The Billionaire's Bought Bride and Instant Mom Chapter 59

Aveline

Suddenly the spacious dining room felt claustrophobic. The vaulted ceilings seemed to press down, the elegant furniture crowded in around us, and the flickering candles cast dancing shadows that made everything feel surreal and dreamlike.

Orion took his seat across from me, the small table bringing us closer than I was comfortable with. The candles between us created an intimate atmosphere that felt far too romantic for what I suspected was going to be a very difficult conversation.

I reached for my wine glass with hands that weren't quite steady, lifting it toward him in what I hoped looked like a confident toast. "To... to all the help you've given me these past few days. I know it couldn't have been easy, taking time away from your work."

He touched his glass to mine, his eyes never leaving my face. "You look beautiful tonight, Aveline."

The compliment sent an unwelcome shiver down my spine. This was not how I'd expected him to start a confrontation about my assault on him.

"Thank you," I managed, then quickly tried to steer the conversation toward safer ground. "About Melody—was that really your doing? What happened to her and her father?"

Orion's expression turned cold, remote. "She paid the price for her actions. Nothing more, nothing less."

Something in his tone made me think about consequences, about what price I might have to pay for my own actions. My stomach twisted with fresh anxiety.

"I... I want you to know how grateful I am," I said, my voice coming out higher than normal. "For everything. The medical bills, the VIP room, all the time you spent at the hospital. I'll transfer the money back to you, of course. And I should pay you for your time, and for staying with me that night when you didn't have to—"

I was babbling now, words tumbling out in a desperate attempt to fill the growing tension in the room. But Orion was watching me with those dark, calculating eyes, and any crazy impulse to just blurt out the truth about that hotel night died a swift death. This was not a man you confessed your sins to.

He looked like he was waiting for me to talk myself into a corner.

He leaned forward slightly, and I caught a hint of his cologne—something expensive and masculine that made my pulse quicken for all the wrong reasons.

"Is that really what you wanted to discuss with me?" he asked quietly. "Medical bills and missed work? Nothing else you think we should talk about?"

I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry. "I... no, I don't think... what else would there be?"

"Well," Orion said, settling back in his chair with the satisfied air of someone who'd just confirmed a suspicion, "let me tell you what I wanted to discuss. Ryan isn't here tonight because there are some adult conversations that need to happen without little ears around."

Oh God. This was it. He knew. He was going to confront me about that night, and I was going to have to face the consequences of what I'd done.

I reached for my wine glass again, my hands trembling slightly.

"I know your background doesn't add up," Orion continued, his voice taking on a more serious tone. "I had you investigated, and there are huge gaps in your history that someone with serious resources has worked very hard to conceal."

I nearly choked on my wine. *Bingo! I fucking knew it!* This dangerous man had been digging into my life, investigating me like I was some kind of criminal!

"But," he continued, "I don't care about any of that. Your past is your business. What matters to me is what I've seen with my own eyes."

I stared at him, my mind racing. *What game is he playing?*

"You didn't study education, yet somehow you've become the most gifted teacher Ryan has ever had. Call it fate, call it luck, but you've given my son something no one else could—happiness. You genuinely care about him, don't you?"

"I..." I stammered, completely thrown off balance by the direction this conversation was taking. "Yes, of course I do."

Orion leaned forward again, his intensity increasing. "Ryan adores you. You're the first person in his life who's made him feel truly understood and valued for who he is, not what others expect him to be."

I nodded cautiously, still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"So," Orion said, his voice dropping to something more intimate, "since you obviously love my son so much... why don't you become his mother?"