All Chapters of Champagne And Chaos: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

I decided I needed answers from Bianca.Not tomorrow.Not after I had slept.Not after Ethan decided I was emotionally stable enough to hear them.Now.Because if the men who had tried to kidnap me had been watching me before the wedding, then I needed to know what they had seen. More importantly, I needed to know whether anyone at Bianca's wedding had been acting strangely.And there was one person who had been there from beginning to end.My cousin.Bianca.I grabbed my phone from the bed and unlocked it with the determination of a woman about to conduct a criminal investigation despite having absolutely no qualifications for criminal investigation.My thumb hovered over Bianca's name.Then I stopped.Because what exactly was I going to say?Hi, Bianca. Remember your wedding? The one where I got drunk, accidentally married the man I hate, became the subject of every gossip page in Manhattan, and was almost kidnapped afterward? Anyway, did you notice any suspicious men lurking around

The first thing I learned that morning was that going viral did not make anyone respect your privacy.It made them feel entitled to more of it.By the time I finished breakfast, my sarcastic little Instagram post had been shared so many times that my phone had given up trying to count. Every few seconds, another notification appeared. Someone had already made a compilation of my best facial expressions from the dinner. Someone else had turned my champagne comment into a T-shirt slogan.There was even a fan account.I had been Mrs. Bramhall for less than a week.Apparently, that was enough time to acquire a fandom.I was staring at a post titled THE RISE OF GRACE BRAMHALL when Ethan walked into the room.He stopped behind my chair."You're still reading those?"I looked up."Apparently, I have a personality now.""You always had one.""That sounded dangerously close to a compliment.""It wasn't."I narrowed my eyes."Then why did you say it?"He ignored me and placed a folder on the ta

I should have known the universe wouldn't let me have one peaceful minute.Apparently, surviving a kidnapping, insulting billionaires, and discovering that my husband was secretly a knife-wielding action hero wasn't enough chaos for one evening.Because the moment I finally started convincing myself that I could survive the charity gala without committing a felony, another reporter appeared.He approached with a microphone in one hand and the kind of smile that made me immediately distrust his dental hygiene.Ethan noticed him too.I felt the hand at my back tighten slightly.The reporter stopped in front of us."Mr. Bramhall, one final question."Ethan's expression hardened."No."The reporter ignored him and looked directly at me."Grace, do you actually love your husband?"My mouth opened.Nothing came out.The ballroom suddenly seemed quieter.Not actually quiet... there were still conversations, clinking glasses, music playing somewhere behind us, and hundreds of people pretendin

By the time I left Ruelle's apartment, my phone had become a dangerous object.Not because it was about to explode.Although, honestly, that was beginning to feel possible.It had been buzzing almost continuously since I posted my first sarcastic response to the internet's latest theory about my marriage. Apparently, telling strangers that I had not married Ethan Bramhall for his money because I had "excellent taste in men and unfortunately he wasn't it" had been considered entertaining.Very entertaining.My followers had multiplied overnight.People were reposting my videos.Strangers were defending me.Other strangers were diagnosing me.Someone had already created a fan account dedicated to my facial expressions whenever Ethan appeared beside me.I had no idea whether to be flattered or deeply concerned.Ruelle had been delighted by the entire thing."You're becoming a brand," she'd announced earlier, sprawled across her sofa like a woman who had personally invented social media.

What exactly was coming for us?That question followed me back upstairs.I slipped into the bedroom before Ethan returned, climbed beneath the covers, and pulled the blanket over myself like cotton could somehow protect me from billionaires, kidnappers, secret enemies, and husbands who checked locks at midnight because apparently that was a normal thing in their world.I stared at the ceiling.I should have been thinking about the threat.I should have been thinking about the photograph.I should have been thinking about the men who had tried to drag me out of a Bentley like I was an unwanted suitcase.Instead, I kept thinking about Ethan standing at the front door with his hand wrapped around the lock.He had looked afraid.Not for himself.For me.That should have made me feel better.It didn't.It made everything worse.Because now I had a new problem.I was starting to care.And caring about Ethan Bramhall felt significantly more dangerous than being kidnapped.I rolled onto my si