The backyard photoshoot had already gone on longer than I expected, but the photographer still seemed unwilling to put his camera down.
He studied the latest shots on the monitor, scrolling through them one by one while the staff began gathering the equipment around us.
The garden behind Wilder’s house had provided everything he needed the carefully arranged flowers, the manicured lawn, the elegant outdoor furniture, and the warm afternoon light but apparently, it was not enough.
“These are beautiful,” the photographer said, zooming in on one of the photographs.
“But I feel like we haven’t shown the dress properly yet.”
I glanced down at the silk gown I was wearing.
After hours of being moved from one position to another, I was beginning to wonder whether the dress had somehow become more important than the wedding itself.
“What do you have in mind?” Wilder asked.
The photographer immediately brightened.
“A second location.
Somewhere grander.
Something that matches the scale of the dress and, honestly, the two of you.”
He turned the monitor toward us and began explaining his idea.
He wanted sweeping marble stairs, dramatic architecture, and a setting where I could stand at the center of the frame without the background competing with the gown.
After a moment, he suggested an exclusive art gallery that regularly hosted private events for wealthy clients.
If the gallery was unavailable, there was also the grand marble staircase of a five-star hotel owned by one of Wilder’s business connections.
I expected Wilder to refuse.
Instead, he simply glanced at me before looking back at the photographer.
“Let’s go to the hotel.”
The decision was made so casually that I barely had time to process it.
Within the next hour, the entire team was on the move.
Staff carefully packed the dresses and equipment while Wilder’s driver prepared the cars.
I sat beside Wilder during the journey, watching the city pass through the tinted window as I tried to prepare myself for what was coming.
The garden had given me a certain degree of privacy.
Even when the photographer asked us to stand close or look at each other, there had only been a handful of people watching.
The hotel would be different.
The moment our cars arrived at the entrance, I understood exactly what Wilder’s presence meant in a place like this.
Several guests near the lobby turned their heads almost immediately.
A few people recognized Wilder before he had even stepped through the entrance, and whispers began spreading among the elegantly dressed guests gathered around the reception area.
Some looked openly curious when they saw the photography equipment being carried inside.
Others stared at my wedding dress, clearly trying to figure out who the woman beside Wilder Reed was.
I lowered my voice as we walked toward the grand staircase.
“Do people always stare at you like this?”
Wilder glanced at me, seemingly amused by the question.
“They’re not staring at me.”
“Then what are they staring at?”
He looked down at my dress before meeting my eyes again.
“You.”
I gave him an unimpressed look, but I could feel the attention around us becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
I had agreed to pretend to be his wife, but standing in the middle of a luxury hotel while strangers openly watched us made the lie feel considerably more real.
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The moment Magnus and Nova reached the main gate of Wilder’s residence, neither of them made any attempt to hide their anger.
Magnus stepped out of the car first and marched straight toward the security booth.
Nova followed close behind, arms folded, staring at the guards as though they were personally responsible for everything that had gone wrong.
“Open the gate,” Magnus demanded.
The head of security remained behind the gate.
“I’m sorry, sir.
We have strict instructions not to allow anyone inside without authorization.”
“Authorization?” Magnus repeated.
“I’m here to see Nyxia.”
“Madam is not at the residence.” Visit g.com for the full chapter.
“Then call her.”
“I cannot do that, sir.”
Magnus’s expression darkened.
“Do you know who I am?”
“Yes, sir.
But that doesn’t change our instructions.”
Nova stepped forward.
“I’m her sister.
You have no right to keep me outside my own sister’s house.”
“This is Mr.
Reed’s private residence, Miss Winter.
We can only allow visitors who have been approved by the household.”
Nova’s jaw tightened.
“I’m family.”
“And you are not on the approved visitor list.”
Magnus gave a humorless laugh.
“This is ridiculous.
Nyxia would never tell you to keep us out.”
When the guard remained silent, Magnus’s patience finally snapped.
He pointed toward the residence.
“Open it.”
The guard didn’t move.
Magnus turned to Nova.
“See?
This is what happens when Nyxia lets other people control her.”
Nova immediately agreed.
“Exactly.
She has probably forgotten how much we’ve done for her.”
Neither of them noticed the quiet glance exchanged between the younger guards.
Their concern had never been about Nyxia’s safety or recovery.
It was about the money.
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The photography team quickly began preparing the second set.
Assistants moved lighting equipment into position while another member of the staff adjusted the train of my dress across the marble steps.
Wilder stood nearby, speaking briefly with the hotel manager, when his phone suddenly rang.
He glanced at the screen and immediately recognized the number from the house.
One of the maids rarely called him while he was working unless something required his attention.
He answered without moving far from the set.
“Tell me.”
“Sir, I’m sorry to disturb you, but there’s a problem at the main gate.”
Wilder’s expression remained calm.
“What happened?”
“There are two people here.
They refuse to leave.”
“Who?”
The maid hesitated.
“They said they’re Madam’s younger sister and her partner.”
Wilder’s eyes shifted toward Nyxia.
She was standing a short distance away while one of the photographers adjusted the lighting around her. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
She hadn’t noticed the call yet.
“Nova Winter and Magnus Brock?”
“Yes, sir.”
Interesting.
Wilder had expected them to try something eventually, especially after yesterday’s failed attempt to get money from Nyxia.
Apparently, they had decided that showing up at his property and creating a scene would be more effective.
“What do they want?”
“They’re demanding to see Madam.
They keep saying she promised them money.”
Wilder’s mouth tightened.
Of course they were.
He listened as the maid continued.
“They’ve been arguing with the security guards.
Mr.
Brock is shouting that Madam owes them the money and that we’re deliberately keeping her away from her family.
Miss Winter is also demanding that we let them inside.”
Wilder glanced toward Nyxia again.
She was completely unaware of what was happening.
For years, those two had apparently grown accustomed to treating her generosity as an obligation.
Now that Wilder had closed the door to her finances, they had come looking for another way in.
“Did security ask them to leave?”
“Yes, sir, but they refused.
They said they won’t leave until they speak to Madam.”
Wilder had to suppress the urge to laugh when the maid finished explaining what had happened.
Nova and Magnus had apparently decided that being refused at the gate was not enough to make them leave.
They had shouted at the security guards, demanded to see Nyxia, and even tried to use her name as though being her family gave them some authority over his household.
It was exactly the kind of behavior he had expected from people who had spent years taking Nyxia’s generosity for granted.
Now that her money was no longer within their reach, they had simply found another door to knock on.
His thumb rested against the edge of his phone as he considered what to do with them.
He could have ordered security to remove them from the property and made sure they never came close again.
That would have been the simplest solution, but Wilder wasn’t interested in making things simple for them.
If Magnus and Nova wanted to see Nyxia badly enough to create a scene at his gate, then perhaps it was better to let them come somewhere they could no longer hide behind their familiar excuses.
“Give them the hotel’s address,” Wilder said.
There was a brief silence on the other end.
“Sir?”
“Tell them to come here,” he repeated, his voice remaining calm.
“I don’t want them causing another scene at the house, but I’m not going to send them away either.
Let them come to the hotel.”
The maid hesitated before finally answering, “Yes, sir.
I’ll give them the address.”
“Good.
And once they arrive, have security bring them directly to me.
Don’t let them approach my wife without my permission.”
“Yes, sir.”
Wilder ended the call and lowered the phone slowly, his attention returning to the scene in front of him.
Nyxia was still standing beneath the lights while the photographer and his assistants adjusted the equipment around her.
She had no idea that Magnus and Nova were already on their way, and for the moment, Wilder decided not to tell her.
There was no reason to ruin her concentration before they arrived.
Besides, he was curious to see what she would do when the two people who had spent so long taking advantage of her suddenly appeared in front of her while she was standing beside the man they had been trying to get past.