ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED TO THE BILLIONAIRE SINGLE DAD (Gabrielle and Damon) novel Chapter 70

CHAPTER SEVENTY

GABRIELLE’S POV

+25 Bonus

3

I thought my ears were playing tricks on me.

Men like him don’t marry girls like you. They use them to entertain themselves, then they move on to someone on their level.

Emily’s words from the last time we met echoed in my head, loud and unwelcome. I had dismissed them then, furious that she would say something so cruel to bring me down.

Now, standing there and staring at Selene, I felt the weight of those words settle in my chest.

She was elegant, confident, and the kind of woman who looked like she belonged beside a man like Damon without needing to

try.

And suddenly, I was painfully aware of myself barefoot, smelling like Thai food, and still emotionally raw from a funeral I hadn’t recovered from.

My fingers curled at my sides.

“What are you doing here, Beatrice?” Damon asked, his voice cold.

“When have you ever asked that?” Beatrice returned. “I used to come around long before you married this girl. Why do things have to change?”

“Get to the point, Beatrice,” he said.

His voice sounded calm but I could sense the tension underneath. I didn’t like Beatrice for obvious reasons and Selene’s

presence made me want to run back upstairs and dress up but I held myself together.

Beatrice’s eyes lingered on me longer than necessary, a smile on her lips. “I’ve been trying to reach you so you could send your butler or driver to pick up your Christmas present from the airport. You didn’t receive my calls?”

“I did. I ignored them.”

Selene kept staring at him admiringly.

Damon didn’t tell me about her and still hadn’t explained what the dancer at the club was about. Why would he keep it a secret if he didn’t have anything to hide?

My stomach twisted.

The smile on Beatrice’s face faded for only a moment before she shook her head. “Anyways, I brought her here myself. You’d have time for your family if you weren’t so busy with your… latest acquisition.”

“You will show Gabrielle respect,” he said sternly. “Or you’ll walk out of here with your friend now.”

Selene’s eyes widened. “You don’t mean that, Damon.”

He stared at her but he didn’t respond.

Selene took a step closer to him and I could see his jaw tighten. The last time I checked, I was the only one who could get a reaction out of him.

Beatrice wasn’t lying.

Selene was important to Damon.

“I—I didn’t mean any disrespect,” she said softly, glancing at me before looking back at him. “I just thought you might have wanted us to try again. Especially after that night.”

1/4

CHAPTER SEVENTY

+25 Bonus

3

My throat felt tight and raw.

“You thought wrong,” Damon cut in.

Beatrice scoffed. “This is ridiculous. Selene flew all this way and this is how you receive her?”

“I didn’t invite her,” he replied flatly.

That much was clear.

My chest tightened, the knot of emotions refusing to loosen. Part of me wanted him to deny everything outright. Another part was terrified of what he might say next.

Selene finally looked at me again, her gaze more assessing now than friendly. “I didn’t know you were still… here,” she said carefully.

Still here.

As if I were temporary.

As if I were something that hadn’t yet been cleared away.

“I live here,” I said before I could stop myself. My voice was calm, even though my hands were shaking. “I’m Damon’s wife.”

The word hung in the air.

Damon’s eyes flicked to me, something unreadable passing through them. He didn’t correct me but he didn’t soften his gaze

either.

“Yes,” he said. “She is.”

Beatrice’s lips pressed into a thin line.

Selene’s expression froze, shock flickering across her face before she masked it. “Are you serious? Your wife?” she asked slowly.

“Yes.”

“You didn’t tell me you were really married,” she said, her expression turning sad. “I wouldn’t have thought to surprise you

otherwise. You made me feel like we still had a chance.”

Oh, no.

Did they….

Did Damon touch her?

My breath turned shallow as I turned to him. “Damon, what’s going on?”

He avoided my eyes. “Nothing.”

“Your grand–aunt told me you had an agreement with Gabrielle but she wasn’t your real wife,” Selene said. “Only in paper and in front of your business partners.”

“And I wasn’t wrong,” Beatrice cut in.

Damon raised his hand. “Enough. I want you two out of my house.”

“But where is Selene going to stay?” Beatrice asked, giving me a hard look. “She can’t stay with me because I’m hosting the entire family for the holidays. There are no rooms available.”

“She can’t stay here,” I answered for him before I could stop myself.

214

CHAPTER SEVENTY

All eyes turned to me.

5

+25 Bonus

Selene’s lips parted. “I understand, Gabrielle. I’ll just get a hotel and book my flight back to New York as soon as possible.”

I suddenly felt like an inconsiderate asshole for kicking her out in the cold without a second thought.

“That’s not happening,” Beatrice cut in. “It’s the holiday season and she needs to be with family. She’s a poor orphan with no family and you’re going to kick her out?”

“Problem solved then,” Damon said coldly. “You can share your room with her.”

Relief flooded through my chest when he took my side. For a second, I thought I might have asked her to stay.

For once, I was glad he was cold–hearted.

Beatrice stared at him. “Share my room?” she echoed. “Why would you suggest that?”

“You invited her here,” Damon replied evenly. “I didn’t.”

Selene shifted awkwardly, clearly caught between embarrassment and disbelief. “Aunt Beatrice, it’s fine. I don’t want to impose

“You’re not imposing,” Beatrice snapped, then turned back to Damon. “You’re doing this on purpose.”

“Yes.”

The single word landed hard.

Selene looked at Damon again, her expression softer now, and almost resigned. “I didn’t come here to cause problems,” she said quietly. “I genuinely thought… things were different.”

“They are,” Damon replied. “I’m married.”

There was no emotion in his tone.

Selene nodded slowly, her gaze dropping. “I see.”

I almost felt bad for her.

Almost.

“Before your mother died, she told me to look after you because I was the only relative of your father that she trusted,” Beatrice continued. “She loved Selene and she loved the two of you together even when you were just teenagers.”

Something in Damon’s face changed.

It was subtle and almost imperceptible but I caught it.

If Beatrice kept playing the dead mother card, Damon might be forced to let her stay. From what I’d seen, he seemed to care about his mother a lot.

Damon exhaled. “She can stay in one of my other properties. My driver will take you. I can’t disrespect my wife by letting her stay here.”

Selene’s eyes lit up. “Thank you.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify