The Billionaire's Rental Wife Is A Hot Shot

"Sophia..." William nudged his wife, trying to bring her out of whatever she was thinking. He wasn’t sure what was wrong with her these days. She was either zoned out all the time or on edge. Sophia came out of her thoughts with a forced smile and shook hands with Ronan. When he pressed her hand tightly, she felt a chill run down her spine and forcefully pulled her hand back, surprising William.

Ronan still smiled in response, and William welcomed him. "It’s so nice to meet you, Mr. Igor." Then turning to Gracia, he smiled, "I’m glad you are finally here, Gracie."

"Only for lunch," Evelyn immediately replied, cutting off all his wishes. Until this witch was gone, she wasn’t going to let her mother stay here.

William scorned but masked it with a forced smile. Nodding at his adopted daughter, he welcomed them all.

"How about a tour around the mansion? It seems really beautiful," Ronan suggested with a smile. Evelyn looked at William for permission. When he nodded, she escorted Ronan away along with Avery.

There was an awkward silence between the three elders. A few maids couldn’t help but sneak out to look at Gracia. They had heard a lot about her, the true madam of this mansion, and how Sophia could never fill her spot even if she gave her all in.

Gracia glanced at Sophia, who seemed to have lost all her confidence. Her face couldn’t mask the fear anymore, and it was twistedly satisfying. She then turned around to William, who had been staring at her all the time. When their eyes met, he warmly smiled, reminding her of the times they had been so in love.

"I am sorry for not informing you earlier. Ronan arrived yesterday and suddenly wanted to meet my family," Gracia addressed her husband, answering questions that Sophia had running wildly in her mind.

"I boasted a lot that we all were a lovely family and nothing would be changed in my absence. And I didn’t wish to prove myself wrong in front of him." She added, mocking William’s failure to take care of his family. He had ruined it with his own hands, and that still infuriated her more.

"It’s totally fine, Gracie. In fact, I suggest you stay here until Mr. Igor returns to his city," William said with a warm smile, his words making Sophia’s expression pale in response.

Gracia glanced at Sophia, a smirk lighting up her face. William realized he hadn’t introduced Ronan to Sophia and started, "You are probably wondering who he is, right?" When Sophia turned to him, trying to act normal, William continued, "He was the one who helped to find Gracie. Someone had been holding her captive for these many years, and if not for him and Evelyn’s other friend, she would have been locked there forever."

"Oh..." Sophia listened as if she had no clue about Ronan. Feeling Gracia’s gaze, she murmured, "I am glad they found her."

"Absolutely!" William nodded in agreement. Turning to Gracia, he asked, "Did they find who those bastards were that hid you all these years?"

Gracia didn’t reply but instead looked at Sophia, making her flinch slightly. In fact, Sophia was praying for her to spill the truth and submit her to the court. It was better to die in jail than get pranked by these deranged mafia bosses every day.

"They are still looking for them," Gracia replied, turning to William.

"They must be the same gang who kidnapped Evelyn..." William wondered aloud, the conversation becoming suffocating for Sophia. She tried to maintain a neutral face, but her heart was beating loudly.

Much to her dismay, Ronan walked down with the other two ladies. William got up from the couch and walked over to him, "Did you like the house, Mr. Igor?"

Ronan nodded with a smile. "Yes. The details are beautiful. It must all be Gracia’s planning."

William nodded, beaming with pride. "Yes, you are right. When we decided to build a new mansion, Gracia took care of every aspect so my mom wouldn’t miss our old mansion, bringing a royal touch to this modern building."

"It oddly reminds me of Grace’s designs," Ronan replied, turning to Evelyn. "I can now see where your inspiration stemmed from," he added, smiling at Gracia.

While both the ladies smiled at his compliment, William couldn’t help but feel a little bitter, feeling left out. Only if he had never doubted Evelyn so much, if he had tried to see the potential in her, AWE wouldn’t have been a surprise to him.

The butler entered, announcing that lunch was all set. "Lunch is ready, sir," he said.

William walked the guests to the dining area, and everyone followed him. Sophia ran a hand through her hair, wishing to make an excuse and escape, but just as she was about to, Ronan turned around to her and asked, "Aren’t you joining us, Mrs. Wright?"

"Of course, she will," William replied almost immediately. The only thing Gracia had asked was for all of them to behave like they were on good terms in front of Ronan, and he was hell-bent on winning a little bit of her trust again.

But when Sophia didn’t respond, he called her out, "Sophia..."

Sophia forced out a smile and followed them. Avery pressed her lips to hold back her laughter while Gracia and Evelyn exchanged smiles, enjoying it.

They all sat down for lunch. William pulled a chair for Gracia, right beside him where she used to sit earlier. Sophia’s reaction was one of dismay; it was her place! She finally got to sit there, but it was snatched away so easily.

"Sit here," Gracia told Evelyn, pointing at the chair beside her.

Evelyn looked at the seat, one Annabelle had used all these days. It was definitely to irk her up, and it was funny how Sophia was getting irked up now. She settled with Avery beside her. Sophia sat on the other side of William, and just as she settled down, Ronan walked over and pulled a chair right beside her.

"Offt." Avery, who had taken a sip of water, spat it out at his action. Sophia’s expression, as if she had seen a ghost, was too funny not to react to. Feeling William’s gaze on her, she wiped her mouth and murmured, "I am sorry."

The lunch started, and the maids began serving. Everyone paid more attention to Gracia than to Sophia as they usually did. Even the butler went the extra mile in catering to Gracia, their real madam, completely ignoring the leech that had glued herself to Gracia’s position all these years.

In the middle of the lunch, William asked Ronan, "Any lead on those bastards?"

"Bitch, if I may correct you, Mr. Wright?" Ronan replied in a serious tone. Sophia’s hand trembled, and she tried to steady herself while William’s expression changed.

"What do you mean?"

Sophia dropped her fork at his question, drawing everyone’s attention. "I am sorry," she murmured, picking up another one. But her tension didn’t come down, her body unable to stay calm but trembling as she felt Ronan’s warm smile on her. Why did this psychopath smile at her so much?

Turning to William, Ronan replied, "We don’t know yet if it’s a woman or a man leading the team."

The silence once again felt suffocating to Sophia, and she almost felt the food getting stuck in her chest.

"How long will it take to track them?" William continued his interrogation, much to Sophia’s displeasure.

"They faked my death and tortured me for twenty years. It must not be that easy to catch them," Gracia replied instead, her words making William sigh out loud.

William nodded, his expression changing to one of guilt and shame. True, it had been twenty years, and he was busy mourning her death. He had been too blind and clueless, and though he hated to admit it, he was grateful for Evelyn having suspected it and brought Gracia back.

Gracia didn’t stop looking at Sophia, who couldn’t take it anymore, and murmured, "I am feeling dizzy. I will rest up in my room." With that, she got up to leave, surprising everyone.

"What’s the hurry, Mrs. Wright?" Avery couldn’t help but comment, a pout forming on her lips.

"She is just tired. Please excuse her," William replied instead, feeling Sophia was not really looking well. As Ronan nodded, Sophia turned around to leave, but the butler stopped her.

"You should drink water, ma’am." He passed the glass of water, and Sophia took it. Emptying it in a few large gulps, she gave back the glass and hurried upstairs.

---

Sophia walked to her room and closed the door behind her. Leaning on the frame, she panted heavily, her mind racing. She realized there was no escape. Even if she tried to leave now, Ronan’s sudden arrival here made her realize he would easily track her down. The walls seemed to close in on her, the weight of her situation pressing down like a vice.

She took her anxiety pills, trying to calm herself down. Her body trembled as she sat on the bed, hugging herself to stop from having a breakdown. She was scared, trembling, feeling nauseous and dizzy. Her skin was clammy, her breaths shallow and rapid. The room spun around her, and she felt like she was on the verge of collapsing.

There was a knock on the door. Before she could respond to go away, the door clicked open, and Evelyn stepped inside, her joyous expression worsening Sophia’s condition.

"What do you need?" Sophia barked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Evelyn pouted in response. "I just came to check on you, step-mother."

Sophia sneered and pointed at the door. "Get out!"

Evelyn clicked her tongue and walked closer until there was not much distance between them. She suddenly placed a hand on Sophia’s forehead. As the latter tried to push her away, Evelyn glared and checked her temperature.

"Oh no. You have a fever," Evelyn murmured, her worried expression making Sophia even more sick.

"Why do you care?" Sophia hissed back, her mind throbbing.

"Are you feeling nauseous too?" Evelyn continued to ask. "There’s this throbbing headache, and you are even feeling dizzy." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Sophia’s mouth partly opened in surprise, wondering how Evelyn knew her symptoms so exactly. Evelyn smiled, taking it as a yes, and murmured, "Great. The poison is working perfectly."

Sophia felt her heartbeat drop before thudding against her chest. "Wh... what do you mean?"

"Oh, we poisoned the water you drank earlier," Evelyn replied with a smile. "It was mild but enough for your heart to stop beating."