The Billionaire's Rental Wife Is A Hot Shot

Evelyn felt her whole body heat up at his touch, his low, seductive voice sending a shiver down her spine. She sucked in a sharp breath as his fingers deliberately grazed her thigh before reaching the gun she had been hiding under her gown all this time.

Wait, so he meant the gun?! The thought hit her hard, and she looked up at him, her eyes widening in realization. Her cheeks so bright red that she could see its reflection in his midnight-black eyes.

Zevian gracefully removed the gun from the holster pouch around her leg and stepped back, the smirk on his face never faltering. Evelyn heaved a sigh, one she had been holding long enough to feel suffocated, her earlier embarrassment replaced by anger as she glared at him. His knowing smirk said it all—he was playing with her!

An amused smile spread across Zevian’s face as he checked the gun and clicked his tongue finding zero bullets inside. "Were you planning to shoot someone?" he asked, looking up at her.

Evelyn gritted her teeth, feeling foolish under his scrutinizing gaze. It had been Avery’s plan to have the gun to threaten anyone if they had arrived late. But having been traumatized by her mother’s death, she couldn’t fathom even holding a gun, let alone using it that she let it be there as an accessory.

"Yes! I was planning to shoot my groom if he was late or, worse, decided to abandon me again," Evelyn replied, irritation evident in her voice. "But unfortunately, he showed up just in time."

Zevian’s eyes subtly widened, realizing she was talking about him before a chuckle escaped his lips. Oh, how much he had missed bickering with her, getting sweetly taunted by her. He shook his head and, placing the gun in one of the drawers, walked back to her with a smile.

Evelyn immediately moved back, her hands curling into fists at her sides, ready to punch him if he tried anything funny again. "What do you want now?!" she grumbled.

"Surely not what you were thinking earlier," Zevian teased with a smile, his words causing her cheeks to flush in embarrassment once more.

Before Evelyn could retort, Zevian squatted down, causing her to blink in confusion. His hands reached for her right leg, and her anger instantly melted when he slowly took off her white heel. This man hadn’t changed a bit! she thought, finding him both annoying and affectionate at the same time, just like in the past.

Zevian took both of her heels and looked around for slippers. Seeing that Avery had no extra pairs, he got up and took out his own. Placing them before her, he gestured for her to wear them. "Wear these for tonight. I will ask Agatha to arrange things for you tomorrow."

"Freshen up and come downstairs. We need to discuss the contract terms," Zevian added before walking out of the room.

As much as Evelyn wanted to refuse, she ended up wearing his slippers. She couldn’t understand how, but when it came to him, her heart and mind—which usually acted like enemies—suddenly worked in sync. No, she needed to steel herself before they betrayed her completely and fell for him again.

———

After dinner, Avery and Evelyn walked to Zevian’s study. He hadn’t shown up during dinner and had informed Agatha to send Evelyn to him once she was done. Avery knocked on the door before entering to find Zevian glued to his screen.

’Ah, he looks handsome even in glasses,’ Evelyn couldn’t help but admire, feeling the gold-rimmed glasses fitting his aura perfectly. He seemed busy in a meeting call and paused it upon their arrival.

"Get out," Zevian said to Avery, a disapproving frown etched on his face. His cousin was better at being a third wheel than playing Cupid most of the time.

Avery scowled at his remark. This was how he was going to treat her for helping him marry her best friend. Great! She thought and retorted, "Why should I? I am her official lawyer. You can’t discuss stuff without me." Turning to Evelyn, she asked, "Right, Evy?"

Evelyn instantly nodded, bringing a victorious smile to Avery’s face. She would never deal alone with this devil, not after how he had tricked and teased her just an hour earlier.

Zevian looked at Evelyn as if asking her to reconsider, but when she held Avery’s hand firmly, he gave up. He had always been a third wheel between these best friends. Shaking his head, he opened a secret drawer and took out the agreement papers. Walking to the couch, he sat in front of them and placed the papers on the table.

"Read it and let me know if you want to make any changes," he said, crossing his legs and leaning back on the couch.

The duo picked up the papers and read through them thoroughly. When Kiana had thrown a tantrum a few days ago, Avery came up with this idea that could not only fulfill the little girl’s wish to have a mother but also save Evelyn from this marriage and any future scandals. No one would dare to mess with her if Zevian was beside her, and Evelyn eventually agreed, believing that his power would be truly useful in finding the mastermind behind her downfall.

The clauses were straightforward. Zevian was hiring Evelyn as his wife. She needed to act like his wife to the outside world, take care of Kiana, and attend gatherings and conferences, and in return, Zevian would pay her monthly. But what surprised both Avery and Evelyn was the third clause, stating that Evelyn had the right to terminate this contract if she found the tasks difficult.

Avery chuckled as she read it. "This... This gives us a lot of leeway, Evy. We can always threaten to end the deal if he tries to get on our nerves."

As they continued to review the agreement, Evelyn couldn’t help but steal glances at Zevian. The term was unexpected, but it made her feel slightly more at ease. Despite his devilish tendencies, there seemed to be a part of Zevian that still genuinely cared about her well-being. And Avery was right—she could always terminate the deal if he became unbearably annoying.

Evelyn and Avery finished reading the two pages, finding most of the terms surprisingly in their favor. It felt like Zevian didn’t care if he had to sell his company just to be with Evelyn, and Avery couldn’t help but smile. His seriousness to win her back was quite evident in the terms.

"Sign it if there is nothing you want to change," Zevian said, a tiny smile lighting his face. He had made the contract so irresistibly well that he knew Evelyn would sign it without hesitation.

But to Zevian’s surprise, Evelyn shook her head. If he was ready to give whatever she wanted, it felt right to alter the terms slightly.

"What’s wrong? Is there anything you don’t like in it?" Even Avery was surprised by her best friend’s decision. Evelyn nodded and, moving closer, she whispered in her ear. Avery’s face instantly brightened at her best friend’s idea, and she nodded in agreement without hesitation.

Taking a deep breath, Evelyn turned to Zevian and said, "Instead of paying me a huge sum monthly, I want you to invest in our company."

Zevian’s brows creased, his confusion only increasing at Evelyn’s words. He turned to Avery, who smiled, ready to explain or rather give him a shock.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce her properly." Avery gestured toward Evelyn and continued with a smile, "Mr. Reign, meet the secret ace and also the co-founder of Awe Interiors, Miss Evelyn Wright, aka Grace."

Zevian’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped in shock. So, the hidden hotshot in their industry, the trending interior designer every elite in their city wanted to hire, was none other than his wife?!