I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis novel Chapter 273

Chapter 273 Mira: A Couple at a Singles‘ Event

‘You’re a liar,‘ I said the moment she picked up the phone.

‘What did I do?‘ Yvaine yawned.

‘You told me this was a singles‘ cruise.‘

‘Yeah.‘

‘It’s not.‘

‘Why not?’

‘I saw Ashton.‘ I closed my eyes, but his image wouldn’t leave.

It had been close to three months since I’d last seen him.

It should have been impossible, yet he seemed taller somehow.

Everyone else wore T–shirts and Bermuda shorts. He had shed his jacket, but the black shirt and black trousers remained, making him both impossible to ignore and impossible to approach. Add his aura of aloofness, that silent warning to keep away, and people steered clear.

Even the girls brave enough to be drawn in by his face lost their nerve when they noticed the woman beside him.

‘Did you?‘ Yvaine’s voice was falsely surprised. ‘What a coincidence.‘

‘Liar. Did he put you up to this?‘

‘Nope.‘

‘Lie again.‘

‘Still nope. He’s single, isn’t he? So are you. Like I said, this is a singles‘ cruise.‘

Smugness clung to her words no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

“This isn’t over. The moment I get off this ship, m coming to your house-‘

‘Yeah, yeah. You can do whatever you like when you get off. Which won’t be for another week. Meanwhile, have fun!‘

She hung up.

I tossed my phone onto the bed and then followed it, flat on my back, staring at the low ceiling.

Seven days, trapped on the same boat as Ashton, he man I had spent two months trying my damned hardest to forget.

Chapter 273 Mira A Couple at a Singles‘ Event

+15 BONUS

Could there be anything worse?

Turned out, the answer was yes.

The only thing worse than running into your ex was running into him with his new girlfriend, while you stood there pathetically alone.

At the welcome ball, which was basically a singles‘ mixer, I had wanted to turn and leave the moment I saw them. But the crowd behind me a pack of college kids–pushed forward, and I was carried with them.

Lea wore a wine–red dress with a flaring hem, auburn hair pinned in an elegant knot. She clearly loved red, and I had to admit, it suited her,

She wasn’t clinging to Ashton’s arm, but the way she leaned in close, whispering now and then, made it clear enough they were together.

I kept my distance, though I couldn’t keep my eyes off him.

He must have felt it.

The moment he turned his head, I ducked behind a column.

Then I cursed myself. Why was I hiding?

‘Hi there.‘ Lea appeared in front of me, glass of wine in one hand, the other extended. ‘I’m Lea Lopez.‘

I shook her hand briefly. ‘Mirabelle Vance.‘

She smiled. ‘I know. We should have met a long time ago, in Paris.‘

‘Yeah,‘ I said drily.

I knew exactly what she meant. Her arrival in Ashton’s life had marked the beginning of the end of ours.

1

I glanced past her. Ashton had disappeared.

‘Didn’t expect to run into you here,‘ she said.

‘Same here.‘ I wanted to slip away, but she blocked the exit.

Then, suddenly, she said, ‘I envy you.‘

‘Huh?‘

Her voice was gentle, oddly at odds with her striking looks. ‘I was an orphan. People said my birth father was a murderer. I was bullied for it. Later, I was adopted, but it wasn’t the life- changing gift I’d imagined. It was…‘ Her voice faded.

2/5

Chapter 273 Mira A Couple of a Singles‘ Event

1 frowned, baffled by why she was telling me thi

415 BGHUS

People raised in loving families can’t understand those like me. Luckily, I met others with similar backgrounds. Ashton, Kyllan, Olivier. At first, we looked out for each other. Then we started running… operations. Not exactly on the ght side of the law, but it brought in money. And money meant independence, Freedom from the families we despised. That was all we wanted.

I shifted on my feet. What was this? A sympathy id? A boast that she had known him longer than 1 had? I already knew that.

Lea’s tone softened. ‘I get why he was drawn to you. You had difficult parents too, but you turned out differently from us. You’re not bitter or vindictive, You’re… normal. Opposites attract, I suppose.‘

My brow furrowed.

Her smile brightened again. ‘But it never lasts. Sooner or later, you realise you and Ash don’t share the same outlook. You’re too different. The relationship was doomed from the start.

Ah. There it was. She was here to gloat.

‘Ashton and I are over,‘ I said evenly. “The relationship has already failed. Are you telling me this just to congratulate yourself on predicting it

Before she could reply, a man’s voice cut in. ‘May have this dance?‘ He was looking at her.

She smiled, took his hand. ‘Of course.‘ She threw me a gracious smile before gliding onto the dance floor with him.

‘May I have the pleasure of this dance, my lady? French–looking man in a white tuxedo bowed before me, hand extended.

He was handsome in a dandy way, with a smile that called to mind a young Leonardo DiCaprio

in Titanic.

I’m not good at dancing.‘

‘I could teach you,‘ he said.

Persistent, but not pushy.

I nodded

But before I could take his arm, an iron grip closet round my wrist. ‘She’s taken.‘

“That’s a shame.’ The man glanced between us, rugged, and walked away.

‘What are you doing here?‘ I pulled free of Ashton’s grasp.

Chapter 973 Mind A Chopta of a singles Event

I could ask you the same thing. His voice was as hard as his expression.

415 BARUS

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify