Secret Billionaire’s Contract Bride: Marrying My Enemy’s Lover

Chapter 26

The wedding preparations were going smoothly with Lacey and Kathy’s help. I didn’t know the first thing about planning a wedding, but I learned it came with a lot of price tags. Too many. It was overwhelming.

“Tip number one,” Lacey told me grinning. “Don’t tell them it’s for a wedding. The price shoots up to unbelievable prices. If you say it’s like an anniversary, you get the same thing for much cheaper.”

“Isn’t that lying, though?” I asked, looking at her seriously.

“It’s good business!” Lacey refuted with a sly grin.

In addition to the wedding plans, the remodeling on the set for the movie was getting done at hyperspeed. Cassidy was a genius, and a fast one, too. I had to admit, I was happy Damon had called him.

“We’ve just got some more painting to do, and you’ll be all set,” Cassidy told me over the phone one morning in his usual rough voice.

I really felt like things were looking up, like puzzle pieces I didn’t know were missing suddenly slid into place. I couldn’t believe it fell together so well.

The only thing that bothered me still was Corinna and Ashton.

I knew how much their lies would hurt my grandmother. Damon managed to convince me to keep it quiet so we could gather more evidence.

He wanted to make sure we could take them both down in one fell swoop.

In the meantime, though, I was going to enjoy my life. I wasn’t going to let them ruin the happiness I was feeling.

“Grandma!”

I grinned as I pulled my grandmother into a hug. She chuckled, patting my back like when I was a child. It was always so comforting.

“You saw me only a few days ago, child,” my grandmother said, amused. “Did you miss me that much?”

Chapter 26

“Yes,” I smiled into her warm sweater. When I pulled back, Grandma caught sight of Damon behind me.

“And I see you brought your husband,” she said with a warm smile, her eyes falling on Damon.

“It’s nice to see you again, Mrs. Hildebrand,” Damon said, politely smiling at her.

nonsense,” Grandma huffed, reaching out to pull

a hug. Despite her shorter stature, Grandma was incredibly strong. “I’ve known you since you were a tot.

Mrs. Hildebrand,” Damon chuckled, hunched over from their height

stubborn boy,” Grandma said playfully, slapping him

roll his eyes over

No use standing out in the cold,” my grandma said, hooking both of us by our arms as

her it was almost 80 degrees out. It wouldn’t stop her worrying

Grandpa?” I asked as we entered the modest home. My grandparents had never liked flaunting their wealth and found a big house too difficult to move around in, so they’d downsized when

photos and memorabilia. It had

the kitchen,” Grandma said with a smile. “He’s

s’mores cookies?” I exclaimed.

course,” Grandma chuckled.

your chocolate,” Damon

I

Chapter 26

partial to strawberries,” he smirked like it was some inside joke I

we all settled into the family room. She poured

had attempted to teach me the art of tea-making, but I was never good at it. I could never be as gentle and

We fought like cats and dogs,” I scoffed. “We never agreed on

I remember you’d follow Damon and Ashton around like a little duckling after its mother.

a pointed look,

four of us,” I pointed out. “Corinna stuck to them like

“But I mean before Corinna got taken in. When Maelyn was

her death. Especially around my father. Hearing it always made my breath catch

pretty. She’d died when I was still a toddler, too young to even process what death was.

and brought in Corinna

have so much fun playing as kids,” Grandma chuckled, as she pulled out one of her many family albums. “This

to her to see the

house named ‘Bakery’ and the four of us as kids. We were all posing for the camera. Corinna was in a pretty red dress, much too big for her,

Chapter 26

the funny faces we were making.

“Addie directed everything, and Damon made the ‘set.’ Ashton provided the materials, and Corinna was the star, of course. It was

to be a haunted bakery, but I had to change it

and makeup for that look.” Damon grinned

I felt

didn’t always hate Corinna. There was a time when I was excited to have

as we grew up, those times became smaller and smaller