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.

none of that nonsense,” Grandma huffed,

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

Damon chuckled, hunched over

slapping him on the arm

saw him roll his eyes over her shoulder and stuck out my tongue in retaliation.

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

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

flaunting their wealth and found a big house too difficult to move around in, so they’d downsized

brim with photos and memorabilia. It had that feeling of coziness that always made

said with a

chip s’mores cookies?”

Grandma

and your chocolate,” Damon rolled

the superior flavor,” I said, proudly. “Why? What’s yours?”

Chapter 26

was some inside

we all settled into the family room.

was never good

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

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

me a pointed look, but

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

said, quietly. “But I mean before Corinna got taken in. When Maelyn was still

name was practically taboo after her death. Especially around my father. Hearing it always made my breath

soft and pretty. She’d died when I was still a toddler, too young

married my stepmother and brought in Corinna soon after

the four of you would have so much fun playing as kids,” Grandma chuckled, as she pulled out one of her many family albums. “This one is my

her to see the

but clearly well-taken care of. It was a cardboard house named ‘Bakery’ and the four of us as kids. We were all posing for the camera. Corinna was

Chapter 26

smiled at the funny faces we were making.

said and smiled. “Addie directed everything, and Damon made the ‘set.’ Ashton provided the materials, and Corinna was the star, of course. It was the first time I’d

“It was supposed to be a haunted bakery, but I had to change it

makeup for that look.” Damon

faces, I felt sad that none of us

There was a time when I was excited to have a sister, a time when we actually

those times became smaller and smaller until all we felt for