Semua Bab I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis: Bab 61 - Bab 70

Minutes later, Violet Lin sashayed back to her desk.Her smug little smirk said it all: she thought she’d bagged the project.As she passed me, she let out a little scoff.Had she pulled something shady again? Probably.I didn’t bite. Didn’t even blink in her direction.My proposal was solid.But showing up late this morning was a stain I couldn’t scrub off.If I were Eliza Black, I wouldn’t trust someone who couldn’t read a clock either.Thirty agonising minutes later, Savannah stepped out of the office with her phone still in hand.From the look on her face, she’d just hung up.‘Eliza Black’s people got back to us,’ she said, scanning the room. ‘She picked Violet Lin.’Silence.Then—‘Really?’ Violet gasped, one hand clutched to her cheek like she’d just been proposed to. ‘Eliza Black actual

My first night at the house passed without incident, and without a single sighting of Ashton.Next morning, I jolted awake to my alarm before remembering—I’d torched my job at Nyx Collective.Just as I was basking in my unemployment glow, someone knocked on the door.‘Come in.’Carmen Alvarez stepped in, followed by what looked like half the staff of Harrods on Black Friday.Racks of clothes, shoe boxes stacked like Jenga towers, handbags, coats, dresses for every season and occasion—all designer, all new, all in my size.‘I’ll arrange these in the closet,’ Carmen said, already directing her team like a runway general.‘There’s no need. Really. I don’t need this many clothes. Just send them back,’ I said after gawking for a full minute.‘These were selected from Mr Laurent’s preferred designers. All pieces are custom-ordered for you. Returns aren’t part of the arrangement.’I was halfway to telling her where to stick the ‘arrangement’ when it hit me—right, the role.Ashton’s doting wi

When I got back from Finn’s office, Geoffrey greeted me with his usual calm face and a little bombshell.‘Mr Laurent will be dining at home tonight.’Which meant he’d probably be sleeping here tonight.Great.Not that I was expected to do the whole wife routine in bed—thank God—but still, I was nervous.Dinner was being served when he walked in.We sat across from each other, all polished cutlery and polite silences.He looked like he was waiting for me to say something, but I had no idea what.Then he asked after the first course, ‘I heard Rhys Granger’s been telling people you cheated on him?’I nodded.Soon, Rhys was going to get a nice little surprise in the form of a lawsuit.‘He’s talking shit,’ I said dismissively, reaching for my wine. ‘My lawyer’s on it.’Ashton dished risotto onto my plate with a serving spoon.He did it so naturally, like he’d been doing it for ages instead of the first time.‘I always said Rhys Granger’s unstable.’‘You’re probably right.’ I stabbed a piec

Mirabelle was holding up the hem of her nightgown with two fingers, her steps careful and silent.No shoes.Just bare feet on cold black stone, each step like a spotlight in the dark.Her skin looked warm against all that sleek obsidian.Pale. Almost glowing.Ashton’s gaze tracked up the curve of her calves to the back of her thighs, then higher, past the sway of fabric.The dress clung to her hips and draped off her waist like it had been cut for temptation.Through the thin material, he caught the outline of her spine, the dip where her back met her hips, the faintest tease of her—Ashton swallowed hard.Then shut the door.Fast. Quiet.Teeth clenched, jaw locked, forehead against the wood.‘Fucking pervert,’ he muttered under his breath.He was supposed to be a grown man, not some hormonal teen hiding behind doors to stare at a woman’s arse.He didn’t move.Just stood there, breathing like he’d run a mile, while she padded around downstairs.Eventually, he heard her coming back up,

Ashton’s hand moved in slow, careful strokes against my back, and after a couple of minutes that felt like twenty, my spine finally stopped trying to eject itself.Weird detail to notice, but I liked how soft his shirt was.And how he smelled—clean, expensive, with a faint, woody edge that calmed me down without making a show of it.I liked it.And I was starting to like the hug, too.It was just beginning to feel cosy until Ashton opened his mouth.‘Still too stiff. If you’re this awkward with me when no one else is around, you’ll never fool the people at the party.’Excuse me?I thought I’d already relaxed enough.If I were any more relaxed, I’d be in a bloody coma.What was wrong with the hug? Not intimate enough?I tightened my arms around him like I was trying to crack his ribs, then buried my face deeper into his chest.And accidentally breathed right into his pec.His shirt warmed up instantly.Fantastic. Now my embarrassment had body heat.He spoke again, low and close: ‘You’r