THE SPITEFUL BRIDE: Marry To Rival's Son novel Chapter 52

52 STEFAN WAS LOOKING AT HER.

Chapter 52

Elena smiled wickedly, standing up as if to end the charade. “Let me not disrupt your catching up. Bye now, enjoy your time.”

She turned, walking toward the hallway, and then, she stopped, widened her eyes dramatically, and gasped.

“Oh,” she said with fake surprise, placing a hand on her chest. “When… did you get here? Did you hear anything I said?” Her tone was innocent, but the glint in her eyes said otherwise.

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Stefan stood slowly, his gaze was cold and piercing. He stared at her like he was looking through her, then brushed past her without a word. His movements were calm, and calculated, but each step was filled with suppressed fury.

Elena, called out after him, not letting him go easily.

“It was a misunderstanding, you know…” she said, almost sing-song. “Mia and him never actually dated. Though … they almost did.”

She gasped and pressed a hand to her mouth like she hadn’t meant to let that slip. “Oops, slip of the tongue.”

Her laughter followed her as she walked toward her room.

Stefan froze halfway up the stairs, shoulders tense, fists clenching at his sides.

They held hands and dated? So what? He was her husband now, no one would hold her hands again just him.

And someone should remind him again, he thought darkly, why the hell is Elena still living in his house?

She was Mia’s best friend and weakness, that was the only reason her head was still on her shoulders. If it wasn’t Mia, her tongue would have been cut off and fed to the dogs That mouth needs to be shut.

And where the hell was Mose?

It wasn’t like him to vanish. Even on slow days, he was always nearby, always present, always waiting for the next assignment. But since they got back from the hotel, he hadn’t seen him.

Something was off.

Maybe he had personal issues going on, whatever it is, he better sort it out soon.

He took a deep breath, steading his thought before continuing his journey to his room.

Mia sat across from Dave, tucked in a private booth by the restaurant window. They’d met in one of the fanciest Restaurant in the city, Dave’s best actually.

Her fingers curled around a wineglass, the rim brushing her lips as she listened to him talk about his trip through Florence. He spoke with animated passion and every bit the same as he was back when they met.

Dave was the only person who had ever looked past her walls and stayed. Mia’s smile was soft, but behind it was a flood of memories, ones she rarely let surface.

She had met Dave during one of the loneliest seasons of her life.

Back then, she was just the quiet, isolated girl on campus. The daughter of a wealthy man, yes, but that only made things worse. People assumed the worst of her before they even spoke to her. “She’s cold,” “She thinks she’s better than everyone,” “Daddy’s little princess.”

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STOLAN WAS LOOKING AT HER

+25 Bonus

The whispers were cruel, and the stares were worse. But sh’d perfected the art of indifference, head held high. No reaction, no emotion. She stayed to herself, never smile, never joined in conversations, and always chose the corner seat at the back of the lecture hall.

Elena, was her only real connection, but they had ended up in different schools, and letters and weekend calls only went so far. So Mia walked through her days like a ghost, seen but never touched. But, that didn’t stop her from excelling in her academics, she needed to made her dad proud of her.

Dave had transferred mid-semester, all charm and boldness, with a laugh that turned heads and a way of making strangers feel like old friends. He noticed her first, sitting alone under the fig tree near the science building, hunched over a business book no one else cared about.

“Are you hiding from someone?” he’d asked with a crooked smile.

She didn’t even look at him, but he didn’t give up.

For weeks, he pestered her. Sat near her during breaks, dropped casual comments in class, brought her a sandwich once and claimed it was “accidentally” extra.

At first, she stayed silent and cold. But he never seemed bothered by her frost.

Somewhere between the persistent kindness and unrelenting patience, she melted.

Bit by bit. Until one day, she realized she wasn’t reading during lunch anymore, she was talking, laughing and listening to him talk.

Dave had wormed his way into her life without warning, and he never left. He and Elena were the only people who had seen her for who she really was. The only two who’d held her heart in different ways.

Now, years later, Dave’s visits from Italy still brought light into her world. Their friendship was timeless and safe. Not romantic, but warm and familiar. The kind of bond that didn’t need explanations.

Dave was visiting from Italy again, something he did maybe once or twice a year. He’d barely landed when he call her, and Mia couldn’t have been happier. She needed this, needed him. For a reminder of a version of herself that didn’t feel so complicated.

She hadn’t mentioned Stefan, not once. Because Dave didn’t know. He didn’t know about her marriage, her mess, or anything. And she hadn’t found the words to explain it yet. Maybe because she didn’t want to, or maybe because she just wanted a few hours where she could breathe without everything weighing on her chest.

This was her old self, the one that laughed easily. The one that didn’t feel like a stranger inside her own skin.

Dave was rambling now, gesturing with his hands, a half-empty glass of wine by his side.

“They keep throwing themselves at me,” he sighed dramatically. “But they’re all the same. Long legs, sweet perfume, no substance. I smile once and they melt. I’m telling you, Mia… I’m cursed.”

Mia chuckled, the sound low and warm. “You mean you’re selective.”

“No, you mean I’m obsessed.” Dave gave her a pointed look “The one I want doesn’t want me”

Her smile faltered slightly. Of course, the “one” was Elena. She’d known for years that Dave was in love with her best friend. And she’d seen, time and time again, Elena gen ly, carefully, keep him at arm’s length. 1

There had been a time she’d tried to play matchmaker, but not anymore. They were all adults, whatever happened or didn’t happen between them was no longer hers to fix. And besides Elena already likes someone else, even if she doesn’t know it yet.

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