The Billionaire's Bought Bride and Instant Mom Chapter 162

Aveline

We'd barely made it to the parking garage when a man in an impeccably tailored suit appeared, white gloves and all, looking like he'd stepped out of a high-end art handling manual. He was carrying something large wrapped in protective white cloth.

"Ms. Aveline Reeves?" he said with a professional smile, somehow having caught up to us despite our hurried exit. "Your auction purchase."

He carefully pulled back the cloth to reveal the painting—Henri Dubois's "L'Harmonie Éternelle" in all its serene glory.

I stared at it, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and disbelief. "That's... that's really mine now?"

"Indeed it is, miss," the man replied with professional enthusiasm. "In thirty years of handling high-end art transactions, I've never witnessed such a... passionate demonstration of affection. You're an extraordinarily fortunate woman to inspire such devotion."

I rolled my eyes so hard I practically gave myself a headache. "Trust me, this wasn't my idea. I didn't ask for any of this drama."

"Ah," he said with a knowing smile, "the best romantic gestures rarely are requested, are they?"

The comment stung because part of me—a very small, very foolish part—was secretly thrilled by what had just happened.

But Luna was already gazing at the painting like she'd discovered buried treasure, her eyes wide with genuine awe and delight.

"Just... wrap it up properly," I said, waving my hand in resignation. "I need to take it with me now."

Once it was securely packaged, Luna cradled the painting like a newborn baby as we made our way to my car.

"Well," I said with a heavy sigh as I started the engine, "at least one good thing came out of tonight's disaster."

I glanced at Luna in the rearview mirror, still cooing over her new treasure. "You better hide that thing somewhere safe when you get home. If I see it hanging on your wall, I might not be able to resist tearing it up just out of spite."

Luna laughed, running her fingers along the frame's edge. "Are you kidding? This painting represents the beginning of your epic love story! You'd never destroy something so romantic."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't deny the little flutter in my chest at her words.

My phone buzzed with a text from Laurent, and I checked it at the next red light.

**Laurent: Mon Dieu! It looks like Mr. Blackwell is prepared to go to war with the entire world for you. How wonderfully romantic!**

A second message followed immediately:

**Laurent: Tell Orion that anyone who would spend ten million dollars to buy my Luna a painting has earned our loyalty. If he needs allies in whatever battle he's just started, we're in.**

I couldn't help but smile despite everything. Trust Laurent to turn this chaos into an opportunity for dramatic alliance-building.

*I'm not his ally,* I thought. *I'm just an innocent bystander who got caught in the crossfire.*

But even as I tried to convince myself of that, I realized the truth was more complicated. That cunning bastard had just tied our fates together in the most public way possible.

*Though,* I admitted grudgingly, *remembering how Sera threatened me at the school and watching Charles throw his weight around tonight... maybe Orion making enemies of them isn't the worst thing in the world.*

After dropping Luna off at her apartment—where she promised to guard the painting with her life—I finally made it home. The moment I walked through the front door, I could tell that every member of our household staff had watched the auction livestream. They were all wearing matching grins and trying very hard not to stare at me directly.

"I can assure everyone that this is not some romantic fairy tale," I announced to the room in general, trying to maintain some dignity.

"Isn't it?" came Grandma Eleanor's amused voice as she appeared in the doorway to the sitting room. "Because from where I was watching, it looked like that man has fallen so completely in love with you that he's lost all sense of self-preservation."

I couldn't help but laugh at that assessment, but my amusement died the moment I spotted Vivian hovering behind Grandma Eleanor.

Vivian was wearing what was clearly meant to be a congratulatory smile, but it looked more like she was in physical pain. The expression was so forced and brittle that I almost felt sorry for her.

"Oh, Vivian!" I said, realizing she'd probably been planning to leave before I got home and was now trapped by my unexpected arrival. "I didn't know you were still here. You should stay for dinner—we were just about to eat."

It would have been rude to essentially kick her out the moment I walked in, especially with Grandma Eleanor watching. And truthfully, despite everything, I didn't want to be needlessly cruel.

Grandma Eleanor nodded approvingly at my invitation, clearly pleased that I was making an effort to include Vivian.

We'd barely settled around the dining table when one of the staff members appeared in the doorway.

"Miss Aveline," she said with barely contained glee, "you have a visitor. A gentleman caller who, and I quote, 'spent ten million dollars to make you smile tonight.'"

I immediately shook my head. "Tell him I'm not available. Whatever he wants to discuss can wait until—"

But I stopped mid-sentence when I noticed Vivian's reaction. The already strained smile had completely disappeared from her face, and she looked like someone had just turned off all the lights in her world. The contrast was stark—one moment she was trying to participate in our family dinner, and the next she was rendered completely invisible by the mere mention of Orion's presence.

*Oh.*

For all her schemes and manipulations, for all the trouble she'd caused, Vivian was still a young woman who'd just watched the man she'd probably fantasized about choose someone else in the most public, humiliating way possible.

And now he was here, at our door, making it impossible for her to pretend—even to herself—that tonight hadn't happened.

*This is going to be complicated.*