The Bought Wife

The Fiancée

Silence.

Absolute silence.

The kind of silence that made people uncomfortable.

The kind that came before disaster.

Vesper stared at the woman.

The woman stared right back.

Neither looked away.

Finally, Cassian broke the silence.

"Oh."

A pause.

Then—

"Oh, this is bad."

Nobody disagreed.

The elegant woman stepped into the dining room.

Her heels clicked softly against the marble floor.

Every movement screamed confidence.

Wealth.

Power.

She looked like she belonged in Zephyr's world.

Unlike Vesper.

The realization irritated her immediately.

The woman stopped beside the table.

Her gaze swept over Vesper.

Slowly.

Judgmentally.

Then settled on the hand Zephyr had been holding moments ago.

Her expression hardened.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

"You're quiet, Zephyr."

The woman smiled.

Coldly.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Zephyr stood.

Every trace of warmth vanished from his face.

The smile he'd worn around Vesper disappeared instantly.

Replaced by the ruthless CEO everyone feared.

"This isn't a good time, Selene."

Selene.

The name suited her.

Beautiful.

Sharp.

Dangerous.

Selene laughed softly.

"No."

Her eyes flicked toward Vesper.

"I'd say this is the perfect time."

Vesper suddenly felt exhausted.

She had survived being sold into marriage.

Gunshots.

Family secrets.

And now, apparently, she was dealing with Zephyr's ex.

Because that's exactly what this woman was now.

An ex.

Cassian rubbed his face.

"I need a drink."

"No one asked you," Selene replied.

"I wasn't asking permission."

The two immediately glared at each other.

Interesting.

Apparently, Selene wasn't exactly beloved in this family.

Vesper stored that information away for future use.

Then Selene turned her attention back to her.

The smile returned.

Fake.

Painfully fake.

"You must be Vesper."

"I am."

"Interesting."

Vesper nearly rolled her eyes.

Everyone kept calling her interesting.

Nobody ever explained why.

"What exactly is interesting about me?"

The question clearly caught Selene off guard.

Good.

Vesper was getting tired of being the only surprised person in every conversation.

The woman recovered quickly.

"You're not what I expected."

Vesper smiled sweetly.

"Neither are you."

Cassian nearly choked on his water.

Zephyr looked suspiciously amused.

Selene looked less amused.

Much less.

Good.

For some reason, that pleased Vesper.

Then Selene folded her arms.

"So how long has this been going on?"

Vesper blinked.

"What?"

"You and Zephyr."

The room froze instantly.

Vesper glanced at Zephyr.

Then back at Selene.

And smiled.

"Does it matter?"

Several eyebrows shot up.

Including Cassian's.

Selene's eyes narrowed.

Vesper calmly picked up her glass.

"We are married, after all."

The words landed exactly the way she intended.

Like a challenge.

Like a reminder.

Like a declaration.

The room went silent.

Again.

She could practically feel the eyes on her.

Especially one pair.

A certain CEO looked entirely too pleased by her answer.

Vesper refused to look at him.

Mostly because her heart was already embarrassing her enough.

Then Zephyr spoke.

"Enough."

The single word carried enough authority to silence the room.

Even Selene.

For a moment.

Then she smiled again.

"You're protecting her."

His eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I said enough."

The warning was obvious.

Selene ignored it.

Bold woman.

Possibly foolish.

But definitely bold.

"Do you know what hurts the most?"

Nobody answered.

Apparently she didn't require one.

"I wasn't informed."

Her gaze remained fixed on Zephyr.

"Three years."

The room became quiet again.

"Three years I stood beside you."

Something flashed across Zephyr's face.

Regret.

Brief.

Gone instantly.

But Vesper saw it.

"So imagine my surprise," Selene continued, "when I discover you've married a complete stranger."

The words hit harder than expected.

A stranger.

That was what Vesper was.

To everyone.

Except apparently Zephyr.

Who had spent seven years searching for her.

The thought sent an annoying flutter through her chest.

Then Selene laughed softly.

A sad laugh.

A broken laugh.

And suddenly Vesper understood something.

This woman was genuinely hurt.

Whatever relationship she and Zephyr had shared—

It had mattered.

At least to her.

For the first time, Vesper almost felt sorry for her.

Almost.

Then Zephyr shattered that feeling completely.

"You're mistaken."

Selene frowned.

"What?"

"I never asked you to marry me."

The room froze.

Again.

Cassian's eyes widened.

Vesper nearly dropped her glass.

Selene looked stunned.

Actually stunned.

"You what?"

Zephyr's expression remained cold.

Controlled.

Unmoved.

"I never proposed."

The silence became deafening.

Selene stared at him.

Disbelief slowly turning into anger.

"You let everyone think—"

"I corrected it repeatedly."

"You embarrassed me."

"No."

His voice sharpened.

"You embarrassed yourself."

Ouch.

Even Vesper felt that one.

Selene clearly did too.

Her face lost color.

Then anger returned.

Much stronger than before.

"You chose her over me?"

The question hung heavily in the air.

Now everyone was looking at Zephyr.

Waiting.

Watching.

Including Vesper.

Especially Vesper.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then Zephyr did something unexpected.

He walked around the table.

Straight toward Vesper.

Every heartbeat in her body seemed to stop.

The room disappeared.

The only thing she could see was him.

The only thing she could hear was her pulse.

Slowly, deliberately, he stopped beside her chair.

His gaze never left Selene.

But his hand settled lightly on Vesper's shoulder.

Possessive.

Protective.

Certain.

Then he answered.

"Yes."

The single word landed like a bomb.

Selene's face crumbled.

Cassian looked away.

Vesper forgot how to breathe.

Because Zephyr wasn't done.

His hand tightened slightly.

And his next words nearly stopped her heart.

"I'd choose her every single time."

Silence.

Then Selene laughed.

A broken laugh.

A dangerous laugh.

The kind that warned trouble was coming.

She looked directly at Vesper.

And smiled.

This time there was nothing polite about it.

Nothing friendly.

Nothing human.

Just pure warning.

Then she said quietly—

"Be careful, Vesper."

The room went cold.

"Because every woman who gets close to Zephyr Draven ends up losing something."

And with that, she turned and walked away.

Leaving behind a silence that felt far more terrifying than any gunshot.