My Husband Chose His Ex I Became His Regret novel Chapter 29

10:12 Wed, May 13 M…

Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Aidan

2)

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I’m making a mistake, and I know it, but I can’t seem to stop myself from pulling Lila closer as we navigate through the auction crowd.

My hand on her waist has become automatic over the course of the evening. Natural. Like it belongs there. Like she belongs beside me.

Which is exactly the problem.

We bid on a weekend getaway to Napa, I let Lila choose it, watched her eyes light up at the vineyard photos, and win it for $15,000. Good optics. Great press. The perfect image of Storm Industries’ new power couple.

Except we’re not a couple.

We’re CEO and employee.

Weapon and wielder.

Partners in revenge, nothing more.

So why does my hand keep finding her waist? Why did I pull her closer during that waltz than strictly necessary? Why am I hyperaware of every breath she takes, every shift of her body, the way her perfume, something with jasmine and sandalwood has been driving me slowly insane all night?

Focus, Aidan.

The gala winds down around eleven. People start making their exits, strategic departures, timed for maximum visibility. I watch Mark Knight leave with Sienna, his posture defeated, her expression pinched and

miserable.

Victory tastes sweet.

But it’s not Mark’s defeat I’m thinking about as we make our way to the exit. It’s the way Lila handled him. The way she stood her ground, spoke her truth, walked away with her head high.

The way she looked at me afterward, eyes bright with triumph and something else. Something dangerous.

Something I felt too.

We’re almost to the lobby when the press materializes like vultures sensing blood.

“Mr. Storm! Ms. Stark!”

“Can we get a statement about the Zenith partnership?”

“Ms. Stark, how long have you been working with Storm Industries?”

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Chapter 29

“Are you and Mr. Storm dating?”

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That last question comes from a particularly aggressive reporter, young, hungry, the kind who doesn’t care about boundaries if it means getting the story.

I feel Lila tense beside me. Her smile stays fixed, but her hand tightens on my arm.

The cameras are blinding. Microphones thrust toward us like weapons. Questions pile on top of questions. voices overlapping until it’s just noise.

“Ms. Stark, is it true you were married to Mark Knight?”

“How do you feel about his engagement to Sienna Reeves?”

“Did you leave Knight or did he leave you?”

“Is this relationship with Aidan Storm revenge?”

I feel Lila’s breathing quicken. See her smile start to crack at the edges. She’s been incredible all night, but this, this is an ambush, and she’s not prepared for it.

Instinct takes over.

My arm slides fully around her waist, possessive, protective. I pull her against my side, feel her body mold to

mine.

“Ms. Stark’s personal life is off-limits,” I say. My voice cuts through the chaos like a blade. Cold. Sharp. Absolutely final. “Next question.”

The reporters hesitate. The aggressive one opens her mouth-

“I said next question.” I let my expression shift. The one my board members call the “Storm freeze, the look that’s killed more business deals and ended more careers than I can count. “About Storm Industries’ business operations. Or we’re done here.”

Silence. Then someone asks about the Zenith partnership. I give a brief, professional answer Steer the conversation to safe territory. Shield Lila with my body while I field questions about market projections, technology integration, future plans.

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She stays quiet beside me, but I feel her gradually relax against me. Her breathing evens out. Her hand on my

arm loosens.

After three minutes, I end it. “That’s all for tonight. Storm Industries will release a full statement on Monday Thank you.”

I guide her through the remaining press, past the photographers, out the doors to where our car is waiting. Marcus, efficient as always, has it ready at the curb. I open the door, help Lila inside, slide in beside her.

The door closes. Silence.

She’s shaking.

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Chapter 29

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“Hey.” I turn to face her. “You’re okay. We’re done. It’s over.”

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“That was…” Her voice trembles. “They were so aggressive. So invasive. The questions about Mark…”

“I know. I’m sorry. I should have anticipated that. Should have had security create a bigger buffer.”

“You protected me.” She looks at me, eyes wide in the dim interior of the car. “You shut them down.”

“Of course I did.” It comes out rougher than I intend. “Your personal life is no one’s business. Not theirs. Not the press. Not anyone.”

“But the optics… I know we need people to speculate about us, to wonder…”

“There’s a difference between strategic speculation and invasive harassment.” I pull out my phone, fire off a text to Marcus. “I’m having our PR team issue a statement. Ms. Stark’s previous marriage is off-limits. Any publication that continues to ask will lose access to Storm Industries.”

“You can do that?”

“I just did.” I look up from my phone. “Lila, listen to me. We’re using you as part of a revenge plot against Mark Knight. That doesn’t mean you’re fair game for every bottom-feeder with a press pass. You deserve privacy. Dignity. Respect.”

Something shifts in her expression. Soft. Vulnerable.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

“Don’t thank me for basic human decency.”

The car pulls away from the Bellmont. I watch the hotel recede in the rear window, scene of tonight’s triumph, Mark Knight’s humiliation, Lila’s resurrection.

Phase one complete.

But sitting here, Lila still pressed against my side even though there’s plenty of room in the Bentley’s backseat, I’m realizing phase two is going to be more complicated than I planned.

Because the woman beside me isn’t just a weapon anymore.

She’s…

I don’t know what she is. But she’s more than I bargained for.

“You were incredible tonight,” I say, needing to fill the silence. Needing to say something before I do something stupid like pull her closer or tell her she’s been driving me insane all evening or…

“I was terrified.”

“No one could tell.”

“You could.”

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Chapter 29

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She’s right. I could. I saw every moment of fear she pushed through, every instant she wanted to run but stood her ground instead.

“That’s what made it impressive,” I say. “Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s doing it anyway.”

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