Chapter 2
The Rolls–Royce cut through traffic as Hayes glanced at Raina riding shotgun, then leaned into Lennox’s ear.
“Babe, since when do you want her tagging along?”
Lennox watched that familiar crease appear between his brows, the way his jaw tightened whenever Raina came up–like she was nothing but a nuisance to him.
What a performance.
So damn good he’d had her completely fooled for three years. Right up until she saw that toddler on the street and realized their entire relationship was built on lies.
Lennox’s voice came out flat: “You’re always complaining about how clingy she is, right? Maybe seeing you marry me will finally make her back off.”
Something unreadable flashed across Hayes’s face. His lips parted as if to say something, but he just swallowed hard and let her explanation stand.
At the bridal boutique, Hayes escorted Lennox inside with Raina trailing behind them.
The dress had been waiting for months–champagne silk and hand–sewn crystals that caught the light like captured stars.
The stylist had barely lifted it from the garment bag when Raina pushed forward, her fingers already reaching for the delicate beadwork.
“It’s so beautiful,” she breathed, drinking in every detail. After a long moment, she turned to Lennox: “Could I… try it on? Just once?”
Lennox took in that perfectly crafted innocent act and felt ice settle in her chest.
She could give up the engagement, but her things? Hell no.
Her red lips curved into a cutting smile: “What’s next–you gorina sleep in my bed too? Or is following in mommy’s homewrecking footsteps enough for one day?”
The color drained from Raina’s face. She turned those wounded doe eyes toward Hayes, silently begging for rescue.
Hayes went rigid. He stepped between them, his hand finding Lennox’s elbow. “Len, come on. People are staring. Let’s just get you fitted, yeah?”
The gesture looked like peacekeeping, but it put Raina squarely under his protection.
Lennox stared at his tense posture and smiled coldly, taking the dress and disappearing into the fitting room.
Standing before the mirror in the gown, Lennox felt momentarily displaced.
Her reflection was luminous–bright eyes, flawless skin like porcelain against the ivory silk. The last time she’d stood here, her heart had been full of dreams for the future.
Now she just felt empty.
“Oh!”
Raina’s startled cry came from outside. Lennox cracked the curtain just enough to peek through.
Raina had “tripped” over her own feet, tumbling straight into Hayes’s arms.
And Hayes? He didn’t even try to step back. Just caught her like he’d been expecting it, one hand splayed across her lower back while the other smoothed her hair.
15:15
A Billion Dollar Cordl
Chapter 2
Even knowing what she knew, seeing it hit like a sucker punch to the gut.
She remembered when Hayes used to act like Raina had the plague–literally burning clothes if she so much as brushed against him.
But now?
Now he was tenderly comforting the woman in his arms. They looked more like the engaged couple than Lennox did, hidden away in her fitting room.
Her grip on the curtain tightened until her knuckles went white, something sharp and brutal squeezing her chest.
She took a deep breath and started to push through the curtain when the world suddenly tilted sideways, everything swaying violently.
Earthquake!
Pure instinct kicked in. She grabbed fistfuls of silk and bolted for the exit.
But the train wrapped around her ankles like a trap. She went down hard, fabric tearing, skin scraping against marble. Glass and plaster rained down, each impact sending fresh shockwaves through her already battered body.
Hayes was right there. Maybe fifteen feet away. He looked straight through her, swept Raina off her feet, and ran.
Their voices drifted back as they fled:
“Hayes, wait–what about Lennox?”
“She’s fine. You’re hurt–I need to get you checked out…”
Those words hit like a physical blow, stealing the air from her lungs.
When the shaking finally stopped, the boutique looked like a war zone.
Just like her heart.
Lennox stripped off the ruined gown and grabbed a pair of scissors, cutting it to shreds with methodical precision.
On her way out, she fixed the shell–shocked staff with a cold stare: “Don’t tell Hayes.”
Raina could have her wedding. But anything that had been Lennox’s? She’d burn it all before handing it over to those two.
From the boutique, Lennox went straight to Immigration Services and filed for expedited processing.
The clerk glanced at the blood on her arm and nodded: “We can have everything ready within the month.”
Standing outside, Lennox breathed in the gray afternoon air.
One month, and she’d be free of this city forever.
Free to finally live for herself.
(0)
(0)
こざ
