All Chapters of My Groom Abandoned Me, So I Married His Brother: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Cassian Blackwood had learned that there were different kinds of poverty.There was the kind that left a man hungry, the kind that forced him to choose between rent and electricity, and the kind that made people who once rushed to shake his hand suddenly discover that they had somewhere else to be.He was experiencing the third kind.It was the most humiliating.The restaurant had once been one of his favourites. He remembered arriving there in a black Maybach, stepping out beneath the awning, and watching the manager hurry forward to welcome him before his shoes touched the pavement.Tonight, he had arrived in a hired car.The manager had recognized him, of course.He had simply stopped looking pleased.Cassian sat alone at a table near the window, staring at the untouched glass of whisky before him.His former life had not disappeared in a single dramatic moment. That would have been easier to understand. Instead, it had been dismantled piece by

Serena woke up early, the morning light cutting softly through the sheer white curtains of the penthouse master suite. Beside her, Asher lay awake, his eyes fixed on the ceiling, one large hand resting gently on her waist beneath the white cotton sheets. He was quiet—that heavy stillness that usually meant his mind was running three steps ahead of the world.Serena turned onto her side, propping her head up on her elbow. "Have you changed your mind?"Asher turned his dark head toward her, his expression softening as his hand tightened slightly against her waist. "No. I want the world to know you're carrying our child, Serena. I just want to make sure that once it's out there, we don't let them take the steering wheel.""They won't," Serena whispered, leaning down to press a soft kiss against his jaw. "We set the terms."At precisely eight o'clock, the statement went live.It was simple, elegant: a quiet confirmation that Serena Vale and Asher Blackwood were expec

After the public pregnancy announcement, Cassian had spent forty-eight hours trying to erase the image of Asher and Serena from his mind.He had failed. Every time he opened a browser, glanced at a newspaper on a diner counter, or passed a newsstand on Lexington, their faces were there—smiling, composed, and celebrated by a city that had discarded him. Comparison was a poison he knew he shouldn't drink, but watching Asher build a bright, public future made Cassian’s own cramped reality feel suffocating.His phone buzzed on the coffee table. A text from Mara.We need to finalize the schedule and expenses for the next few months. Are you available at three?Cassian stared at the message, swallowed his pride, and typed back a single word: Yes.They met at a quiet, unpretentious café off Third Avenue. Mara was already sitting in a corner booth, a notebook and a neat folder open before her. She looked composed, her dark hair pulled back, completely unbothered by the r

"If we drop the hand-woven silk coats from the opening segment, the entire narrative of the spring line falls apart," Serena said, her voice firm as she tapped her pen against the glass table.The main conference room at Vale Maison smelled of warm coffee, freshly printed line sheets, and the crisp, cold air leaking through the high Manhattan windows. At six months pregnant, Serena sat at the head of the table in a soft burgundy dress, her hand resting over her rounded bump.Marcus rubbed his forehead with a heavy sigh. "I know, Serena. But Continental Luxury just called from Paris. Their main factory in Lyon had a power grid failure. The custom silk runs are delayed by two full weeks. If we wait for them, we miss the buyer showcase in Milan.""And if we replace the silk with standard satin, the collection looks cheap," Serena countered sharply, looking around the room at her design leads. "Every fashion column in the city is already watching us. They think because I announced my preg

The quiet late-afternoon sun warmed the high windows of the study, casting long, gold ribbons across the dark floorboards. Outside, Manhattan moved at its usual frantic pace, but inside the penthouse, the air felt slow and calm.Zora was still months away from arriving. Serena sat on the comfortable sofa with her feet tucked beneath her, wearing a soft cream knit dress that hugged her round, six-month bump.Across the coffee table, Asher set down a blue leather folder. He didn't open it like a corporate presentation this time. He simply laid it flat and looked at her, his dark eyes warm and relaxed."I revised the schedule for the next three months," Asher said, his low voice filling the quiet room. "Doctor visits, Vale Maison’s final spring checks, Blackthorne’s travel limits, and our home preparations."Serena reached over, pulling the folder toward her. She flipped through the pages with a raised eyebrow. "Asher... this is only three pages long. Where are the colo