Trapped in a Secret Marriage with a Dangerous Billionaire - Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Promoting Peace and Unity

Aurora arrived at her family home, the familiar setting doing little to ease the storm of emotions swirling inside her. The weight of betrayal pressed down on her chest, leaving her both angry and deeply hurt.

Aurora stepped through the front door, trying to compose herself, but her mind raced with the bitter truth she was now forced to confront.

When she entered the sitting room, she was met with an unexpected scene—Owen and his parents seated comfortably, engaged in marriage talks with Adam, Stella and Olivia. Aurora’s stomach twisted as she caught sight of them.

“Good evening,” Aurora greeted, her voice steady despite the whirlwind inside her.

“Welcome, daughter,” Adam smiled, happy she kept her word in returning that weekend.

Stella took her looks in with a satisfactory smirk sitting on her lips. “You are quite early.” She pointed out.

On the other hand, Owen’s mother, Patricia, lit up at the sight of her. “Aurora, dear! It’s so good to see you,” she said warmly, her gaze soft with affection. Olivia, seated beside Owen, stiffened, jealousy flashing in her eyes at the attention directed towards Aurora.

“How are you, dear?” Patricia continued, ignorant of Olivia’s tense expression. “We heard about your champagne launch—what a brilliant success! We’re so proud of you.”

“Thank you, Aunty,” Aurora replied and almost immediately, Owen’s father, Richard, jumped in, his tone laced with feigned disappointment.

“Although I must say, I’m a bit upset that we didn’t get an invite to your launch. After all, we consider ourselves part of the family.”

Aurora forced a tight smile, feeling Olivia’s heated gaze burning into her. “I didn’t want to bother you, Uncle. I didn’t want to bother you.”

Olivia’s grip on Owen’s arm tightened as she sat there, seething. Not a single word had been said about her own Spraying Champagne Launch. Her in-laws—soon to be official—hadn’t even mentioned it, as if it were beneath their notice. Instead, all their attention was on Aurora, and it was driving her mad.

‘Don’t they realize I’m with Owen now? I’m the one marrying him, not her!’ Olivia thought to herself.

Unaware of the brewing tension, Patricia continued to gush, “Aurora, you’ve always been such a remarkable young woman, Aurora. Truly, you’re destined for great things.”

Seeing Aurora rubbing off all the attention from her daughter, Stella intervened before the conversation could go any further, her voice breaking through the growing warmth, “Aurora, why don’t you join us? We’re having an important discussion about Olivia and Owen’s upcoming wedding.”

Before she could respond, Olivia chimed in, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “Yes, sister, why don’t you stay and hear about my wedding plans with Owen? Maybe you can help us with a few inputs.”

“I’ll pass,” Aurora quickly said, her tone cold but civil. “You don’t need me for that.” Before leaving, she cast her glance at her father and as their gazes met, she turned away.

Dinner was brought to Aurora in her room where she ate alone, grateful for the solitude. The quiet gave her a chance to collect herself, but it was short-lived. As she finished her meal, the door to her bedroom creaked open without warning.

Aurora spun around, startled to see Owen slipping into her room, his face set in that smug, entitled expression she had grown to despise. He closed the door behind him with a soft click, an arrogant smile tugging at his lips.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” Aurora snapped, her heart racing in a mix of anger and unease. She stood up, glaring at him. “You better get the hell out of my room before I scream.”

Owen didn’t flinch at her threat, his smile widening as he sauntered further into the room. “Scream all you want,” he said, his tone low and mocking. “But if you do, I’ll just tell everyone you invited me here—to reconcile.”

Aurora’s eyes flashed with fury. “Reconcile?” she spat, incredulous. “Are you out of your mind?”

Owen ignored the insult, moving closer with an air of confidence that made Aurora want to slap the smirk off his face. “There’s still time, you know,” he said smoothly. “The wedding isn’t for another four weeks. If you want me back, all you have to do is say the word, and I’ll call the whole thing off. Olivia doesn’t mean anything to me.”

Aurora’s lips curled into a bitter smile, a laugh escaping her before she could stop it. “You really are trash,” she said, her voice dripping with contempt. “You belong exactly where you are now. Let your new owner keep you, or maybe she can recycle you for her next use.”

Immediately, Owen’s smile faltered, anger flickering in his eyes. “You think you can talk to me like that?” he hissed. “Do you really think I can’t turn this around on you? I could walk out of this room right now and tell everyone you tried to seduce me. Who do you think they’ll believe?”

Aurora’s expression didn’t waver. “Go ahead,” she said, her voice calm. “A fool will only be a fool forever.”

Owen fisted his palms as he felt a blow dealt to his pride. But before could respond, the door swung open with a loud bang. Olivia stood in the doorway, her eyes wild with anger as she took in the sight of him standing in Aurora’s bedroom. Her face twisted in rage.

“What the hell is going on here?” Olivia demanded, her voice shrill, eyes darting between Owen and Aurora.

Aurora met Olivia’s gaze, unflinching. “Exactly what it looks like, Olivia,” she said coldly. “Your fiancé decided to pay me an unwanted visit. You might want to keep a tighter leash on him next time.”

Owen’s face paled, his confident facade cracking as Olivia’s rage zeroed in on him. His lips quickly parted, a fake chuckle covering his tracks.

“Babe, don’t read too much into the situation,” he said with his gaze fixed on Olivia. “As you know, your family will become my in-laws soon, so I needed a moment to reconcile with your sister to promote peace and unity.”