The Billionaire's Rental Wife Is A Hot Shot

Everyone stood up from their seats and stared in shock at the certificate in Damien’s hand. The atmosphere in the room tensed, and Damien’s audacity left everyone stunned.

Jonathan was the first to react, his face flushing with anger as he strode over to Damien and snatched the certificate from his hand. His eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the doctored photo and read the names printed boldly: Damien Velanti and Natalie Reign.

"What is this?" Jonathan’s voice thundered through the room. He furiously stared at Damien, his demeanor frustrating him further.

"It’s exactly what it looks like," Damien replied in a serious tone.

"What’s going on here?" Avery who had just arrived after finishing her work asked in confusion. Her voice cut through the chaos as she entered the dining room, her eyes narrowing at the tense atmosphere. She glanced around at the stunned faces before gazing at Damien, standing casually in the center of it all, his expression infuriatingly calm.

She walked to her uncle and glanced at the certificate in his hand. Her eyes widened in shock before glaring at Damien, "What rubbish is this?"

"Marriage Certificate." Damien calmly answered, with a faint smile. causing everyone to groan in frustration.

The group groaned in frustration, Rosalind massaging her temples as Damien continued to play with them. But it was Natalie who was affected the most by everyone. Her legs felt like jelly as she pushed herself to move, her mind spinning in confusion. Step by shaky step, she walked to Avery, her eyes moving to the paper that had, in an instant, rewritten her fate. She tore her gaze from the document to Damien, the man she had spent most of her life despising.

Damien and Zevian had become friends during his five long years of stay in Qubarc, almost inseparable that they shared even their deepest problems, including their sisters’ lives. Whenever she visited Zevian and Kiana, this mobster who was always around her brother mocked her for marrying a mama’s boy and even imagining a future with him. She hated him for always getting on her nerves, though what he said were only mere facts.

"W-what is this?" Natalie’s question seemed to echo in the room, heavy and desperate. Her voice was barely more than a whisper, trembling with confusion and anger.

Damien’s gaze softened slightly as he looked at her, but his voice remained steady. "It’s what it says, Natalie. We are married now."

Pak!

The sound of the harsh slap echoed in the room as Avery’s hand connected with Damien’s cheek. She snatched the paper from Natalie’s hand and, in a single motion, ripped it apart. And glaring at the bastard, she threw the pieces on him before they hit the ground like confetti at a twisted celebration.

"We are not playing along with your stupid prank," Avery snapped, her voice filled with rage. "Get out of here, Damien, before I call the cops!"

Damien didn’t flinch at her outburst, nor did he get angry that she had dared to hit him. He remained unfazed, his eyes never leaving Natalie’s face. "It’s not a prank! You can verify it at the marriage office if you want."

Evelyn, who had been standing silently beside Zevian in disbelief, she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing or hearing. Stepping forward, she questioned Damien, "You know she’s still married to Dominic, right?"

Damien met her gaze and replied calmly, "They were married until yesterday. Their divorce was finalized this morning."

A collective gasp ran through the room, followed by a heavy silence. Jonathan let out a long sigh, his hand running through his graying hair. His daughter had barely recovered from one disaster, and now here was another, more outrageous and tangled with a man he had never trusted and warned his son to maintain distance.

"And why the heck did you decide to marry her?" Avery asked, barely forming any solid reason behind it.

"I am just saving her from falling into that pit again" Damien replied, his words causing everyone to slap him.

Jonathan gritted his teeth, his fist clenched in anger. Looking at the prick, he replied, "You’re causing more problems than you’re solving, Damien. My daughter has had enough drama in her life without you adding to it."

Natalie’s hands clenched at her sides, her nails digging into her palms as she tried to process the insanity of his reason. So he was trying to play her knight in shining armor when she hadn’t even asked to do it? This was beyond insult to her!

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to speak. "I don’t agree to this marriage," she said firmly, her voice breaking but strong. "And it doesn’t change my decision to go to Aracemia."

Damien’s lips curved into a sweet, almost mocking smile. "Oh, don’t worry, Natalie. I’m not here to stop you." He paused, his eyes glittering with a challenge. "I’m going with you."

His words sent another shock through the room. Everyone stared at him as if he had lost his mind. Avery knew he had lost it long ago but he proved it again.

"Good night, everyone." With that, Damien turned on his heel and walked out of the house, leaving a stunned and furious family behind.

"What the hell is that bastard thinking?" Avery muttered under her breath, her eyes darting to Natalie, whose face had gone pale, her body swaying as if she might collapse.

Emily, who had been quiet through the entire chaos, finally came out of her daze and rushed to her mother. "You’re not leaving Dad?" She asked, her voice trembling with fear and confusion.

Natalie’s heart ached as she looked down at her daughter’s wide, worried eyes. She knelt and pulled Emily into her arms, her voice soft but firm. "Not until he gets better, Lily."

The dinner was ruined and no one had any appetite left, so they left the dining room, one by one. Evelyn stayed back with Kiana, helping her finish her dinner.

Kiana wiped her mouth and looked up at Evelyn with innocent eyes. "So, Aunt Nat has two husbands now?" she asked slowly, her little brain trying to make sense of the adult mess around her. "Will they fight over her?" she continued.

Evelyn pressed her lips together, wishing it were as simple as Kiana made it sound. Life was no fairy tale, but Natalie’s situation felt more like the tangled plot of a soap opera than anything else, more twisted like the novels Avery loved to read. With a sigh, she picked Kiana up. Rosalind suggested they stay the night, and Evelyn agreed, deciding it was best for everyone.

She took Kiana to Avery’s room to put her to sleep. Avery joined them, her eyes still simmering with frustration. The two women watched Kiana drift off, her small face peaceful and unaware of the storm raging around her.

"He really has some screws loose," Avery muttered once Kiana was asleep. "Of all people, why does he think it’s okay to mess with Natalie?"

Evelyn sighed, her thoughts drifting back to Zevian, who was oddly silent during the chaos. Something was off, and she had a feeling Zevian knew more than he was letting on. Determined to get to the bottom of it, she suggested to Avery, "Let’s go talk to Zevian."

Avery nodded and covering Kiana with a blanket, they made their way to his study. Zevian was on the phone when they entered, but he quickly ended the call and gestured for them to come inside.

"Did your friend lose his mind?" Avery burst out, her hands crossed against her chest. "Seriously, what is he thinking?"

Zevian remained silent even now, his expression rather unreadable. Evelyn, growing more frustrated by the second, stepped closer, her eyes searching his. "Did you know about this?" she asked quietly, her voice tight and suspicious.

Zevian sighed deeply, avoiding her gaze. The more he tried to not look at her, Evelyn knew something was wrong.

"Did you tell him to do it?" Evelyn questioned again, her voice sharper now.

Zevian sighed again, his eyes finally meeting hers. "I just didn’t want her to fall in the same pit again."

Avery let out a disbelieving laugh. "And marrying her to a mobster was your brilliant solution?"

Evelyn’s expression hardened. "It’s her life, Zevian. Whether she falls again or not, it’s her choice to make. You can’t just decide what’s best for her."

Zevian’s shoulders slumped, his voice strained. "I was trying to protect her. It’s for her best that she-"

"Fix this, Zevian. Before it gets even worse." Evelyn cut him off midway, her voice full of frustration.

She turned and walked out of the room, her heart filled with anger and disappointment. Avery shook her head at Zevian, her eyes filled with a mixture of anger and sadness.

"You better fix it before morning," she warned her cousin. With that, she followed Evelyn, leaving Zevian alone in his study, the weight of his decisions pressing down on him.