All Chapters of The Return Of The Betrayed Bride : Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

BLACKWOOD INDUSTRIES ~ NEW YORK Her fingers shook as she gently set the lamp down. She spun toward her bookshelf and checked the plant its pot had a scratch on the side. Inside, tucked into the soil, was another tiny device.She yanked her hand back like she’d been burned.Her office was bugged.Her safe space. Her privacy. Her secrets.All recorded. All heard and All in someone else’s hands.She whispered, “Katherina… you snake.”Vivian backed away, chest rising and falling too fast. She grabbed her phone but stopped before unlocking it.“What if that’s bugged too?” she whispered.Panic clawed up her throat.She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know who to trust. Not even Alexander.Because if she told him… he’d ask why someone was spying on her.He’d start digging.And he’d find out what she did.Vivian sank into her chair, gripping the armrests.“Think… think…”Suddenly, the doorknob rattled.Vivian jumped.“Ma’am?” Mia called softly. “Someone from IT wants to check your system

FAVINO GRAND MANSION ~ SPAIN The dining hall went completely still. Gabriella’s scream still echoed down the hallway, and the doors she slammed shook inside their golden frames. No one moved. No one even breathed. Even the candles stopped flickering, like the whole Favino estate was holding its breath.Amelia didn’t look at anyone. She just pulled Leo closer. He pressed against her side, tiny hands gripping his fork like he wasn’t sure if he should keep eating or dive under the table.She felt every pair of eyes on her. Shock. Confusion. Blame. Curiosity.This wasn’t dinner anymore. It felt like a battlefield.At the head of the table, Marisa Favino sat perfectly straight. Her posture was calm, elegant, controlled. But her fingers, gripping the edge of the tablecloth, were white with pressure.Her face burned with anger not at Amelia, but at the mess. The embarrassment. The guaranteed gossip. The way the Guerra family would use this as ammunition.But under the anger… something else

“You didn’t mess up anything,” Serena said.Elena added, “Gabriella did. She insulted the host’s guest at the dinner table. That’s suicide in this family.”Amelia sighed. “I didn’t tear anything apart. Gabriella did that by herself. All I did was not collapse.”Elena’s eyes softened. “And that’s what makes you interesting. You don’t collapse. You stay calm. You make other people look dramatic.”A real smile formed on her lips. “Honestly? We’ve been waiting years for someone to shake this place up.”Serena brightened. “Come for coffee tomorrow. In my sunroom. No creepy portraits. We’ll tell you which relatives to avoid and which staff members actually run the house.”It was the first real offer of support Amelia had gotten.“I’d like that,” she said quietly.Elena exhaled and brushed her hair back. “Here’s the truth. Mother had arrangements with the Guerras.”Serena made a face. “Meaning Gabriella thought she already had Alejandro, the ring, the house everything.”“And now she’s humili

FAVINO MANSION ~ ALEJANDRO MASTER BEDROOM“I know,” Amelia said with a small, humorless laugh. “And I’m using her too. At least this way, I get a chance to prove I’m not useless.” She walked to the dresser and faced away from him. “But why did you do that, Alejandro? Throwing Gabriella out like that didn’t just embarrass her. You basically declared war on her whole family.”“She insulted you,” he said. The words came out sharp. “In my house. After I warned her.”“So it was about your authority?” Amelia turned around, crossing her arms. “Not about me?”Alejandro put the glass down hard on the table.“You really think that?” he asked, sounding hurt. “You think I don’t care?”He dragged a hand through his hair, frustrated.“You think I enjoy any of this? The deal, the pressure, the expectations… this whole legacy crushing me every damn day?”He stepped closer to her. His usual cold control was gone; his voice was shaking with honesty.“Do you know what I had to do to make you sign that

Esteban walked back to his desk and opened a drawer full of organized folders.“With the basics,” he said. “Who she talks to. Who she avoids. What she buys. Where she goes. The people she protects.”Gabriella crossed her arms. “And her son? Leo?”Esteban looked at her sharply. “Do not touch the boy. Not yet. Children complicate things. We use him only if necessary.”Gabriella’s jaw tightened. “Alejandro chose her over me because of that stupid child.”“Alejandro chose her,” Esteban corrected, “because you underestimated her. Now you won’t make that mistake again.”He slid a thin file across the desk.“This is everything we know about Amelia Stone before she became a Favino. Schools, jobs, public records. It’s clean. Too clean.”Gabriella frowned. “Meaning?”“It means she erased something,” Esteban said. “Or someone erased it for her. Either way, no one has a perfectly spotless past.”Gabriella opened the file, flipping through pages. “So you think she’s hiding something.”“I know she