All Chapters of ARRANGED TO BE BILLIONAIRE'S SUBSTITUTE BRIDE : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

JAMES'S POV I arrived at the company headquarters the next morning running on barely any sleep. The whole mess about stepping down kept playing in my head last night, and no matter how I looked at it, I still couldn’t figure out the right move. Now I had to sit through a board meeting where Daniel planned to use the proxy shares to challenge my position as CEO. When I walked into the boardroom, most of the directors were already seated. Daniel sat on the other side of the table, his documents lined up neatly in front of him. He looked calm and prepared, like this was just another meeting on his schedule and not an attempt to push me out of my own company.A few board members greeted me, but the others suddenly seemed busy with their papers or laptops. Nobody said anything outright, but I picked up on the change. Daniel must’ve spoken to some of them before the meeting. Whether he’d already convinced them to take his side was another question, and one I wasn’t about to ask without

AVERY'S POV When I returned from the bathroom, James was still sitting at the table with his phone in his hand. His food was right where he’d left it, barely touched, and the look on his face told me something was wrong.“What’s going on?” I asked, pulling out my chair. “Is this about Pa Thomas? Did the hospital call again?”He shook his head and turned the phone toward me. “It’s Daniel.”I took the phone and read the message. Daniel was taking Sadie away, and he made it pretty clear he never wanted James to see either of them again.“Well, that’s one way to make an exit,” I said, handing the phone back.James didn’t laugh. At first, he seemed relieved by the thought of Daniel taking Sadie out of our lives. But that feeling didn’t last. His attention returned to the message, and I could tell he was trying to figure out what Daniel was planning.“I know Daniel,” he said. “The way he feels about her isn’t normal, Avery. He’s obsessed with her. I don’t know what he’s planning, but I don

AVERYJames told Sadie there was nothing else he could do. He made his decision clear, and he wasn’t going to marry her just because she was struggling to let him go. Sadie looked crushed, but James couldn’t give her what she wanted, and staying there to repeat himself wasn’t going to change anything. We eventually left her room and started down the hallway, both of us ready to get out of the hospital.We were halfway to the exit when her doctor stopped us. “Mr. James, I’m glad I caught you.” She smiled at James before turning slightly toward me. “I also wanted to thank you for your continued support. Sadie’s been much calmer lately, especially after your Tuesday and Thursday visits. The team has really noticed the difference.”I slowed down, trying to make sure I heard her correctly. “Tuesday and Thursday?” I repeated, looking at James, but he seemed just as confused as I was. He turned back to the doctor and asked what she meant, and she hesitated before explaining that she noti

JAMESI stared at Avery’s message, trying not to read too much into it. She was checking on me, and I wasn’t about to turn a simple text into something bigger than it was.Me: I’m alright. How are you doing?Her reply came a few minutes later, saying she was doing okay and the baby was fine, too. I asked if she was getting enough rest, and she assured me she was. We exchanged a few more messages before the conversation naturally died down. It wasn’t much, but I felt better knowing she was okay.I went back to work, trying to keep my mind on the company instead of checking my phone every five minutes. Things with Daniel were still a mess, and I was waiting for my lawyer to get back to me with more information. Between that and the proxy dispute, my days were pretty much packed.The rest of the week passed without much happening between Avery and me. We texted here and there, mostly about how we were doing, but neither of us brought up what happened before I left. I figured we’d tal

AVERY'S POV When I finally got home, James was sitting on the couch, waiting for me. His phone rested in his hand, and he stood as soon as I walked into the living room.“My team called me about the pictures,” he said. “The story is spreading, and they want to put out a statement denying the affair rumors.”I set my bag down. “What are they planning to say?”“Take a look.” He unlocked his phone and handed it to me. “I told them I wouldn’t approve anything without showing you first. I promised you I’d involve you in anything that concerns you, and I intend to keep that promise.”I took the phone and read through the statement. It denied the rumors, called the pictures misleading, and asked people to stop spreading false information about our marriage.Then I reached the second paragraph and stopped.Mathew is a longtime family friend of the Blackwood family. His recent interaction with Mrs. Blackwood was entirely innocent, and any suggestion of an affair is completely false.I read th