The Billionaire's Revenge Bride

CHAPTER ONE Lily's pov "Tobias!" I called out, a smile touching my lips. "Happy anniver…" The front door heavy-thudded opened. Footsteps echoed not one pair, but two. The words died in my throat. Tobias walked in, looking every bit the powerful CEO in his charcoal suit, but he wasn't alone. Clinging to his arm, wearing a dress that was far too tight and far too short, was Nora Whitmore. My stepsister. "Lily," Tobias said, his voice as casual as if he were discussing a board meeting. "I’m glad you’re dressed up. It saves time. We have things to discuss." I smoothed the silk of my emerald dress, my heart racing as I checked the time. 7:00 PM. Five years. Today marked five years since I had walked down the aisle and traded my soaring legal career for the title of Mrs. Tobias Prescott. I had been the "Lioness of the Courtroom," but for him, I had become a ghost, managing his scandals from the shadows while raising our daughter, Ava. My gaze dropped to Nora’s hand, the way her manicured nails dug into Tobias’s sleeve. "Nora? What are you doing here? It’s our anniversary." Nora didn't look guilty. She looked triumphant. She stepped forward, her heels clicking like a countdown on the marble floor. "Oh, Lily. Don't be so dramatic. Tobias and I have been celebrating all afternoon." The world tilted. I felt a roar in her ears, the kind I used to feel right before I dismantled a witness on the stand. "Tobias, explain this. Now." Tobias pulled out a chair and sat down, gesturing for Nora to do the same. "It’s simple, Lily. I’m a man of expansion. My empire is growing, and I need a woman who understands that ambition, not someone who spends her days in a nursery. Nora is... more aligned with my current needs." "You’re cheating on me," I whispered, the betrayal cutting deeper than any blade. "On our anniversary? In our home?" "I prefer the term 'restructuring,'" Tobias said coldly. "I’m not divorcing you. The Prescott brand can’t handle a scandal right now. Instead, we’re moving to an open arrangement. Nora is moving into the West Wing tonight." "Over my dead body," I hissed. Tobias leaned forward, his eyes turning predatory. "Careful, Lily. I made you. I paid for the connections that won you that murder case six years ago. I own your reputation. If you fight me, I’ll ensure you’re disbarred by morning. And Ava? I’ll have her in a boarding school in Switzerland before you can even file a motion. You stay. You play the happy wife in public. And you let Nora stay in private. Do we have an agreement?" I looked at my husband, the man I had sacrificed everything for and saw a stranger. Then I looked at Nora, who was smirking, already reaching for the glass of wine I had poured for myself. "I see," I said, my voice suddenly, terrifyingly calm. I didn't scream. I didn't cry. I turned on my heel and walked toward Tobias’s private study. "Where are you going?" Tobias called out. "We aren't finished!" "I’m just going to get a drink," I lied, my mind already spinning with a cold, calculated fury. Inside the study, I didn't head for the bar. I headed for the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf. I knew the secret. I'd handled Tobias’s legal papers for years. I pressed a hidden latch, and a small, leather-bound black diary fell into my hands. I flipped to the back. There, circled in red ink so deep it looked like dried blood, were the initials: L.K. Beside it, a private number was scrawled. Tobias’s greatest fear. The man who had almost dismantled Prescott Media three times in the last decade. With trembling fingers, I pulled out my phone and typed a message to the number. “My husband wants an open marriage. I want his empire. Do we have a deal?” I stared at the screen, my heart hammering against my ribs. Seconds passed. Then, my phone vibrated in my palm. A single message appeared from the unknown number: “I’ve been waiting six years for you to get tired of him, Lily Harrington. Meet me at De Knight Hotel in twenty minutes. Don’t wear an emerald dress. I prefer black.” I gasped, dropping the phone. He knew what I was wearing? He was watching the house? I looked toward the window, seeing nothing but the dark Malibu coastline, realizing I hadn't just reached out to a businessman. I had just opened the door to a monster.