out of the car. The air outside felt different. Heavier.

She stood there for a second longer than she should’ve before finally walking in. Inside, the lighting was soft.

A waiter approached her immediately. “Miss Evelyn?” he asked politely.

She nodded slightly. “This way please.”

She followed him slowly, her heels clicking softly against the floor. Each step felt louder in her head than it probably was in real life.

The deeper she walked, the tighter her chest got. Then she saw him. Lucien. Already there.

Right on time. Eight PM exactly.

Evelyn stopped for a second without meaning to.

Her breath caught slightly. He was sitting there like he had been waiting for this moment without any stress at all. Calm. Composed. Like nothing in the world was bothering him.

She didn’t know why, but that made her even more nervous. The waiter stepped aside, and suddenly it was just her and him.

Lucien looked up. Their eyes met.

Evelyn felt it immediately. That small shock in her chest. The one she didn’t want to acknowledge.

Her mind flashed back. Something from the previous night she wasn’t fully ready to unpack yet. She quickly looked away for a second, forcing herself to breathe normally.

Act neutral. Just act neutral.

Lucien didn’t stand up. He just watched her quietly, like he was studying her reaction.

“On time,” he said finally, voice calm.

Evelyn nodded slightly as she pulled out the chair opposite him. “…Yeah,” she replied softly.

She sat down carefully, smoothing her dress like she needed something to do with her hands. The silence between them wasn’t empty.

It was heavy.

Lucien leaned back slightly in his chair, eyes still on her.

Evelyn kept her gaze somewhere between the table and his shoulder, trying not to overthink the fact that he was right there.

So this was the meeting. This was what her father pushed her into.

She swallowed again. Her heart was still racing and now, sitting across from him, she couldn’t help but wonder one thing.

How exactly was she supposed to act normal… when nothing about this felt normal anymore?

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  • The Billionaire's Anonymous Bride.   Dinner and Secrets

    The heavy oak doors at the far end of the dining room swung open. The sound of polished shoes hitting the marble floor echoed through the room, cutting through the tense quiet. Lucien’s father walked in first. He was a man who carried the weight of the family name in every step. He didn’t look at the table; he just moved toward the empty chair at the head. But it was the man walking beside him that caused the air to leave the room. Lucien froze. His hand, which had been resting near Evelyn’s, tightened into a fist. His elder brother, Julian, was dressed in a suit that looked expensive but lacked the stiff formality of the family brand. Julian had been gone for years. He was the one who had walked away from the legacy to start his own firm, leaving Lucien to carry the burden alone. “Father,” Lucien said, his voice sounding like it was being forced through grit. “I wasn’t aware Julian had returned.” Julian didn’t wait for an invitation. He pulled out a chair opposite them, a smi

  • The Billionaire's Anonymous Bride.   A family affair

    The car ride was quiet. Outside, the rain blurred the streetlights into streaks of yellow against the dark glass. Evelyn sat straight, her hands resting in her lap. She didn’t look at Lucien, but she could feel him there. He looked more focused now, like he was stepping into a different role.Lucien kept his eyes on the road, his hands steady on the steering wheel. “My mother knows why we married,” he said. His voice was low and calm. “She knows we need an heir to secure the family’s position. She wants to see that I am taking care of you regardless.”Evelyn watched the trees pass by. “So we aren’t just partners tonight?”“No,” Lucien said. He slowed the car as they turned into a long, private driveway. “Tonight, we are a couple. If she thinks this is just a cold business deal, she will step in. She needs to see that we are comfortable together.”He pulled the car to a stop in front of a large, glowing house. It looked much warmer than Lucien’s estate. He didn’t get out right away

  • The Billionaire's Anonymous Bride.   Setting clear boundaries

    Lucien arrived home long after the sun had set. By the time he stepped into the foyer, dinner was over and the large estate had settled into a heavy, suffocating silence. He loosened his tie as he climbed the stairs, but he could not shake the weight of the day from his shoulders. Between the merger negotiations, his father’s relentless demands, and the disturbing mystery of the missing security footage, nothing had been simple. He went straight to his study, seeking the sanctuary of his desk. He draped his jacket over a chair and rolled up his sleeves, his movements sharp and controlled as always. He pulled a thick file toward him, determined to drown out the noise in his head with the cold logic of business. His mind drifted back to the woman in his bedroom at that moment. Ever since the night before, his mind had felt like a scattered room. Evelyn was a piece of a puzzle that he could not seem to fit into any of his established patterns. She did not react the way people

  • The Billionaire's Anonymous Bride.   Unfinished Business

    Lucien’s own words echoed through his mind the next morning as he sat in his high back chair, staring blankly at the leather file on his desk. He had not read a single line of the report in front of him for over an hour. He repeatedly told himself that the moment meant nothing. Pulling her closer had been a necessary correction because Isabella had crossed a line she was not supposed to. It was strictly a move dictated by their arrangement, yet a stubborn part of his mind kept replaying how naturally Evelyn had fit beside him. She had not flinched or pulled away. Instead, she had stood there with a quiet confidence, looking as if she truly belonged by his side.He leaned back and exhaled slowly, watching the morning light filter through the floor to ceiling windows of his office. A strange, tight sensation clawed at his chest. It was a feeling of things slipping through his fingers. He was a man who built his entire life on the foundation of absolute order, yet lately, the walls fe

  • The Billionaire's Anonymous Bride.   Still just a contract

    The door closed with a quiet click behind Lucien. The room became very still. It was not a peaceful silence. It was the kind of silence that happens right before a storm.Lucien did not move at first. He stood by the door and looked at Isabella. His face was like stone. He looked calm, but his eyes were hard.“You did not contact my assistant,” he said.His voice was not loud, but it filled the room.Isabella did not look surprised. She actually looked a little bit amused. She was not afraid of him.“It was urgent,” she replied smoothly. “I did not think we needed to be so formal.”Lucien’s gaze did not change. “That is not how we do things, Isabella.”There was a small pause. Isabella took a step further into the room. She looked perfectly composed. “Then consider this an exception.”Lucien’s jaw tightened. “And you came here without giving me any notice.”This time, Isabella’s eyes flickered toward Evelyn. It was a very quick look, but it was meant to be noticed. Then she l

  • The Billionaire's Anonymous Bride.   A stranger or not

    The peace of the house did not last. The heavy front gates of the estate groaned as they opened without warning. Then came the smooth, low sound of a car engine. It moved up the long driveway and came to a stop.The timing was strange, Lucien was usually still at the office during this hour, and guests never arrived unannounced.Evelyn was in the drawing room. She was sitting in a high backed velvet chair, trying to get lost in a book. She didn’t look up immediately when she heard the front door click open. She assumed it was a member of the staff or perhaps Lucien returning early.But then she heard the sound of footsteps. They weren’t the soft, hurried steps of the house staff. These were the sharp, rhythmic clicks of high heels against the marble floor. They were steady and slow. Each step sounded like it was being placed with a purpose.Then, a voice drifted through the hallway.“Lucien?”The voice was clear and confident. It was the kind of voice that expected to be answere

  • The Billionaire's Anonymous Bride.   Chapter 6

    The silence in the background wasn't enough to calm his nerves. As Lucien sat back, his swivel chair turning sideways, his fingers drummed on the desk. A thought creeps into his mind. The first was about Aurther Sterling. The second was the mysterious lady. Despite their marriage being based on a

  • The Billionaire's Anonymous Bride.   Chapter 5

    As footsteps rang out against the marble floor, Evelyn’s breath caught. ‘.….unacceptable.’ Lucien’s voice. It was low, sharp and controlled. Evelyn listened intently from where she was. There was something beneath that voice, similar to irritation. She didn’t move, trying to conceal her prescence

  • The Billionaire's Anonymous Bride.   Chapter 4

    The morning light was harsh, slicing through the large windows. Lucien was already awake, sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. His memory was a blurred wreck of heat and the bitter taste of the drugged bourbon. He didn't turn to look at the woman behind him. He didn't want to

  • The Billionaire's Anonymous Bride.   Chapter 3

    The air in the master suite was thick and still. Evelyn felt her last bit of strength, the logic she’d used to survive years of school and the walls she’d built against this marriage, simply crumble. Maybe it was the thirteen hours of being stuck in the sky, or the way the jet lag made everything

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