A Woman Worth Billions Dated the Wrong Brother novel Chapter 22

The Chalten

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The children

The doors opened quietly this time.

Jason stepped in first, one hand resting lightly on Alex’s shoulder. Alice followed-and the moment she saw me, she ran.

The flashes began instantly.

She wrapped herself around my legs as if I were the only solid thing in the room.

I knelt without thinking, brushing her hair away from her face.

“Hey, darling,” I whispered. “Aren’t you supposed to be at school?” 1,

She only pressed closer.

Jason reached us in seconds, composed but alert, his gaze sweeping the reporters before softening when it landed on us.

“They said they weren’t feeling well,” he said calmly. “The school sent them home.”

Alex stood slightly behind him, cap low over his bandage, watching everything.

Watching the cameras.

Watching me.

And suddenly, beneath the composure I had held all morning, a crack formed.

I had chosen this.

I had walked into this fire willingly.

They had not.

The flashes intensified, drawn to the image – the perfect, devastating family portrait.

I rose slowly and instinctively shifted, trying to place myself between the children and the cameras. My hand moved to guide Alice closer to my side, angling her face toward my shoulder.

I didn’t want those lenses capturing her fear.

Didn’t want tomorrow’s headlines dissecting the expression of a little girl.

Alex noticed.

Of course he did.

He stepped closer – not behind Jason. 1

Beside me.

And then, quietly, he slipped his hand into mine.

Not because he needed protection.

Because he was offering steadiness.

I looked down at him, surprised.

His fingers tightened just slightly, grounding.

My soul felt heavy.

The Chan

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Their presence would help undeniably. The public would see unity, stability, warmth.

But it would also expose them

To commentary.

To strangers’ opinions.

To dissected screenshots and online cruelty.

To being reduced to props in a story they didn’t write.

A reporter’s voice cut through the moment.

“Mr. Sun, do you feel guilty for taking your stepbrother’s fiancée away from him?”

Jason shifted half a step forward, subtly placing himself between the press and s.

“I didn’t take anything from my brother,” he said evenly.

“My brother was quite occupied with his own wife.”

The murmurs started immediately.

“And I would appreciate that you respect the truth of the timeline,” he continued. “We did not begin a relationship while she was engaged. That engagement had already ended.”

Another push.

“So you feel no guilt?”

“I feel responsible for the woman I married,” Jason replied calmly. “Not for decisions my brother made in his own marriage.”

His hand brushed my back briefly.

Steady.

But my thoughts were elsewhere.

On the small hand holding mine.

On Alice pressing into my side.

On whether I was strong enough to carry the consequences of this choice for more than just myself.

A chair shifted.

Grandmother Sun rose.

Mrs. Sun did not raise her voice, yet the room quieted instantly.

“Let us be clear,” she said smoothly.

“Even if they share a father, they belong to different families.”

A deliberate pause.

“The Sun family and the White family have different interests.”

The separation was public now.

Official

The children

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“As for Oscar,” she added with composed courtesy, “we wish him the very best in his new marriage.”

A dismissal wrapped in grace

The line was drawn.

But I barely heard the end of it.

Because Alex’s thumb had shifted slightly against my band — a small, reassuring motion.

As if he sensed the weight pressing down on me.

As if he were telling me:

It’s okay.

I squeezed back gently.

And in that moment, beneath the flashes and declarations and political maneuvering —

The only thing that truly mattered was whether I could become someone worthy of the trust in that small hand.

As the interview wrapped up and the reporters were escorted out, my phone vibrated.

That ringtone meant only one person.

“Molly.”

“That was impressive,” she said. “If I didn’t know you, I’d believe you were nothing but an innocent victim. Not the brilliant, calculating woman I grew up with.”

I huffed out a quiet breath. “Careful. I can be innocent.”

She laughed softly.

“I wasn’t acting,” I continued, my voice lowering. “I just didn’t hide it this time. Pain doesn’t disappear because you learn how to carry it. I’ve just… gotten good at not letting it show.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

“Well,” Molly continued, her tone shifting slightly, “you should know that Marcus released the vows.”

My fingers tightened around the phone.

“I follow him on social media. The second the marriage question came up during the interview, the wedding vows were posted.”

Of course he did.

“I have to admit,” she added, almost impressed, “the editing was clever. He timed it perfectly. And somehow… he even managed to make Jason sound romantic.”

I let out a slow breath.

“Jason doesn’t need editing to sound romantic,” I said quietly. “He just doesn’t waste words.”

“I actually appreciate the way he speaks,” I continued. “When Jason says something, he means it. Every word carries weight. He doesn’t throw around empty phrases or make promises he has no intention of keeping.”

I paused, a faint warmth rising in my chest.

“He chooses his words carefully… and when he gives one, he keeps it.”

“I actually appreciate the way he speaks,” I said, a little more firmly than I intended. “When Jason says something, he means it.

Every word carries weight.” 2

I shifted slightly, turning away from the window.

“He doesn’t waste time on empty declarations or dramatic promises. That’s not who he is.”

A brief pause.

“And I prefer that,” I added, quieter now. “At least with him, you don’t have to wonder which parts are real.”

D

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