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The Dinner Setting

Author: Abiola
last update publish date: 2026-04-29 16:23:28

I remained standing there in the hallway for a few seconds after Alexander Lucas walked past me, while his words still echoed endlessly in my head.

“You handled that better than I expected.”

Then, just as quickly after he praised me, he said this:

“Don’t become comfortable.”

That was how he always behaved. When one of his hands pulled you slightly forward, the other pushed you back a step.

Slowly, I exhaled and continued walking toward the bedroom. My steps were calm, like everything was okay,
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  • The Billionaire’s Forced Wife   Upstairs

    The moment Mr. Alexander said it, I felt the shift around us immediately.Not loud, not obvious. But sharp enough to notice.Conversations in the ballroom continued, music still flowing beneath crystal chandeliers, waiters still moving gracefully between guests, yet something invisible had changed.People were watching carefully now. The Lucas family had a way of making even simple moments feel strategic and hard.Beside me, Alexander Lucas remained calm, but I noticed the slight tension in his jaw before he extended his hand toward me.“Come.”That single word again.Controlled and Unemotional.As though he hadn’t spent the entire evening silently unraveling every calm thought in my head.I placed my hand in his anyway.His fingers closed around mine firmly, warm against my skin, and together we crossed the ballroom beneath the weight of too many eyes.I could practically feel the whispers following behind us.“Elena came.”“The grandfather is interfering again.”“The wife…”Always t

  • The Billionaire’s Forced Wife   The woman in red

    For a brief moment, I honestly thought I had heard her wrong.The ballroom noise faded strangely around me, becoming distant beneath the sudden pounding in my chest.“Someone your husband once nearly destroyed himself for” The word came again in my heart.I kept my expression calm somehow, but my eyes returned to the entrance immediately. The woman in red moved through the ballroom as if she belonged there.Not carefully, not nervously, but she walked confidently.People greeted her with respect as she passed, but she barely slowed down for any of them. She continued walking, her attention seemed fixed somewhere ahead of her, sharp and deliberate beneath the elegance she wore so effortlessly.And then I realized exactly where she was looking. It was Alexander Lucas.My stomach tightened unexpectedly. Beside me, Vivian exhaled softly. Like a scene is about to shout.“This should be interesting,” Vivian murmured.“I’m beginning to hate that word.”“Isabella… You’ll hate this situation m

  • The Billionaire’s Forced Wife   Announcement and Dangerous promises

    “Ladies and gentlemen…”Mr. Alexander’s voice carried smoothly across the ballroom, calm enough to silence hundreds of conversations without mush effort.The entire room turned toward him immediately.Crystal lights reflected against expensive glass and polished marble, but somehow he remained the center of everything. Age had not weakened his presence. If anything, it had sharpened it. He stood with one hand resting on his cane, his expression unreadable beneath the golden lights.And beside me, Alexander Lucas had gone completely still, somehow waiting for his next speech.I glanced at him briefly. His jaw was tight. But not nervous. But Prepared. Like a man already expecting impact.“I want to thank every one of you for attending tonight,” Mr. Alexander continued calmly. “Business has always been built on relationships, loyalty, and trust.”The word trust seemed to linger strangely in the air.Around us, people listened carefully. Investors. Politicians. Social elites. People with

  • The Billionaire’s Forced Wife   The moment everything breaks

    His hand did not leave mine. That was the first thing I noticed. Not even the cameras. Not the whispers of people. Not even the way the atmosphere shifted the moment we stepped back into the ballroom.It was his hand. Holding me firm, intentional, and Unapologetic.But deep down I knew Alexander Lucas did nothing without reason. And right now, he was making a statement. I didn’t look at him immediately. I couldn’t. Because if I did, I wasn’t sure what I would find in his expression, but that uncertainty unsettled me more than anything else that had happened tonight.Instead, I focused as if I wasn’t bothered. The ballroom had not changed, yet everything felt different.People were watching. Not casually. Not politely but deliberately.“Isabella, don’t react,” Lucas murmured under his breath, his voice low enough that only I could hear.“Yes, I wasn’t planning to.”“Good.” He replied silently.But his grip tightened slightly, as if he didn’t entirely believe me.We walked further into

  • The Billionaire’s Forced Wife   The line that shift

    Adrian followed my glance.“Lucas doesn’t like this,” I said.“Then perhaps he should have spoken,” Adrian replied.“That is not how Lucas works.”“No,” I said quietly. “I’m starting to notice.”Adrian’s expression changed slightly.“You should be very careful with him.”I almost laughed. “That sentence has become popular.”“No, I mean it differently.”“Okay… and how do you mean it?”He leaned closer, still proper enough for appearances.“Lucas only protects things after they matter to him.”The words hit harder than they should have.Before I could respond, the music shifted, and he spun me gently.When we stopped, I saw Mira standing nearby, champagne in hand, smiling like someone enjoying private revenge.I smiled back just enough to play along. Adrian returned me to the edge of the floor.“Thank you,” he said.“Thank me, for what?” I asked.“For proving something better.”“I dislike mysteries,” I said.“Isabella, you are already married into the wrong family.”Then he stepped away

  • The Billionaire’s Forced Wife   Smile and shadows

    Mr. Alexander smiled again, like everything was going well.That smile stayed in the room like smoke after fire.No one moved immediately. Also, no one spoke. The heavy silence between us had become its own language in this family one made of warnings, old grudges, and things never explained. Everything remained complicated.I kept my posture calm, though every instinct inside me had sharpened.Lucas still stood beside me, only half a step closer than before, but I felt the change. It was subtle, almost invisible.Protective. Or possessive.With him, those two things could easily look the same.Mr. Alexander calmly rested both of his hands on the top of his cane and looked around the room like a king reviewing pieces on a board.“Well,” he said at last, “must everyone stand there looking wounded by history? Are you people new to the history?”William laughed first, almost mockingly. “Grandfather, some of us are enjoying history.”Immediately, Mira shot him an irritated glance. “You en

  • The Billionaire’s Forced Wife   The Dance of appearance

    Mr. Alexander was still smiling. That alone was enough to disturb my peace.Because a man like Mr. Alexander did not smile without reason, he smiled when he noticed something huge that others had missed. He smiled when the pieces moved exactly where he wanted them. He smiled when the game began.An

  • The Billionaire’s Forced Wife   The eyes at the Gala

    My mind was still in chaos as I walked through the hallway. Outside felt colder than before. Every sound seemed sharper than normal. The quiet footsteps of the staff. The distant ticking of a clock. Even the soft movement of curtains near the windows felt deliberate.I slowly walked back toward the

  • The Billionaire’s Forced Wife   The watching eyes

    The silence that remained after Alexander Lucas spoke stayed in the room long after the words ended.“Then I’ll deal with it.”He had said it calmly, like he wasn’t bothered by what was happening, but something about it disturbed me more than if he had raised his voice.Because men like Alexander L

  • The Billionaire’s Forced Wife   The dangerous shift

    That tiny reaction from Alexander Lucas stayed in my mind longer than it should have.It was barely a smile. But my head couldn’t possess it.Just the slight movement at the corner of his mouth before he returned to his laptop as if nothing had happened. But somehow, it unsettled me more than his c

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