Todos los capítulos de After 666 Betrayals, I Chose His Billionaire Rival: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

The snow kept falling, silent and endless, like it meant to bury the whole world.Inside the car, Mr. Reed laid out his advice. "Has Nathan controlled the family finances this entire marriage? I'd start by mapping out exactly what he owns."Lily tilted her head, listening."There was that tech founder who famously paid himself a single dollar a year," Reed went on. "I doubt Nathan's done anything like that he wouldn't have started planning against you the moment you married him."Lily nodded slowly. "I'll look into it. Can you drop me at the bank first?"By the time Lily got home from the bank, the house was already full of noise.Melissa was curled up on the sofa with a stray dog in her lap. Nathan crouched beside her, gently toweling the mutt's matted fur dry.The dog was wrapped in a dark brown scarf the one Lily had spent an entire month knitting by hand as Nathan's New Year's gift, last winter.They were laughing together like old friends.The second Melissa spotted Lily in the d

At the entrance to the auction house, a man in a crisp uniform held out his hand. "Invitation and VIP card, please.""Lily Ashford," she said evenly. "Nathan Pierce's wife."The man's brow lifted as his gaze slid from her face down to the hem of her skirt. "Mr. and Mrs. Pierce already checked in and went inside three minutes ago."Lily's frown deepened. "Then call him."A faint, mocking smile tugged at the corner of the man's mouth. "Mr. Pierce is already with his wife, ma'am. I wouldn't want to put him in an awkward position."He'd seen plenty in this job.Husbands sneaking off with their mistresses.Husbands showing up to important events with their actual wives.If every mistress out there was this careless, none of them would last long.Lily had just reached for her phone when"Sister-in-law!"A bright, familiar voice rang out.Lily looked up to find Nadia jogging toward her.Nadia looped an arm through hers affectionately. "You're here! Why are you still standing outside?"Lily g

Lily made rice for dinner.After she and Toby had eaten, he pressed his face to the window, staring up at the sky with quiet longing. "Mom, are your fireworks going off tonight?"Lily was a fireworks designer, running her own studio one technically registered under the Pierce family name.Three months ago, her team had won the bid to design the display for the city's central square. Months of testing, endless late nights, and they'd finally landed on the piece they were proudest of: A Starry River for You.Tonight was its debut. New Year's Eve.She crossed the room and crouched in front of him. "Do you want to go watch it in the square?"Toby nodded so hard his whole body bounced.Right then, her phone buzzed. Husband flashed across the screen.Her expression cooled slightly before she picked up.Once Nathan confirmed she could hear him, his voice turned soft. "Lily, I'm coming to get you and Toby so we can watch the fireworks together. Give me half an hour. It's freezing out, so bund

Adrian's assistant, Trevor Chase, had clearly been waiting a while. "Miss Ashford, this way, please."Lily nodded politely, took Toby's hand, and followed him into Sterling Manor.They crossed a living room with ceilings soaring more than thirty feet overhead and stopped in front of a black leather sofa.Trevor gestured for her to sit. "Please wait here, Miss Ashford. Mr. Sterling is upstairs in his study I'll let him know you've arrived.""Of course. Thank you."Lily settled onto the sofa and pulled Toby down beside her.Toby craned his neck up at the chandelier hanging what looked like ten feet above them, whispering, "Mom, this place is so pretty!"She smiled and gave his ear a gentle pinch. "It is.""Is the person who lives here one of your friends?" he asked."Not exactly a friend," she said. "Someone who helped me. And also your"She didn't get to finish.Footsteps sounded from the stairs above.Lily rose quickly.She turned just as Adrian's legs came into view first long, power

Nathan froze for a beat.Did I hear that right?But his feet were already carrying him toward the bathroom before he'd finished the thought.Lily's lashes trembled as she watched him cross the room, his hand closing around the doorknob.He pushed it open.Inside, the bathroom was empty a window cracked for fresh air, spotless, nothing out of place.He scanned the room once, confirmed there was no one there, and stepped back out.He turned to find Lily watching him with an unreadable, almost mocking smile.He lifted a hand to sign something.Before he could finish, she cut in. "You live under the same roof as Melissa, and I'm the one you suspect of hiding a man?"[Lily, that's not it at all. I was just worried about you.]Her mouth curved, thin and sardonic.She lay back down, pulled Toby into her arms, closed her eyes, and said, "Shut the door on your way out."Nathan lingered a moment.Then turned and strode out.He pulled a cigarette case from his pocket and slid one between his fin