My Accidental Billionaire Husband (Katia and Julian) novel Chapter 22

I’m already married

Delia’s POV

I knew something was wrong the moment Katia walked out of that restaurant and didn’t look back.

She didn’t slam a door. She didn’t raise her voice. She didn’t threaten me or humiliate me the way I half–expected her to. She just stood up, said her piece with frightening calm, and left me sitting there with my insecurities laid bare on a polished tablecloth.

I went home unsettled.

My mother was in the sitting room when I arrived, seated stiffly on the cream sofa, her tablet resting unused on her lap. She looked up the moment I stepped inside, eyes sharp, already searching my face for answers

“Well?” she asked.

I dropped my bag and paced once, twice, before answering. “I met Katia.”

Her brows lifted. “And?”

“And it didn’t go the way I expected,” I said, pressing my lips together. “She wasn’t defensive. Or apologetic. She didn’t even deny anything because there was nothing to deny.”

My mother frowned. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” I said slowly, “that whatever is happening between her and the Windsors… it’s not something she orchestrated.”

That much, at least, I was forced to admit.

My phone buzzed in my hand before my mother could respond. I glanced down at the screen, and my breath caught. It was a text message from Julian Windsor.

My heart stuttered, then sped up.

Julian: We need to talk. Can you meet me tonight?

I stared at the message as if it might vanish if I blinked too hard. He was reaching out to me finally.

I typed back almost immediately, fingers trembling despite myself.

Delia: Of course. I’d love to.

The reply came less than a minute later.

Julian: I’ll send a car to pick you up.

I sucked in a breath and looked up at my mother, unable to hide the smile spreading across my face.

“He texted me,” I said. “Julian. He wants to meet.”

Her eyes sharpened with interest. “That’s good,” she said quickly. “Very good. Maybe he’s finally warming up to you.”

That was exactly what I wanted to believe.

I went upstairs and took my time getting ready, choosing a dress that walked the fine line between elegant and alluring. Nothing too desperate. Nothing too severe. I curled my hair carefully, applied makeup with practiced precision, and studied my reflection until I looked like the kind of woman a Windsor would want on his arm.

An hour later, the low purr of an engine announced the car’s arrival. He sent a Rolls–Royce. My pulse leapt

I stepped outside, heart racing, and slid into the backseat, smoothing my dress as the door closed. The interior smelled faintly of

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leather and something expensive I couldn’t name.

As the car pulled away, I watched the streets of Brooklyn pass by and then continue passing by.

We didn’t stop.

We didn’t turn back.

We kept going.

My excitement dimmed just a fraction when I realized we weren’t leaving the borough. Which meant Julian was not in Manhattan; he was here. That should have reassured me, but instead it made my nerves coil tighter.

+25 Bonus

The car finally slowed and stopped in front of The Velvet Ember. I frowned. Of all places.

This was where Katia had been when I first saw her again after six years. Where I’d realized–too late- only survived without us but thrived.

that my

sister had not

The valet opened my door. I stepped out, forcing my shoulders back, reminding myself that this meeting was about me. About my future.

Inside, I was led past the main dining area to a secluded booth draped in soft shadows and amber light.

Julian was already there.

He sat perfectly still, one arm resting against the leather seat, a glass in his hand. He looked up when I approached, his gaze assessing me the way a man would assess a woman.

I smiled and slid into the seat across from him.

I said, voice rising despite my effort to control it, “that I’m supposed to marry a man who already has a

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