Betrayed, Yet Bound To The Billionaire novel Chapter 2

The Stewart family—everyone knew their name. They were the pinnacle of power, dripping in wealth, and way out of anyone else's league.

The wedding gifts they sent weren't just generous—they were mind-blowing. Even without counting, it was obvious they were worth billions.

For a family like the Bennetts? Getting tied to the Stewarts was nothing short of a miracle. They weren't even in the same universe. But fate had handed them a golden ticket.

William Bennett and Evander Stewart had once fought together, shoulder to shoulder, in life-or-death battles. Somewhere along the way, they'd sealed a promise: a marriage pact between their future children.

Initially, the Bennetts planned to marry off Sophia. It was a straightforward enough plan until bad news hit. The man she was supposed to marry was at death's door, and the whispers said he didn't have much time left.

No way were they going to send Sophia into a marriage that'd turn her into a widow before it even began. Luckily—or unluckily, seven months ago, the Bennetts had found their long-lost biological daughter, Odalys Stone.

And just like that, they had a perfect solution: send Odalys instead. She'd secure the Bennetts' connection to the Stewarts, widow or not. Sophia would be off the hook, and the family would still come out on top. It was a win-win—at least for everyone except Odalys.

"What am I doing here?" Odalys said, her voice calm but laced with a sharp edge as she glanced around. She raised an eyebrow, her smirk growing. "Well, obviously, I'm here to collect what's mine."

She didn't bother hiding the amusement in her eyes. Watching the Bennetts fume while the Stewart family bodyguards loomed nearby was too satisfying.

"What's wrong? Were you planning to keep it all for yourselves?" Her voice turned mockingly curious, her tone dripping with fake innocence. "Oh, wait—I get it. You're trying to screw me over because you think I'm just the backup bride, right?"

Her words hit like a grenade. The bodyguards immediately paused their work, sharp eyes locking onto the Bennetts with unspoken suspicion.

Hannah's face went pale, her heavily made-up features twisting in barely contained rage. She spat through gritted teeth, "If the Stewarts gave it to you, then fine. Take it. It's yours."

"Damn right, it's mine." Odalys tilted her head, smirk still firmly in place. "Let's go, guys. Load it all up."

The bodyguards didn't need to be told twice. They began reloading the boxes of gifts onto the waiting trucks.

One of them rattled off the inventory under his breath. "Three boxes with three million dollars each. Two boxes of gold and diamond jewelry, 200 pieces total. One small box containing six property deeds for Crystal Cove villas. One small box with keys to 11 luxury cars."

Sophia's fists clenched at her sides, her nails digging so hard into her palms that she almost drew blood.

Those gifts were supposed to be hers. Sure, she didn't want to marry into the Stewarts, but she'd never said she didn't want the spoils. And now, she thought Odalys was walking out with everything. Every last thing.

Her chest tightened with rage, her breaths coming quick and sharp. 'Why? Why does she get to take what should be mine?'

"Odalys Stone, don't you have any shame?" Hannah snapped, stepping forward with a trembling hand pointing at her. Her voice cracked with the effort to keep her anger in check. "Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you? Taking all this—it's disgusting."

"Laugh? At me?" Odalys turned, her expression cool, her voice calm and mocking. "For what? Taking what my husband gave me? No, Mrs. Bennett, people aren't going to laugh. They're gonna be jealous as hell."

Her lips curled into a cold smile, her eyes glinting with something dangerous. "Or is it you who's jealous?"

Her gaze swept across the room, pausing on each familiar face. To her surprise, she didn't feel the anger she thought she would. The Bennetts didn't deserve her rage.

What she felt instead was an eerie calm. She'd been here before, in another timeline. This time, she wasn't here to please anyone. This time, she was here to cut ties, burn bridges, and take what was hers.

"These gifts belong to me because the Stewarts are marrying me. You got a problem with that?" Her voice was soft but carried an unmistakable edge. Each word hit like a slap.

Her eyes scanned the room, finally settling on Sophia. Slowly, deliberately, she stepped forward.

Sophia froze, her eyes darting nervously to the side as she stumbled back a step. Her gaze flickered to the boxes of gifts, jealousy and frustration swirling in her tear-filled eyes.

She'd never wanted this to happen. Sure, she'd agreed to let Odalys take her place in the marriage, but she hadn't agreed to give her everything. And now, Odalys was walking away with it all. The thought made her stomach churn with rage and humiliation.

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