The Billionaire's Rental Wife Is A Hot Shot

Evelyn stood frozen, her breath catching in her throat as the weight of Zevian’s revelation settled in. The truth lingered between them, thick and suffocating. She found herself staring at Kiana, her heart aching with the realization that the little girl she had grown to love wasn’t his by blood. Yet, she was his in every other way. Every single way that mattered.

"But—" Evelyn’s voice faltered, struggling to find the words. Her mind swirled in confusion and disbelief, trying to process the layers of pain that Zevian must have been carrying for so long. So Kiana wasn’t his child? Her gaze darted back to Zevian, who was now sitting at the edge of the bed, his eyes glued to the floor, lost in thought. His strong, composed exterior seemed to crack slightly, and Evelyn’s heart clenched at the sight of the unshed tears that glossed his eyes.

"What happened between you and Katherine, Zevian?" she asked quietly, unable to keep the question buried any longer. She had to know. She had to understand the pieces of his past that had driven him to this moment, the ones she had once cursed him for when she believed he had moved on so easily after their breakup.

Zevian’s eyes flickered up to hers before he sighed deeply, pulling himself to his feet and taking her hand. Wordlessly, he led her through the hidden door on the shelf that connected their room to his study. She sat down obediently at his gesture while he crossed to the table to pour himself a drink. His hand shook slightly as he raised the glass to his lips, the liquid providing him with just enough courage to speak.

Zevian had no intentions of hiding it from her, but things escalated rapidly around them and they never got to sit down and talk about it. With a sigh, he began slowly, his voice filled with exhaustion and regret. "Katherine... she acted like marrying me wasn’t just about her family’s demands. She made it seem like she had feelings for me. That was my first mistake—believing her lies and feeling guilty that I couldn’t return her feelings."

He sighed again, swirling the wine in his glass before taking another sip. His gaze turned distant as he sank into the couch, memories resurfacing. "The truth was, she only married me for power. Greed. Her mother had filled her head with the idea that if she could give the Reign family an heir, she would be untouchable. No one would be able to challenge her position and stop her from conquering our business."

Evelyn sat silently, absorbing each word, her heart aching for him. She could feel the weight of his sadness, a burden he had carried alone for so long. She watched as Zevian closed his eyes for a moment, struggling to maintain his composure and her heart ached. She couldn’t stop cursing herself in her head for thinking he was having a splendid life while she struggled to get over him.

"One night, I got drunk—really drunk," Zevian said, his voice growing quieter. "I’m still not sure how, but I ended up in our bedroom. I always stayed in the study ever since we married and it was strange."

"We had been married for two months at that point, and the next week, she told me she was pregnant." He paused, his hand tightening around the glass. "At first, it was hard to accept. But as time went on, I started accepting it. The thought of being a father was something I never imagined for myself, but it grew on me. By the time Kiana was born... I was the happiest I had ever been. She became my world."

Evelyn noticed the slight tremble in his voice, the vulnerability he rarely let anyone see. She could tell this story was hurting him, forcing him to relive memories he would rather forget.

"But then, things started to unravel," Zevian continued, his jaw clenching. "I found out that Katherine had been pretending all along. She had a hidden lover. I caught her when I came home early from a business trip one day. When I confronted her, she used Kiana to keep me tied to her. She said that if I left, I would never see my daughter again."

Evelyn’s breath hitched, unable to imagine the pain he must have felt during those moments. She saw it now, the hurt that had been buried beneath the surface. The facade of strength he had maintained, masked the scars he had carried all this time.

Zevian took another deep breath, steadying himself as he continued. "I couldn’t take it anymore. I filed for divorce. But before it could be finalized... there was the accident."

Evelyn stiffened. She had heard about the accident but never knew the full extent of the events that had followed. "What happened later?" she asked softly, her eyes searching his.

"I was in a coma for weeks," Zevian said quietly. "By the time I woke up... everything had changed. Katherine was gone, and my family had discovered the truth. Kiana wasn’t mine—she was the child of Katherine’s lover. They tried contacting him, but he wanted nothing to do with her. He rejected Kiana completely." He sighed heavily, the pain still fresh in his voice.

"But I had already accepted Kiana as my daughter and she was barely 11 months old," Zevian whispered. "I loved her like my own. Katherine’s last wish before she died was that I take care of Kiana, and I promised her I would."

Evelyn’s heart ached as she watched Zevian’s shoulders sag under the weight of the story he had just shared. She didn’t have words to ease the pain, no solution to the turmoil that swirled in his heart. But she had her arms, and she used them now, rising from her chair and sitting beside him.

"Come here," she said gently, pulling him into her embrace.

Zevian’s walls crumbled as he melted into her arms, his face buried in her neck as he let out a shuddering breath. Evelyn rubbed his back soothingly, her heart aching for the man she admired so much.

"No matter what the report says or what the court orders, Kiana will always be your daughter, Ian," Evelyn whispered. She pulled back slightly, cupping his face so that he would look at her. "She’s our daughter now, and no one is going to take her away. We’ll fight this together."

Zevian nodded against her shoulder, the tension in his body slowly beginning to ease as her words offered a small glimmer of hope. After a few moments of silence, Evelyn smiled and playfully suggested, "How about we go for a long ride? Just the two of us."

Zevian managed a small smile at her suggestion, appreciating the offer of escape, and he nodded. They quickly returned to their room, and calling Avery to look after their sleeping daughter, Evelyn took Zevian out on yet another night out.

----

Meanwhile, at Wright Mansion, the air was anything but calm.

PAK!

The sound of flesh meeting flesh reverberated down the hall, the slap loud enough to shake the house. William stood tall, his dark eyes blazing with unrestrained fury as he towered over Sophia, who now staggered backward from the force of the blow.

Annabelle winced, instinctively flinching as it was the first time she had seen her dear dad burning with full of rage. Willaim threw the incriminating photos onto the table with a disdainful sneer, the images of Vincent and Annabelle walking out of the hotel together staring up at them like a taunting reminder of their missteps.

"Pay for your so-called kindness," William growled, his voice dripping with venom. His glare cut through both women like a blade, leaving them frozen in place. "You thought helping the Blakes was noble? Look at what your precious ’aid’ has done! The company is teetering on collapse, and now our name is being dragged through the mud alongside theirs. I want this cleared up by morning, or you’ll both will suffer."

Sophia swallowed hard, her cheek throbbing from the slap, but her pride refused to let her show any weakness. She forced herself to meet his gaze, but William only turned away, disgust etched in every line of his face. Without another word, he stormed out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him with a deafening crash.

Sophia’s eyes flashed with fury as she glared at Annabelle, who sat across from her with an infuriatingly calm expression. The red marks on her exposed skin from earlier incidents were barely concealed beneath her white nightgown, but they only served to further agitate Sophia.

"Evelyn was smart enough to see through your plan," Annabelle spat. "Don’t try to blame me."

"And don’t you dare act like you made things better!" Sophia retorted, slumping into the couch.

"I did what I could to clean up your mess, Mom. You should be thanking me." Annabelle replied, her voice now with a tinge of arrogance that Sophia failed to notice.

Sophia slammed her fist onto the table, her frustration boiling over. "What are we going to do about these photos?" She threw the pictures across the table, the ones of Vincent and Annabelle walking out of the hotel together.

Annabelle’s eyes flickered with unease as she studied the images, but she composed herself quickly. "Vincent suggested a solution," she murmured, trying to maintain a poker face.

"What?" 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Sipping her wine, Annabelle crossed her legs and replied, "He thinks... we should get married."