The Billionaire's Dangerous Redemption (by Claire Winters) novel Chapter 7
Chapter 7: A Traitor’s Wedding Gift
“I think the least you could do is give up your venue,” Tanya’s shrill voice cut through the hospital room. “After all, Ivy may not get another chance to experience a beautiful wedding day.”
My laugh was cold and sharp, startling everyone. “Sure, why not? I’ll gift her my venue. And as an extra-special wedding present, I’ll throw in a traditional coffin. You know, to keep things practical.”
The room fell silent. Tanya’s face contorted with rage while Ivy’s eyes widened in shock.
“You ungrateful little—” My father lunged forward suddenly, hand raised.
I didn’t flinch. I’d seen this coming since I was twelve.
But the blow never landed.
Alistair jumped between us, taking the slap across his face with a sharp crack. The red mark bloomed instantly on his cheek.
“Harold, please,” he said, voice shaking. “We’re all family here.”
Family? That word was the final straw.
“Family?” I spat. “Is that what we are now? A happy little family where my fiancé marries my stepsister in my wedding dress at my wedding venue? How heartwarming.”
I turned to leave, unable to stand the sight of them for another second.
“Hazel, wait.” Alistair grabbed my wrist, his grip tight and desperate. “Please try to understand—”
The sound of my palm striking his face echoed through the room. His head snapped sideways, a perfect red handprint forming where mine had landed.
“Don’t you dare touch me again,” I said, my voice deadly quiet. “You lost that right the moment you decided to marry her.”
I yanked my arm free and straightened my shoulders. “Enjoy your borrowed wedding. I hope the dress isn’t too tight on her—I hear bloating is common in the final stages.”
Tanya gasped. Ivy made a strangled sound. My father started toward me again, but Alistair held him back.
I walked out without looking back, my heels clicking sharply against the hospital floor. The sound was satisfying—strong, purposeful, nothing like the shattered woman I felt inside.
Outside, I gulped in the fresh air, fighting the rising nausea. My phone buzzed in my purse. A text from Vera: “At Bistro Rouge waiting for you. Did you kill anyone yet?”
I almost smiled. Sweet, loyal Vera. She’d insisted on meeting me for lunch after I told her I was confronting Alistair at the hospital. “You’ll need either an alibi or a getaway driver,” she’d declared.
Twenty minutes later, I slid into the booth across from her at the upscale restaurant we frequented.
“Oh my god,” Vera said immediately. “Your face is white as a sheet. What happened? Do we need to hide a body?”
I tried to answer, but my throat closed up.
Vera reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “Take your time.”
The waiter approached, and Vera waved him away with one imperious flick of her manicured fingers. Being the heiress to a restaurant empire had its perks.
“They’re using my wedding,” I finally managed. “Everything. The venue, the flowers, the caterer—all of it.”
“What?” Vera’s voice rose sharply. “Your entire wedding? The one this Saturday?”
I nodded, staring down at the pristine tablecloth. “Apparently it would be a ‘shame to let it go to waste’ since she has ‘so little time left.’ Those were their exact words.”
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The readers' comments on the novel: The Billionaire's Dangerous Redemption (by Claire Winters)
This had the potential to be a really good read, unfortunately it is inconsistently contradictory and all over the place....