The Billionaire's Bought Bride and Instant Mom Chapter 68

Aveline

"This is my date for the evening," he announced to the security guard, reaching for my arm with presumptuous familiarity.

I immediately stepped back, my skin crawling at his touch. "I'm absolutely not your date. I don't even know you."

But the guard had already stepped aside, apparently convinced by Dwayne's confident assertion.

"Come on, baby," Dwayne said with a leer, moving closer despite my obvious discomfort. "Don't be shy. I promise you'll have a good time with me."

"I said no," I replied firmly, backing toward the street. "I'm here to meet someone else."

Just as Dwayne reached for me again, a shrill voice cut through the night air.

"Dwayne! What the hell are you doing out here?"

I turned to see Vivian strutting out of the club in what could generously be called a dress but looked more like strategically placed scraps of fabric. Her platinum hair was styled in aggressive waves, her makeup applied with a heavy hand, and her entire outfit seemed designed to display as much skin as legally possible in public.

The sight was so ridiculous I couldn't help but snort with laughter. So this was how far Vivian was willing to go to land a wealthy man—transforming herself into a walking advertisement for desperation.

"You said tonight was just going to be the two of us," Vivian continued, her voice taking on a whining quality that made me cringe. "Who is this bitch?"

"Vivian," I said sweetly, "what a... revealing outfit. Very artistic use of negative space."

Before either of them could respond, I shoved Dwayne away from me with enough force to send him stumbling backward into Vivian's arms.

"Get your hands off me," I said clearly. "I wouldn't be caught dead as your date."

Dwayne's face flushed red with humiliation as he pushed Vivian away, causing her to wobble dangerously on her stilettos.

"You little bitch!" Vivian shrieked. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to? He's from one of the most powerful families in New York!"

"And you're making a fool of yourself trying to impress him," I shot back. "Have some self-respect."

Dwayne's expression turned ugly, his earlier charm evaporating completely. "Listen here, sweetheart. A lot of people just saw you disrespect me. You're just some nobody teacher, and I'm offering you a chance to run with the big dogs. Don't be stupid."

He stepped toward me again, his intentions clear, but before he could reach me, a massive shadow fell across the sidewalk.

"Is there a problem here?"

The voice was deep, accented with just a hint of French sophistication, and carried enough quiet menace to make even Dwayne pause.

I looked up to see Laurent emerging from the club, and I had to suppress a smile. My business partner cut an impressive figure—six-foot-three of lean muscle wrapped in an impeccably tailored charcoal suit, with the kind of sharp cheekbones and intense dark eyes that had been breaking hearts across two continents for years.

"Who the fuck are you?" Dwayne demanded, though his voice had lost some of its earlier bravado.

Laurent didn't answer immediately. Instead, he moved to stand beside me with the fluid grace of someone who'd spent years training in various martial arts. When he spoke, his voice was conversational but carried an undertone that made my spine tingle with recognition.

"I'm someone who doesn't appreciate watching his friend being harassed by entitled little boys playing dress-up."

The insult hit its mark. Dwayne's face went through several shades of red before settling on furious.

"You don't know who you're messing with," he snarled.

"Actually," Laurent said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "I don't particularly care. But I do care about this lovely lady, and she's clearly not interested in whatever you're offering."

For a moment, the tension on the sidewalk was thick enough to cut. Then Dwayne seemed to remember that he was significantly outmatched both physically and socially.

"This isn't over," he muttered, grabbing Vivian's arm and stalking back toward the club entrance.

"Dwayne, wait!" Vivian called, stumbling after him on her ridiculous heels. "Where are you going? The night is still young!"

I watched them disappear into the club, then turned to Laurent with genuine gratitude.

"My hero," I said, linking my arm through his. "Though I was handling it just fine on my own."

"Of course you were, ma chérie," Laurent replied with obvious amusement. "But sometimes it's more fun to have backup."