THE SPITEFUL BRIDE: Marry To Rival's Son novel Chapter 22

Chapter 22

No sooner had Stefan ended his father’s call that Mia’s phone rang sharply, slicing through the moment.

“Father” flashed boldly on the screen. Stefan glanced at it, then at her.

Mia gave a mock sigh. “They should really do a DNA test,” she said dryly. “I’m starting to think your father and mine are long-lost brothers.”

She picked up, switching instantly into a softer, more submissive tone. “Hello, Daddy?” She knew exactly how her dad wants her to be, he wants her to be submissive to him, she’d make him believe she is.

Samuel’s voice exploded through the phone. “What is that you announced at the press conference?!”

Mia’s eyes flicked up to meet Stefan’s, all innocence. “I don’t understand, Dad…’

“Don’t play dumb with me!” Samuel snapped. “Sterling of all people? Are you sure you’re ready for the war you’re trying to start with me?!”

Her voice quivered, sweet and soft. “I’d never think of such a thing…How can I start a war with you? Please don’t get me wrong, Dad.”

But her face told a different story entirely, her eyes were calm, her lips curled ever so slightly in a smug satisfaction. Stefan stared at her, his brows slightly raised, watching her switch masks so effortlessly. She wasn’t just good, she was brilliant. A strategist and an actress.

“The truth is…” she hesitated, just the right amount, “I’ve always been scared of telling you about my relationship with him, because I didn’t want you to hate me. But I really do love him, Dad. And I want to spend the rest of my life with him. Can you please….” her voice broke slightly, perfectly timed, like someone that couldn’t hurt a fly “forget about your issue with my future father-in-law and just… bless us with your presence at our engagement party?”

There was silence on the other end. Then a curse, loud, cold, and sharp. Mia knows she’d hit the nail on the head, calling Jeremiah Sterling was the last blow. She really wish she could see her dad’s face, ohh, she really

wish.

“I need you in the office tomorrow,” Samuel said tightly, then hung up,

The moment the line went dead, Mia’s facade dropped, and the sweetest smile curved her lips. She has just started, she’ll make sure she pricks him at the place that hurt the most. His pride.

Stefan didn’t say a word, he simply stared at her. There was something about the way her face lit up when she smiled, like it wasn’t meant for the chaos they were in, like it belonged somewhere softer, simpler. And then he noticed it, a faint dimple on her right cheek. Subtle, and was only visible when she smiled like that, wide and unguarded.

She looked…different like this. Not the cold, polished heiress the world saw. Not the cunning strategist she’d just pretended to be. Right now, she looked like a woman who had just pulled off the perfect performance, and was basking in the satisfaction.

She really was beautiful, In a cool and calm way. She has one of the best smile he has ever seen, and he has seen

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quite a lot. Something crept under his skin and settled there without warning, something foreign.

Then she glanced up and caught him staring.

“What?” she asked, the smile still playing at her lips.

“You’re dangerous,” Stefan said finally, his voice low, calm, but laced with something darker underneath.

Mia looked up, meeting his eyes head-on. “You’re just realizing that?”

“You lied to your father so effortlessly, I almost thought you meant it,” he said,his eyes locked to hers, his tone cool and laced with sarcasm. “The part about loving me… That was a nice touch.”

Mia raised a brow, unapologetic. “That’s the thing about lies, Stefan. They’re easier when they’re dressed in a lie that looks like the truth.”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, almost like he was trying to figure her out all over again. Then, calmly, he said, “Don’t you think you should consider an acting career?”

Mia blinked. “Wait… did you just…” she narrowed her eyes, stunned. “Did you just make a joke?”

Stefan scoffed and stood from the couch, grabbing his glass of water like he hadn’t said anything out of the ordinary. “In your dreams.”

A mischievous grin spread across Mia’s face. “Husband,” she called out sweetly, “don’t you think you’d make a great stand-up comedian? Me, an actress. While you’ll be a stone-faced comic.”

He paused mid-sip, lowering the glass just enough to shoot her a deadpan look. “The day I’ll tell jokes on stage is the day you’ll cook a delicious meal.”

Mia gasped dramatically placing a hand over her heart. “You wound me, husband. But I’ll accept the challenge”

With a shake of his head, he walked off toward his room, his expression unreadable. But inside, he was reeling. Her laughter still lingering in the air behind him.

This woman is unpredictable, he thought. Just yesterday, she was slapping him across the face. Then today, she’s defending their fake relationship like it was her life’s greatest love story. Then calling him husband like the word didn’t leave a bitter taste.

And yet, even as he closed his door behind him, he realized something unsettling, he was smiling. He hadn’t done that in a long time, since his mother started coming home drunk.

Mia sat in the couch smiling at Stefans reaction, he really was a man without feelings.

When she realizes she was smiling, she had to quickly put a subtle frown on her face. She shouldn’t be smiling so widely, that wasn’t why she was here.

Then she remembers dad, she has him exactly where she wants him to be. She would have just called a party and announced Stefan at the party with him in attendance. Ohh, how iconic it would have been, she’d have served him his drugs the way he likes it,

She’d visit him tomorrow with the engagement invitation, and she’d make sure to post it before she does. He wouldn’t be able to miss the engagement party. She walked to her room with a satisfying smile on her face.

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The next morning, Mia stirred awake to the distant hum of machines and the occasional thud of something heavy being moved. For a second, she thought she was imagining it until a sharper, metallic clang cut through the morning calm.

She groaned softly, dragging herself out of bed.

“Can a girl not get one day of peace?” she muttered.

She made her way to the bathroom first, deciding she needed to feel like a human before facing whatever chaos was happening downstairs. By the time she was done, her hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders, and she’d thrown on a pair of cream-colored palazzo trousers, fitted at the waist and hips, then flowing freely around her legs like silk curtains in the wind. She tucked in a black tee and slipped on a nude heel that complimented her bag.

In the living room, Stefan and Mose stood near the far end, speaking in low tones like nothing out of the ordinary was going on in the room next to them, which, apparently, had become a construction site overnight.

She narrowed her eyes, brushing past the couch to where a coffee cup waited like it had been placed just for her. Another sat beside it, Elena’s usual order, she was sure of that. Mia took a sip, letting the warm bitterness settle her waking thoughts before facing the men.

“What’s going on here?” she asked, nodding toward the open doorway where two men were measuring the walls and unpacking shiny new appliances.

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