The Billionaire's Bought Bride and Instant Mom Chapter 232

Aveline

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Orion's penthouse as I sat cross-legged on the plush carpet, watching Ryan arrange his elaborate train set with the focused intensity only a child could muster.

"Mommy, look!" Ryan called out excitedly, his face lighting up as he pointed to a particularly complex junction he'd created. "The red train goes to the mountains, and the blue one goes to the beach!"

The casual way he called me "Mommy" still sent a warm flutter through my chest.

"That's incredible, sweetheart," I said, genuinely impressed by his engineering skills. "You're getting so good at building these tracks."

These peaceful moments had become the foundation of my new reality. Orion and I had fallen into a comfortable rhythm—we'd focus on our respective business ventures during the day, then steal time together when possible. Sometimes I'd come here to spend time with Ryan, other times Orion would bring him to my place. It felt natural, like a real family finding its equilibrium.

For the first time in months, life felt genuinely calm. No kidnapping attempts, no threats, no dramatic confrontations. Just the quiet satisfaction of building something stable and lasting.

I reached for my phone to check the time, absentmindedly scrolling through social media as Ryan continued his elaborate train commentary. But what I saw on my news feed made my blood freeze.

The headline hit me like a physical blow:

**"Blackwell PLAYBOY HEIR FOUND BRUTALLY MURDERED"**

**"Dwayne Blackwell, 28, Discovered Hanging from Tree in Queens"**

**"Body Shows Signs of Extensive Torture Before Death"**

Beneath the sensationalized headlines was a photograph that made my stomach lurch—police tape cordoning off a wooded area, with investigators gathered around what the article described as "one of the most gruesome crime scenes in recent memory."

I gasped audibly, my hand flying to cover my mouth.

Ryan looked up from his trains, immediately picking up on my distress. "Mommy? What's wrong? Are you sick?"

His innocent concern cut through my shock. I forced myself to set the phone down and gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

"I'm okay, baby. Mommy just... remembered something she needs to take care of." I gently ruffled his dark hair. "Can you do me a favor? I'm going to ask Mitchell to come play with you for a little while, okay?"

Ryan's expression grew serious as he studied my face. Without a word, he scrambled to his feet and returned with a cup of water from his play kitchen set, carefully carrying it with both hands to avoid spilling.

"Here, Mommy," he said solemnly, pressing the plastic cup into my hands. "Water makes everything better."

The gesture was so sweet and sincere that tears pricked at my eyes. "Thank you, sweetheart. You're such a thoughtful boy."

I called for Mitchell, the head of household staff, and managed to maintain my composure long enough to get Ryan settled with his caregiver. But the moment I stepped into the hallway, the full weight of what I'd read crashed over me.

*Who could have done something so brutal?*

Even as the question formed in my mind, I already knew the answer.

Vivian. It had to be. She'd been mysteriously busy with her "plans" for weeks now, disappearing for hours at a time with vague explanations. When I'd asked Orion about it, he'd mentioned giving her five million dollars to handle the situation with Dwayne however she saw fit.

But this... this wasn't justice. This was savage vengeance.

I'd expected her to have Dwayne beaten up, maybe hospitalized. I'd imagined broken bones, public humiliation, something that would teach him a lesson without crossing into irreversible territory.

But murder? Torture? The kind of execution that left investigators talking about "professional-level brutality"?

The sound of the front door opening made me look up. Orion stepped into the penthouse, but his usual confident demeanor was replaced by something heavier, more troubled. His shoulders were tense, his jaw set in that way that meant he was processing difficult information.

Our eyes met across the foyer, and I could see that he already knew.

"How long have you been home?" he asked quietly, loosening his tie with mechanical movements.

"Long enough," I said, settling onto the sofa and hugging a throw pillow against my chest like armor. "You saw the news."

Orion's facade of normalcy crumbled. He ran a hand through his hair and sank into the chair across from me with a heavy sigh.

"I've been fielding calls all afternoon. The media is having a feeding frenzy with this story." He looked at me with genuine concern. "I was worried about how you'd take it."

"Do you think it was her?" I asked quietly, even though I already knew the answer.

Orion was quiet for a long moment, choosing his words carefully. "Vivian definitely wanted revenge. I gave her the resources to pursue it. And Dwayne was..." he paused, "well, he was at the top of her list."

"But she said 'an eye for an eye,'" I protested weakly. "I thought that meant proportional response, not... not this level of violence."

Orion moved to sit beside me, his voice gentle but realistic. "Aveline, you know what she went through during that kidnapping. It wasn't just being tied up and threatened. She told us they humiliated her, tortured her, nearly assaulted her before planning to kill her."

The reminder made me wince. I had been so focused on the shocking brutality of Dwayne's death that I'd momentarily forgotten the brutality he'd inflicted first.

"When someone experiences that level of trauma," Orion continued, "their idea of proportional response gets... recalibrated. To her, what happened to Dwayne probably feels exactly proportional to what he put her through."

I knew he was right, but the knowledge didn't make it easier to process. "I just... I didn't expect her to be capable of something so methodical. So calculated."

"We all agreed to let her handle this her way," Orion reminded me, though his tone suggested he was struggling with the same moral complexity. "We're all responsible for enabling whatever happened."

The weight of that responsibility settled over me like a heavy blanket. We had given our blessing to her revenge plot. We just hadn't understood what form that revenge would take.

"Well, my peaceful life just officially ended," I said, trying to inject some lightness into my tone but failing completely.

Orion nodded grimly. "Dwayne was my uncle's only child. His heir, his legacy, everything Devan lived for. And now he's gone, killed in the most humiliating way possible." He stood up and began pacing. "Devan has connections throughout Europe, legitimate business fronts that could be hiding serious muscle. We need to prepare for total war."

The reality of our situation began sinking in. This wasn't just about Dwayne anymore—it was about the inevitable retaliation from a grieving father with significant resources and nothing left to lose.

"I'll need to increase security immediately," Orion continued, his mind already shifting into tactical mode. "For you, for Ryan, for your grandmother, for Vivian..."

"Speaking of Vivian," I interrupted, "what do we do about her? Do we confront her about this?"

Orion stopped pacing and looked at me seriously. "When you see her, don't be too hard on her. What's done is done, and guilt won't help anyone now. But tell her that all revenge operations stop immediately. I'm taking control of this situation from here on out."

I nodded, understanding the logic even if I struggled with the emotional complexity.

"And tell her to be extremely careful," he added. "If Devan figures out she was responsible for Dwayne's death, she'll become his primary target for retaliation."

As I prepared to leave, I found myself thinking about the security team that had been following me for months—the same team I'd initially resented as an unnecessary intrusion on my privacy. For the first time, I felt genuinely grateful for their presence.