The Billionaire's Rental Wife Is A Hot Shot

William shook off his thoughts, quite sure Sophia would never commit such crimes, unlike Evelyn. Gracia seemed clueless about what had happened here for the past two decades, and Evelyn had smartly filled her mind, turning Gracie completely against them.

"I think you are misunderstanding her," William defended Sophia. Rushing over to Gracia, he stopped her and continued, "She is too innocent and pure, Gracie. Sophie would hesitate even to kill an ant."

Gracia scoffed in disbelief. She shrugged away his hand and ran a hand through her hair, clearly frustrated. It felt like Sophia really had William wrapped around her finger, turning him into a puppet. The way he was still taking her side filled her with pure disappointment.

"We even did DNA tests. Anna was our real daughter, Gracie," William continued to press on, agitating Gracia even more.

"And are you confident that they weren’t fake?" Gracia asked, trying to put an end to this nonsense. The fact that her precious child who had gone too soon was also used in this bullshit drama grated on her nerves.

William fell silent, thinking about who had gotten those certificates and their authenticity. When Bella showed up with her own documents and claims, Sophia had cross-checked them. Even the second DNA test they did was also brought by her team.

With a sigh, Gracia continued, "Do you seriously think I wouldn’t have recognized if my baby was swapped, William?"

"No... I mean..."

"I gave birth to her, William." Gracia cut him off. "If she was really switched as per your stories I would have at least had doubts in that precious one year we got to spend with her," she added, her heart aching at the memories. The accident, her attempts to reach for the poor baby in the crashed car, her cries of her before she fell unconscious—everything brought tears to her eyes.

"And for god’s sake, did you forget your mother, Charlotte, owned that hospital?" Gracia continued in a frustrated tone. "She was my doctor and there were guards surrounding both of us, William. Do you really think anyone would’ve dared to pull such a stunt?"

William fell silent as he had never thought about it. The fact that his child was still alive had ruled out all his suspicions. She was indeed right! There were too many enemies in the shadows that his mother had been on high alert until they were discharged. Gracia waited a minute for him to process everything before putting an end to it.

"Someone played really well with you, William. It’s all up to you now whether you still want to live in those delusions or break through them."

"But why would anyone do it?" William asked in response, obviously lost.

"Why else?" Gracia shot back. Crossing her arms, she replied, "Of course, to create more distance between you and Evelyn. Whoever it was, they knew Evelyn wasn’t our real daughter and wanted to separate her from the Wright family completely."

Now that Gracia had pointed it out, William was able to put the pieces together. He felt a wave of emotions—confusion, betrayal, and regret—as he realized how he might have been manipulated.

Gracia sighed and closed her eyes, holding back her tears. With a shaky breath, she spilled out the harsh truth, "We lost our daughter when she was just one year old, William. We failed to protect her that night... in that accident... Please accept it and stop calling someone else my daughter. It is painfully frustrating for me."

"I am sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you," William said, his voice filled with remorse.

Gracia took another deep breath, trying to control her emotions. Opening her eyes, she stared at him and spilled another harsh truth. "And considering how you have treated Evelyn all these years in my absence, I don’t think she would ever be able to forgive you and call you her father again. So... you have lost your second daughter too, William."

Clasping her hands, Gracia continued and asked, "And please stop ruining her life even more. Let her live peacefully."

With that, she turned around and walked away, leaving William in a state of confusion again. Did he fail again to understand Evelyn? Did he misunderstand again and unnecessarily hate her? With a sigh, William watched Gracia disappear into the darkness toward the mansion. Massaging his temples, he called his chauffeur. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

———

As they reached the Wright Mansion, William’s mind was a roller coaster of thoughts and emotions. Taking off his coat, he loosened his tie and slumped on the couch. Resting his head back, he tried to forget everything for a moment, but Gracia’s words kept replaying in his mind.

How was she so sure Annabelle was not their daughter? What she said made sense. That maid Belle could have never trespassed into the hospital, which was his mother’s territory. Everything was kept confidential and at the highest security, so the chances were zero to minimal. He couldn’t help but think about Sophia. Gracia had highlighted that Sophia had something to do with all this mess. Did she really play him? But his thoughts were interrupted by a scream upstairs.

"No, Ma’am! Please stop!" One of the maid’s cries grew louder, her voice reaching William downstairs. He quickly got up and rushed upstairs to Sophia’s room. As soon as he reached it, he saw a few maids banging on the door.

With a frown, William addressed them, "What’s happening here?"

"Master!" One of the maids bowed quickly. "Madam... Madam..." she struggled to speak, her voice breaking with choking sobs.

"Speak, dammit!" William murmured in frustration.

"She is trying to hang herself!" the maid spat out, causing William’s eyes to widen. He quickly rushed to the window where two maids were already trying to stop Sophia.

He saw Sophia on a stool, her hands reaching out for the chandelier with a rope. His heart raced in horror and panic. "Call the guards!" he growled.

"Sophie! Listen to me!"

"No, William! I... I am the root cause of all this drama. If... If I leave, you all will be at peace. You... You... would be able to live happily with Gracia," Sophia murmured in between her cries, her trembling hands trying to tie the rope to the huge chandelier.

"No! I can’t live happily without you, Sophia!" William confessed, tears brimming in his eyes. "Please... Please don’t do it."

The guards rushed in and broke the door in a few instances. William rushed in only to find Sophia pushing away the stool beneath her. He rushed in and held her legs tightly, keeping her safe. The guards quickly helped her get down, and she sat on the bed with William right beside her.

Sophia clung to him and cried loudly, "I am sorry, I am sorry for all this mess." She continued, "I thought we would be abandoned soon..."

William sighed and patted her head, consoling her. "You have been through my hardest phase and supported me selflessly. How would you even think I would abandon you?"

When Sophia clung to him closer, he continued, "Just because Gracia has returned, I won’t throw you and Eli away, Sophia. You mean just as much as she does to me."

"I am sorry." Sophia apologized again, burying her face on his chest. Her smirk grew wider as he held her close, relieved that he had totally fallen for her act.

After a few minutes of silence, William broke the hug and asked, "Where is Elias?"

Sophia flinched at the question. Breaking the hug, she replied, "I sent him away for a few weeks. I don’t want him to get affected by all this mess."

William nodded, thinking she made the right decision. After consoling her for a few minutes, he said, "Please don’t try something like this again. I don’t want to lose you too."

Sophia nodded, her eyes filled with tears. "I’m sorry, William. I really am," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion.

William sighed, patting her head gently. "It’s okay, Sophia. Just promise me you won’t try something like this again. I don’t want to lose you too."

Sophia nodded again, her tears flowing freely. As William stood up and walked out of the room, everyone followed him, leaving her alone. She wiped away her tears and snickered, murmuring, "Fool," and shaking her head.

Just then, her phone rang. She quickly identified the number and a smile spread across her face, thinking Maverick had realized his mistake. He must have spoken out of anger and was now calling to apologize and plan their next move against Gracia. Wiping away her tears, she picked up the call and said, "So, all cool now?"

But all she heard from the other side was a curse. "You bitch! Where is my son?"

Sophia frowned and replied, "Didn’t your men pick him up? He already left an hour ago."

"He never showed up at the location," Maverick grumbled from the other end, making Sophia panic.

"Then where is he?" Sophia wondered, her heart racing against her chest. No way! Did someone kidnap him?

Maverick groaned from the other end and, heaving a breath, murmured, "Ronan or Damien must have kidnapped him." When Sophia shrieked, he warned her, "If they harm him because of your sins, trust me, Sophia, I will skin you alive."

With that, he cut the call. Sophia panicked, trembling at the thought of Elias under Ronan’s capture. The way she had killed Annabelle replayed in her mind, followed by the mental torture Gracia had gone through. And suddenly, Elias appeared in their position, making chills run down her spine. No... No, nothing should happen to him!