The Billionaire's Rental Wife Is A Hot Shot

"Thank you."

William’s voice echoed in Evelyn’s mind, her emotions spiraling. She had yearned for this moment—to be seen by him again, after so many years of cold indifference. But of course, fate finally handed it to her after she discovered the devastating truth: she wasn’t his real daughter.

Evelyn bit the inside of her cheek, fighting back the sting of tears. How cruel it was, to finally taste what she had craved for so long, only to realize it was built on a lie.

Taking a deep breath, she replied coldly, "You must stop trusting people blindly." When William sighed not expecting her to bring up this topic again, she continued, "Someone was trying to ruin your health completely and your most trusted doctor was also a part of it."

"You don’t have to always doubt Sophia," William said, having been through this talk for quite a few years. Yet his eyes seemed to be blinded by a thick veil that he couldn’t just doubt on Sophia. "She had done so much for me after Gracia’s and mother’s death. I cannot frame her when there is enough evidence."

Evelyn sighed out loud, realizing this man was done for her and she should just give up on saving him from that snake. But now that Sophia had won her battle, Evelyn doubted for her to come up with something stupid again so she decided to let her dumb dad enjoy being in his dear love delusions.

"What’s that?" William asked, noticing the box in her hand.

Evelyn met his eyes before her gaze returned to the porridge she had brought. "Erm," she started, clutching the box tightly, and continued, "I tried to make some porridge-like grandma did."

William’s eyes widened in surprise, a ripple coursing through his heart after what felt like a decade. Though Sophia had tried to fill the gap, the loneliness he felt after even losing his mother never faded away, something he knew Evelyn could help out but he never dared to burden her with it.

A minute of silence filled the room again, causing Evelyn to clutch the box tightly in her hand. "I don’t think it’s good, I will just throw it away." She quickly added and turned around to dump it, feeling both awkward and nervous to even ask him if he wanted to taste it.

"Let me try it a bit," William’s voice, though soft, carried a note of surprise. He shifted slightly forward in bed, his gaze resting on the box in Evelyn’s trembling hands.

Evelyn hesitated, her heart pounding as the years of bitterness, arguments, and emotional distance lingered in the space between them. It was a wall she once believed to be unbreakable, built from misunderstandings and neglect. Yet now, seeing her father’s outstretched hand, it felt like the cracks were finally beginning to show.

She took a deep breath and slowly approached him, her fingers still tightly clutching the box. "It might not taste the same as grandma’s, but I tried."

William accepted the box, his eyes softening with a tenderness he hadn’t shown her in years. "I’m sure it doesn’t taste as awful as Gracie’s," he said with a sad smile, his voice thick with emotion.

Evelyn felt tears forming in the corner of her eyes again since it was the first time he had ever spoken about Gracia in front of her. They always joked about how her cooking was awful when she was five, both teasing her at the dining table while her grandmother, Charlotte would quickly take her daughter-in-law’s side. It was bittersweet, a memory close to both of their hearts.

William dipped the spoon into the porridge and brought it to his lips. As he tasted it, his expression shifted, not from the taste but from the flood of memories that came with it.

Evelyn watched him intently, her heart aching. For the first time in so long, there was no argument, no bitter words exchanged. It was just them—father and daughter, sharing a small, fragile moment. A tear slipped from the corner of her eye before she quickly wiped it away.

"It’s good," William said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Not exactly like your mom’s but the little amount of spice resembles well." He added honestly, with a soft smile before having another spoonful.

Evelyn let out a shaky breath, nodding and smiling back at him. She had longed for this—just to be seen by him, not as an outsider, but as his daughter. But she wasn’t to even begin with and needed to stop getting emotional!

"There’s something else I need to tell you," Evelyn started, her voice wavering as she stepped into delicate territory. "About the company, about Gracia’s last wish..."

William looked up at her, confused. "Evelyn, not now. I don’t want to talk about it." He said with a small grunt, his tone slipping back to the usual coldness. Just when he was trying to mend, here she went again trying to talk only her right to be the heir.

Evelyn shook her head gently, indicating she wasn’t stating what was inside his head. "No, I am not trying to demand or beg you to give it to me. I... I’ve already named Elias as the CEO last night."

William’s eyes widened, surprise flickering across his face. "What? But... Gracia..."

"I know," Evelyn interrupted softly, her gaze falling to her hands. "She wanted me to take over, but I am not your daughter and Elias deserves it."

When William’s expression tightened, feeling he was incapable of even keeping his wife’s last wish, Evelyn added, "But her wish is still being fulfilled. You don’t need to blame yourself for it."

"What do you mean?" William asked, leaning forward in confusion.

With a small sigh, Evelyn decided to reveal her secret to him, "Her wish to see me owning my own company, not living under someone else’s shadow. And I will soon surprise you all with it."

William stared at her, speechless for a moment, as if trying to process everything. Pride, mixed with a tinge of sadness, flashed through his eyes. "You’ve been doing this... without telling me?"

"I had to," Evelyn whispered, her voice barely holding steady. "You’ve been... distant. And I thought maybe, if I could accomplish this, maybe I could finally win you again." She expressed, not that it mattered anymore.

A heavy silence fell between them. William’s face softened, and for the first time, it felt like the years of bitterness and hurt were crumbling, piece by piece. Before he could respond, the door swung open abruptly.

Sophia barged in, her face streaked with tears, her voice breaking as she cried, "William! I was so worried about you."

Evelyn clenched her jaw, her stomach twisting at the sight of her. She knew this act too well.

Sophia rushed to William’s side, tears flowing freely. "I should have known better! I trusted that doctor... I didn’t mean for this to happen." She dropped to her knees by the bed, her hands trembling. "I’ve been giving you the wrong medicines all this time. It’s all my fault!"

"Stop, Sophia," William said softly, reaching out to her. "You didn’t know. It’s not your fault."

Evelyn’s hands balled into fists, her heart sinking. He was falling for it again! No matter how many times Sophia lied, manipulated, and twisted the truth, William always fell for her tears.

Elias who was also seeing his parents hug and console each other stepped forward and said, "Let’s talk outside!"

Evelyn came out of her thoughts and looked at him before nodding slightly. They both exited the room, leaving the couple alone.

Once in an empty dark corridor, Elias turned to his sister, his expression grave. His mother had been overjoyed and was even buying him suits and nameplates for his office which was freaking the shit out of him.

"We didn’t get a chance to talk about this last night and I agreed solely because you insisted." Elias started, and taking a step forward, he asked, "You said the DNA results were out. Annabelle isn’t his daughter, right?"

Evelyn’s heart skipped a beat. She had been dreading this conversation, knowing that once it started, there was no going back.

"What did you find?" Elias asked again, his voice tight with anticipation.

Evelyn took a deep breath, and nodded, "Annabelle isn’t his daughter. She is not a wright."

Elias’s face lit up with excitement. "Perfect!" He exclaimed, pulling his sister in a hug. Grabbing onto her hand, he said, "Let’s tell Dad and Mom. He’ll regret treating you so badly, and he’ll name you the rightful CEO."

Evelyn let out a shaky breath, unsure if this was the right time to tell him the truth. She slightly jerked her hand from his hold, causing Elias to turn around in confusion. Taking a deep breath, she started, "Eli, there’s more. I... I can’t take over the Wrights."

Elias looked at her in confusion. "What? Why not? You are his daughter, Evy! His firstborn and you are more deserving than-"

"I am not, Eli!" Evelyn cut him off, releasing the ache in her heart. "Annabelle isn’t his daughter and neither am I."

The weight of her words hung in the air like a thunderclap. Elias stared at her, disbelief flooding his features. "What...? What are you saying?"

Evelyn sighed out loud, before explaining the excruciatingly painful past to him. William was still recovering and to pursue him to take his position, this seemed like the only way out.

Elias stood frozen, struggling to digest the supposed truth. "Who did this? Who hired Annabelle to do that?"

Evelyn opened her mouth to answer, but before she could, a voice interrupted from behind them.

"Your mother."

They both spun around to see Annabelle leaning over a wall, standing at a distance from them, her face smug but determined.

"What?" Elias’s voice trembled with shock. "My mother?"

Annabelle nodded, her eyes filled with mischief. "Yes. It was your mother, Sophia Wright."