The Billionaire’s Fake Wife

CHAPTER 9

Cole was finally enjoying a rare day off, absorbed in his video game, the world outside reduced to flickering colors and sound effects. The moment Maddy burst in, the atmosphere shifted.

Her questions came fast—too fast. About Elena. About referrals. About what she meant. About what she knew.

He barely had time to respond before the argument spiraled.

Within minutes, restraint gave way entirely.

A glass object shattered against the floor. A vas hit the wall. Cole’s controller flew across the room. Maddy’s handbag was flung in retaliation.

The household staff froze in place, unsure whether to intervene.

Moments later, the butlers appeared at the doorway, hesitating at the sight of the chaos unfolding inside.

What had begun as a conversation had already turned into a full-blown confrontation—one neither of them seemed willing to back down from.

“What on earth are you two doing? Have you both lost your minds?” Mabel’s voice cut sharply through the chaos as she stormed into the room.

With a swift motion, she dismissed the startled servants and pulled Maddy away from the confrontation, her concern immediate and instinctive. Her daughter was still physically fragile after childbirth, and the sight of her in such an agitated state sent a jolt of alarm through her.

Cole’s face had already drained of color. Without another word, he grabbed his blazer and headed for the exit.

“Cole!” Maddy called after him, attempting to follow, but Mabel held her back firmly.

“What on God’s green earth is going on here?” Mabel demanded Mabel again, her frustration rising as the front door slammed shut behind him.

The sound echoed through the house.

Maddy broke down almost instantly, collapsing into her mother’s arms.

“I want a divorce,” she sobbed. “I want a divorce right now.”

Mabel froze.

For a moment, she could not comprehend how a single phone call with Elena had spiraled into this level of destruction.

Only after she managed to calm Maddy enough to extract the full story did the situation become clear.

Maddy had confronted Cole, pressing him relentlessly about Elena. Eventually, under pressure, he admitted the truth—those valuable clients had indeed come through Elena’s connections.

Elena was undeniably formidable. Her influence in business circles was undeniable. Cole, aware of her reach and reputation, had no desire to create conflict with her. But Maddy’s suspicions and accusations had pushed him too far. In frustration, he lashed out, openly acknowledging Elena’s capabilities and even remarking—carelessly, and perhaps truthfully—that Marcus was fortunate to have a wife as competent as her.

That single comment shattered Maddy’s composure.

In a fit of rage, she destroyed his gaming console and every piece of equipment she could reach.

“Why do you always make things so difficult?” Mabel muttered, rubbing her daughter’s back as she tried to soothe her. Her voice carried both exhaustion and restrained anger. “There was no need to pick a fight with Cole over Elena. A man has his pride.”

But even as she spoke, her own irritation simmered beneath the surface.

That Elena.

It was already bad enough that she had become entangled with the Hale family, but now she was disrupting marriages and stirring conflict as well. She was beginning to feel less like a daughter-in-law and more like a curse they could not easily shake.

“She’s bewitched him,” Maddy choked out suddenly, lifting her tear-streaked face. “They must be having an affair. I won’t accept this—I’m going to confront Marcus myself.”

Anger surged through her again as she tried to stand.

But the sudden rush of emotion overwhelmed her.

Her vision darkened.

And she collapsed back onto the floor.

“Maddy!”

That evening, Marcus had just finished dinner with Sophie when his mother’s call came through, ordering him to go to Maddy’s residence immediately.

He frowned at the tone. Sophie immediately noticed the shift in his expression.

“Darling, what is it?” she asked quietly.

“I’m not sure,” Marcus replied, already standing. “It sounds like Maddy fainted. Mother was unusually urgent.”

Mabel rarely sounded alarmed without reason.

Concerned, Marcus ended their short vacation early. With only one day left, they left Atlanta for Silverton City without delay. The journey was brief, but the tension in the car lingered heavily between them.

On arrival, he dropped Sophie and Liam at the Hale villa before heading straight to Maddy’s home.

The moment he stepped inside, he was met with the sound of muffled sobs.

“Mom… Maddy—what happened?” he asked sharply, striding into the room.

His expression tightened with concern when he saw Maddy resting on the bed, pale but conscious.

The family doctor had only just finished examining her. He adjusted his glasses and calmly explained that her fainting spell was caused by moderate anemia, aggravated by emotional stress. He prescribed tonics and dietary supplements before excusing himself.

Once the servants had withdrawn and the doors were shut, Mabel began recounting the day’s events.

But her version was carefully shaped—every detail sharpened, every motive reframed—until Elena appeared not as a neutral party, but as the clear instigator of deliberate humiliation and emotional sabotage.

“That barren woman is doing this on purpose,” Mabel said coldly. “Letting her marry into this family was an act of goodwill. Yet she shows no gratitude. Instead, she dares to act superior in front of me and Maddy.”

Her voice tightened with rising resentment.

“This marriage has always been a mistake,” she continued. “But a woman who manufactures chaos like this… I’ve never seen anything comparable. This has forced me to rethink everything.”

Marcus listened in silence, visibly unsettled.

“Mom,” he said finally, “there must be some misunderstanding. I know Elena. She wouldn’t behave like that.”

Mabel let out a sharp, disbelieving laugh.

“You know her?” she repeated. “What exactly do you know? Has she somehow blinded you too?”

Before Marcus could respond, Maddy lifted her head abruptly.

“People wear masks,” she snapped, her voice still shaky but edged with anger. “You only see what she allows you to see. Underneath that sweet act, she’s cruel. Manipulative.”

“Enough,” Marcus said more gently, stepping closer. “Maddy, calm down. Elena has always treated you with respect. If something happened today, it may have been a misunderstanding or a moment of pressure.”

Despite everything he had just heard, Marcus found himself instinctively defending Elena.

In his mind, it was impossible to reconcile the image they were describing with the woman he knew. Elena did not have a cruel bone in her body—not toward his mother, and certainly not toward Maddy. If anything, she had always been the most restrained presence in the family. For his sake, she had swallowed humiliation repeatedly, she had endured the Hale family’s harshest and most unreasonable demands without ever talking back. In the end, she was always the one who suffered in silence.

“I can’t believe I still have to be lectured by my own daughter-in-law,” Mabel cried out, her voice rising with theatrical frustration. “I’ve completely lost face. Who does she think she is? If you hadn’t insisted on marrying her, would a barren woman like that ever have been worthy of this family?”

When Marcus did not immediately respond, her outrage escalated. She turned sharply and began striking her chest in exaggerated distress, as though grief itself had overwhelmed her.

Exhausted by the spectacle, Marcus finally yielded.

He assured her, in a measured tone, that he would personally discipline Elena personally and bring her to apologize to the family.

Only then did Mabel settle—slightly.

Leaving Maddy’s house, Marcus wasted no time. He called Elena the moment he stepped outside.

She did not pick up immediately.

When she finally answered, his voice carried a trace of impatience.

“Are you home yet?”

Are you home yet?”

“No,” Elena replied evenly. “I’m still with a client. What is it?”

In reality, she was seated at a private table within an exclusive restaurant at Reginald’s estate. A maid stood beside her, meticulously slicing a perfectly cooked steak while she remained on the call without moving from her seat. At a subtle glance from Reginald, the staff withdrew discreetly, leaving her uninterrupted.

“Mother and Maddy called you today,” Marcus said. “You didn’t show up.”

A faint, almost imperceptible curve touched Elena’s lips.

“That’s right,” she said calmly.

“Elena,” Marcus continued, his tone softening but carrying unmistakable authority, “Mother is an elder. Even if her temperament is difficult, you should be more accommodating. And Maddy is in confinement—her emotions are unstable. You shouldn’t take things so personally.”

He spoke as though delivering guidance, not seeking clarification.

At the mansion’s center of chaos, he had already accepted a version of events without asking for hers.

“I understand there’s tension in the family,” he added. “But we need to handle this properly. Here’s what we’re going to do—”