I watched Wilder step away from the photographer when his phone began to ring.
He glanced at the screen before answering, and something about the way his expression changed immediately caught my attention.
He didn’t look worried, but the relaxed amusement he’d been wearing moments earlier disappeared as he listened to whoever was calling.
I wasn’t paying much attention at first.
I was watching the photographer adjust his camera when I noticed Wilder’s expression change slightly.
His face remained calm, but the amusement that had been present a moment earlier disappeared.
He listened for a few seconds before asking a question, then another, his attention becoming increasingly focused on whatever he was being told.
I couldn’t hear the other person’s words clearly, but the change in Wilder’s expression made me pay closer attention.
He glanced in my direction once, then looked away again, as though whatever he had just heard was something he didn’t want to discuss in front of me.
A moment later, the corner of his mouth lifted, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever he’d just heard was going to become my problem too.
“What happened?” I asked.
Wilder slipped his phone back into his pocket as though nothing unusual had occurred.
His eyes settled on me, and the faint smile on his lips made me immediately suspicious.
“Nothing at all, beloved.”
“That doesn’t look like nothing.”
Wilder stepped closer, lowering his voice so only I could hear.
“We’re simply expecting a couple of uninvited guests.”
I frowned.
“Who?”
“Your sister and her partner.”
My eyes widened.
“You invited them here?”
“I did.”
“Why?”
Instead of answering immediately, Wilder looked toward the hotel entrance.
There was something almost playful in his expression now, as if he already knew exactly how the next part of the day would unfold.
Then he looked back at me.
“Don’t worry, wife.
I have a feeling they’ll provide us with some entertainment.”
I stared at him, completely unable to decide whether I should be worried or annoyed.
Knowing Wilder, probably both.
Before I could press him for an explanation, the photographer called us back into position.
“Mr.
and Mrs.
Reed, we’re ready!”
I reluctantly turned toward the camera.
Whatever Wilder had planned, I couldn’t afford to let Nova or Magnus expose my act.
Not here, not in front of strangers, and certainly not while half the hotel seemed interested in watching us.
The photographer approached us with renewed enthusiasm now that we were positioned on the grand staircase.
“Let’s try something more natural this time,” he said.
“Don’t look at the camera immediately.
Look at each other first.”
I turned toward Wilder.
He was already looking at me.
The photographer seemed delighted by the exchange and quickly lifted his camera.
Stay like that.”
A flash went off.
“Now, Mr.
Reed, place your hand around her waist…
yes, lower.
Pull her closer.”
Wilder followed the instruction without hesitation.
His arm slid firmly around my waist, drawing me against him until my back pressed fully against his chest.
The silk of my dress offered almost no barrier between us.
I could feel the solid warmth of his body and the steady rise and fall of his breathing.
My smile stayed in place, but a sharp discomfort settled under my skin.
Too many people were watching.
“Excellent.
Mrs.
Reed, tilt your head slightly to the side.”
I hesitated for only a second before obeying.
“Mr.
Reed,” the photographer continued, voice calm and professional, “lean in and press a soft kiss to the side of her neck.
Keep it gentle.”
Wilder didn’t pause.
He lowered his head, and I felt the light brush of his lips against the sensitive skin just below my ear.
The contact was brief, deliberate, and far too intimate.
Heat rushed up my neck.
I forced my expression to remain composed even as every muscle in my body wanted to stiffen.
The camera clicked several times.
“Perfect.
Hold that.”
Wilder stayed close.
Instead of pulling away, he shifted just enough that his mouth hovered near my ear, still shielded from the camera by the angle of our bodies.
“You’re doing well,” he murmured, so quietly that only I could hear.
His breath warmed the same place his lips had just touched.
“Almost convincing.”
I kept smiling for the lens, though my fingers curled tightly into the fabric of his jacket.
“You’re enjoying this far too much,” I whispered back.
His arm tightened slightly around my waist.
“Perhaps.”
The photographer raised his voice, clearly pleased.
“Don’t move!
That’s the one!”
The camera flashed repeatedly, capturing what looked like an effortless, intimate moment between a powerful businessman and his beautiful wife on the grand marble staircase.
To anyone watching, we appeared completely absorbed in each other.
In reality, my body remained tense with discomfort while Wilder’s arm held me exactly where he wanted me, and the faint warmth of his earlier kiss still lingered on my skin.
I continued smiling.
✼ •• ┈┈┈┈๑⋅⋯ ୨˚୧ ⋯⋅๑┈┈┈┈ •• ✼
Magnus pulled out his phone.
“I don’t care what that man thinks.
Nyxia owes us an explanation, and I need the money she promised me.” This chapter is updated first at g.com.
“And I still haven’t gotten the money for my bag,” Nova added.
“You’ll get it.
As soon as we get through to Nyxia.”
Before the argument could escalate further, a maid approached from inside the property.
“Mr.
Brock.
Miss Winter.”
“Finally,” Magnus said.
“Tell them to open the gate.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.
Madam is currently with Mr.
Reed.”
Nova stepped forward.
“Then take us to her.”
“I cannot.
Mr.
Reed has instructed us not to allow you into the residence.”
Nova’s face flushed.
“That’s ridiculous.
I’m her sister!”
“I’m only following Mr.
Reed’s instructions.”
Magnus clenched his jaw.
“So Wilder gets to decide everything now?”
The maid paused.
“There is one more thing.
Mr.
Reed has instructed me to give you the address of the hotel where he and Madam are currently staying.
Their wedding photoshoot is taking place there.”
Both Magnus and Nova went silent for a moment.
Then Nova’s eyes narrowed.
“A wedding photoshoot?”
The first thought that crossed her mind was not whether Nyxia was well.
It was the money.
If Nyxia was still spending on a wedding, then there had to be plenty of it somewhere.
Magnus seemed to reach the same conclusion.
“Which hotel?”
The maid gave them the name and address.
Magnus entered it into his phone at once.
“We’re going there,” Nova said.
“Obviously.”
She glanced back at the enormous residence behind the gates.
“If Wilder thinks he can hide Nyxia from us forever, he’s wrong.”
Magnus slipped his phone into his pocket.
“He won’t be able to keep her money from us either.”