Contract Marriage With My Billionaire Boss (Venus and Aaron) novel Chapter 152

Chapter 152

VENUS

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61

The crowd parted around us as if sensing the shift in the air, whispers clinging to sequined gowns and crisp tuxedos like smoke. Aaron’s grip at my back was steady, grounding, but I could feel the sharpness in his stance -the coil of a predator forced into patience.

And then Caroline Sinclair opened her mouth.

“Aaron.” Her voice was venom laced with honey, the kind of sweetness meant to cut, not soothe. “What an unpleasant surprise. Your presence is certainly not missed within the Sinclair group.” Her eyes, sharp as daggers, flicked over me with a disdainful sweep before pinning back on him. “And whatever you’re scheming, you’d best stop. Because I know you are.”

The words weren’t just spoken, they were meant to bruise. Caroline always knew how to weaponize civility, how to drip poison from a porcelain smile. She leaned into it now, her chin tilted with practiced grace, as if this were nothing but polite conversation.

Aaron didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink. His response came like silk stretched over steel.

“Did your son send you to warn me off?” he asked smoothly, his voice low but carrying, each word sharpened enough to cut.

For half a second, Caroline’s face tightened, the mask slipping. But before she could release the flood of venom I saw building in her throat, another presence slid into the frame.

“Seriously, Mom?” Sabine’s voice cut through the tension like glass. She moved toward us, every step deliberate, her heels striking the marble in sharp rhythm. “You couldn’t support my dream, and now the least you could do is not make a scene at the launch.”

The tone wasn’t pleading-it was raw, honest, tinged with the kind of disappointment only a child reserves for their mother. The entire ballroom hushed as heads swiveled, the audience hungry for family drama to play out in front of champagne flutes.

Caroline’s eyes narrowed, but Sabine didn’t falter. She had never been close to Dorian or Caroline, not in the way daughters usually cling to mothers. If anything, her sharp edges came from having to sharpen herself against them. Still, there was a flicker-an ember of something-in the way she glanced at Richard.

Richard.

He hadn’t said a word. He just stood there, silent, staring at Aaron. And for a flicker, a fleeting second, there was something in his eyes I didn’t recognize. Longing? Regret? No. That couldn’t be right. All Richard had ever done was torment Aaron, carve scars into him so deep they were stitched into his marrow.

After what he did to Aaron’s mother? No. Whatever that look was, it didn’t matter. Aaron’s hatred for his father ran too deep to be dissolved by one lingering glance.

Beside me, Aaron’s hand never left me, but his focus was laser-locked on Caroline. He had answered her once, and smoothly, but I could feel it in the way his body hummed against mine-he wanted to cut deeper. He wanted to let loose. But he didn’t. Not yet.

/ (61)

Chapter 152

Sabine broke the tension, her voice taut.

Aaron leaned closer to her, his words calm, even. “We’re about to retire home for the night.”

Sabine’s brow furrowed, her lips parting in protest. “It’s early. Is this because of them?” She jerked her chin toward her parents, venom in the gesture. “Aaron, please-”

He cut her off before the plea could find roots. Smooth, effortless, unyielding. “It’s not them. Venus seems tired, and you know her therapist…”

It wasn’t a lie though, I wondered how he picked up on it. I was still shaken from the Andrea incident. He didn’t flinch, didn’t soften. He made it sound undeniable.

“Oh. I understand.” Sabine’s voice wavered slightly, but she didn’t push. She knew better than to tangle with Aaron’s word when it came delivered like law.

I forced a smile, stepping forward to squeeze her hand. “Tell Gianna not to have too much fun without me at the after-party.”

Sabine’s lips curved into a knowing smirk. “I don’t promise anything.”

Her eyes softened briefly, then she gave me air kisses.

Aaron guided me gently but firmly, already steering us toward the exit. But as we slipped away, I heard it- Richard’s voice, quiet yet weighty, threading into the noise.

“I’m proud of you.”

The words were directed at Sabine.

“Thank you Dad.” She replied. You could hear the emotion in her voice.

I didn’t look back. I didn’t want to see Aaron’s reaction. I could feel the iron in him already, the way his silence was louder than anything he could have said.

We crossed the gilded hall, heads turning as we passed. To them, we looked like a couple retreating with grace. To me, it felt like walking a tightrope above fire, Aaron’s hand the only tether keeping me balanced.

Then-Colton.

“Leaving already?” His voice was warm, his eyes sharp. His smile didn’t reach his eyes, but I noticed it rarely did in public. He glanced between Aaron and me, reading more than I wanted him to.

“We are,” Aaron answered for both of us, smooth as ever. “Venus needs rest.”

Colton’s gaze lingered on me, protective, assessing, before finally dipping in a subtle nod. “Take care of her.”

Always. That’s what Aaron’s silence screamed, though he didn’t waste the words.

We slipped past, through the towering doors and into the chaos beyond.

20:35 Wed, Jan 14

Chapter 152

The air hit me first-crisp, heavy with perfume, sweat, and the electric hum of flashbulbs. Paparazzi swarmed like hungry vultures, their cameras flashing in rapid fire, questions shouted into the night like gunfire.

“Venus! Over here! Who are you wearing?”

“Aaron, comment on your father!”

“Is it true the Marlowes are back in play?”

“Are you back together?”

“Aaron comment on the contract scandal!”

Aaron’s arm was a fortress around me, his body maneuvering through the crush with precision. Each step was calculated, his presence enough to make most people instinctively step aside. But not all.

The gaurds cleared out the way.

61

The crowd pressed closer, the shouting louder. My chest tightened, the flashes burning like lightning in my vision. I focused on Aaron’s hand, the heat of it at my back, the anchor that tethered me to solid ground.

And then-

A hand.

Not his.

It came from behind, fast and violent, yanking me backward into the swarm. The world blurred as I was snatched out of Aaron’s gravity, dragged into the shadows of the crowd.

I didn’t even have time to scream before the chaos swallowed me whole.

宙

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20:35 Wed, Jan 14