The Billionaire's Substitute Wife

Chapter 4 — The Man From Last Night

Trevor's POV

“Oh my God,” she said, her voice unsteady.

It was her. The girl from last night.

She stared at me like she had seen a ghost. For a second, neither of us moved. Then her expression shifted.Her eyes flicked past me toward the dining hall, then back at me, like she was thinking fast.

Then she walked off.

I straightened slowly.

Of all the things I expected tonight, this was not one of them.

“Have your seat, Trevor. Food is getting cold,” my father said.

I sat down, but my mind was not there.

I was not even supposed to stay. I only came to drop off some documents before heading back out. I had no interest in whatever dinner this was.

I had paid very little attention when my father brought Justin's marriage. His life was his business and it had never been my concern.

Until now.

I glanced around the table. Everything was set up like a celebration. The smell of warm food and sweet wine filled the air. Mr McKay sat stiffly across from me. Madeline looked pleased, like everything was going exactly how she wanted.

Justin sat in silence, his grip on the fork tight enough to pale his knuckles.

"How is grandfather?" my father asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"He got discharged today, he should be back home tomorrow." I said.

“Great, just in time for the wedding.” Madeline said excitedly.

I chuckled. “Yes,”

She nodded. Then finally spoke,

“I think the wedding should be held the day after tomorrow,” Madeline said, cutting in. “Preparations have already started. All Khloe has to do is show up.”

The words hit me. It was ridiculous but something in me just couldn’t stand it

I haven't been able to stop thinking about last night . I’d had more women than I could count, but this felt different.

It was one night. It should have meant nothing. Somehow, it didn’t.

Mr Mckay cleared his throat before speaking. “Yes… of course that's fine by me,” he let out a dry laugh.

“That's good, I'm looking forward to marrying your daughter sir,” Justin finally spoke.

His jaw tightened slightly.

I knew that look. Justin did not want this marriage, but unlike me, he had always been better at doing what was expected of him.

“Why the rush?” I asked.

All eyes turned to me.

Justin finally looked up from his plate.

“Not every situation needs your commentary, Trevor.”

His tone was even, but I caught the irritation underneath it.

I smirked. Then father spoke, “There's no rush,”

“The sooner he gets married,” he continued, “the sooner the public sees him as responsible.”

“And it benefits both families,” he said. “What matters is that Khloe McKay will be Justin’s wife.”

I let out a quiet breath, the corner of my lips lifting slightly.

So that was it. Marriage as damage control

I swallowed, forcing my expression to remain neutral.

Just then my phone rang, I stepped out into the hallway and answered.

“Yeah,” I said, my voice firm. “Talk to me.”

“The Tokyo office needs you here,” Nakamura, my Tokyo branch office manager said.

“I'll be there,” I said, turning to leave.

Then suddenly,

"Ah—!" Khloe said as she stumbled back.

I caught my balance and looked at her.

“Watch where you're going,” she said before looking up.

"What the hell are you doing!? She snapped

I stared at her for a second. Then I smiled slowly.

"We really have to stop meeting like this."

Her eyes narrowed. "This is not funny."

I studied her for a moment.

“Then why are you still here talking to me?”

“Shut up,” she said

I froze, no one speaks to me this way.

She glanced toward the dining hall and then back at me. "You weren't supposed to be at this dinner."

"And yet."

She exhaled sharply. "You're enjoying this."

"I'm observing," I said. "There's a difference."

"You can't say anything," she said. "About last night…"

"You already made your terms clear this morning," I said. "The money on the table was a very thorough goodbye." I smirked.

“Good. You don't get to talk about last night” she said firmly.

I stared at her trying to figure her out.

I let out a quiet laugh. “Do you know who I am?”

She tilted her head,”I've heard of you,” she said. “But truthfully, I'm not impressed,”

I chuckled, “Not impressed? “Last night tells a different story.” I smirked.

She frowned, “keep it down,” she whispered.

“Or what?”

“You're an asshole,” she said

She turned to walk away but I stopped her

“My family doesn't care about how well your company was doing,”

Her expression hardened. She seemed surprised that I knew her plan.

“I saw the papers earlier,” I said, moving closer.

“So? Mind your business,” she said and walked back to the dining hall

Something caught my attention.

It wasn’t just what she said. It was how she said it.

Like she didn’t care who I was. People usually adjust around me. She didn’t.

I exhaled slowly and walked back.

As soon as she got into the hall, Madeline didn’t waste time.

“The wedding will be the day after tomorrow,” she said.

“What!?” Khloe said.

“There is no reason to delay,” Madeline continued

Khloe swallowed. “I… I thought we would at least have time to plan properly,” she said carefully.

Madeline tilted her head slightly.

“What is there to plan?” she asked. “You are marrying into a family, not hosting an event.”

Khloe hesitated. “I just thought we would have time to make it official properly…”

“It is already official,” Madeline cut in. “The ceremony is all that remains.”

“But.. I wanted to show you something, some documents that could…” Khloe trailed off.

Suddenly, Justin placed his fork down. The sound was soft, but it cut through the silence like a warning.

“You’re making this harder than necessary,” Justin said.

The room went still.

Khloe’s head snapped toward him, clearly not expecting him to speak like that.

He leaned back in his chair.

“What’s there to plan?” he continued flatly. “Do you think this is some kind of love story where your opinion actually changes anything?”

His gaze moved across the table.

“Both families benefit from this arrangement. That’s all there is to it. So let’s stop pretending there’s anything deeper and just get it done with.”

Tension filled the room instantly.

Khloe looked stunned, like the words had knocked the air out of her. Her father avoided her eyes. No one moved.

I let out a low laugh. “Finally Justin is showing us the real him.”

Mr McKay broke the awkwardness,

“She’s just nervous,” he said quickly. “Please excuse her. The wedding will proceed as agreed.”

Khloe turned sharply.

“Dad…”

“Khloe,” he interrupted. “This is not the time. Do as you're told.”

Her expression shifted.

Her reaction bothered me more than it should have. I couldn’t explain why she still held my attention but I pushed the thought away.

It wasn’t my business. None of this was.

I picked up my briefcase. “I have to leave,” I said.

My father looked up. “Where are you going?”

“Japan. I need to close something.”

His eyes held mine for a second, then he nodded.

I glanced at everyone on the table before looking at her

“Congratulations,” I muttered.

Khloe’s head snapped slightly in my direction. The look she gave me could have burned through steel.

I smirked and walked out.

I should have forgotten about her the moment I got on that flight.

I didn’t.

Even in Tokyo, between meetings and contracts, Khloe kept crossing my mind.

It was irritating.

By the time I closed the deal and flew home, it was already the night before the wedding.

Grandfather had been discharged, so I came straight back.

The moment I stepped in, someone called my name

“Trevor.”

I turned immediately. It was Grandfather.

I felt relieved. I crossed the room and pulled him into a tight embrace.

“You’re back,” I said.

“I told you I would be,” he replied calmly.

I pulled back slightly, looking at him. He still looked tired

Footsteps echoed from the stairs.

Madeline came down first. My father followed. Justin came last, already dressed.

Grandfather clapped his hands lightly.

“Good. You’re just in time for the wedding,” he said. “Come on, let’s get going.”

I let out a slow breath. “I'm really tired from the trip…” before I could finish, the doors opened suddenly.

It was Stacy, Justin’s ex-girlfriend. The girl Madeline never liked.

“What are you…” Madeline started to speak but she cut in immediately

“I’m pregnant,” she said, putting a paper on the table, her eyes locked onto Justin

Justin froze.

“What did you just say?” Madeline asked slowly, breaking the silence

Stacy didn’t blink.

“I said I’m pregnant,” she repeated. “for Justin!”