The Billionaire's Rental Wife Is A Hot Shot

"Firstly, I would like to thank each one of you for being here tonight," Avery began her speech, bowing to everyone in gratitude. "The journey of AWE had its fair share of ups and downs, with my employees cursing me every day for making them work overtime."

The crowd responded warmly to Avery’s joke, many smiling, and someone from the staff even shouted, "True!" which caused the room to erupt in laughter. The atmosphere shifted into one of camaraderie, a familiar warmth that had always been AWE’s trademark.

The friendly working atmosphere was one of the many reasons people loved working at the company. Neither Avery nor Grace had ever treated the team like mere employees or bossed them around. They worked side by side, nurturing each other’s talents, and believing in the fruits of teamwork, a strength that had propelled AWE to great success in just a year.

"And here’s a small appreciation video for all my staff, filled with memories of both the joys and challenges we’ve faced together over the past year." Avery finished her short speech, and the lights in the room dimmed completely. The large screen behind her on the dais flickered to life, ready to play the video.

"And to all our guests," she added with a mischievous smile, "watch closely because you might just spot the person you’ve been so eager to see—the real reason most of you are here tonight." Avery’s final words caused a small stir among the audience, many straightening in their seats and fixing their eyes on the screen, anticipation building.

Avery remained on the dais with her staff, a subtle smile lingering on her face as the video began. The first image was of her and Evelyn in the early days, starting their firm on a tiny floor of a nondescript building. Many had initially dismissed Evelyn, assuming she was merely there to support her best friend. People saw her as the good-for-nothing, fake, and now-adopted daughter of the Wright family, believing her to be as useless as ever.

"Oh, that was our first client!" one of the staff exclaimed as the next frame rolled, showing a short clip of Avery and Evelyn signing a deal with an elderly woman. The video continued, highlighting how they’d transformed the woman’s old house, giving it a modern touch while preserving the sentimental memories of her late husband.

The clip ended with the elderly woman hugging Evelyn tightly outside her home, tears in her eyes. "You brought new life to my home, Grace. Thank you so much," she said.

Avery’s lips curled into a smirk as she heard murmurs spread through the room. The shock on most of the guests’ faces was too satisfying to ignore. Some still shook their heads in disbelief, refusing to accept what they were seeing. The video, however, left no room for doubt. Every project, every achievement of AWE, had Evelyn—Grace—involved. Clips of her working with clients, directing teams, and leading projects played out, sometimes without even Avery, the CEO in the frame.

The video made it undeniably clear: Evelyn was Grace. The whispers grew louder as the truth finally dawned on them.

One such moment was a dinner clip where the AWE staff dined with Ronan’s grandfather, and the old man praised Evelyn for living up to her name, insisting that "Grace" suited her elegant designs. He even gifted her a famous Italian painting worth millions, a gesture that was shown as the grand finale of the video. It ended with a group photo of the entire AWE staff in front of the painting, with Avery and Evelyn standing proudly in the center.

"No fucking way! Evelyn was Grace?" someone blurted out, breaking the dead silence that had fallen over the room. Their words confirmed what many had been resisting—it was the truth. They had been delusional all this time.

"And now, it’s time to unveil the new logo of our company," Avery announced, stepping to the side of the dais, the room still cloaked in near darkness. "I’d like to introduce our hidden gem, my partner in every crime, in every business endeavor, and most importantly, my staff’s favorite boss..." She paused, letting the weight of her words sink in. "The Co-CEO of AWE Interiors, Ms. Evelyn Reign, aka Grace."

The lights flickered back on and focused on Evelyn’s seat. Zevian gently released her hand, which she had been gripping tightly until that moment. He was the first to start clapping, cheering for her with a proud smile, soon joined by the AWE staff who called her name loudly. The rest of the crowd followed, albeit reluctantly at first.

Evelyn took a deep breath before standing. A soft smile broke through her composed expression as the cameras zoomed in on her. She walked toward the dais, her movements slow and steady. As the lights fully illuminated the room, they revealed the shocked and embarrassed faces of those who had once scorned her, hiding behind shadows moments before.

Many of the so-called top elites of the city had mocked her when she was deemed unfit to lead Wright Construction by William, and they had delighted in her downfall when Annabelle was introduced as the real daughter. Some had even gone so far as to suggest she should have disappeared entirely rather than endure such humiliation. Avery could see the regret etched on their faces now, and her heart swelled with satisfaction.

Kiana, who didn’t fully understand what was happening, couldn’t contain her joy when her mommy was called up on stage. She stood up on her chair, grinning from ear to ear. "Go Mommy! You’re the best!" she shouted, bouncing with excitement and waving her little hands in the air.

"Did you know about this?" Jonathan Reign asked his brother-in-law Theodore, who was helping Kiana balance on the chair. Rosalind also turned to her brother, her expression mirrored by Penelope beside her. It was clear they had known all along.

"I’ll deal with you later," Rosalind muttered to her son, giving Zevian a pointed glare before standing to clap for her daughter-in-law, her face quickly shifting into one of happiness.

Elias couldn’t hold back his excitement any longer. He had been bursting with the secret and had been irked whenever Avery tried to silence him. But now, he was free to support his sister openly, and he did so with all his heart, cheering and shouting her name loudly.

"This is the best day of our lives! Right, Mom?" Elias grinned, turning to his Sophia beside him.