Secret Billionaire’s Contract Bride: Marrying My Enemy’s Lover

Chapter 19

Home is where the heart is. That’s what everybody used to tell me.

“What a lovely home,” they’d say with jealousy at our million-dollar mansion with fancy cars and butlers and maids.

I never understood it.

Standing in front of my father’s mansion as it loomed over me as a nightmare did to a child, I realized this place never felt like home to me.

My father decked out the mansion in artwork and vases and a thousand things that I was not allowed to touch. I remembered every rule as Piers welcomed me into the house.

When I lived here, I felt more like the mosaic my father hung on the wall than a daughter. It was no wonder this place had never felt like mine. I never belonged there.

As I entered the large room for gatherings, I spotted every member of our extended family laid out before me. Cousins and distant aunts or uncles that I had barely spoken a word to in my entire life. Why on earth were all these people here?

Corinna and Ashton were here, much to my dismay. They were talking away with my father and stepmother, Tabitha with their plastic smiles. They were all faking their enjoyment in each other, that was plain to see.

I grabbed a champagne glass from one of the tables set up and sipped it, noticing how Ashton looked over at me.

His smile fell as he stared at me intensely, but I didn’t really care. He was nothing to me anymore. And I wanted nothing to do with him.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t in a bad mood just from seeing him. I didn’t feel a rush of anger or resentment toward them.

I just felt nothing.

I shrugged, continuing to search through the wide area until I found who I was looking for.

My grandmother sat on one of the sofas, looking as prim and proper as ever. She looked regal, fitting as the head of our family. I ducked behind

Chapter 19

one of the servants as I snuck up behind her with a grin.

Just when I was right behind her, the guests spotted me before she ever did- I breathed in, ready to scare the bejeebers out of her, reaching with my hands to grasp onto her shoulders.

“Hello, Adelaide,” she said, knowingly without even turning around.

I gathered rushed out of me, and

head on the back of the couch as she

everything, dear. Now, come over here and meet my friends.”

“Yes, Grandma.”

chuckled, walking around the couch. She’d cleared a spot for me right next to her, and I took it, easily.

noticed Ashton’s gaze was back on me, even though his father was clearly trying to

at me, but I didn’t really have a choice in the matter. I’d rather not argue

right?” My grandmother wrapped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me close with a proud smile.

Gretchen spoke heavily in a French accent. She was near my grandmother’s age but looked just as timeless. “Last time I

used to spend a lot of time here due to your

to meet you,” I smiled

have heard about your engagement,” Gretchen

“Thank you.”

Gretchen anything about her own life,

Chapter 19

Corinna interrupted. I tried my best not to roll my eyes at the

Addie!” Corinna smiled like she was happy to see me as she and Ashton approached. “I’m

appearance. “This is my other

Maelyn have another child?”

the air immediately went cold. I

innocently. “She’s the daughter of my father’s second wife, not my mother.”

“But you are of similar ages? Maelyn did not

to dawn in her eyes before they went cold.

see,” she said, simply, the disapproval in her

her arm wrapped around Ashton’s. “But Addie and I get

asked

of honor at my wedding, didn’t you, Addie?” Corinna smirked at me. “She’s very supportive

as I thought I would. I still had no intention of being her maid of honor, no matter

different today. Or I was different.

peaceful even. My mind kept going back to Damon and the texts he sent me all

I did had to admit, his teasing was

to stop, Damon never

Chapter 19

wife, that’s what he’d said.

were married, and if I was being truly honest, I couldn’t

and tricky, but he was also intelligent and always stood