The woman in the pale green dress clung to Lewis’s chest like she had every right to be there.
Even from a distance, I could tell who she was.
Tiffany.
I didn’t rush forward. I didn’t scream. I stood still and watched.
The mont she threw herself toward his wheelchair, Lewis’s reaction was instant. His hands gripped the wheels and he rolled back sharply. The movent was clean and controlled, but unexpected.
Tiffany, unable to stop herself in ti, stumbled forward and fell hard onto the ground.
A few gasps rose from nearby guests.
"Lewis, how could you do this to ?" she cried, still on the floor, her voice trembling.
I walked over calmly and extended a hand. "Ms. Dolton, are you alright?"
She grabbed my hand to pull herself up, but the mont our eyes t, she hesitated. "Do I know you?"
I smiled politely. "I made a guess. Soone ntioned you’ve been pursuing Lewis for years. When I saw you just now, it wasn’t hard to connect the dots. You must be Ms. Dolton."
Her fingers slipped from mine as if my skin burned her.
"You’re Riley Gardner?" she asked coldly.
I stepped closer to Lewis and rested my hand lightly on his shoulder. "I’d prefer Mrs. Hale."
A few people nearby shifted, clearly listening.
Tiffany looked up and down, asuring . "Do you really think a bond ford through family alliance will win Lewis’s heart? I’ve known him for years. He never looked at the way he once looked at... soone else."
She let the sentence hang.
Lewis didn’t even glance at her. His attention was entirely on . His hand found mine quickly.
"I didn’t let her touch ," he said in a low, urgent voice.
The panic in his tone was obvious. The cold indifference he’d shown Tiffany earlier was gone. He looked almost anxious like he was afraid I would misunderstand.
He rembered how Luke had hurt .
He knew how careful he had to be with my trust.
"I saw," I said gently. "You did well."
I leaned down and kissed his cheek.
The reaction around us was imdiate. Whispers. Stares. Shock.
Tiffany looked as if the ground had shifted under her feet.
Lewis’s expression hardened then. He turned to her fully, his voice steady and firm.
"Ms. Dolton, I’ve made myself clear before. I will never have feelings for you. I am married. Respect that. I won’t allow anything to cause discomfort to my wife."
She clenched her dress tightly. "But my father helped you. You owe us."
Lewis’s gaze turned sharp.
"Your family’s wealth increased tenfold after working with . Every advantage you gained has paid that debt many tis over. And it was your father who helped , not you. Even if I owed my life, I would not repay it with marriage."
His boundary was absolute.
There was no softness left in him.
The murmurs grew louder.
"She really thought she’d beco Mrs. Hale."
"I’m embarrassed for her."
"Looks like reality finally hit."
I realized then how much must have happened while I was away from Jaford. Lewis’s injury was only surface level. His status, his looks, his power of course won would circle him.
But they didn’t have what I had.
The bond between us humd faintly under my skin, warm and steady.
"Ms. Dolton, excuse us," I said softly.
I leaned down slightly and lowered my voice so only Lewis could hear. "The Carlyn brothers are here. The Whites too. Whitney is here. Do we have a chance to take her?"
His expression shifted instantly from personal to strategic.
"I’ll handle it," he said. "The timing may be right. If we get Whitney away tonight, we might finally learn the full truth."
As we spoke, I noticed Nina’s father in the distance.
Jas.
Officially, he had a son and a daughter. Alice had been listed as missing for years. Yet Nina clearly knew her. That ant Whitney’s identity had been hidden under Alice’s na for a long ti.
Whether the elders of the White pack knew the truth or not, Nina didn’t.
Whitney stood among them now, but she didn’t belong there. No one around her looked at her with warmth. Taylor and Jas were talking closely. Even from a distance, I could read the tension in their mouths.
Marriage.
They were discussing marriage.
So that was it.
Taylor wanted to restore Whitney’s identity publicly so he could claim her properly.
But why now?
If he truly wanted her as his mate, why wait all these years?
The questions burned inside , but one thought brought comfort.
If there was going to be a wedding, I would have a reason to get closer to Whitney.
For , that was opportunity.
"Lewis, I’m going to grab sothing to eat," I said.
"Don’t go far," he replied.
I picked up two small plates of appetizers. Just as I turned, Tiffany appeared again.
"Riley."
I stopped. "Yes, Ms. Dolton?"
She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "Do you really think he loves you? He married you because you remind him of the woman he once loved."
That caught my attention.
"Oh?" I asked calmly. "And who did he love?"
"She’s dead," Tiffany said coldly. "No matter how much you resemble her, you’ll never replace her. You’re just a stand-in."
I studied her carefully.
She was sure of herself.
"Thank you for telling ," I said with a small smile. "Even if I were a stand-in, I’m the one beside him every day."
Her eyes flashed.
"I’m the one he cos ho to," I continued softly. "The one he holds. The one he kisses. The one who shares his bed. Does it matter what na you give ?"
"That’s impossible," she snapped. "He would never touch you. He’s not that shallow."
I almost laughed.
If only she knew how deeply Lewis could lose control when it was just the two of us. How possessive he beca. How carefully he marked his territory in ways only I could feel.
But I didn’t need to explain anything.
"No one can replace the woman in his heart," she insisted.
You can’t wake soone who chooses to sleep.
"And maybe I don’t need to replace anyone," I replied lightly. "Maybe I’m not standing in for her. Maybe I’m just being myself."
She stared at , confused and furious at the sa ti.
I didn’t wait for her response. I walked back to Lewis and sat beside him.
Under the lights, surrounded by whispers, I lifted a small pastry to his lips.
"Lewis," I said playfully, loud enough for Tiffany to hear, "open your mouth."
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