The Billionaire's Rental Wife Is A Hot Shot

"What nonsense was that, Evy?" Avery grumbled, feeling her heart race, which was definitely because of anger. Did she like that mobster? Not even in a worst nightmare!

Evelyn shrugged, glancing at the mirror to see the traffic jam her best friend had caused behind them. Avery quickly started the car again, but she wasn’t done with Evelyn yet for that stupid joke.

Taking a swift turn in the direction of their company, Avery continued, "Spew something like that again and I will seal your mouth forever." She threw a glare at Evelyn who innocently smiled back at her.

"I mean the way you guys keep fighting, it feels like you were lovers in your past life." Evelyn continued to get more on Avery’s nerves, her words causing the angry bird to cross the speed limit. "God decided to give you another chance but you morons are wasting it in petty fights." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Stop it if you don’t want me to open the doors and kick out this instant, Evelyn," Avery warned for the last time.

Evelyn wasn’t the first person who had mentioned it, the fact that she and Damien fought like an old couple who had spent decades with each other. And she denied it every damn time, but something felt different now that Natalie was tied up to him in a marriage prank. It was as if she was rather disappointed than angry with him, and it only frustrated her more.

"Alright, boss." Evelyn pretended to agree only to jump into the same topic again. "But you should seriously start going on dates again, Avy. How about I sign up on some dating apps?"

"Are you picking on me, Evy?" Avery asked, realizing too late that her friend had been just paying back for all the torture she gave her before Zevian came back into her life. Though Evelyn was engaged to that dumbass Vincent, she always pestered her to switch to a better one, going to the lengths of even setting her profiles. And Evelyn seemed to be paying back for that torture.

"Let’s select a picture of you first," Evelyn murmured to herself, going through her phone. The way she kept smiling conveyed she was right and Avery groaned out lout.

"I don’t have time for romance, Evy. You know it all too well." Avery replied, her voice tinged with disappointment. "I am currently married to my work."

Evelyn agreed to it with a sigh. At first, her best friend simply started the company out on a whim to support her dream that was long lost with Gracia. But as they started to make money and gain fame, consistently climbing the success ladder, as the CEO Avery had become busier than ever, taking responsibilities seriously. She felt bad for being so caught up in her married life that Avery had to bear everything alone for the past couple of months.

Turning to her friend, Evelyn swore with confidence, "I will work harder so you can afford time to go on a date, boss!"

Avery shook her head as Evelyn dramatically placed her hand on her chest to sound more sincere. "I will count on you then, my favorite employee!" She replied with a smile. "But for now, let’s focus on the party. I want it to bring a storm over the internet!"

"Yes, Ma’am!" Evelyn smiled and saluted with two fingers. She took the tablet again to go through the arrangements as they made their way toward the company.

———

The next few days passed in a hurl, with Evelyn barely getting time to spend with her muses. Many were eagerly waiting for this party, from top businessmen to even a few government officials to finally meet the hidden gem of AWE. Grace had left her mark quite solid in the construction world, her low-key profile making her even more charming that everybody wanted to see who she was and what she looked like.

"Are the names arranged properly?" Avery cross-checked the arrangements in the banquet hall, scanning through the neatly arranged tables around the room. They had kept it simple yet classy, the decorations speaking volumes about why people loved their interior design.

"And the surprise video for Grace?" Avery asked her assistant, it was the most important thing for tonight.

"It’s ready, Ma’am. We are just waiting for your cousin to finalize from his side," The assistant replied in glee. It was hard to keep it from Evelyn, but she deserved this little gift for everything she had done for them, for the company in the last year.

Avery nodded with a smile. "I will go check on our main star," she said, before walking out of the hall.

Evelyn stood in front of the mirror in the room, her stomach knotted in both excitement and fear. It didn’t matter how people took this new identity of hers expect for one, William. She was anxious if it would anger him and shatter whatever little progress they had made in mending their relationship in the past few weeks.

She adjusted her blazer, the fitted outfit hugging her slender frame perfectly. The cropped top beneath it gave a subtle glimpse of her toned waist, balancing professional elegance with a touch of casual confidence. Just as she was smoothing out the last wrinkle, the door creaked open and Avery stepped in, her eyes gleaming in awe.

"Woah, look at you boss lady!" Avery commented, crossing her arms with an approving smile. She wanted to tell the world that AWE belonged to Evelyn just as much as it did to her. Walking over and fishing a brooch pin from her pocket, she pinned it delicately to Evelyn’s blazer, matching the one on her own. "There. Now we are ready to ."

Evelyn gave her a small, determined smile. "When will they arrive?" she asked, her thoughts turning to Zevian and Kiana. She hadn’t seen them since the previous morning, and the thought of Kiana’s little face was already lifting her spirits.

"They’re coming with the family," Avery answered with a grin. "Zevian’s playing clueless like the rest of them. No one in the Reign family has a clue who Grace is and it will be a huge shock to them as well."

Evelyn smiled, her nerves settling as she imagined Zevian’s mischievous smirk and Kiana’s bright eyes. Avery, sensing the wave of emotion in her friend, stepped closer, pulling Evelyn into a tight hug. "You’ve got this, Evy. Show them what you’re made of. Surprise the hell out of all those who had doubted you, stepped on you all these months."

Evelyn nodded, and with one last encouraging shake, Avery left with a smile. "I will wait for you downstairs," she said, heading back to the hall where guests would soon arrive.

As Avery entered the banquet hall, and glanced at the entrance where the first wave of guests began to flow in. Top businessmen, influential government officials, and media personnel—everyone eager to see this mysterious "Grace" and witness the hidden gem of AWE.

Her parents were the next to arrive along with the Reign family. Penelope pulled her daughter into a tight hug, "We are so proud of you, Avy."

Avery grinned at the compliment and then moved forward to hug her Dad. "How are the arrangements?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Perfect seems like an understatement," Theodore replied, his eyes glinting with pride.

Avery chuckled before her attention shifted to Rosalind, her ever-eager aunt to meet Grace. Ever since Evelyn had renovated Zevian’s house, she had always pestered to arrange a meeting and finally, it was time!

"I can’t wait to finally meet her!" Rosalind exclaimed with excitement. "I even brought a few exclusive membership cards. We can hang out together and bond."

Avery bit back a chuckle, sharing a knowing look with her mother, Penelope. Rosalind and many others in the elite circles had imagined Grace to be an older woman, perhaps in her forties or fifties, based on the timeless, royal style of her designs. Avery, however, couldn’t wait to see Rosalind’s face when she realized Grace was her darling daughter-in-law.

"Why don’t you head inside? You’ll love the arrangements," Avery suggested, quickly signaling her assistant to show them to their table. Just as they began to move, Jonathan stopped suddenly.

"Where’s Evelyn?" he asked, looking around.

Rosalind also seemed to snap out of her excitement. "Yes, I completely forgot to ask about her. Where is my daughter-in-law?"

Avery glanced over at Zevian for help. He was the only one in the family who could lie effortlessly without flinching in front of Jonathan. But luckily Theodore saved her before him.

"She’s probably with Grace, right?" he said with a calm nod.

Avery jumped in, quickly adding, "Yes, Grace is feeling a little nervous, so Evelyn stayed behind to give her some support."

In Zevian’s arms, Kiana perked up, her voice piping in. "Can I go see Mommy then?"

Zevian gently patted her back. "Let’s wait a little longer, sweetheart. You’ll see Mommy soon." Kiana pouted but relented, and with that, the staff ushered the family toward their seats.

Avery exhaled quietly. That was close. But she wasn’t in the clear just yet. As she turned, she noticed the arrival of the Wright family, led by William. A scoff left her mouth when she saw Vincent trailing behind with Annabelle on his arm.

Elias was the first to greet her, with a warm handshake. "Sis Avy, everything looks wonderful."

William smiled at her in that knowing way, but it was Sophia, his mother, that made Avery’s eyes gleam with anticipation. Tonight, Sophia would be the biggest clown, and Avery could hardly wait to see her expression.

As they were exchanging pleasantries, a few of Sophia’s friends from the elite club approached them. One of them, a well-dressed woman with expensive jewelry, spoke up first. "Sophia, we can’t wait to meet Grace finally! You’re so lucky to know her so well."

Avery frowned at their words. "What do you mean?" Sophia already knew who Grace was?!

Elias, overhearing the conversation, jumped in, "Oh, Grace was Mom’s high school friend. She adores mom so much that she even renovated their elite club for free."

Avery bit back a snort, realizing that Sophia had spun her own story to the world. This party would sure be entertaining!

And just like clockwork, Annabelle also joined in, "Yeah, Mom once took me personally to Grace’s house. She was so kind and seemed to love her so much."

Avery nodded, her smile barely containing her amusement. "Oh, that’s news to me. I’m sure Grace will be thrilled to see you tonight, Aunt Sophia. I hope you love it too."

Smiling at the lady and then at Elias, Avery went to greet other guests, barely hiding her excitement for the showtime.