Chapter 2
Simon stepped forward, positioning Audrey behind him like some kind of shield, his face wearing this weird, expectant expression. But I didn’t give him the reaction he was clearly hoping for.
Minutes passed, and his smug little face. started to falter. Then, he sneered, “Well, look at that. At least you’ve grown up a little. No screaming or throwing a fit like you used to.”
I didn’t even dignify his jab with a
response.
As the party wound down and we all started heading toward the door, Simon stopped me in my tracks.
“It’s late, and it’s not safe. I’ll give you a ride,” he said.
Since the ride was free and I wasn’t about
to walk home, I didn’t argue. I climbed into the backseat, but Simon was faster than
80% 12:06
1/6
Chapter 2
- me. He blocked the front passenger seat and said, “You’re sitting in the back.”
With that, he gently helped Audrey into the front seat, like it was the most natural. thing in the world.
“I’m sorry. Bianca,” Audrey said with feigned concern. “Simon‘ s just being protective. He’s afraid I’ll get car sick…”
I didn’t say anything. I just slid into the backseat, exactly where I’d planned to sit in the first place.
The whole ride home was just Simon and Audrey talking and laughing like they were the only two people on the planet. At a red light, Audrey teased Simon, asking him to help her with some lip balm.
They exchanged this look, and I swear, the tension in the air thickened.
Suddenly, Simon whipped his head toward the rearview mirror like he‘ djust remembered I was in the car. When his
eyes met mine, and I pointedly stared out
80% 12.06
2/6
Chapter 2
the window, trying to ignore them, his expression faltered for a moment.
For a moment, I saw raw anger flash across his face. Then, before I could even process. it, he slammed his foot down on the gas pedal.
When we pulled up to my place, Simon did something I really wasn‘ t expecting. He grabbed my arm again.
“Alright, enough with the act,” he said, his tone dismissive. “Don‘ t pretend like you don’t care. It’s beneath you.” With that, he shoved a bracelet into my hand. “This is your engagement gift from me,” he added, his voice dripping with condescension. “As long as you stay in line, I’ll throw you a wedding. At least, on paper, everyone will think you’re my wife.”
I glanced up at him, locking eyes. “And who exactly are you planning to marry? Audrey?”
Simon’s face twisted with rage, but there
80% 12:06
3/6
Chapter
was something almost smug underneath it as if he was enjoying the chaos he was causing.
“I knew it. You‘ ve been pretending the whole time,” he sneered. “Listen up- don’t you dare breathe a word of this to anyone in either of our families. My relationship with Audrey is none of your business. She’s kind and fragile–nothing like your petty little schemes.” His voice. dropped low, almost a warning. “If you ever hurt her, don’t think for a second I‘ 11 still go through with this wedding.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. He was too much of a coward to be honest with the Hughes family, yet somehow, I was the one painted as the villain in all of this.
I didn’t say another word. I just turned on my heel and walked into my apartment, the weight of it all pressing down on me.
The moment I stepped through the door, my phone buzzed in my hand. It was a video from Audrey.
80% 12.06
4/6
Chapter 2
I hesitated before opening it, but when I did, there they were–Simon, gently helping Audrey fasten a necklace around her neck. The brand was unmistakable.
And then it hit me: the bracelet Simon had just given me was the freebie that came with that very necklace.
They were so close, their necks almost touching. And then, as the camera zoomed in, they kissed. The sound of it pierced the silence of the car–sharp, intrusive, like a slap to my chest.
[Bianca, Simon must have told you by now, right? After the wedding, he’s going to marry me legally.]
[Just so you know, without a legal marriage, there’s no inheritance rights. Guess it’s my turn to become the richest woman in Evergreen City!]
Audrey… she’d been reborn too.
It all clicked. Even though Simon and Audrey had no connection in our past life,
80% 12:06
5/6
Chapter 2
this time, just days into it, they were
already acting like a couple. Doing all the things lovers do.
It was as if they had an unspoken understanding as if they were trying to pick up exactly where they left off.
I lowered my gaze, memories of my past life flooding back. I thought about when I first married into the Hughes family.
Right after the wedding, it felt like everything changed. The company started receiving a flood of partnership offers, landing new contracts left and right.
Hughes Enterprises‘ assets skyrocketed, and before long, they had become the richest company in Los Angeles.
