THE SPITEFUL BRIDE: Marry To Rival's Son novel Chapter 14

Chapter 14

For a moment, they locked eyes. But then, to her utter disbelief, Ethan looked past her. Right through her, like she wasn’t even there. He turned and walked away, his posture calm and indifferent, as though nothing had happened.

Mia stood frozen, her mind racing. Did he really not see her, or was he pretending? Before she could dwell on it, she heard his voice calling out to someone, his tone steady. “No, it was nothing. I’m fine.” he said, loud enough to carry across the garden.

The words jolted her back into motion. Shaking herself out of the daze, Mia rushed to the gardener’s shed, grabbed a ladder, and dragged it toward the perimeter wall. Her hands trembled, her breath shallow as she propped it up and climbed, her every movement fueled by raw desperation. She didn’t stop until she was over the top and landing hard on the pavement outside the estate.

Her eyes darted around until they landed on a black Maybach parked down the street, the polished metal gleaming under the dim streetlights. The door swung open, and Stefan stepped out, his sharp gaze locking onto her immediately.

He motioned urgently. Run.

Mia took off, the weight of her bag bouncing awkwardly against her side. She was halfway there when the strap slipped from her shoulder, sending the bag crashing to the ground. Panic seized her.

Everything she had taken, everything that mattered, was in that bag. Without thinking, she spun back to retrieve it, but before she could move, Stefan’s strong hand clamped around her arm.

“Leave it,” he barked, pulling her toward the car.

“No!” she gasped, struggling against his grip. “I can’t leave it!”

Stefan didn’t loosen his hold. “If we go back, we risk everything. Get in the car. Now.”

Tears burned in Mia’s eyes as she fought him, desperation pouring out of her in waves. “Please, Stefan, I can’t leave it! Please!”

From the back seat, Elena leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Mia in a firm, protective hug. “It’s okay,” she whispered against Mia’s ear, though her voice trembled with fear she couldn’t hide.

Stefan’s jaw clenched, frustration rippling off him. He shot a look at Mose behind the wheel. “Reverse. Get us closer to the bag.”

Mose hesitated. “Sir, it’s not safe…..”

“I said do it!” Stefan snapped.

Without another word, Mose shifted gears, slowly inching the car backward toward the fallen bag. Every second stretched unbearably, tension strung so tightly it felt like the air might snap.

The moment they got close enough, Mia wrenched free from Elena’s hold and bolted out of the car. She dove for the bag, clutching it to her chest like a lifeline, Relief flooded her, until a voice from the estate shattered it.

1/3

MAYBE YOUR FATHER WAS RIGHT ABOUT YOU

+25 Bonus

“There she is!” someone shouted, Mia’s blood froze. She whipped around and saw her father’s guards charging toward her, their footsteps thunderous on the stone path, their shadows long and monstrous under the flickering garden lights.

Instinct took over, and she ran. Stefan threw the car door open just in time, grabbing her by the arm and hauling her inside. “Go!” he barked the second the door slammed shut.

Mose floored it. The Maybach lurched forward, tires screeching, the car swallowing up the road as it sped away. In the rearview mirror, Mia caught glimpses of the guards scrambling to catch up, but it was useless. Mose handled the car like a weapon, weaving expertly through the estate’s winding paths, outpacing them with every sharp turn.

Still, the guards didn’t give up easily. Their headlights glared in the mirror, chasing them like a fast and furious

race.

“Hold on!” Mose called out, his hands tight on the wheel. The car tore down the drive, gravel spraying in its wake, the mansion’s towering gates looming ahead. Mose didn’t slow. He accelerated, pushing the Maybach to its limit. At the perfect moment, he slipped through the narrow opening between the gates, and just like that, they were free, swallowed by the chaos of the main road beyond.

Inside the car, silence crashed down heavy and suffocating. Elena still hugged Mia tightly, grounding her shaking frame. Mose checked the rearview mirror twice before giving a tight nod. “They’re gone.”

Mia exhaled shakily, the bag still crushed against her chest, her knuckles white. Across from her, Stefan sat rigid, his jaw locked so tightly it looked like it might snap. He didn’t look at her, he didn’t have to. She could feel his fury radiating off him like heat, and she didn’t blame him.

After a tense, wordless drive that felt like it lasted forever, the Maybach finally screeched to a halt in front of Stefan’s penthouse. Before the car had even fully stopped, Stefan was out, his long strides eating up the pavement as he headed for the door without a glance back.

Mia scrambled after him, hugging the bag tighter, her legs struggling to keep up.

Inside, Stefan headed straight for his study, but Mia darted in front of him, blocking his path. Her heart pounded, but she lifted her chin and stood firm.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice trembling. “I just… I needed the bag.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify