The Billionaire's Bought Bride and Instant Mom Chapter 78

Aveline

I turned toward my bedroom, desperate to escape this madness, but Vivian's sharp voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Oh no, you don't," she said, stepping in front of me with her arms crossed. "You're calling him right now. I want to hear every word."

"What?" I stared at her in disbelief. "Vivian, it's almost midnight—"

"I don't care what time it is," she snapped. "I've been waiting for weeks for him to contact me. You're going to call him now, on speaker, so I can hear exactly what you say."

Richard and Monica nodded eagerly, clearly backing Vivian's demand.

"I told you, I barely know him," I protested. "We've only met twice. I need time to figure out how to approach this—"

"Bullshit," Vivian said coldly, pulling out her phone and shoving it toward me. "I saw the way he looked at you outside that club. His number's already in here. Call him now, or our deal is off."

She planted herself firmly in front of my bedroom door with an expression that said she wasn't moving until I complied.

I looked around at the three faces staring at me expectantly and realized I had no choice. With a resigned sigh, I took Vivian's phone and dialed the number.

It rang twice before a rough, irritated voice answered.

"Who the fuck is this? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"It's me," I said steadily, trying to keep my voice neutral. "Aveline."

The change in his tone was immediate and nauseating.

"Aveline!" Dwayne's voice turned smooth as silk. "What a pleasant surprise! I was just thinking about you, actually. About that night at the club—I owe you a huge apology."

I caught Vivian's expression darkening as she listened to his obvious interest, and my stepparents shaking their heads like I was some kind of home-wrecker.

"That's not necessary," I said coolly. "I'm calling about Vivian. She's my..." I paused, the word sticking in my throat like a curse. "...friend. You've been ignoring her lately, and frankly, it's disgusting. If you want to continue whatever you two have, or if you want to end it, you need to give her a proper answer."

Vivian leaned closer to the phone, her eyes wide with desperate hope.

Dwayne was quiet for several seconds. Then: "You know what? You're absolutely right. I've been handling this poorly. How about this weekend? I'll invite Vivian over, and we can have a proper conversation about where things stand between us."

Vivian's face lit up like Christmas morning.

"Great," I said, moving to hang up. "I'll let her know—"

"Wait," Dwayne's voice cut through, taking on a calculating edge. "As her friend, I'd like to invite you too. I owe you both an apology, and I think it would be appropriate for you to be there."

"Thanks, but I'm not available," I said quickly.

"Well," Dwayne said, his voice turning cold, "if you can't make it, then I guess there's no point in meeting with Vivian either. Consider my invitation withdrawn."

Monica immediately grabbed my arm, whispering urgently, "Do you want that divorce or not? Just agree to his conditions and I'll give you a way to reach your husband!"

Vivian was frantically nodding at me, her eyes pleading.

I closed my eyes and counted to three before responding. "Fine. Send the details to Vivian."

"Excellent," Dwayne said, his satisfaction obvious. "I'll text her the address. See you both this weekend."

I hung up immediately and turned to Monica with my hand outstretched. "Give me his details. Now."

Monica smiled smugly. "Oh darling, you haven't even met with Dwayne yet. I'll give you his information after the meeting this weekend."

I glared at all three of them, my rage building.

"After this meeting," I said through gritted teeth, "if you don't give me those details immediately, I'm burning this whole charade down. I'll expose every dirty secret, every business deal, every lie you've built your pathetic lives on. Try me."

I slammed my bedroom door behind me, already regretting every decision that had led to this moment.

---

The next morning, I walked into school with more energy than I'd felt in weeks. The promise of finally resolving my marriage situation had lifted a weight from my shoulders I hadn't realized I'd been carrying.

But the moment I entered the teachers' lounge, I could feel the unusual quiet that had settled over the building.

"Where is everyone?" I asked Sarah, who was huddled over her coffee like it contained the secrets of the universe.

"Colin called in sick," she said, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "First time anyone can remember him taking a day off."

"Sick?" I repeated, though something cold settled in my stomach. Colin hadn't looked sick yesterday—he'd looked shaken.

"Well," Linda chimed in from across the room with a smirk, "that's what he said. But we all know what really happened, don't we?"

I turned to see several teachers looking in my direction with expressions ranging from mock pity to barely concealed amusement.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Oh, sweetheart," Sarah said with exaggerated sympathy, "everyone saw that little confrontation yesterday. Poor Colin probably went home and cried into his pillow all night."

"Can't handle a little competition, can he?" Linda added with a cruel laugh. "All that fancy breeding and Ivy League education, but the moment a real man shows up, our precious golden boy runs away with his tail between his legs."

"Honestly," another teacher chimed in, "I thought Colin would have more backbone than that. Guess having everything handed to you on a silver platter doesn't prepare you for an actual fight."

I clenched my jaw, feeling heat rise in my cheeks, but I tried to stay silent. They were being cruel, but it wasn't worth engaging.

"Though I have to say," Sarah continued, clearly enjoying herself, "I don't understand the appeal of that Blackwell man. Sure, he's got money, but he's got serious baggage."

"Oh God, yes," Linda agreed eagerly. "That temper of his is legendary. I heard he once threw a chair at someone during a business meeting. Completely unhinged."

"And don't get me started on all those mysterious women," another teacher added. "Nobody even knows who that kid's mother is. Probably some one-night stand he can't even remember."

I felt my hands clench into fists, but I forced myself to keep walking toward my classroom.

"The poor child probably doesn't even know his own mother's name," Sarah said with mock concern. "What kind of mess is that? At least Colin comes from a stable, respectable family—"

"Don't you dare," I said, my voice cutting through their gossip like a blade.

They all turned to stare at me, surprised by the venom in my tone.

"Don't you dare talk about Ryan like that," I continued, taking a step toward them. "He's a five-year-old child, and you're sitting here gossiping about his family situation like it's entertainment. You should be ashamed of yourselves."