All Chapters of Runaway Bride to his Billionaire Rival : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Freeda checked the time, then checked it again like the numbers might lie.8:57.Winnie was behind her, fixing the collar of Freeda’s dress with hands that would not stop moving.“Breathe,” Winnie said.“I am.”“Your chest says otherwise.”Kris stood by the door with her phone in her palm.“If he tries to talk over you, don’t debate. One sentence. Then move.”Freeda met her own eyes in the mirror. “I’m not going in there to perform.”Scott’s voice came from the hall. “Good.”He stepped into the room, calm face, no smile, no charm.“You ready?”Freeda grabbed her bag. “You speak only if he speaks for me.”Scott nodded once. “Done.”Winnie slung her purse on her shoulder. “And if I throw something.”“Winnie.”Winnie gave her a tight smile. “I’m kidding.”The receptionist at Malcolm Price’s building looked up, then down, eyes bright with recognition she tried to hide.“Miss James,” she said. “Mr. Price is expecting you.”A woman in a gray suit led them down a corridor and stopped at a do

Freeda kept her palms on the kitchen counter, listening to the apartment settle. The intercom had stopped, but the silence still felt like Randy. A pause that was expected to be answered.Winnie stood by the sink, arms folded so tight her shoulders looked locked. Kris hovered near the hallway, eyes sharp, keys tucked in her fist like she might need to run. Scott was closest to the door, not leaning on it, not guarding it, just there.A tap came again, soft and sure.Randy’s voice followed, smooth and close. “Open up. I brought something home.”Freeda turned her head. “Say it.”A small pause. “Your ring.”Winnie let out a sound that was half laugh, half rage. “Ring?”Freeda walked to the door and stopped a foot away. She did not touch the handle.“Slide it under,” she said.Winnie stepped forward. “Freeda.”“Slide it under,” Freeda repeated.A velvet box appeared under the door, pushed in slowly and carefully.Freeda stared at it.Winnie whispered, “Do not pick it.”Freeda did not.Fro

“Wash your hands,” Winnie said, blocking the kitchen doorway with her body like she could keep the night outside.Freeda stared at the counter, then at her fingers. They looked normal. They did not feel normal. “I can still smell him,” she said, and flexed her hands until her knuckles ached.Kris dropped onto a chair and let out a breath that sounded like anger swallowing fear. “He came with flowers and a camera to your building. That is not remorse. That is a stunt.”Scott stood near the window, watching the street below. He did not pace. He did not reach for Freeda. He waited as if the room belonged to her, and he understood that. “He wanted witnesses,” he said quietly. “He wanted the building to remember his face more than yours.”Freeda pushed past Winnie and turned the tap on. Hot water, fast. She scrubbed her hands hard, as if soap could erase Randy’s voice. When she looked up, the mirror showed her eyes first. They were awake. Too awake.Winnie leaned on the frame behind her. “

The screen behind Freeda brightened, and the room leaned in all at once. Her own face filled the display. White dress. Bare wrist. Randy’s hand was beside hers, close enough to look tender. His voice in the clip was warm, almost playful. “Just sign. We’re late.” Freeda heard a few people laugh, the easy laugh of strangers who thought this was a cute behind-the-scenes moment. Then the camera zoomed. Her signature. Her name, clean and clear. Randy kept his phone up, filming her reaction, filming the crowd, filming Scott’s face in the corner of the frame. He did it like breathing. “See,” Randy said gently, for the room. “No confusion. No misunderstanding. She signed.” Freeda felt Winnie’s fingers curl at her elbow. Kris shifted a half step closer, silent. Scott’s hand found the small of Freeda’s back, not holding, just there. Freeda stared at the screen until it stopped feeling like a memory and started feeling like a setup. “That’s wedding paperwork,” she said, voice steady. “

Freeda kept her voice low, but the room still quieted for it. “What did you promise her for tomorrow?” Randy’s smile held. Talia’s chin stayed lifted. Scott looked at Freeda and stayed there. “I told her I’d walk in with her,” Scott said. “Sponsors dinner. I said I wouldn’t leave her looking foolish.” Winnie made a sharp sound behind Freeda. Even Kris went still. Freeda’s mouth tipped, not amused. “That is the same sentence he used on me.” Randy leaned against the wall like he lived there. “It is the same type of woman, too. One he can move around when it suits him.” Freeda turned her head. “You’re not part of this conversation.” Randy’s eyes narrowed, then softened again for the phones outside the door. “I’m always part of your story.” “You’re part of my past,” Freeda said. “That’s all.” Talia cut in, calm and clipped. “Scott and I have obligations.” Freeda looked at her. “To whom?” “People who want certainty,” Talia replied. Winnie stepped forward. “So you showed up her