Oops... I Married the Wrong Billionaire

4

Down in the foyer, Lucas’s head security officer stepped forward, holding a tablet. "Mrs. Ashford, sir requested a verbal confirmation before bringing guests past the—"

"I am not a guest in my son's building," Eleanor said smoothly, not even looking at the guard as she swept past him. "I suggest you update your security protocol before I discuss your contractor firm's retainer with the board."

The chime of the private elevator echoed through the penthouse, sharp and metallic.

When the doors slid open, Eleanor Ashford stepped out, flanked by two high-powered corporate attorneys carrying leather briefcases. Her tailored ivory coat oozed generational wealth, and her expression was forged from cold, polished steel.

Ava sat at the kitchen island, clutching her cold coffee mug, her gray sweatpants feeling suddenly very small under the older woman's sharp, assessing gaze. Eleanor’s eyes dragged over Ava’s faded college t-shirt and bare feet with a look of quiet, aristocratic disgust.

"Lucas," Eleanor called out, her voice echoing in the vast space. "The office."

Lucas set down his glass of water, his expression completely flat, though his jaw tightened by a fraction of a millimeter. He looked at Ava. "Stay here."

"I wasn't planning on giving a tour," Ava muttered, her voice tight.

Lucas turned and followed his mother down the short corridor into his private study. The heavy oak door closed with a firm, solid click, muffling the sudden explosion of noise inside.

"Are you completely out of your mind?" Eleanor’s voice carried through the thick wood, tight with fury. "Do you have any idea what this spectacle is doing to our market valuation? Stock in the Ashford Group dropped four point two percent at opening!"

"I am aware of the ticker, Mother," Lucas’s deadpan voice replied.

"The Sinclairs are threatening to pull out of the northern port acquisition!" Eleanor snapped, pacing the Persian rug inside the study. "Your father is apoplectic! We spent eighteen months structuring this strategic merger between Ashford Group and Sinclair Holdings. Victoria is an heiress with a clean public profile and six percent voting power in the port fund! She was the business partner you needed!"

"This was a strategic contract, not a love match," Lucas said, his tone infuriatingly level. "Victoria understands that as well as I do."

"She understands business!" Eleanor shot back. "What she does not understand—and what I will not tolerate—is watching a multi-billion-dollar corporate merger collapse because my son is legally tied to an associate architect who draws blueprints for a living!"

"The ceremony had an operational system failure," Lucas said coldly. "It was nobody's fault in this building. And under state protocols, the cohabitation mandate is ninety days. Once the forensic investigation concludes, the annulment is finalized, and the original terms resume."

"Ninety days is an eternity in the market, Lucas!" Eleanor’s voice was sharp enough to cut glass. "The Sinclairs will not wait ninety days while you play house with a nobody. If you won't fix this, I will."

The study door swung open sharply.

Eleanor marched back out into the living room, her heels clicking like gunfire against the dark hardwood floors. Lucas emerged right behind her, his dark eyes locked onto his mother with dangerous intensity.

Ava sat up straight as Eleanor stopped on the opposite side of the marble counter. One of the attorneys stepped forward, placing a two-page legal document on the stone alongside a sleek silver pen. Beside it, Eleanor placed a pre-printed cashier’s check.

Ava squinted at the paper. The number of zeroes on the check was absurd.

"What is this?" Ava asked.

"That," Eleanor said, her voice dropping into a smooth, transactional purr, "is a written confession admitting full responsibility for a deliberate fraud scheme at the municipal registry."

Ava’s head whipped up. "A what?"

"You will sign the document, admitting that you tampered with the digital ledger in an attempt to extort the Ashford estate," Eleanor instructed calmly. "In exchange, the Ashford family trust will clear that check immediately. Two million dollars. Tax-free. You will pack your bags, leave the city, and allow my son and Victoria to repair their corporate agreement."

Ava stood frozen, the sheer, brazen audacity of the offer ringing in her ears.

"You want me... to take the fall?" Ava asked, her voice dangerously low. "You want me to ruin my name, destroy my career, and admit to a felony I didn't commit... so your family's stock doesn't drop?"

"My son's position at Ashford Group is tied to public trust," Eleanor said, her dark eyes flashing like ice. "A strategic alliance with Sinclair Holdings secures our board majority. You are an associate architect with no significant assets, Ms. Carter. Your reputation is an acceptable casualty."

"Mother, stop," Lucas said, his voice dropping into a register so dark the air in the room seemed to freeze.

"Be quiet, Lucas," Eleanor commanded smoothly. "I am cleaning up your mess." She turned her sharp gaze back to Ava. "Sign the paper, take the money, and let my son get back to his real life."

Ava stared at the paper. Then she looked down at the two-million-dollar check resting quietly on the black marble.

For a second, the room was entirely silent.

Ava slowly reached out. Her fingers picked up the cashier's check.

Eleanor allowed a small, triumphant smile to touch her lips. "A sensible choice. Two million is far more than you would ever earn drawing—"

Rrrrip.

The sound was sharp and deafening.

Ava tore the check directly down the middle.

Eleanor’s smile vanished instantly.

Rrrrip.

Ava folded the paper halves together and tore them again, into four neat, even quarters. She lifted her hand and let the pieces flutter down onto the marble counter, landing right on top of the legal confession.

"I built my life with my own hands," Ava said, stepping right up to the counter, leaning over it until she was eye-to-eye with Eleanor Ashford. "I didn't steal anything. I didn't bribe anyone. And I am not taking the blame for whatever legal circus your family failed to prevent."

Eleanor’s face went rigid with sheer shock and rage. "You arrogant, ungrateful little girl. I will make sure you never draw a blueprint in this city again. I will sue you into—"

"That is enough, Mother."

Lucas moved from behind the island, stepping directly between Eleanor and Ava. His six-foot-two frame blocked Eleanor’s view completely, placing himself like a solid, impenetrable shield in front of Ava.

"You do not threaten people in my home," Lucas said, his dark eyes locked onto his mother with cold authority. "And you do not talk to my wife like that."

Ava blinked at his back, her chest heaving, stunned by the absolute protection in his voice. My wife.

Eleanor drew back, her jaw tight with outrage. "Lucas! She is a nobody! She is destroying our market valuation!"

"My market valuation is my problem," Lucas said coldly. He gestured sharply toward the private elevator. "Take your attorneys, take your confession, and get off my floor."

Eleanor stared at her son, realizing in an instant that he was entirely serious. She snapped her coat closed, her face pale with fury. "This isn't over, Lucas. Your father will be calling you by noon."

Without another word, Eleanor turned on her heel and marched into the waiting elevator, her attorneys scurrying in right behind her.

The heavy doors glided shut, sealing the penthouse in absolute silence.

Ava stood behind Lucas, her hands still shaking slightly, staring at the torn pieces of the two-million-dollar check scattered across the marble.

"You didn't have to tear the check," Lucas said, his voice returning to its usual, level deadpan as he turned around to face her. "It was drawn from an unverified trust account. It would have bounced anyway."

Ava stared at him, her mouth dropping open in sheer, disbelief-fueled outrage. "Are you serious? I just had a cinematic movie moment, and you're giving me a banking audit?"

"I am stating a financial fact," Lucas replied smoothly, stepping past her to pick up his coffee mug.

Ava closed her eyes, letting out a long, exhausted sigh. "I suddenly understand why people choose prison."