All Chapters of The Heiress Returns: I Married My Ex Rival For Revenge: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The next morning, Sebastian's house filled with unfamiliar voices and quick footsteps. Genevieve sat in the large dressing room upstairs while a woman with sharp eyes and a measuring tape draped fabric after fabric across her shoulders. Another woman stood nearby with a tablet, making notes about colors and fittings. Genevieve felt strange sitting there, like she was a doll being dressed for someone else's amusement."I do not need all of this," she said quietly, watching the stylist hold up yet another gown. "A simple dress would be enough."The stylist, a tall woman named Delphine, smiled kindly but shook her head. "Mrs. Voss, this is not simple dress kind of night. Every camera in the city will be pointed at you on Saturday. We need to be careful about every small detail."Genevieve flinched slightly at the name Mrs. Voss. It still did not feel real in her ears. She glanced toward the door, half hoping Sebastian would walk in and explain things better than she could explain them to

Nicholas stood frozen for a moment longer, his wine glass still hanging loosely in his fingers. The businessmen around him had already returned to their own quiet conversations, sensing that something private and tense had settled over him, but none of them dared to ask what it was. Nicholas forced his jaw to loosen and pulled his features back into the smooth, easy expression he had worn in public for years. He would not give this room the satisfaction of watching him crumble."Excuse me," he said to the men beside him, setting his glass down on the nearest table. "There is someone I should greet."He crossed the ballroom with slow, measured steps, making sure his walk looked relaxed and unhurried, though his heart was pounding harder than he wanted to admit. Isabella noticed him moving and quickly fell into step beside him, her hand brushing lightly against his arm."Nicholas, what are you doing?" she whispered urgently. "Do not go over there. You will only make a scene.""I am simp

Nicholas remained standing near the back of the ballroom long after the applause for Sebastian's announcement had faded into low, buzzing conversation. He forced his face into something that might pass for polite interest, nodding occasionally at guests who glanced his way, but his eyes kept drifting back toward the stage where Genevieve still stood, calm and radiant beside Sebastian Voss.Isabella tugged gently at his sleeve. "Nicholas, you are staring. People will notice.""Let them notice," he muttered, though he forced his gaze away and reached for another glass of wine from a passing tray."This is exactly what she wants," Isabella whispered urgently, leaning close so only he could hear her. "She wants to see you upset. She wants you to react. It is nothing more than a performance meant to make you jealous, Nicholas. Do not give her the satisfaction."Nicholas took a long drink from his glass, his jaw tight. "You did not see the way he looked at her," he said quietly. "That was n

Isabella sat in front of the mirror in Nicholas's bedroom, brushing her hair slowly while her phone lay face up on the table beside her. She had told herself many times that she would not look at it again, yet her eyes kept sliding back toward the screen where the headline still glowed bright and impossible to ignore. Genevieve Harrington and Sebastian Voss, engaged, smiling for the cameras like the whole world belonged only to them.She set the brush down harder than she meant to. The soft clack against the wooden table made her flinch, and she glanced quickly toward the door, checking that Nicholas had not heard it from the other room. He had been quiet all morning, quiet in a way that made her stomach twist with worry. Not calm quiet. Tense quiet. The kind of silence that sat heavy in a room like a held breath.She stood up and walked toward the living room, wrapping her robe tighter around her growing belly. Nicholas sat by the window with his laptop open, but his eyes were not mo

The morning light spilled softly through the tall windows of Nicholas's study, falling across the wide desk where Isabella sat with a laptop open in front of her and a cup of tea slowly going cold beside her hand. Nicholas had left an hour earlier for a meeting with his lawyers, leaving her alone in the quiet house with nothing but the soft ticking of the clock on the wall and the steady hum of her own racing thoughts.She glanced toward the door once, twice, making sure it was still closed, before turning her attention back to the screen. Her fingers moved carefully across the keyboard, opening the banking portal Nicholas had given her access to months ago, back when he was still trying to prove how much he trusted her."You should know everything I have," he had told her one evening, smiling as he handed her the login details written on a small card. "We are building a life together, Isabella. There should be no secrets between us."She had smiled back at him then, thanking him soft