I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis
Chapter 239 - 240 First Meeting

Chapter 239: Chapter 240 First Meeting

Ashton hit the speaker, breathing hard.

Cassian’s voice floated out languidly, like he’d just crawled out of bed. ‘Ashton. What’s up.’

‘Did you tell my wife I had some other crush before I married her?’

‘What? What are you talking about? When would I have—’ A pause. Cassian sounded more awake now. ‘Wait. You mean back when you two weren’t married? Yvaine asked me something about your love life. I said you were into someone for years. You didn’t tell me to keep it a secret, so I just said it offhand. Why?’

‘Did you tell her the woman I liked was a dancer?’

‘What dancer?’ Cassian sounded genuinely baffled. ‘Why would I tell her that? Since when is she a dancer?’

‘So that wasn’t from you?’

‘What wasn’t? What are you talking about? Are you drunk?’

‘I’m not. Are you?’

‘What? No.’

‘Tell me exactly what you told Yvaine.’

‘Just what I said. That you’d been carrying a torch for some woman.’

‘Did you give her a name?’

‘No. Back then, I didn’t know it was Mirabelle.’ Cassian’s voice turned teasing. ‘If I did, I’d have told Yvaine everything. That you were sniffing around even when Mirabelle was still with Rhys. That you lied about your grandfather dying just to get her to marry you. That you bought the flat opposite hers to stalk—’

‘That’s enough.’ Ashton cut him off and ended the call in one swipe.

He turned to face me. ‘You heard that?’

I nodded slowly.

My head felt weirdly light.

‘So you know there was never any dancer. Now can you tell me where the hell that came from?’

He stepped in close.

His eyes pinned me in place.

I looked away. ‘Daniel Williams told me. He probably made it up.’

Ashton swore under his breath. ‘Of course it was that dickhead. I knew he was up to something.’

He looked like he was already mapping out which wall to throw Daniel through.

Before he got there, I said, ‘So all that crap about marrying to fulfil your grandfather’s dying wish? Your family pressuring you to settle down? That was all a lie?’

‘Yes. I lied. I lied because I wanted you, and I didn’t care how I got you.’

‘But why?’ I stared at him. ‘Don’t tell me it’s love at first sight. I’m pretty, but I’m not self-deluded enough to think I have that kind of effect on a man. When did we first meet?’

I tried to trace it, any memory, any flicker of him before all this.

If he’d really liked me for that long, we had to have crossed paths earlier, way earlier.

He came to sit on the edge of the bed, holding my hand.

‘Seven years ago. You were still in school, and you went to Florence for a design competition. I was one of the sponsors. You didn’t notice me. That was the first time. Then again in Eindhoven. You were at uni. I’d been drugged at some shitty hotel bar. You found me, got me to a hospital. When I came to, you were already gone.’

‘That was you?’

‘Yeah. You vanished like it was nothing. Twice. We probably said ten words total, but I remembered all of them.’

My mind kept rewinding.

‘After that, you know most of it. I returned to Skyline now and then. Saw you with Rhys. You looked happy. I didn’t want to ruin it. So I stayed away. But I still wanted you. Even when I knew I had no right. I wanted to be near you. Own you.’ His voice turned hard. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t know how much you’d been through. I should’ve come sooner.’

He pressed his face into my palm.

My chest started to ache.

Tears stung my eyes before I even realised.

He lifted his head after what felt like forever.

‘I’m sorry. I lied. From the start. Even when I moved in next door, I was already planning everything. I bought the flat to be near you.’

I shook my head.

I managed, barely, through the thickness in my throat: ‘No. You saved me.’

‘You’re not angry?’

I wiped my cheek with the back of my hand. ‘No. I’m not. Thank you.’

He held me tight.

We stayed like that for a while. Long enough that the heat from his skin soaked through the thin cotton of my shirt. Long enough that I forgot how cold the room had felt before.

Then I broke the silence. ‘The ring. Are you giving it to me or what?’

He pulled back fast. ‘Yes!’

He lifted his hand.

The ring lay flat in his palm.

A faint dent circled his skin from how hard he’d gripped it.

He got out of bed, knelt on one knee, looking both impossibly ridiculous in his boxer briefs and incomparably handsome.

‘Will you marry me?’

‘Of course yes.’ I held out my hand.

His fingers trembled too much to get the damn thing on.

After the third miss, I bent down, curled my hand around his wrist, and guided the ring onto my finger myself.

‘There. Done.’

Right then, a burst of firecrackers went off outside.

Probably someone messing around with leftovers from Presidents’ Day.

I raised my hand.

Light sliced through the gap in the curtains and caught on the diamond.

I turned it slightly, watching how it reflected across my skin.

The tears had dried.

My mouth tugged into a small curve.

‘It looks good.’

*** THE END :) ***