Marry Ex's Billionaire Uncle After Divorce (Aurora and Jasper) novel Chapter 239

Chapter 204: The Missing Answer

(Author’s POV)

More laughter. Another penalty. Jasper took them both with reasonable grace, and the mood in the room lifted further, the earlier tension dissolving into the performance of a man willing to be embarrassed for

love.

Then Serena reached the last question.

“Final one,” she said. “What is Sienna most afraid of?”

The room quieted.

Jasper looked at the door. He was quiet for a moment – genuinely thinking, not performing. Then he

answered.

The silence that followed was a different kind of silence.

One of the bridesmaids glanced at the others. None of them had gotten it right either, when Serena had

tested them the night before – but that had been the point. It was supposed to be a question only Jasper

could answer.

He hadn’t.

Sienna appeared in the doorway a moment later, and her expression was composed in the way that required effort. She’d heard it. Everyone had heard it.

Not ten minutes ago she’d told the makeup artist, told the room, told anyone who would listen that Jasper knew her better than anyone. The words were still hanging in the air.

The guests moved quickly to cover it. Someone started clapping, someone else made a joke about how the penalty for the last one was the wedding itself, and the laughter that followed was genuine enough to

smooth over the moment.

Jasper stepped forward and took her hand. He kept his voice low, meant only for her, but his expression was open and sorry in a way that was hard to fake.

He reached past her to the floral arrangement on the nearest pillar and broke off a single rose. He held it

out.

Sienna looked at it for a moment.

Then she took it.

The bridesmaids made a show of deliberating before officially surrendering the bridal bouquet, and the

procession moved forward.

But as Sienna accepted the bouquet and Jasper moved to take his place, she leaned close to his ear.

“You’ll pay for that tonight,” she said quietly. Her voice was pleasant. Her eyes were not.

13

Chapter 204 The Missing Answer

Jasper said nothing.

The news came through shortly after that the pre–ceremony brunch at the Everett house had been cancelled entirely. No time. Guests would go straight to their seats.

Victoria received this information with a stillness that was worse than any reaction.

Rosalind tugged at her grandmother’s sleeve. “It’s okay, Grandma. Sienna said we could do it another

time.”

Victoria looked down at her.

“Sienna,” she said, “is your father’s wife. She is not your family.”

Rosalind blinked. “But she’s going to live with us-”

“That is not the same thing.” Victoria’s voice was flat. “Go find your seat.”

Rosalind went, looking confused.

Claim

Victoria stood where she was for a moment, watching the venue fill with guests, and said nothing more.

(Aurora’s POV)

I slept until ten.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d done that. I lay there for a full minute after I woke up, staring at the ceiling, waiting for the weight that usually came with mornings. It didn’t arrive.

I showered, made coffee, and stood in front of the wardrobe without any particular urgency. My hand landed on a black dress – clean lines, good cut, nothing that needed explaining. I put it on.

When I came out of the room, Phineas was already in the hallway. Black suit, no tie, the kind of composed

that takes no effort.

We looked at each other.

I laughed first. I couldn’t help it.

“We look like we’re going to a funeral,” I said.

He raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that more accurate?”

I pressed my lips together, trying not to smile wider. He was already moving toward the door.

We walked out together.

(Author’s POV)

The disputes over the wedding arrangements had already pushed Sienna to her limit before she even set foot in the venue.

When she finally walked through the doors, her smile was tight and unconvincing. The dark cloud hanging over her expression made guests shift uncomfortably in their seats, leaning toward one another with quiet

Chapter 264 The Mixing Antwer

murmurs.

Claim

Victoria stood to one side and watched. She said nothing, but the cold satisfaction in her eyes was unmistakable. She’d always believed Sienna was better at performing warmth than possessing it. Here

was the proof.

It was Richard who finally intervened. He moved to his daughter’s side, lowered his voice, and said,

“Sienna. Look around you. Every important name in this city is in that room. Pull yourself together.”

Sienna exhaled slowly. She pressed her lips into something resembling a smile, turned, and went to join

Jasper at the entrance to receive the arriving guests.

Jasper, for his part, was holding his own frustration at arm’s length.

The rehearsal dinner the previous evening had devolved into a petty argument between the groomsmen

and bridesmaids over the ceremony’s running order. He’d been caught in the middle of it, absorbing pressure from both sides, until he finally relented and conceded to Sienna’s preferences just to end the

standoff. She hadn’t thanked him. She hadn’t even acknowledged it. She’d simply accepted the outcome

as though it had never been in question.

Now he stood beside her in the receiving line, watching her work the room with a practiced smile, and felt

something he couldn’t quite name settle in his chest. He looked at her – dressed immaculately, radiant by any objective measure – and felt the distance between them more sharply than he had in months.

6

Comments

LUCK DRAW >