The Billionaire's Bought Bride and Instant Mom Chapter 82

Aveline

Orion's laugh was cold and utterly without humor.

"Please do call them," he said, his voice carrying the kind of quiet menace that made everyone within earshot go silent. "I'm sure they'll be very interested in the security footage of you physically restraining a teacher while your wife assaulted her. As for lawsuits..." He shifted Ryan to one arm and pulled out his phone. "I'll make sure to get the best legal team money can buy. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be lucky if you can afford a public defender."

The man's face went pale as the reality of his situation began to sink in.

"And just so we're clear," Orion continued, his voice dropping to a whisper that somehow carried more threat than any shout, "if I ever hear you've said one word about my son or Dr. Reeves again, you'll discover exactly how creative I can get with legal revenge. Are we understood?"

Without waiting for an answer, he reached for my hand and began pulling me toward the exit.

"Wait!" I protested, digging in my heels. "I can't just leave! I have classes to teach!"

Orion turned back to me with raised eyebrows. "You really think you're in any condition to teach right now? Especially after getting into a physical altercation?"

"It wasn't my fault—"

"I know," he said gently, his voice completely different from the deadly tone he'd used with the man on the floor. "But you're shaking, your hair's a mess, and you look like you're about to either cry or commit murder. Trust me, you need a break."

He was right. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, I could feel my hands trembling and my knees going weak.

Before I could protest further, he was guiding me toward his car, one hand on my back, the other carrying Ryan.

The moment we were all buckled in, Ryan twisted around in his booster seat to look at me with wide, curious eyes.

"Miss Aveline, did you really get in a fight?" he asked, his voice filled with awe and concern.

I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment. "Not exactly, sweetheart. I just... had to defend myself when someone was being mean."

"But you always tell us not to fight!" Ryan said, though he didn't sound accusatory—more confused than anything.

"You're absolutely right," I said, reaching over to smooth down his hair. "And I'm sorry you had to see that. Sometimes when we're dealing with very bad people, we have to protect ourselves and the people we care about. But you should never start a fight, okay? If someone's bothering you, you tell a teacher or another adult."

"Like how you protected me today?" Ryan asked, his dark eyes—so much like his father's—searching my face.

My heart clenched. "Yes, exactly like that."

Ryan's face lit up with understanding. "Just like how Daddy protected you today!"

That's when it hit me. I turned to study Ryan's face, which was trying very hard to look innocent. "Ryan, did you call your daddy?"

Ryan nodded seriously, like he was confessing to something very important. "I saw you get all angry and storm out of the office. I was worried those mean people might hurt you, so I used the phone in your office to call Daddy."

His small face was completely earnest. "I told him you needed help right away."

I stared at this five-year-old who had been worried enough about me to take action, feeling my throat tighten with emotion.

"Ryan," I whispered, "you never called your daddy when those kids were being mean to you at school. But you called him... for me?"

"Of course!" Ryan said matter-of-factly. "You take care of me every day. I wanted to take care of you too."

Orion caught my eye in the rearview mirror, and I saw something knowing flash in his gaze. "Well, well," he murmured, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Looks like someone's got themselves a very dedicated protector. How about we take this lesson home today, Ryan? I think Miss Aveline deserves some peace and quiet after her morning."

I blinked, still processing the warmth spreading through my chest from Ryan's words. "You can't just decide where I teach," I said weakly, though even to my own ears the protest sounded halfhearted.

Ryan's face fell. "Don't you want to teach me at home, Miss Aveline? Don't you want to spend time with me?"

The disappointment in his voice was like a knife to my chest. "Of course I do, sweetheart! I just... I meant that..." I looked at his hopeful expression and felt my resolve crumble. "Actually, a private lesson sounds wonderful. We could do some art projects, maybe practice piano..."

"Really?" Ryan bounced in his seat with excitement. "Can we paint? Can we make music together? Can we—"

"Easy there, buddy," Orion said with a chuckle. "Let Miss Aveline recover from her morning before you overwhelm her with activities."

He glanced at me in the mirror again, his expression growing serious. "Ryan, I want you to understand something. What you saw today—Miss Aveline standing up to those people—that was her refusing to let anyone hurt you. She cares about you more than you might realize."

I felt heat flood my cheeks. The way he said it, the implication in his tone... it was like he knew exactly how protective I'd become of Ryan, how much the little boy had come to mean to me.

"I care about all my students," I said quickly, trying to downplay the emotion in my voice.

But Ryan had already thrown his arms around me from his car seat, squeezing me as tightly as he could manage.

"I know you do," he said into my shoulder, his voice muffled but clear. "You're just like a real mommy to me."