The Billionaire's Bought Bride and Instant Mom Chapter 100

Orion

I walked toward the sitting room with all the enthusiasm of a man approaching his own execution, already rehearsing the speech I was going to give my grandfather about appropriate behavior and family reputation.

But the moment I stepped through the doorway and saw the young woman sitting delicately on my Italian leather sofa, every word of that prepared lecture evaporated from my mind.

She was... stunning.

Not in the mature, sophisticated way that usually caught my attention, but with the kind of vibrant, youthful energy that filled the entire room. She couldn't have been more than 5'3", with cascading waves of auburn hair that seemed to bounce with every movement. Her eyes were an impossible shade of blue-green, sparkling with mischievous intelligence and boundless enthusiasm.

She was wearing a powder pink Chanel jacket with her own playful touches—a vintage butterfly brooch and delicate pearl earrings. The overall effect was both expensive and whimsical, like she'd stepped out of a fairy tale with unlimited shopping budget.

She looked like she should be on a magazine cover, not sitting in my living room being courted by my seventy-year-old grandfather.

The thought made my stomach turn. This gorgeous young creature was being wasted on—

"Orion!" my grandfather's voice boomed across the room, interrupting my increasingly protective thoughts. "Come meet my delightful new friend!"

Before I could formulate a polite refusal, the young woman practically bounced to her feet and strode over to me with confident grace, her face lighting up with genuine excitement.

"Hi!" she said, extending a perfectly manicured hand with infectious enthusiasm. "I'm Seraphina Ashford, but everyone calls me Sera! Your grandfather told me you personally invited me over to hang out today. I'm so excited to finally meet you!"

I stared at her outstretched hand for a moment, processing what she'd just said.

*Personally invited her?*

I shot a venomous look at my grandfather, who was smiling with the satisfaction of a cat who'd just deposited a dead mouse on someone's pillow.

*Of course.* This wasn't about him having a midlife crisis—this was another one of his matchmaking schemes.

But Ashford... that name was definitely familiar.

"Ashford," I repeated slowly, shaking her small hand. "Are you related to Charles Ashford?"

"That's my dad!" Sera said with obvious pride. "Though he's always so busy with work that we barely see each other. He never wanted to give me any siblings to play with either, so I'm pretty much on my own most of the time. It gets super boring, you know?"

*Charles Ashford.* One of the most powerful venture capitalists on the East Coast, and if I remembered correctly, the second-largest shareholder in Blackwell Industries after my family.

*Clever old bastard.*

I forced my expression into something resembling politeness. "It's... nice to meet you, Sera. I hope my grandfather has been treating you well?"

"Oh, Bryce is amazing!" she gushed, linking her arm through my grandfather's with obvious affection. "He's so much more fun than my dad. Like, Dad's only ten years younger than him, but Bryce actually knows how to have a conversation about things other than quarterly reports. I wish my grandfather had been half as cool as yours!"

Despite my growing irritation with the situation, I couldn't help but be charmed by her enthusiasm. She had the kind of genuine, unguarded happiness that I associated with puppies and children—refreshing after dealing with the calculated manipulation that characterized most of my social interactions.

Still, she looked barely old enough to vote, let alone... whatever my grandfather was hoping would develop here.

"Sera," I said gently, "how old are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Twenty!" she announced proudly. "Just graduated from Columbia with a degree in art history. Dad thinks it's completely useless, but I love it. There's something so romantic about studying beautiful things from the past, don't you think?"

*Twenty.* I was thirty-two. She was practically a child.

"Excuse me for just a moment," I said, maintaining my polite smile while grabbing my grandfather's arm. "Sera, please make yourself comfortable. Bryce and I need to discuss something privately."

I dragged him to the far corner of the room, lowering my voice to a furious whisper.

"What the hell are you doing?" I hissed. "She's a baby, Grandfather! She's at least ten years younger than me!"

Bryce chuckled, clearly enjoying my discomfort. "Oh, don't be so dramatic. Ten years is nothing when you're adults."

"She just graduated from college!"

"And you just need an ally," Bryce replied, his voice turning more serious. "You know who her father is now, don't you? Charles Ashford holds fifteen percent of this company's stock. If we can secure his support, we can push Devan out without any of the messy public drama that would damage our reputation."

"So you want me to... what? Seduce his daughter for corporate advantage?"

"I want you to be charming and friendly," Bryce corrected. "Build a relationship. Make her father see you as someone worth supporting. I'm not asking you to marry the girl—just be nice to her."

I glanced back at Sera, who was now examining the artwork on my walls with the kind of focused attention that suggested she actually knew what she was looking at.

"This is insane," I muttered.

"Do you have a better plan?" Bryce challenged. "A more elegant way to handle the Devan situation without turning this into a corporate bloodbath that destroys the company's stock price?"

I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it. The truth was, I didn't have a better plan. Devan's support within the company was stronger than I'd anticipated, and every aggressive move I made against him risked splitting the board in ways that could cripple the business.

Bryce patted my arm with paternal condescension. "That's what I thought. Now stop looking like you're being led to the gallows and go be pleasant to that lovely young woman. She's actually quite intelligent when you get past all the enthusiasm."

I sighed in defeat. "Fine. But I'm not doing anything inappropriate with someone who was probably watching cartoons when I was starting my MBA."

"Of course not," Bryce agreed. "Just friendly conversation and maybe some innocent sightseeing. Think of her as a very attractive business associate."

He gave my jacket a final adjustment and pushed me back toward Sera, who was now studying a Monet with obvious appreciation.

"So," I said, plastering on my most diplomatic smile, "what would you like to do today? I'm afraid I'm not much of a tour guide, but I could show you around the city if you'd like."

Sera turned to me with such genuine delight that I felt a stab of guilt about my reluctant participation in this scheme.

"Really? That would be amazing!" She immediately reached for my arm, then seemed to think better of it and pulled back slightly. "I mean, if you're sure you don't mind. I know you're probably super busy with important business stuff."

The combination of her obvious excitement and her attempt to be considerate was surprisingly endearing.

"I think I can spare a few hours," I said, offering her my arm in a gesture that felt both chivalrous and slightly ridiculous. "Where would you like to go?"

"Ooh!" She immediately latched onto my arm with both hands, practically vibrating with excitement. "Could we go to the Met? And maybe Central Park? Oh, and there's this amazing little café in SoHo that does the most incredible macarons—"

I caught my grandfather's pointed look over her head and resigned myself to an afternoon of playing tour guide to someone who seemed to view the entire world as her personal playground.

*This is going to be a very long day.*