Heiress' Househusband is a Secret Billionaire - Chapter 61

Chapter 61: The Recently Discovered Wicked Plan
In the opposite direction of where Lariette and Ruediger were heading, Declan sat on the balcony of his luxurious apartment. The unit overlooked the city skyline, presenting him with the vast night sky.

Leaning back to the plush chair, Declan crossed his long leg over another. The cool evening air brushed against his face, ruffling through his chocolate-brown hair.

The quiet that enveloped the balcony was a stark contrast to the faint hum of the city below. Lights from the vehicles and buildings showered the ground of the city as the nightlife resumed.

‘How could this… how could this happen?’

With a frown marring his forehead, Declan’s narrowed eyes stared at the tablet screen, lying on his lap. The sense of unease continued to grow within him.

Declan had always prided himself on his ability to keep his emotions in check. As the heir of the Elsher family, he was groomed to be such a person, including how to make decisions with the sharpest precisions.

But… he almost lost control of his composure tonight, over something he might think a minor, worthless mistake if this was him from one year ago.

‘Cee is right.’

Looking up from the tablet, Declan threw his gaze beyond the open balcony sliding doors. His eyes landed on the figure of Celina, nestling in the soft folds of the bed.

Exhausted from a one-day conference she had to attend today, Celina was already sleeping soundly. Her countenance was serene, seemingly unaware of the storm brewing in her lover’s mind.

Declan pressed his lips together, returning his attention back to the tablet. Reports from his assistant filled the screen—related to Stephanie.

The weight of this revelation hit Declan like a punch to his gut. He really didn’t expect to view Stephanie wholly in another light; a bad one following this finding.

‘This is… evil. How could Phanie do this? This… doesn’t this mean she planned such a thing even before that ruined dinner?’

Declan recalled what Celina warned him right after the chaos that happened during dinner last week. She brought up the possibility of Stephanie retaliating against Lariette.

“Phanie won’t go that far. Wouldn’t she just ruin her wedding if she plans anything wicked for Lari?”

Unconvinced by the far-fetched thinking, Declan dismissed Celina’s warning. Despite being aware of the strained relationship between his two younger sisters, he assumed nothing.

“I’ve heard and seen enough of how brides screw people they dislike during the wedding. Both justified and not.”

“Anyway, it’s up to you whether to check or not. Usually, it’s something simple, not requiring an elaborate scheme.”

Celina didn’t push her opinions on Declan but, her words continued living rent-free in the man’s mind. In the end, he decided to go forward with an investigation.

Declan initially thought he would receive reports stating nothing wrong, just enough to put his mind at ease. Unfortunately, Celina’s warning was proven right.

Stephanie played a trick on Lariette—through the wedding invitation.

Among all the things Declan ordered his assistant to investigate, only the invitations seemed off.

‘Only Phanie and her maid of honor handle the invitations. She insisted on it. Even Mom isn’t included.’

Mothers from both sides came up with the list of the guests, especially the important people associated with their businesses. But, Stephanie was the one who finalized how the invites would go out.

‘Every invite is special and guests have to keep its content a secret. That’s what Phanie has emphasized.’

Tapping one finger on the backside of the tablet, Declan recalled the system Stephanie came out for the wedding invitation.

Every guest was allowed to bring their plus-ones. The invitations stated the three colors they could pick for their attires during the wedding and the reception. The dress code was formal.

But…

The wedding invite sent to Lariette only had one color as if Stephanie had exclusively assigned the former to it—gold.

Lariette was ordered to wear gold, the same color as Stephanie’s wedding dress. From what Declan knew, the former had already bought a dress in such a color two months ago.

Aside from following the bride’s request to keep quiet about each invite, Declan was aware that Lariette had a bad relationship with everyone in the bridal party.

Lariette’s only friend in high society, Madeline Alvord was required to wear periwinkle blue. She also only received one option instead of three like the other guests.

Stephanie most likely arranged this to avoid Lariette discovering something was wrong.

“Wouldn’t it be easily found tho?” Declan mumbled under his breath, finding how ridiculous this setup was, “Lari just needs to show the invite and—”

Abruptly taking a pause, a wave of guilt washed over the shore of Declan’s heart. What he thought was the most logical thing for Lariette to do, but…

There was no guarantee for other people to believe in her.

As soon as Lariette was discovered to wear the same color as Stephanie—the bride—looks of ridicule would immediately be thrown toward her.

Even if Lariette showed the invitation to clear the air, the damage had been done. People might even accuse her of forging the card.

“This is stupid, but… evil.”

The wrinkles of a frown on Declan’s forehead deepened as he thought further about this issue. Until now, he never expected Celina to be right about this kind of scheme.

Stephanie crafted a plan to humiliate Lariette. The scheme started even before the dinner was ruined.

The angelic young daughter of the Elsher family—the pampered fake heiress—planned something evil toward the unloved real heiress.

Declan was in denial yet, he also understood nothing could be achieved if he didn’t face this head-on.

“What should I do? Should I warn Lari quickly?”

Closing his eyes, Declan weighed every option he had to save Lariette from the humiliation. At the same time, he had to come to terms with the wicked side of Stephanie he recently discovered.

Declan had always known Stephanie could be too whiny and spoilt about something due to how pampered she was. Yet… what she planned this time was beyond being upset.

‘Maybe…’

Suddenly opening his eyes, Declan sprung to his feet. He rushed inside the bedroom as one idea popped into his mind.

Declan’s feet brought him to the walk-in wardrobe he shared with Celina. Standing in the middle of the closet, his eyes gazed upon the outfit collections belonging to his lover.

‘Should I just order a dress in every color for Lari? She can choose among them herself.’

The enlightened eldest Elsher brother didn’t even think how weirdly Lariette would perceive his behavior.

As Declan stood there, he didn’t notice Celina stirring awake on the bed. Propping on one elbow, she slowly rose from the mattress. Her eyes drifted to the walk-in wardrobe, seeing lights coming from there.

“Darling? Dec?”

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Celina dragged herself out of the bed. She saw Declan standing opposite the side where her clothes were hung, seemingly thinking hard about something.

Even though Celina couldn’t properly see Declan’s face from this angle, his familiar posture became the tell-tale sign. She walked closer to him, gently grasping his right arm.

“Dec, are you thinking of something?”

“Ah, Cee. You’re awake.”

Snapping out of his thoughts, Declan turned to look at Celina. He immediately brought her into his arms.

“Cee, you’re right.”

Declan’s exclamation confused Celina. Still, she returned his hug.

“About what?”

Without missing a beat, Declan replied, his voice having a hint of sadness, “About Phanie will retaliate against Lari.”

Celina instinctively frowned. Nestling her head on Declan’s chest, she tightened her arms around him. The man exhaled a suppressed sigh. He pressed his forehead on her shoulder.