Chosen by the billionaire

chapter 9

,,But.." She stuttered.

"There are no buts, you're mine, period." He said, moving his face closer to hers.

"This wasn't in the contract..." She whispered, looking straight into his eyes.

"Did you even read this?" He said, bringing his lips closer and closer to hers.

The fact was that she had not read anything. From what Ivy had told her, she was only supposed to be a wife on paper. The thought of this made Adeline very nervous.

When their lips were almost touching, Theo pulled away and cleared his throat.

,,Anyway, here are the papers about your assumed identity. Only a few people in my immediate family know about your true past and status. Don't let the rest find out."

"So you're ashamed of your wife's origin, huh?" She took a step away from him, looking offended.

"It's not that, Adeline, it's just..."

"Just what?" She looked at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"My family is simply one of the most influential in the entire country, I am one of the biggest CEOs in the city, if others found out, our surname would be..."

"What, that your surname would be disgraced by someone like me?!" She looked at him with eyes full of reproach.

"If you wanted a girl with status, you could have chosen one, so why..."

"Adeline, calm down. Follow my instructions and everything will be fine." He said, slightly irritated, looking at his watch.

,,Read these papers because we don't have much time left."

,,All right." She said angrily and turned around with a bang.

,,Go ahead, stomp your foot too.” He said ironically, watching his fiancée walk away.

A half smile appeared on his face.

He didn't mind her background or status, but his family was different. As a premature CEO, he was still dependent on senior board members, so he did not have full scope to show his abilities.But he promised himself that one day he would defy them all.

Because of them, he was looking for a wife. Now that he thought about it, it was a good thing for him, because he met Adeline.

Meanwhile, she locked herself in the bathroom trying not to cry. How can she possibly conceal her identity? She knows nothing about the lives of high society people, except that they have a lot of money.

She also knows that they all think they're better than other people. They think that if they have money, they're somebody. They treat people in her class like trash.

Unfortunately, Adeline felt the consequences of lack of money very keenly. While the elite were buying the tenth villa, she could not even afford a room and slept in the park. She believed life was unfair. People were the same.

She knew there were a handful of good people, despite wealth and class. They donated to collections, bought food for the homeless, and made Christmas parcels for children in orphanages. Ada received such a package three times in her life. She got her last one when she was 14. A woman then gave her a silver necklace with diamond fragments. Many people have already tried to steal it from her. Luckily, she managed to keep it and kept it buried deep in her suitcase.

Apart from that, the only piece of jewelry she had so far was a bracelet. From what the caregivers at the orphanage told her, when they was found her after being abandoned by her parents, She had an envelope with her. Inside was written her name, date of birth, and a hand-braided turquoise bracelet. Her caregivers gave it to her when she turned 5. Knowing it was from her parents, she was very happy and wore it every day until now. She hoped to meet them someday, even though they left her as a newborn.

,,My future husband doesn't like his fiancée's background. And yet he chose me, poof." Adeline spoke to herself, smiling ironically at the mirror. She was very disappointed with what she heard. She thought that since he chose her from among so many girls, he did it consciously and knew what it entailed. Meanwhile, she was told to pretend to be someone she wasn't.

After reading the note, she burst into empty laughter. At least she didn't have to change her name and surname. She was supposed to come from the other end of the country as an heir to her parents who had tragically died. Her aunt was anxiously looking for a husband to take care of her. Her passions are playing the piano and French.

And here she stopped for a moment to think.

She attended piano lessons in an orphanage for several years. She learned French as a hobby, on her own.

She dreamed of visiting France someday.

It couldn't have been a coincidence that Theodore wrote that down.

She continued reading the papers. She didn't pursue further studies; she was being prepared for marriage. Her brother was supposed to inherit her parents' company, but he died in an accident with their parents. Miss Adeline is still distraught about this, so she is lost in thought.

She thought it was a pretty good excuse for her behavior. She knew she would definitely look confused. She's never even been to a banquet.

She read the papers to the end, memorizing some things. But Theo's words were still on her mind. He is ashamed of her origins.

She noticed that it was already 9:45 p.m. so she slowly left her room. Walking along the corridor, she looked for room number 218, where the banquet was to be held.

The villa was so large that she couldn't find her way around freely. She felt more cozy in one room.

,,Adeline." Suddenly her fiancé appeared behind her.

"Shall we go?" He extended his arm towards her.

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm.

"Are you so mad at me?" He laughed quietly.

Adeline said nothing. After several attempts to make contact, Theodore gave up.

,,This is the banquet hall, my future wife." He put one arm around her waist and pointed with the other toward the open door.

Adeline looked around, her mouth slightly open in surprise. The room was much larger than she imagined. Beautifully decorated, atmospheric candles lit. The place looked charming. Her expression relaxed for a moment, but when she realized Theodore was staring at her, she quickly returned to her previous expression.

,,Stop looking at me like that." She said, looking away.

"Can't I look at my beautiful fiancée?" He said, bringing his face closer.

Ada's heart involuntarily beat faster.

,,Good joke." She replied after a moment of composure and pushed his face away.

Mr. Prescott laughed at this and stroked her back with his hand.

They entered the hall, which was half full.

Many people approached them and congratulated them on their engagement.

Each of them Adeline had never seen before.

Everyone was elegantly dressed, cultured, with artificial smiles on their faces. The other women congratulated her and looked her up and down with a look that could kill.

Some just watched from a distance, exchanging confused glances.

It was 9:58 p.m., the banquet was about to begin. Theodore was preparing for his welcoming speech.

Finally, Mr. Prescott took Mrs. Evans's hand and they walked together toward the microphone stand.

,,I warmly welcome everyone gathered here." He started talking and most people started clapping.

,,We are all gathered here today, as some of you already know, to officially introduce my fiancée, Adeline Evans!

Theodore pointed to the woman next to him, then put his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek.

Her heart nearly leapt at the gesture, and even though she had an inward urge to push him away, her body remained still.She felt her face heat up, especially at the place of the kiss .

Looking towards him, however, she noticed that he was behaving quite naturally.

,,Honey, say something." He whispered in her ear, rubbing his lips against her neck.