The Billionaire's Rental Wife Is A Hot Shot

"You didn’t tell me you were best friends with your stepmother, Grace!" Avery teased as she entered Evelyn’s room after leaving the guests in the staff’s care. Sophia must have spun some wild tales for her club friends to believe she was close to Grace, and the idea was hilariously entertaining!

Evelyn frowned at Avery’s words, handing the tablet back to one of their employees. She had been reviewing it again to get a clearer idea of which influential people were attending and who she needed to approach for future investments in AWE. After gesturing for the staff to leave, she turned to Avery, who was now seated on the bed beside her, and asked, "What do you mean?"

Avery recounted everything that had happened a few minutes earlier when the Wright family made their entrance, leaving nothing out. As she finished, both women exchanged looks of disbelief before bursting into laughter.

"I can’t wait to see Sophia’s face when I call you on stage," Avery murmured, clutching her stomach as she laughed, unable to contain her amusement.

Evelyn nodded with a smile, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. Sometimes Sophia got insecure around her friends because of her background, often creating stories to elevate her status. Poor woman wouldn’t have been prepared for the worst day of her life—just like Evelyn hadn’t been prepared when she brought Annabelle months ago.

Just then, Evelyn’s phone rang, displaying Ronan Igor’s name. He was someone her husband would definitely not expect to show up again.

"Hasn’t he given up on you already?" Avery wondered with a frown. She had heard how the poor guy had proposed to Evelyn, asking her to break off her contract marriage with Zevian and run away with him. She had also noticed how Ronan had distanced himself from Grace during their virtual meetings, though they had ended things on good terms. So, it was strange for him to suddenly call.

Evelyn didn’t think much of it. They were still friends, and it wasn’t unusual for him to call if he had arrived at the event. She answered the phone. "Hi, Mr. Igor."

"Where are you, Mrs. Reign?" Ronan asked, his teasing tone bringing a smile to her face.

"We’re upstairs. Did you arrive already?" When Ronan hummed in confirmation, Evelyn’s smile widened. "Alright, we’ll be there soon!" she said before ending the call.

"Seems like he still has feelings for you, Evy," Avery said worriedly, finding it odd that Ronan had called Evelyn directly instead of reaching out to any of their staff. If he still had feelings for her, Zevian wouldn’t tolerate it now that Evelyn had reciprocated his. Avery didn’t want any drama stealing the spotlight from Grace tonight—especially not involving two of the most terrifying men in the world for her friend.

"It’s just the stress talking, Avy," Evelyn reassured her. Standing up, she adjusted her blazer and extended a hand to Avery. "Let’s go make some headlines."

Avery grinned, excitement bubbling up within her. Holding Evelyn’s hand, she got up, and the two best friends walked out arm in arm.

The banquet hall fell silent for a brief second as Ronan made his entrance through the towering metal doors. Women swooned at his breathtaking looks, while men feared the dangerous glint in his eyes. No one dared to greet him, except for the AWE staff, who knew that one wrong word could land them on the Mafia Prince’s hit list.

As his men exchanged pleasantries with the staff, Ronan’s eyes scanned the large room, searching every corner for a particular someone. His gaze briefly met Zevian’s dark eyes before moving on to Annabelle, who was sitting at a corner table. A disapproving frown tugged at his lips when he saw her clinging to another man’s arm, smiling sheepishly as they exchanged a joke.

Before Ronan could dwell on her any longer, Evelyn’s voice pulled him back. He smiled as she greeted his team and then extended her hand to him. "I’m glad you could make time for the event, Mr. Igor."

A smirk curled on Ronan’s lips as he glanced down at her hand, then at her husband sitting far away, his eyes fixed on them. Taking her hand, Ronan gently tugged her forward and pulled her into a hug.

"I had to come. It’s a big day for you, Grace," Ronan replied, patting her back.

Evelyn, just as shocked as everyone else by his gesture, relaxed and smiled at his words. She slowly hugged him back, appreciating his support. Ronan knew her struggles and dreams to some extent, and today, those dreams would finally see hope. As someone who had always openly admired her and been her well-wisher, he had to attend, though he had his own motives too.

"Erm, you should probably keep calling her Mrs. Reign for a little longer, Mr. Igor," Avery interrupted, her tone filled with worry. Even the staff nodded in agreement, feeling the eyes—and ears—of the entire room on them.

As they broke the hug, Avery signaled Evelyn to look behind her. Evelyn turned to find Zevian already on his feet, making his way toward them with a less-than-happy expression.

"It’s nice to see you alive," Ronan remarked as Zevian stopped in front of them. His smirk widened when he noticed someone else approaching. A little girl with a determined expression was running toward them.

Kiana, noticing her mommy hugging someone else, jumped from her seat and dashed after her daddy. She stopped in front of the group, dropped her gown, and called out, "Mommy!"

Evelyn’s face lit up as she squatted down to embrace her little bear. Adjusting a clip in Kiana’s hair just above her ear, she smiled. "My baby looks like an angel tonight."

"And you look like a boss!" Kiana praised, hugging her mommy tightly. She glanced at the tall man behind her, then tightened her hug protectively, as if declaring that her mommy’s love was off-limits to everyone else—except maybe her Daddy sometimes.

Avery felt a headache coming on as both her cousin and her niece started glaring at one of her major clients. No, they couldn’t be rude to him—not at her party, and certainly not while she was standing right between them.

"Why don’t you take them to their seats?" Avery quickly instructed her assistant, who nodded and gestured for Ronan’s team to follow her.

"I’ll see you later on stage," Ronan said to both Avery and Evelyn. When they nodded with smiles, he turned away, focused on his own mission for the night. "I want to sit at that table," he suddenly declared, pointing to one near the Wright family.

"I’ll arrange it right away, sir," the assistant said, hurrying off to make the necessary changes.

Ronan’s team frowned at their master’s strange request but followed him closely, unaware that his gaze was fixed on a particular target—the prey he had come to hunt tonight.

Avery sighed, watching the man settle in with his team. Turning toward Evelyn, she smiled warmly. "Let’s go sit with our family," she said, lifting Kiana into her arms and walking ahead, engaging the little girl in a cheerful conversation.

Evelyn followed closely behind, with Zevian right beside her. Slipping her arm through his, she leaned in, whispering with a slight grumble, "I was waiting for you upstairs." When she heard the Reign family had arrived, she expected him to come and see her but was disappointed when only Avery showed up.

Zevian chuckled softly, his smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Your mother-in-law had me cornered with questions about her favorite, Grace," he teased, earning a quiet laugh from Evelyn.

"I hope she won’t be upset later," Evelyn mused, half-serious.

Zevian shook his head, his expression light. "She’ll be over the moon," he assured her.

"Evelyn!" And right on cue, Rosalind rose from her seat, rushing over to embrace her daughter-in-law tightly. Penelope followed soon after, wrapping Evelyn in a warm hug, the two mother-hens showering her with praise about how lovely she looked.

"You two look like twins," Natalie chimed in, eyeing both Avery and Evelyn with a grin.

Avery, dressed in a sharp black tailored blazer over a crisp white shirt, had purposefully picked out a contrasting white suit for Evelyn, hinting at the surprise she had in store. It seemed her plan had worked perfectly.

"I had to get on my knees and beg her to wear it," Avery grumbled dramatically, sinking into the seat beside her father. She began complaining lightheartedly about how little interest her best friend showed in her success party and how deeply it wounded her. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Evelyn rolled her eyes, shaking her head at Avery’s theatrics, knowing it was all part of the ruse. She smiled as Zevian pulled out a chair for her, settling beside her with a soft sigh of contentment. Kiana, meanwhile, darted over to sit between her two grandfathers, Theodore and Jonathan, basking in the attention of the family.

Once the guests had arrived and settled, Avery signaled her team to kick off the event. The host offered a brief introduction and welcome, setting the tone before calling on the CEO to take the stage.

"Go, Aunt Avy! Go!" Kiana’s excited cheers rang out as she clapped her small hands eagerly when Avery’s name was announced.

Avery smiled at her niece’s enthusiasm. Taking a deep breath, she glanced at Evelyn, who gave her a small nod of encouragement. With that, Avery rose from her seat and walked confidently toward the stage, ready to start the sauciest drama of the decade.