Semua Bab I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis: Bab 81 - Bab 90

One month later, I found Isobel walking to her car alone.I waited by the boot, yanked a sack over her head, dragged her behind the bleachers, and beat the smug out of her.She never saw me.No one did.Then I did it again.And again.Every week, like clockwork.Every time she showed up to school with a bruise or a limp, I made damn sure I had an airtight alibi.Isobel cracked fast.Couldn’t hack it without her little entourage flapping around her.By week five of getting jumped out of nowhere, she quit showing up altogether.Her parents yanked her out and shipped her off to a boarding school overseas.With her gone, the bullies backed off.Guess they figured I might put a bag over their heads next.But I didn’t come out unscathed either.I was sixteen.I’d barely kissed a boy, let alone fought off some drunk creep in an abandoned building.So yeah, maybe that night carved something jagged into me.Maybe that’s why I took up boxing.A hand waved in front of my face. ‘Hello? You heard

‘I admit nothing. When I choose to come back has absolutely zilch to do with you. Same goes for whether you hit Eliza Black’s deadline—none of it’s my problem. So stop projecting.’Violet let out a derisive hum, clearly not buying a word I said.‘Fine,’ she said, looking all pleased with herself. ‘Even if you agreed to come back, it’s too late. I’ve already set things up with Eliza. She’s gonna blow up at the film festival in a few days, and once she posts about me on social media, I’ll be a star designer. You won’t even be able to carry my bags, let alone keep up with me.’I walked back to my desk, letting her ramble on while I ignored her.Violet had no clue.She was about to find out the hard way that with all her rush and last-minute changes to the designs, there was no way she was going to hit the mark.I wouldn’t be surprised if poor Eliza Black ended up looking like a fool at the film festival.***After that little verbal cage match, Violet actually chilled out.She was too bu

I could feel every single set of eyes on us.Ashton was… well, Ashton.He looked like a walking piece of art.But not just beautiful.Dangerous-beautiful.Like one of those hyperrealistic 3D paintings of a cliff.Stare too long and you start to feel the drop.Me? I wasn’t bad either.Maybe a little less angelic than him, but definitely more than presentable.But I could tell it wasn’t the looks that had frozen the room.It was the way I was linking arms with him—easy, intimate, completely unselfconscious.Thanks to our multiple rehearsals (which, fine, had paid off), we didn’t look like a party fling.We looked like the real thing.I could practically see the thought bubbles forming above every head:‘Isn’t that Mirabelle Vance?’‘Wasn’t she engaged to Rhys Granger?’‘Didn’t she cause a scene at the last Laurent event?’‘How is she not blacklisted?’But the main headline was clear:‘What the hell is she doing with Ashton Laurent?’The whispers started immediately.We reached the centr

Ashton gave Declan an approving nod, then turned to Gwendolyn. ‘I told you I’d bring my wife today. Anyone gives her trouble, they’re taking me on.’His voice was low, but it carried.Loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.The words weren’t just meant for Gwendolyn.They were a warning shot to the entire Laurent clan.Anyone who’d been whispering behind my back a second ago suddenly remembered how to shut up.A few awkward beats passed before the party resumed its rhythm, the chatter awkward at first, then slowly picking up pace again.Ashton took my hand and led me to the enormous sofa in the centre of the room.I braced myself for the glares, the barbed questions, the sudden onset of passive-aggression.But instead, everyone smiled.Some even tried to make it look convincing, though it was obvious they were clenching their molars behind those well-practised grins.

I stepped into her space. ‘Oh really? What, you’re going to threaten me now? Come on, Isobel. It’s 2025, not the Wild West. What’s the plan—whack me? You think your precious family’s still going to clean up your mess? Still going to bail you out after everything you’ve done?’Her face flushed deep red, her breath jagged like she was seconds from bursting a blood vessel.‘Don’t talk to me like that!’ she hissed, her raised voice drawing attention.She glanced around, suddenly self-conscious, and dropped her tone. ‘Fine. How much would it take?’‘I told you, I don’t want money. I want you to go to the police and confess. Own up to what you did.’‘Not gonna happen.’‘Then we’re done.’I turned and walked off.It wasn’t like I could conjure up a sack, throw it over her head, and pick up where we left off back in high school with a proper beatdown.Short of that, I was done.She scrambled after me. ‘Wait!’Her hand clamped onto my arm.Stronger grip than I expected.I backhanded her in the