All Chapters of The Billionaire's Substitute Bride: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Amelia's POVI woke up in Alexander's bed.Morning light filtered through the curtains, soft and golden. For a moment, I just lay there, listening to him breathe beside me.Last night had changed everything.Not just physically, though that had been... incredible. But emotionally. The walls between us were gone now. We'd let each other in completely.I turned to look at him. He was already awake, watching me with those gray eyes."Morning," he said softly."Morning." I felt suddenly shy, which was ridiculous considering what we'd done last night.He reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Any regrets?""No." I meant it. "You?""Not even one." He pulled me closer. "Though I should probably let you get ready. Adrian's coming by at nine to discuss the production schedule."Reality crashed back in. Right. The business. The orders. The fight that wasn't over yet."What time is it?""Seven thirty."I sat up quickly. "I need to shower. Change. I'm still wearing yesterday's clot

Amelia's POVThe night before Fashion Week, I couldn't stop my hands from shaking.I stood in my studio at Sterling Tower, surrounded by the completed collection. Twenty-five pieces. Each one perfect. Each one a piece of my soul.Tomorrow, they would be judged by the entire fashion world.Tomorrow, everything would either come together or fall apart."You should be sleeping," Alexander said from the doorway.I didn't turn around. "I can't."He moved closer, his presence warm and solid behind me. "Second thoughts?""Tenth thoughts. Maybe hundredth." I finally looked at him. "What if I fail? What if all of this was for nothing?""Then you fail." He said it simply. "And then you get up and try again.""That's easy for you to say. You've never failed at anything."His laugh was bitter. "I failed at my first engagement. I failed to see Isabelle's betrayal coming. I failed to stop Ethan five years ago." He turned me to face him. "I've failed plenty. The difference is I don't let failure def

Alexander's POVI watched my wife's world crumble in real time, and I'd never felt so powerless.The venue was chaos. Reporters screaming questions. Security trying to control the crowd. Those fake documents still burned into my mind.Lies. All of it lies.But lies told loudly enough become truth in people's minds.I kept my arm around Amelia as we moved through the back exit. She was shaking. Silent. In shock."Get the cars," I told my security chief. "Now."Adrian stayed close, his face pale. "Alexander, those documents...""Are fake. Obviously fake." I kept moving, guiding Amelia through the corridor. "Anyone with half a brain will see that."We made it to the cars. I pushed Amelia into the back seat and climbed in after her.She still hadn't spoken."Look at me," I said gently.She turned, and the look in her eyes nearly broke me. Defeat. Pain. Like she'd given up."This isn't over," I told her. "You hear me? This is not over.""It feels over.""It's not." I pulled out my phone. "

Adrian's POVI stared at my phone for twenty minutes before I finally blocked Amelia's number.It was the hardest thing I'd ever done.But it was necessary.Sitting in my apartment, surrounded by contracts and documents with her name on them, I realized how deep I'd fallen.Somewhere between helping her build Lia Hart Designs and watching her reclaim her power, I'd stopped being just an investor.I'd fallen in love with her.And she'd fallen in love with someone else.My phone buzzed. A text from my assistant.“The photographers are still outside. Should I call security?”The photographers had been following me for three days now. Ever since Fashion Week. Ever since those fake documents painted me as Amelia's accomplice. Or worse, her affair.“Let them take their pictures. I have nothing to hide.”But that was a lie, wasn't it?I had everything to hide.The fact that every time I looked at Amelia, I wished she'd chosen me instead. The fact that watching her with Alexander made my ches

Amelia's POVThe FBI field office was exactly like I'd imagined from movies. Sterile. Cold. Full of serious people in suits carrying files marked confidential.Alexander held my hand as we were led through security and down a long hallway."You okay?" he asked quietly."Ask me after."We were shown into a conference room. Two agents were already waiting. A woman in her forties with sharp eyes and a younger man taking notes."Mrs. Sterling, Mr. Sterling." The woman stood, offering her hand. "I'm Special Agent Rodriguez. This is Agent Chen. Thank you for coming."We shook hands and sat down."I know this is difficult," Rodriguez began. "But we need your full cooperation to build a strong case against Ethan Ward and his associates.""Whatever you need," I said.She pulled out a thick folder. "Let's start from the beginning. When did you first meet Ethan Ward?"For the next two hours, I told them everything.About working at Ward & Co. About the Aurora Campaign. About how Ethan stole my w