The Billionaire's Dangerous Redemption (by Claire Winters) novel Chapter 22

22 Kept in the Dark

“I didn’t tell you because she’s not my sister.” I twisted free from Alistair’s grip and stepped away, putting distance between us. “And considering how quickly you dumped me to marry her, I think I was right not to share that information.”

Alistair’s face crumpled. “Hazel, please. I know I hurt you, but try to understand my position.”

“Your position?” I nearly choked on the words. “What position is that exactly? The one where you stole my wedding dress to marry someone else? Or the one where you’re now crawling back because you suddenly realized I was a good person?”

“That’s not fair.” He straightened his shoulders. “I’m trying to do the right thing for everyone involved. I still love you, Hazel. I never stopped.”

I laughed, the sound sharp enough to cut glass. “You have a strange way of showing love.”

“Ivy needs me,” he insisted. “She’s dying, and she has no one else. I couldn’t just abandon her.”

“So instead you abandoned me.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “After everything I’ve done for

you.”

Alistair stepped forward, his eyes pleading. “I know it seems cruel, but I’m trying to be compassionate. Ivy sees me as family now”

“Family?” I raised an eyebrow. “Is that what you call the woman you’re sleeping with?”

His face flushed. “It’s not like that between us. She’s… like a sister to me.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “You married her, Alistair. In my wedding dress.”

“I know how it looks-”

“It looks like exactly what it is,” I snapped. “A betrayal.”

Alistair sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Look, I didn’t come here to argue. I came to help you with this PR nightmare.”

“I don’t need your help.”

“Actually, you do.” His tone turned businesslike. “The public is turning against Evening Gala. Your reputation is in tatters. But I have a solution.”

I waited, curious despite myself.

“We stage a reconciliation,” he said, leaning against my desk with false casualness. “You make a public statement saying you were just emotional about the wedding being called off, but now you understand and support Ivy’s relationship with me.”

I blinked slowly. “You want me to apologize? For what, exactly? Being abandoned days before my

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22 Kept in the Dark

wedding?”

“Not apologize, exactly.” Alistair waved a hand dismissively. “Just show the world you’re not the villain they think you are. We could arrange a photo op–you, me, and Ivy together. One big happy family.”

The audacity was breathtaking. My hands curled into fists at my sides.

“Let me get this straight,” I said, my voice dangerously quiet. “You want me to pretend everything’s fine? To smile for cameras while standing next to the woman wearing my wedding dress, married to my fiancé of six years?”

“When you put it that way, it sounds bad.” He frowned.

“Because it is bad!” My voice rose despite my efforts to stay calm. “It’s manipulative and cruel, just like everything else you’ve done lately.”

Alistair’s expression hardened. “I’m trying to help you save your company. Being stubborn won’t

fix this situation.”

“Get out,” I said, pointing to the door. “Get out of my office and my life.”

Alistair stepped forward. “Hazel, please. Don’t leave like this. We need to resolve-”

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