THE SPITEFUL BRIDE: Marry To Rival's Son novel Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Elena stirred awake, her lashes fluttering as her senses adjusted to the soft light in the room, her gaze landed first on the sleeping figure beside her. Mia, curled up in an awkward position on a chair, her head resting gently on Stefan’s shoulder. Her expression was calm in sleep, but the dark circles beneath her eyes told a different

story.

Stefan sat still, eyes half-closed but not asleep. He hadn’t rested at all, his eyes never left the woman by his side, and he was still fully clothed from the night before. Neither had Mose, who sat near the foot of the bed, eyes steady on Elena the entire night, like a silent guardian.

As soon as Elena sat up, their eyes met. Mose was on his feet in an instant, reaching her side before she could move any further.

“I’m fine,” she whispered, offering him a small smile.

He didn’t speak, just gave her a silent nod and gently guided her back down, making sure she didn’t strain herself. Then, without another word, he returned to his seat. Something had shifted, the way Elena looked at him was different now. It was softer and more gentler. She remembered how he had fought those men for her, that image hadn’t left her mind.

Mia stirred then, blinking herself awake. When she saw Elena sitting up, smiling, she bolted from her seat and wrapped her in a hug.

“Elena! You’re awake!”

“I’m fine,” Elena said, laughing softly, though her voice was a bit raspy.

Mia pulled back, brushing hair from her friend’s face. “What happened? Why did you leave?”

Elena’s face darkened with the memory. “I got a call. They said my mom was in an accident. I didn’t think, I just

ran out.”

But then her eyes widened. “My mom!” she nearly leapt from the bed.

“She’s okay,” Stefan reassured her in a calm tone. “Our men are with her. She’s been taken to a safe location.”

Elena blinked in confusion. “Wait… there wasn’t an accident?”

“No,” Stefan’s replied, calm but firm. “It was a setup, to lure you out. You shouldn’t have left without telling anyone.”

His tone was gentle, but unmistakably laced with scolding.

Mose’s jaw clenched. He hadn’t said a word, but his silence was heavy with anger. The thought of what could’ve happened if he had been even a second late gnawed at him.

Elena looked down, guilt pressing on her chest. “I tried to…….”

“I’ll leave now,” Mose interrupted, rising to his feet, he didn’t want to hear her silly excuses. “She’s awake and stable. No need for me to stay.” He didn’t look at Elena as he spoke. “I’ll have the doctor check her vitals again.

4

1/4

34 FOUR DAYS WAS ENOUGH IT WAS TIME TO GO HOME

+25 Bonus

And just like that, he walked out.

Mia watched the interaction with an amused tilt of her head, but Stefan simply stood. “I need to change,” he said, as if nothing had happened, and left the two ladies alone in the room.

Elena stared at the door Mose had just exited through, her lips pressed into a thin line. “He’s angry,” she said quietly.

Mia moved closer, placing a hand on her shoulder. “He’ll come around. He was just scared, though he’d never

admit it.

))

“But he…….”

“He just needs to cool off. Eat, and maybe sleep. He’ll be back, okay?”

Elena nodded slowly, biting her lower lip in thought.

Then she looked at Mia and offered a weak smile. “You should go freshen up too, I’m really okay. I’m sure Stefan’s men are all over the place, I doubt anything like that will happen again.

Mia hesitated for a second, but finally nodded. “Okay. But I won’t take long.”

“”

And she didn’t, within a few minutes, Mia was back, her face slightly refreshed, hair pulled back into a bun. She took her place beside Elena again, ready to stay by her side for as long as it took.

It’s been two Weeks after the incident, Stefan and Mose were away on a business trip. It had only been four days, but for Mia and Elena, it felt like four years. Neither of them admitted it, but they missed them more than they cared to say.

Mia had begged Stefan to let Elena stay close, after the incident, and he agreed without a fight. Having Elena around gave her peace. Besides, she didn’t want her best friend alone, not when danger still lurked in shadows.

Elena had insisted on doing something with her time. “I can’t just sit around like some princess,” she said, arms folded. Mia tried offering her a higher position in the company, but Elena shook her head. “Let me be your assistant, it’s enough for now.” She wanted to earn her place, not have it handed to her.

The apartment was calmer with just the two of them, but the quiet was loud. Stefan’s presence always filled the space, stern, controlled, protective. And Mose… his silence said more than words ever could, he doesn’t talk much. The both of them were quite similar.

The wedding was only a month away, and Mia had taken over the entire planning. Stefan had already told her he didn’t care what it looked like or how much it cost. “Just make sure it’s loud enough for Samuel and Jeremiah to hear,” he’d said before he left, and he wasn’t joking.

Even without saying a word, they all knew it, the war had started. Samuel Meyer and Jeremiah Sterling were their fathers, but they’d crossed the line, so many times. The one that broke the camel’s back was when they tried to kidnap Elena.

That night had revealed everything, they hated the idea of them being together. So Stefan was making sure they watched this wedding happen with their own eyes. A message, that even though they hated the union, they couldn’t stop it.

2/4

34 FOUR DAYS WAS ENOUGH IT WAS TIME TO GO HOME

+25 Bonus

Stefan had tightened security, tripled it even. Every man around them was trained by Mose himself, loyal, unshakable, and ready.

The room was quiet, save for the distant hum of Chicago’s city traffic. Stefan sat back in his chair, eyes on the empty glass in front of him. The meeting had just ended, another long discussion, more negotiations. He rubbed his temples slowly, his mind far away from the luxury hotel suite they were seated in.

This contract wasn’t just any deal, it was the first official collaboration between Stefan and Mia. Something they’d both poured energy into over the past week before the trip. It was supposed to be the four of them, Mia, Stefan, Mose, and Elena, but the wedding plans had demanded the women stay back.

He turned slightly. “Was that the last meeting?”

Mose, standing by the window, arms folded, shook his head once. “No. There’s another one tomorrow.”

Stefan didn’t respond immediately, but Mose caught the slight flicker in his expression. It was subtle, anyone else would’ve missed it, but Mose knew him too well. It was in the way Stefan’s jaw tightened for half a second, the way his eyes dropped, like he was fighting off thoughts he didn’t want to entertain. 1

Mose stepped away from the window. “Tomorrow’s meeting isn’t important. The one we just finished… that was the real deal. Tomorrow’s just formality. It can be done anywhere.”

Stefan looked at him, quiet for a moment, his gaze unreadable. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

A beat passed.

“Then why are you looking at me like that?” Stefan asked, leaning forward.

Mose gave a small, knowing smile. “Because we can leave now.”

Stefan blinked. “We haven’t even booked flight…….”

“Done,” Mose interrupted, calm as ever.

Stefan lifted a brow, surprised. “Our things?”

“Packed. Already sent to the airport.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify