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

Chapter 39

It was a sunny morning as I drove down one of the busiest of the Las Vegas streets. It was surprisingly crowded all the way through as 1 adjusted my sunglasses for the tenth time since I started driving.

The sun was bright and hot-a little too much of both as it beat down on me. The sudden heat waves were the things I hated the most about living in Las Vegas, but it beat a hurricane or blizzard any day.

I shifted lanes as I pulled off the highway and onto the familiar road before me. Kids were out playing in the nice community. It was a pricier neighborhood but worth it.

I smiled as I heard the familiar tune of the ice cream truck several blocks down, probably giving joy to the kids of Viewpoint Circle.

But ice cream and the heat wave were not what I was here for.

I pulled into the familiar driveway, shutting off my car as I stepped out, locking it with a click of the remote.

I glanced at the stones lining the pathway heading to the house, seeing four sets of handprints imprinted into the rocks.

My name was scribbled on one of them, hands far too tiny to be an adult.

It felt like I’d made those handprints in a different lifetime.

When I reached the door, I raised my hand to knock, but the door had already flung open.

Piers, my grandmother’s butler, stood there as stiff and unusual as ever.

“Good morning. Miss Adelaide,” Piers said in a monotone voice.

“Are you ever going to tell me how you do that, Piers?” I smiled, pulling off my sunglasses. “Cause I’d love to know that party

trick.”

“Practice, Miss Adelaide,” Piers said, his lips twitching at the corner in a way that I knew meant he was laughing inwardly. “Mrs. Hildebrand is waiting for you.”

He opened up the door, stepping aside as I entered. The place was spotless as ever, but the walls were quickly running out of

room

old and new photos placed together. My grandparents’ walls were a shrine to every moment of our lives, and I never tired of looking

on full display in this house.

of the house to the backyard where I spotted my grandmother kneeling in the dirt as she weeded the flowerbeds.

I grabbed the pair of gardening gloves he offered to me. I

the house. I pulled on my gloves, and my grandmother looked up with a smile as

they beautiful?” she gushed, a beaming smile on

beside her.

full bloom. The flowers were so bright they almost put the sun to shame.

“Looks like your garden is doing well

you mean,” Grandma laughed. “You

pull at the

here for? I doubt it

I was pulling on came out with a pop, the force knocking me onto my backside. I laughed,

obvious?” I

smirked, pulling out a stubborn weed with one good, hard tug. I shook my

my lips. “You’re right, though. I actually came here for

I can’t share any details on

I shook my

debates about whether Corinna’s wedding should be canceled entirely. Corinna and Ashton were against it from what I’d heard, but

was a mellow man, and so

Corinna had played jump rope with that line.

was just thinking.” I sighed, unable to believe what I was about to say, “if Grandfather truly denies their marriage, what is Corinna

do you mean?” Grandma

on how long she can make money that way. Especially with how bad she is at budgeting.” I said, nonchalantly. “So I was thinking maybe you should give

mid-air, and she turned to me slowly with wide,

your pardon?”

I glanced up at my

I do,” I said, firmly. “I have my job, and I’ve been living on a low paying salary for

me, hard and serious, for a few moments. I could feel my heart racing in my chest. I knew she had always wanted me

need the money.

Corinna, however….