All Chapters of The Wife They Rejected Was a Billionaire Heiress: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Ethan stopped, turning to find Sebastian's calm, unreadable gaze already on him.Catching the tangle of confusion and calculation flickering across Ethan's face, Sebastian said, evenly, "Principal, handle what needs handling first. We can reschedule the tour and the funding conversation for another day."He turned and walked off without another word.He could feel Ethan's stare fixed on his back and ignored it entirely.The truth was simpler than Ethan probably assumed something about Lily had struck him as familiar from the start, and he hadn't been able to stand watching her get framed for something she clearly hadn't done.Talent like that shouldn't get buried over a lie.Naomi reached the school gate and was about to pull off when she caught sight of Sebastian walking out on foot."No car today, Mr. Cole?" she asked, then added, "I can drop you home, if you'd like."Something shifted behind Sebastian's eyes.The principal had picked him up personally; he hadn't driven himself.He

Marcus's eyes narrowed, studying Sebastian carefully.Every other time he'd brought up the engagement, Sebastian had brushed it off, impatient, eager to change the subject."Sebastian. You haven't actually changed your mind about wanting out of this, have you?"Ever since his relationship with Naomi had deepened, Marcus found himself less and less willing to picture her tied to Sebastian Cole in any capacity.The Sinclairs didn't need marriage alliances to secure anything. And now that they'd finally found Naomi, the whole family owed her every effort to make up for the years she'd spent without them not another obligation dumped in her lap.Sebastian didn't answer directly. He watched the flicker of unease cross Marcus's face instead, something amused settling behind his own expression.Marcus actually wants out of this too.The corner of his mouth curved, faint. "Been a while since I've seen a photo of Ms. Sinclair. You got one?"Marcus's brow creased. "Thought you weren't intereste

Naomi nodded along.She'd already heard the basics from Sebastian, but she let Lily walk her through it anyway. "So what happened after that?"Lily's mouth puckered thoughtfully. "Mom, his name's Dr. Holloway. Is he, like, a big deal?"Something flickered with surprise across Naomi's face.Elias Holloway was one of the most respected physicists in the country decades of work in theoretical physics and quantum mechanics, multiple Nobel-caliber breakthroughs to his name by his sixties.And he personally went to an elementary school to scout talent?"Dr. Holloway is very accomplished," Naomi said, giving Lily a quick, digestible rundown of who he was and what he'd done, tapping her daughter's cheek fondly. "So who ended up getting picked as his mentee?"Could it have been Julian?Sebastian had mentioned she could encourage Lily to try. But this was Lily's life to shape, not hers to steer.Let her find her own path.Lily lifted her chin, prim and pleased with herself, like a proud little

"Naomi. Do you actually understand your situation right now? What makes you think Sebastian Cole is going to be your dance partner?"Ethan couldn't resist the jab, aiming to shake some sense into her. "A man like him has seen every kind of woman there is. You think you're somehow the exception? Wake up. I'm the only one who's ever going to actually accept you.""Even Marcus Sinclair, if he actually knew what you came from, would look down on you the second the novelty wore off. Where do you think you'd be without me?"Listening to that, Naomi mentally filed Ethan away, permanently, as a textbook narcissist."You had nothing to do with where I am today. I built every bit of it myself."She'd worked her way up from the bottom at Blackwood Enterprises specifically to avoid any whisper of favoritism while Ethan had spent years quietly handing every real opportunity to Chloe instead.And now he wants to lecture me about position?Naomi decided she was done wasting emotion on him entirely.

Lily blinked, waiting for guidance.Naomi crouched down to her level. "This one's your call to make, baby. Learning to trust your own judgment is part of growing up. Just go with what feels right to you."Across town, at the Sinclair estate.Marcus walked into the living room and found two figures already seated."I'm back."Derek shot up off the couch immediately. "Well? What'd she say?"His eyes locked on Marcus, sharp and expectant. "Is she actually coming to my birthday thing?""She's coming. Vivian's flying back tomorrow afternoon too perfect timing for the party. If Naomi shows up, we'll finally all be under one roof. I can introduce them then."Something in Marcus's expression dimmed slightly as the words left his mouth.He'd been so caught up chasing time with Naomi lately that Vivian had genuinely slipped his mind."If Naomi finds out we adopted someone else while she was still missing..." Marcus said quietly. "Won't that hurt her?"If it landed wrong, the fragile trust he'd