The Hockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife (Blair and Grayson) novel Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Chapter 46

~BLAIR

I had been at the Harbor Light Benefit for less than twenty minutes when my luck ran out.

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I had come alone, prepared to smile for the required photos and deliver the short remarks the foundation had asked for. I had not prepared for Sophie Preston-Holt and Chase’s mother to appear directly in my path near the silent auction display.

Sophie saw me first. Her smile arrived late and sharp.

“WeN,” she said. “I didn’t realize they were letting just anyone in this year.”

Chase’s mother followed her gaze and the recognition was immediately there with open distaste. “Blair.”

“Mrs. Holt,” I said evenly. “Sophie.”

They didn’t bother with politeness for long.

Chase’s mother looked me over like she was confirming an old judgment. “I was just telling Sophie how glad I am my son finally upgraded. He needed a wife who matched him, someone who understands the life he’s building. Not someone content to stay in the background hoping loyalty would be enough. You wanted to use my son’s fame to build yourself. Sophie did the opposite. She helped make him better.”

Sophie tipped her glass slightly in agreement. “It was past time. Some people are meant for supporting roles. Others are meant to stand beside a popular captain.”

I smiled the way I did in boardrooms when someone underestimated the wrong person.

“It’s sweet that you both still think the background was the only place I could stand,” I said. “Really. The confidence it must take to narrate someone else’s life with so little information.”

Sophie’s eyes narrowed. “Information isn’t the issue. Taste is.”

“Taste.” I let the word hang. “Is that what we’re calling it when a man leaves the person who actually built the floor under him for the first lying alternative that made his mother comfortable? Interesting definition.”

Chase’s mother’s face tightened. “Watch your mouth. My son made a smart decision. He chose a woman who elevates him. You would have held him back.”

“From what?” I asked softly. “He’s everything he is today because of me.”

Sophie stepped an inch closer. “You’re bitter because you lost. am the reason Chase is successful. Not

you.”

“I’m bored because you keep rehearsing the same lines,” I replied. “If you’re going to insult me, at least find something original.”

Both of them looked annoyed,

Good. I had no interest in letting them insult me.

What struck me, as Chase’s mother opened her mouth to continue, was the obvious gap in her knowledge. She still didn’t know. Chase hadn’t told his own mother the truth. She still thought of me as the girl who didn’

t match her son. She had no idea she was speaking to William Monroe’s daughter at a charity her own family had helped build.

This was going to be interesting.

As if on cue, a foundation staffer appeared at my side with a polite, urgent smile.

“Miss Monroe? We’re ready for you on stage!

Successfully unlocked!

I watched the title land on Chase’s mother’s face without full comprehension yet.

“Of course,” I said. “I will be there in a minute.”

Chapter 46

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I left them standing by the silent auction and walked toward the front of the ballroom as the host began the introduction

When I took the microphone, the lights made it difficult to see individual faces, but not impossible.

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