All Chapters of The Bet That Ruined Us : Chapter 111 - Chapter 120

[GRAYSON CROSS MANSION - LIVING ROOM]Grayson guided Shayla through the front door, his arm wrapped firmly around her waist because she could barely walk on her own. Her legs were moving but there was no consciousness behind it, just muscle memory carrying her forward while her mind stayed trapped somewhere else.They had just returned from the hospital where the autopsy had been completed. The official cause of death was listed as acute organ failure due to arsenic poisoning, compounded by gunshot wounds to the back and neck. As if Shayla needed a medical report to tell her what she already knew. Her father had been dying for months and none of them had seen it.She was sedated at the hospital. She started screaming when they pulled the sheet back over Benjamin's face, screaming that they were suffocating him, that he could not breathe under there, that someone needed to take it off. She had fought the nurses and doctors who tried to calm her, fought Grayson when he wrapped his arms

[LOS ANGELES SUPERIOR COURT, THURSDAY MORNING]The courthouse steps were swarming with people. Reporters with cameras and microphones. Protesters with signs. Curious onlookers hoping to catch a glimpse of the infamous Melissa Hale. The security presence was massive, police officers lining the perimeter, barricades keeping the crowd back.Grayson's black SUV pulled up as close as the security would allow. He stepped out first, then reached back to help Shayla. The moment she emerged, camera flashes went off like lightning, reporters shouting questions that blurred together into meaningless noise.Grayson kept his arm around Shayla, shielding her as much as possible as his security team formed a barrier around them. Ruby was right behind them, holding Ayven's hand tightly. Ricardo brought up the rear, his hand resting protectively on Ruby's back.They pushed through the crowd, Grayson's security doing an excellent job of keeping the press far enough away that they could not shove microp

"Do you still see him in your sleep?"Shayla leaned back in the comfortable leather chair in her therapist office and smiled. A real smile, not the forced ones she had been giving everyone for weeks. "Nope. I have been sleeping well too. No nightmares for the past week."Mrs. Copper looked at her over the rim of her reading glasses, studying Shayla's face the way she always did. She was a woman in her late fifties with kind eyes, soft heart and graying hair pulled back in a neat bun. Her office smelled like lavender and had soft instrumental music playing in the background."That is impressive progress, Shayla," Mrs. Copper said, making a note on her pad. "You look different today. Brighter.""I feel different." Shayla shifted in her seat. "I have been eating better. Sleeping better. I even gained back some of the weight I lost."It was true. The hollowness in her cheeks had filled out. Her eyes were clear instead of bloodshot. Her skin had color again instead of that terrible gray pa

[EXCLUSIVE BAR - VIP SECTION]Ivan sat sprawling on one of the leather couches, a bottle of expensive whiskey in one hand and a stripper draped across his lap. He poured the amber liquid directly onto her stomach and leaned down to lick it off, laughing when she squealed.Jake had two women flanking him, one on each side, their hands wandering around every part of his body. He seemed completely unbothered by it.Grayson sat across from them, nursing a single glass of whiskey that he had barely touched, his phone in his other hand. He was smiling at the screen, his thumbs moving as he typed out a response."So you are really serious, huh?" Ivan said, looking up from the stripper's body. "You are actually getting married? You are no longer single?""I was never single, idiot," Grayson said without looking up from his phone.Another video notification came through. Shayla had been spamming him all night with clips from her own bachelorette party. Ruby had rented out some upscale lounge a

Grayson's security team burst through the doors behind Monica, their hands already reaching for their weapons before they realized the threat was not physical. Not in the traditional sense anyway. They flanked the entrance, confused, waiting for orders that were not coming because Grayson was frozen at the altar.Shayla felt the air leave her lungs. Felt her knees go weak. Felt her heart, which had been so full just seconds ago, shatter into a thousand pieces.No.No, no, no, no, no.This could not be happening. Not now. Not today. Not when she was this close to finally being happy.Grayson's face had gone completely white. His hands went slack in Shayla's, like all the strength had drained out of his body. His mouth opened but nothing came out."What..." he started, but his voice broke.Monica walked down the aisle like she owned the place, her heels clicking against the marble floor with deliberate slowness. Angel tumbled along beside her, struggling to keep up, her small hand clutc