The Billionaire's Rental Wife Is A Hot Shot

Evelyn’s heart skipped a beat as she processed the information. "Sophia is missing since last night," she repeated, her voice barely a whisper. Everyone around her fell silent, their previous joyful expressions replaced with concern and worry.

"What do you mean, missing?" Gracia asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Evelyn shook her head, trying to make sense of it all. Everyone gathered around her, their expressions mirroring her anxiety. Elias felt weary of the news, his brow furrowing in concern. Putting the call on speaker, Evelyn asked, "Damien, what’s going on?"

Damien sighed on the other end. He glared at his team in front of them that were put around Wright Mansion. Running a hand through his hair, he explained, "Our teams haven’t been able to reach Sophia since last night. She had been in her room the entire night and the butler called just now informing her she was missing."

"Your father has been searching around for her," he added.

Evelyn’s grip on the phone tightened. "But how could she escape out of the house? Aren’t your men surrounding the entire area?"

"We have no idea either," Damien murmured in disappointment. All Evelyn wanted was to put Sophia in her place, and he had failed to help her. She slipped out right before Ronan could strike his last move.

Elias thought about the whole scenario, putting himself in his mom’s shoes. He could figure out her moves quickly whenever he did it, and that was also how he ended up finding Gracia’s prison. A place clicked in his mind, and he exclaimed, "She must have used the secret door!"

Everyone turned to him, including Damien, who paid close attention to his words.

"There’s a secret door in the garage. It’s like a tunnel and leads you straight to the city’s center subway station," Elias explained in detail. "That’s how she used to meet Maverick’s men. Annabelle had found out she used burnt phones to talk to him, so she shifted to this method of reaching. This was after you guys left to find Gracia."

Everyone was surprised at the new information. Even Gracia had no clue that the house she built had such secret places. Sophia was indeed smart and had turned her home into her territory.

"Have you informed Ronan?" Evelyn asked Damien.

Damien hummed in response and added, "He is on his way to your mansion. I will go with my team to find her. Lucius will be monitoring from the basement; call him if you get any information."

Evelyn nodded in response. "Be careful," she murmured, before ending the call.

Avery hugged Gracia and murmured, "Don’t worry. Damien will find her no matter where she is hiding." As much as she hated him, he was good at his job, and she had confidence in him.

Elias sighed. "I am sorry," he murmured, lowering his head in shame.

"Don’t be silly," Evelyn scolded him. Holding his hand, she added, "You did nothing wrong."

"If I had not been born, maybe she might have not been this greedy," Elias murmured, his emotions piling up. He couldn’t stop blaming himself for all the misery in his sister’s life. It was all his fault. Only if he had died, maybe things would have been different in her life.

Gracia moved over and held his hand. "She would have hurt her even if you were not here, Elias," she said. When Elias looked at her, she cupped his cheek and added, "She must have told you that she was doing all this for you. But trust me, it’s just a reason she used to prove that she was doing nothing wrong. Don’t take her blame."

Elias was moved to tears and, holding her hand, he nodded in response. Evelyn sighed, hugged him, and murmured, "I will smack you if you bring such stupid things again."

"Oh, I will help you, Mommy!" the little girl, who had been silently standing until now, said aloud.

When everyone turned to her, Kiana grinned. "We can even punish him by forcing him to do my homework. It’s a great idea, right?"

Everyone burst into chuckles. Rosalind picked up her granddaughter and pinched her nose. "You are getting wicked day by day, little girl."

"Hehe, I am learning it from Daddy," Kiana added with a sheepish smile. Everyone shook their heads as she conveniently pushed the blame onto her father.

They all walked inside the house and waited for Ronan’s arrival. Evelyn tried to call Zevian, but when he didn’t pick up, she realized he must be really busy and left a message. She felt bad that he had to focus more on her problems, and it was affecting his work. It was taxing for him, and she was burdening him more with her quest for revenge.

Ronan arrived an hour later with Benjamin tagging along. The old man beamed into a smile as soon as he saw Evelyn. "Grace, my dear," he called out, and everyone in the hall turned to him.

Evelyn got up and walked over to him. "Master Igor," she smiled and held onto his hand. She exchanged a smile with Ronan, who didn’t look quite happy, unlike his grandfather.

They walked over, and Evelyn introduced everyone in the room. Benjamin’s eyes scanned Gracia. Though she was pale and fragile, her hair bob-cut, he could still see her eyes sparkling with resilience—something that Evelyn must have picked up growing under her. He smiled at all of them, and his eyes then landed on the little girl holding Avery’s hand.

"And you must be Kiana," Benjamin smiled at the little girl.

Kiana nodded and introduced herself properly, "Yes, I am Kiana Evelyn Reign."

Her words surprised everyone in the room. Kiana smiled at her mom, then glanced up at her aunt. The little girl wondered why she had only her father’s surname and not her mother’s in her name. Avery came up with this idea. The Wright family hadn’t given her any fond memories, and since her best friend had made herself a name, she suggested the little girl use Evelyn in her name.

Benjamin asked the girl to come forward. "You must love your mother very much." Patting her head, he took out a few chocolates and passed them to her.

Kiana’s eyes brightened at the treats. But she glanced at Evelyn, and at her nod, she accepted them. "Thank you, Master, I... Egor."

Benjamin laughed out loud. "You are smart, just like your mother," he praised, admiring how Kiana had picked up on this quickly and addressed him just like Evelyn had done earlier.

Everyone sat around, and Rosalind asked the butler to prepare lunch. Benjamin looked around the building in awe. The center featured a large grand staircase with ornate railings, leading up to an upper floor. Royal white pristine pillars stood tall, supporting the high ceilings, while large French windows allowed natural light to flood the room, casting a warm, inviting glow.

"The house is beautiful and majestic, Mrs. Reign," Benjamin complimented.

Rosalind smiled and thanked him. "My father-in-law built it. He had a thing for royal places."

Benjamin nodded, sharing the same passion. "Where is your husband?" he inquired.

"He and Zevian left early for work. They had some pending projects to finish before the spring," Rosalind replied warmly. Benjamin nodded back in response.

Ronan looked at Evelyn, who was sitting across from him and said, "Damien will track her in a few days. Let’s take a pause and go with our plan once she is found."

Evelyn nodded in response. She looked at Elias beside her and held his hand, assuring him that he didn’t need to fear anything. Yes, Ronan still didn’t like him, but today, she would put them face to face, and Elias could explain his side of the story about Annabelle. She was confident Ronan didn’t know Annabelle was still alive after she fell down those stairs.

Meanwhile, Benjamin and Rosalind chatted among themselves, with Avery joining in to discuss the Reign and Cartwell families’ history. Ronan and Evelyn talked about Sophia, while Kiana made sure to keep Elias distracted with her chatter, leaving Gracia alone with her thoughts.

Evelyn noticed her mother sitting quietly and called out, "Mom."

Gracia looked at her and smiled, shaking her head. But her expression conveyed she was worried about something.

"Tell me what you are thinking," Evelyn asked in a soft tone.

Everyone fell silent, turning to Gracia. She took a deep breath, and looking at Ronan, she suggested, "Let’s not drag this any further. I know you want to torture her more, but that wouldn’t bring your sister back to life, right?"

"What do you mean, Mrs. Wright?" Ronan growled, his voice intimidating. "You want to let her go this easily? Even after she forced you to live a hell all these years?"

"No," Gracia shook her head. Sighing out loud, she added, "Let’s hand over the case to the police."

When Evelyn told her that they wouldn’t be taking the matters to court and that Ronan would be dealing with it in his way, she was skeptical but agreed for her sake. Yes, revenge was sweet and satisfying, but it also brought so much stress to everyone, even to the Reign couple who had nothing to do with Sophia. It was disrupting everyone’s peace, and all she wanted was for Evelyn to move on and be happy with her family.

Gracia’s expression softened and she continued, "I understand your anger, Ronan. I truly do. But sometimes, the hardest thing to do is to let go and let justice take its course. We’ve been through enough pain, and I don’t want Evelyn or any of us to carry this burden any longer."

Evelyn looked at her mother, feeling a mix of relief and uncertainty. "Mom, are you sure?"

Gracia nodded firmly. "Yes, dear. It’s time to let go and trust the legal system."

"I am sorry, but no, Mrs. Wright," Ronan shook his head. "That woman killed so many innocents, and all the court would do is imprison her for life. Or worse, sentence her to death." Gritting his teeth, he added, "And she doesn’t deserve such an easy death."

The room filled with thick tension, silence following behind. Everyone grew weary of Ronan’s darkened expression, the malice in his tone making them flinch. Rosalind gestured to a maid to take Kiana away. Evelyn looked at Ronan and her mother, unable to pick a side as both were right.

Benjamin sighed and said, "Let’s go with her wishes." When Ronan looked at him, displeased, he added, "Can’t you see your thirst for revenge is disrupting this family’s peace? Grace is always caught up in what to do with her, her husband is forced to leave everything and play along with you, and Damien is forced to leave his mission in Aracamia and help you here. No one is happy with these methods, Ronan."

"But..."

"Your mother always put her family’s happiness before anything. I am sure your sister would also want the same," Benjamin tried to convince his grandson. He patted Ronan’s back and pleaded, "You have tortured her enough already, forcing her to flee. So, let’s end this for good, son."