All Chapters of The Wife They Rejected Was a Billionaire Heiress: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Seeing that Naomi wasn't backing down, and hearing Lily's defiant little speech on top of it, Grandma Blackwood's fury boiled over completely."Wonderful. Just wonderful. Rotten roots raise rotten fruit, apparently! Naomi, if you can't control this wild child of yours, I'll do it myself. Today she's going to learn some manners, some respect, some discipline, if it's the last thing I do!"She snapped her fingers at the security detail posted at the estate gate, voice ice-cold. "Take her to the family chapel. It's time she learned a lesson."Beside her, Chloe pressed a hand to her still-stinging cheek, quietly delighted underneath the theater of it.The Blackwood family had an old disciplinary tradition, split down gendered lines. A man who stepped out of line got ten strikes across the palm with a cane.A woman, though a woman who broke the rules got dragged into the family chapel, stripped of dignity in front of generations of ancestors, publicly humiliated, and made to kneel for thre

Lily thought it over, then said, with total sincerity, "Uncle, don't worry. If you agree to be my mom's boyfriend, I promise I'll take care of you for the rest of your life once I'm grown up."Naomi, who'd just come looking for her daughter, caught the tail end of that particular pitch.Her mouth twitched, somewhere between amused and mortified."Lily. What exactly are you telling your uncle?"She walked over, relieved to see her daughter looked nothing like the frightened girl from the hall earlier steady, composed, entirely herself again.Lily explained, matter-of-fact. "I'm finding you a boyfriend, Mom. You're amazing, so most guys wouldn't even be good enough for you. But this uncle's really handsome. He'd actually be worth it."Naomi's gaze drifted, almost involuntarily, to Sebastian. She didn't find it strange at all that her seven-year-old had just described a grown man as "handsome" not with this particular grown man standing in front of her.He wore a plain white shirt, unbut

Chloe's whole face lit up. "Ethan, are you actually letting me take point on the Blackwood-Sinclair partnership?"Ethan nodded once. "Yes. Come prepared."Chloe had to physically stop herself from grinning outright.This is the big one.Everyone in Crestview knew what the Sinclair name carried. If the Blackwoods managed to lock in a real partnership with that family, there'd be no ceiling left on where the company could go.And from what she'd heard, all three Sinclair brothers were as sharp and striking as anyone you'd see on a magazine cover.If she could win the Sinclairs' approval and land this deal herself, both Ethan and his grandfather would finally look at her the way she'd always wanted them to.Two kids or not Naomi still won't be able to touch what I bring to this family once this is done.She swallowed down the excitement bubbling in her chest. "Don't worry, Ethan. I'll perform. I won't be the liability Naomi always was."Watching Ethan's expression soften at that, somethi

Naomi kept her expression easy and unbothered. "Hope you'll forgive her, Mr. Cole Lily's always been generous with her compliments about my work. Don't take it too seriously."Something sharpened behind Sebastian's eyes, a flicker of genuine interest.This woman is even more interesting than I expected.As for the Rose Manor sketch he'd have someone look into it properly."Kids don't lie," he said, mouth curving. "I'd say Ms. Hart's talent checks out."Lily nodded along, chin lifted with pride. "That's right. I'm a good kid. I never lie!"Naomi's eyes softened at that, though her cheeks colored slightly. She ducked her head and took a slow sip of her drink instead of responding.Sebastian Cole isn't someone to underestimate. Keep talking, and he'll figure out more than I want him to.Miles, watching from beside Sebastian, was thoroughly entertained. He'd never once seen Sebastian carry on a conversation this long with any woman.Genuinely rare.And Naomi's whole presence carried somet

Grant nodded, apologetic. "That's the message, sir. Mr. Sinclair said the porridge needs to actually satisfy him otherwise there's no meeting."Chloe looked equally stunned. Then, recovering fast, she flashed her signature smile. "Grant, is there any flexibility here? This deal's already been stalled for weeks. Could we at least get face time with Mr. Sinclair first, and figure out the porridge situation after?""Ms. Bennett, I don't think there's any ambiguity in what he said."Chloe forced an apologetic smile, not wanting to push her luck with Grant any further.The two of them made their way to the lobby. Halfway there, an idea sparked behind Chloe's eyes. She slipped her arm through Ethan's, voice low. "Ethan didn't Julian say Naomi's fish porridge was the best he's ever had? What if we just... asked her to make it?"Neither of them had set foot in a kitchen in years. They probably couldn't tell one seasoning from another if their lives depended on it.Handing them something as de