Chased By My Billionaire Ex-husband

Author’s POV

Claire arrived at the entertainment building with Sissy, her heart pounding with a mix of excitement and unease. She still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that she had been selected. What shocked her even more was how quickly everything was moving. It had barely been a week since her audition, and here she was, about to sign a contract with one of the most anticipated projects in the industry.

Everything felt rushed! It was almost too good to be true. Claire couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, but her life had been full of ups and downs lately. Between juggling her professional life and her personal life, she barely had the energy to question anything. Besides, Sissy had been her rock through it all, and Claire trusted her with all her heart.

"Sissy, where did you get this car?" Claire asked suddenly, narrowing her eyes as she glanced around the sleek interior. It was the same luxury car Sissy had used to pick her up at the café that morning.

"Ah! This one..." Sissy hesitated for a brief moment before shrugging nonchalantly. "My foolish brother got me this!" She waved a hand dismissively, as though it were no big deal.

Claire wasn’t convinced by her reason. "Your brother?" she repeated as she raised an eyebrow. "Are you secretly rich or something? Seriously, tell me. I mean, I donated almost everything I had to orphanages, keeping just enough to survive. But look at us! We have got a decent apartment, and now you are hunting for an even better one. How are we living such a good life when we are supposedly broke?" She crossed her arms, her tone playful but tinged with curiosity.

Sissy avoided her gaze, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "Never mind all that!" she said quickly, brushing off the question. "I am not discussing this with you right now."

Claire rolled her eyes but decided to let it go for now. She knew Sissy had her secrets, and for some reason, she felt it wasn’t the right time to press her.

Sissy pulled up in front of the towering entertainment building. "Alright, we’re here," she announced, putting the car in park. "You go ahead and head inside. I’ll catch up with you in a bit."

Claire frowned, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Are you sure? Why aren’t you coming in with me?"

Sissy gave her a reassuring smile. "Don’t worry about it. I just need to make a quick call. If you can, try to stay close to Mr. Strome. He is the one handling your contract, right? Trust me, you will be fine." She said and drove away, leaving Claire confused.

"What was that?" Claire murmured, her voice tinged with confusion. She stood in the expansive lobby, her eyes darting around, thinking where to go. "Why would Mr. Strome look after my contract? He is such a big star! This doesn’t make any sense."

"Oh my, sister-in-law! You are here!"

Claire froze, her breath hitched as she turned around. Damian’s familiar figure strolled toward her, exuding his usual effortless confidence. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Wh... What!?" Claire stammered, her eyes widening in shock. "What did you just call me?" Her face turned crimson, the heat of embarrassment spreading to her ears.

Damian grinned with his playful smile on her face. "Sister-in-law, of course," he said casually, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Wh... Why would you call me that?" Claire looked stunned as she tried to keep her composure.

Damian chuckled, his tone teasing but warm. "You see," he began, stepping a little closer, "you were the first lady I didn’t wish to flirt with. Strange, right? I couldn’t quite figure it out. I always felt this... respect for you, for some weird reason. And now I know why."

Claire blinked, her heart pounding as she tried to process his words. "Why?"

"Because you are my friend’s runaway wife!" He said with a laugh, his tone light but laced with amusement.

Her jaw dropped as she stared at him. She was utterly speechless. "What on earth are you talking about? And who is your friend’s wife?"

Damian shrugged nonchalantly, as though he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell. "Well, let’s just say he had shared a lot of things about his missing better half while being drunk all the time," he said, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

Claire’s mind raced, her thoughts a chaotic swirl of panic and confusion. How much does he know? And why is he bringing this up now?

Before she could respond, Damian tilted his head, his playful demeanor softening slightly. "Don’t worry," he added, his voice gentler now. "Your secret’s safe with me; after all, you are my brother’s wife! I will treat you very well!"

"Mr. Strome," Claire said, her voice trembling slightly. "I don’t know what you think you know, but you are wrong. I don’t belong to anyone."

Damian raised an eyebrow, his expression shifting from playful to slightly curious. He stepped back, gesturing toward the hallway with a casual wave. "Fair enough. But if you ever need directions in this maze of a building or someone to help you out... I am your guy," he said as his tone was light but oddly reassuring, and he walked away gesturing Claire to follow him.

Claire watched him leave her heart racing violently. She wasn’t used to this kind of attention. No one had ever addressed her so casually yet so directly before. Her mind flickered to Evander, who had always kept her at arm’s length in the past for whatever reason he had.

And yet, here was Damian, calling her "sister-in-law" and acting as though it were the most natural thing in the world. What an irony! Now that she had ended things with Evander, cutting ties with the man who had barely acknowledged her existence—people suddenly seemed willing to embrace her as his wife.

Claire’s thoughts were interrupted by Damian’s voice calling out again. "Sister-in-law? Are you not coming?"

She snapped out of her daze, realizing Damian had gone a little farther down the hallway but had stopped to glance back at her. When she didn’t respond immediately, he walked back toward her, his playful demeanor softening.

"Well..." he began, rubbing the back of his neck, "forgive me for my eagerness. You see, I have always wanted to meet you. But that day, when Evander finally slipped the secret and mentioned you..." He trailed off, his gaze steady and sincere. "I couldn’t wait. So I pulled a few strings and asked the management team to look over your contract."

This time, Damian’s expression was serious, devoid of his earlier teasing. Claire’s breath hitched as she took in his words.

"You... you did that?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course," Damian replied, his tone unwavering. "I wanted to see for myself who the woman was that Evander kept hidden away all this time. And now that I have met you..." He paused, his lips curving into a faint smile. "I can see why he was so protective, even if he you were gone."

===

Sorry for a late update, I was little unwell! I hope you all are doing well!