Contract Marriage With My Billionaire Boss (Venus and Aaron) novel Chapter 150

Chapter 150

VENUS

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The weight of the night pressed heavy on my chest, even though the champagne glass in my hand trembled more from nerves than alcohol.

The air shifted like a storm rolling in. I didn’t need to see them to know who had arrived, I felt it. The ripple spread through the hall like a current, whispers sparking until every head turned.

Richard. Caroline. And Dorian.

They entered like royalty, a glittering trio who didn’t just walk into a room, they conquered it. Every jewel was too bright, every seam too sharp, each step choreographed to command.

But my eyes snapped only to him.

Dorian.

He broke from his parents and strode toward us. Aaron’s hand at the small of my back went rigid, his body taut like a drawn bow. He didn’t glance at me, not once. His gaze was locked forward, cold steel fixed on his brother.

Dorian stopped before us, smile bright, practiced. “Wow. Venus, looking good as new.” His eyes lingered too long, deliberate. “I was beginning to lose hope in this one ever finding you.” He tilted his head toward Aaron as if it were a joke. “Welcome back.”

The sound of his voice crawled across my skin not the kind of shiver Aaron gave me, but colder.

“Dorian.” My voice came sharper than I expected. “Cut the act.”

His brows lifted in mock surprise, but the smile stayed.

“I know what you did.” My throat tightened, but I pushed through. “You bribed my mother for that contract. You leaked it and ruined your own brother’s reputation. All for power.”

The air between us thinned to a blade. He didn’t deny it. He didn’t even try. His grin only deepened.

“You’re vile, more evil than I thought. I even started to feel you were just misunderstood by Aaron and Sabine.” I said, voice trembling but clear. “And I hope you get exactly what’s coming.”

Aaron’s hand pressed firm against my back, pulling me closer. His voice dropped, lethal.

“Enjoy the position while it lasts, brother.”

Dorian’s smile twitched.

“Because I’m coming for you,” Aaron finished, words sharp as a verdict. “And when I do, there won’t be a seat at the table left for you to crawl back to.”

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For a flicker, something in Dorian cracked. A tightening of the jaw, a shadow across his grin. Then it was gone, replaced by hollow laughter.

“Always so dramatic,” he muttered. “We’ll see.” And with that, he melted back into the crowd.

Aaron turned me toward him, eyes cutting through mine. “You’re pale,” he murmured. “Sit.”

“I’m fine-”

“Sit.” His tone brooked no argument. My body obeyed before I thought to resist.

He guided me to a velvet-lined chair at the hall’s edge, crouching once I sat. The world shrank to him: his jaw tight, eyes storm-dark, thumb brushing my hand.

“You don’t move until I’m back,” he said. “Understand?”

I nodded.

“Good girl.”

Before I could answer, an event coordinator appeared. “Mr. Sinclair, the stage, sir. It’s time.”

Aaron rose, scanning the room. His eyes found someone across the hall. “Colton,” he called.

My brother-still a word that felt fragile and new-looked up and came over. The sight of him softened something inside me.

Aaron clasped his hand, exchanged a look I couldn’t read, then gestured toward me. “Stay with her until I’m finished.”

Colton sat beside me, steady and warm. Aaron squeezed my shoulder once before striding to the stage.

“You look good,” Colton said with a grin. He gestured at my gown. “Spoiled. Finally.”

Heat rose in my cheeks. “Don’t start.”

He chuckled, then covered my hand. “I’m glad you’re here. Really here. He takes care of you, I can tell.”

My throat tightened. I squeezed back. “Yeah. He does.”

“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

I didn’t bother denying it. His smile deepened, and then the lights dimmed, shifting the crowd’s focus to the stage.

Aaron stood at the podium, tall, composed, every angle carved by silver light. He didn’t need notes, the

silence was his.

“Tonight isn’t just about fashion,” he began, voice steady, commanding. “It’s about vision. About what happens when ambition refuses to bow to limits.”

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His gaze swept the room, then landed on Sabine at the edge of the stage, radiant under the spotlight.

“My sister, Sabine Sinclair, has built something extraordinary. What you’ll see tonight isn’t just fabric and thread-it’s grit, artistry, and a refusal to settle for anything less than extraordinary. This brand carries her name, but more than that, it carries her fire.”

Applause rippled, but Aaron waited, holding the silence as easily as he held breath.

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“I’ve built empires. I’ve sat in boardrooms where the only language spoken was power. And I’ll tell you this: power without vision is nothing. Vision without courage is wasted. But tonight, in this hall, you’ll see both. Courage. And vision. A name that will outlast us all.”

His hand lifted toward Sabine. “Ladies and gentlemen, I give you-SABINE.”

Thunderous applause erupted. Sabine stepped forward, smiling brighter than I’d ever seen her. Connor clapped from the front row, watching her like she’d hung the stars. Her smile widened when their eyes met.

Beside me, Colton leaned in. “Your husband knows how to hold a room.”

My eyes never left Aaron. “He always does.”

And even as applause shook the hall, Aaron’s gaze cut back-back to me.

I was his anchor. And he was mine.

A sudden clatter broke the moment. A waiter stumbled, tray tilting, wine spilling.

The splash hit. Red staining lilac silk.

Gasps rippled. The waiter stammered apologies, pale as paper, but I was already on my feet.

“It’s fine,” I said quickly, voice trembling. My cheeks burned.

“Venus-”

“I’ll be right back. Excuse me.”

I slipped into the crowd, heat prickling my skin. And then-out of the corner of my eye-I caught him. Or thought I did.

A face. A jawline I knew too well. Gerald.

My breath snagged. I blinked, looked again-empty. Just another man turning away.

You’re imagining things. He can’t be here.

Still, panic gnawed at me. I quickened my pace, nearly fleeing toward the restroom. I just needed a second. Just to breathe.

Inside, it was cooler, scented of roses and polished marble. My heels clicked softly as I passed the gilded mirrors, the velvet chaise, until I reached the counter.

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Finally away from Sabine’s perfect world. Away from the eyes.

I braced against the sink, staring at my reflection. My cheeks were flushed, my lips trembling. Paranoid. You’re being paranoid. If Aaron knew you ran off like this, he’d lose his mind. You should’ve told him. Should’ve waited.

I shook my head. Good job, Venus. Hiding in a bathroom, scared of a ghost.

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Forcing a breath, I focused on the stain instead. Crimson spreading across lilac silk like a wound. I dampened a napkin and began blotting.

And then

The door opened.

I stilled.

Not the lazy shuffle of someone absentmindedly walking in. No. Deliberate. Measured.

The lock clicked into place.

My pulse spiked.

They weren’t leaving. They were here for me.

Footsteps approached, slow and steady. The air shifted, heavy, crawling across the back of my neck.

I forced myself to turn

And froze.

A shadow stepped forward. Silent. Watching. Waiting.

And then-

AD

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