Semua Bab I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis: Bab 111 - Bab 120

I was slouched on the couch, flicking through channels, when I noticed a white box on the coffee table.Ashton came into the living room. ‘It’s for you. Open it.’‘For me?’ I looked up, surprised, and reached for the box, flipping the lid open.Inside were two rings.I froze, my fingers hovering over the smooth metal.He stepped into my line of sight, standing right in front of me. ‘They are our wedding rings.’I glanced at the rings again. A pair of platinum bands, each with a small band of delicate diamonds embedded in them. The first letter of our names—‘M’ and ‘A’—engraved inside.I didn’t reach for them. ‘What happened to the rings we wore to your grandfather’s party? I probably lost mine somewhere in the pool.’‘It has been found, but that was a mere prop, bought at a moment’s notice.’‘It was good enough to fool the guests.’‘But not good enough for you.’‘I’m not sure about this,’ I said. ‘We’ve already swapped gifts once, remember? The black gold ring I gave you, and the pend

Back at my desk, I opened The Aureate Awards website to see what it took to enter as an individual.Violet Lin materialised like a ghost behind me, peering over my shoulder.‘Ah, checking out the website?’ she said, her tone smug.She placed her cup of black coffee down on my desk with an exaggerated clink, as if making a point.‘I guess you’ve heard the news, huh?’‘The way your voice carries, the janitor and his broom on the basement floor would have heard the news.’‘The spot’s mine.’‘I’m not deaf.’‘But you are stubborn. Still trying to get in, huh? Well, I wouldn’t waste time. Unless you’ve got thirty million spare cash lying around.’ She covered her mouth with a dainty hand. ‘Oops, I forgot. You don’t.’‘Do you plan on buying your way to the finals? I’m afraid all the gold in Fort Knox won’t suffice. You’d have to kill every other contestant.’‘Still sarcastic, I see. But I guess that’s all you can do now—talk. Meanwhile, I’ve got things to do.’ She picked off an invisible lint

‘This one—’ Ashton gestured at Violet—‘tried every trick in the book to get an invite to the Laurent family’s gala. I heard she wore a necklace she “borrowed” from Nyx Collective. I wonder if she ever returned it.’Violet stiffened, her face going even whiter.‘What?’ Savannah stared at Violet. ‘What necklace? Violet?’‘The one that Eliza Black wore a while ago,’ Ashton added helpfully. ‘Seems to have generated quite a bit of buzz.’‘Veyra?’ Savannah gasped. ‘But that’s kept under lock and key. And nobody’s ever borrowed it since—’ She seemed to have finally understood what Ashton meant by ‘borrowed.’‘I believe it was taken from your showroom. You might want to check the security footage.’‘I’ll get right to it.’ Savannah turned to her office, then stopped, turned back. ‘But our meeting—’‘Can wait,’ Ashton said. ‘I’ll just chat with my wife while you sort this out.’He looked at Rexford. ‘Mr Caldwell, when I sign that deal, I expect the company to be clean. No toxic staff, no linger

Jace scowled, visibly annoyed, though the expression vanished the moment he caught sight of Ashton behind me.‘A friend,’ he muttered, sullen.‘Who?’ I pressed.‘Just a friend.’‘I’m asking for a name.’Irritation flickered in his eyes. He looked like he’d rather punch me than answer me.But then he looked me up and down again, and something shifted. A smug glint replaced the irritation.‘I guess it doesn’t matter if you know now. I was calling Cathy.’‘Cathy? Catherine Vance?’He crossed his arms and gave a slow nod. ‘Yeah, that Cathy. Bet you didn’t see that one coming, eh?’So I’d been right. The number was Catherine’s.‘She’s a friend of yours?’‘More than a friend, actually.’‘Girlfriend?’ I guessed.Jace snorted. ‘Hell no. She’s my…’ He paused, watching me closely. ‘Sister.’‘Your sister?’ I repeated, incredulous. ‘You mean like a cousin?’‘No. I mean actual sister. Same mother. Real deal.’‘No way.’ I studied his face again. ‘You look nothing like her.’He shrugged.‘There’s no

‘I always wondered why my parents hated me so much. It wouldn’t have stung so badly if they were awful to everyone, but no, Franklin doted on Preston, his brother’s kid. Caroline smothered Catherine, and after Catherine left, she started lavishing all her affection on Serenna. Her niece. Not me.’I smiled bitterly. ‘For a while in middle school, I actually wondered if I wasn’t their child. Maybe I was adopted. Like in those old telly dramas.’Ashton nodded silently.‘But Jace told me something that finally made it make sense. I wasn’t the swapped baby; Catherine was. Caroline didn’t know she’d given birth to a stillborn. She didn’t know Catherine wasn’t hers. But… maybe on some level, she sensed it. A few years later, she started having nightmares—babies crying, babies turning into monsters. Coincidentally, the dreams started after I was born.’I stood up and started pacing, unable to keep still.‘And I think she looked at me and felt it. Knew it, somehow. That I wasn’t hers. She must