Contract Marriage With My Billionaire Boss (Venus and Aaron) novel Chapter 177

Chapter 177

VENUS

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Rosemary’s dining room glowed with warm light, the chandelier scattering soft gold across the table that seemed almost too big for one family. But tonight, it was full-every chair pulled close, every plate set, every glass catching the flicker of candles. The smell of roasted herbs and butter still clung to the air, Rosemary bustling until Aaron finally drew her into her seat with the same authority he used in boardrooms.

The Sinclairs gathered like it was instinct, magnetic, inevitable. And I, somehow, was at the center of it.

Colton was the first to approach me when I slipped free from Aaron’s arm to greet everyone. His tall frame blocked out the light for a moment, his expression rawer than I’d ever seen.

“Venus.” His voice carried that quiet weight he always had, the gravity of a man who had learned restraint the hard way. But when he hugged me, he didn’t hold back. His arms wrapped around me with fierce finality, like he was staking a claim. “You’ve barely been in my life for months,” he whispered into my hair, “but I need you to hear this. I’m proud of you. I’m proud to call you my sister. And now-” He pulled back, eyes glinting with unshed emotion, “I get to be an uncle. Do you understand what that means to me?”

Tears pricked hot at my lashes. “Colton-”

“I’m going to spoil them rotten,” he said, his mouth curving with a rare, boyish grin. “Niece, nephew, doesn’t matter. They’ll never doubt they’re loved. Not with me in their corner.”

Something broke open in my chest, a piece of the wall I didn’t even know I was still carrying. I threw my arms around him again. “You already are their uncle. You already are my brother. Nothing will change that.”

He nodded once, as though sealing a vow only he could hear.

Connor appeared next, his grin wide and mischievous. He clapped Colton on the back, then leaned into me with that effortless charm. “Well, looks like I finally get to be the cool uncle. Been waiting my whole life for this role.”

“You?” I arched a brow, laughter breaking through the heaviness in my chest. “Cool?”

“Absolutely. You’ll see.” He winked. “I’ll be the one sneaking them candy, teaching them how to throw a proper punch, letting them get away with things you and Aaron would ground them for.”

Aaron growled low from behind me, but Connor only smirked harder. “Don’t worry, Ronny boy. I’ll return them in one piece. Mostly.”

The table rippled with laughter, even mine. It felt good, light and easy.

Gianna swooped in next, tugging me into her arms with a squeal that had half the family covering their ears. “Venus, you beautiful goddess, you’re glowing. Pregnancy looks unfairly good on you.” She kissed my cheeks, then stepped back dramatically. “I call dibs on all the diaper shopping.”

Before I could answer, Lucien slid into the circle, his tone dry as ever. “No, no, no. Let’s not give Gianna control over aesthetics. Venus, darling, your children will not leave the house looking like color-blind circus performers. I will personally curate their wardrobes. Couture only. Taste is cultivated early, and I will not

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Chapter 177

have Sinclair heirs seen in garish onesies.”

Gianna gasped. “Excuse me? Circus performers?”

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“Please,” Lucien drawled, adjusting his cufflinks. “Half your closet looks like a Mardi Gras parade lost its way.”

The argument lit instantly, Gianna gesticulating wildly while Lucien coolly dismantled every protest. I sat down in my chair, laughter bubbling uncontrollably as Rosemary muttered, “Dear Lord, not again.”

“Hate chemistry.” Sabine smiled goofily “I’ve missed this entertainment” she chuckled kissing Connor on the cheek.

She just arrived. Fashionably late as usual.

Connor came alone, Sabine had an appointment.

“I can’t believe they’re dating.” Sabine said as she hugged me.

“1

Me too “I chuckled.

But beneath it all, warmth spread through me. They were fighting over baby clothes. My babies.

Dinner settled into its rhythm. Plates passed. Wine poured. Alana peppered me with questions about what the twins would look like, if they’d like stories, if she could be the one to teach them to ride ponies one day. Connor teased her until she shrieked. Rosemary kept pushing food toward me, whispering every ten minutes, “You’re eating for three now, sweetheart.”

And Aaron? He stayed beside me, his hand resting on my thigh under the table, grounding, commanding, constant. Every time I caught his gaze, I saw it there: the terror, the awe, the absolute possession.

For a moment, I let myself believe this might last. This fragile, ridiculous happiness.

But the universe never let me live in peace for long.

Halfway through Rosemary’s famous lemon tart, the double doors at the end of the dining room opened.

Two men stepped inside.

The air shifted instantly. Forks paused midair. Conversations cut off sharp. My stomach dropped, a cold wave slamming through me even before my brain registered the name my gut already screamed.

Dorian.

Their silhouettes filled the doorway like a stormcloud, their presence slicing the golden warmth of the room into jagged ice.

I froze, my pulse ricocheting so hard I thought the babies would feel it.

Aaron’s hand tightened on mine until it hurt. His voice was low, lethal, when he spoke:

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

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Chapter 177

And just like that, the night fractured.

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