Chapter 9
-BLAIR-
Olivia didn’t wait until we were fully out of the hallway before she turned to stare at me.
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“What the hell was that about?” she asked, still glancing over her shoulder like Sophie and Lily might follow us. “They looked like they wanted to set you on fire. This is your wedding. Our security will have them out of here with a snap of our fingers.”
I let out a short, tired laugh. “They’ve decided I’m not the real Blair Monroe. I truly don’t want to waste that much energy on them. It would only cause a commotion and I don’t want that here.”
Olivia blinked. “Come again?”
“Apparently I snuck in, stole the real Blair Monroe’s place, and forced my way into this wedding because we happen to share the same name. Sophie’s convinced I’m some desperate stand–in. Lily’s happy to agree. They are both delusional if they truly believe that father would simply let another woman play his daughter while he’s present for the wedding.”
For a second Olivia just stared at me. Then she burst out laughing.
“You’re joking.”
“I wish I was. I truly believe something is wrong with the both of them. They should probably get their brains checked out by a doctor.”
She covered her mouth, shoulders shaking. “That’s what we get for keeping our faces off the internet. We were so paranoid about privacy that now half the world doesn’t even know what we look like. We’ve got the same last name as one of the richest families in the country and people still think you’re an impostor in a dress that they believe doesn’t even belong to you. They probably don’t even believe those are real diamonds on your neck.”
“Exactly.”
Olivia wiped under her eyes, still grinning. “Meanwhile Ethan can’t walk through an airport without ending up on someone’s story. Billionaire status plus the whole quarterback thing? His face is everywhere. The rest of us could rob a bank and no one would recognize us.”
That was true. Our brother wasn’t like us, he loved the spotlight.
“Caleb would somehow still get caught,” I said.
‘True. He’d trip the alarm and then apologize to the security guard.”
We both laughed, the sound loosening some of the tightness that had been sitting in my chest since the confrontation.
For a moment it felt like any other night–me and Olivia making fun of our ridiculous family and the even more ridiculous situations we ended up in.
Then I saw him.
Chase was moving through the crowd, eyes locked on me. The easy confidence he usually carried looked thinner tonight, mixed with something restless.
I exhaled. “I’ll talk to him alone.”
Olivia followed my gaze and immediately scowled.
“You can’t be serious.” She snapped. “That man no longer deserves your time.”
“I want to hear what he has to say,” I told her. “Don’t worry. I can handle this.”
She sighed. “Okay but call me to beat him up if he says anything that upsets you.”
I rolled my eyes, “you have my promise.”
As she passed him, she lifted her hand and flipped him off without slowing down.
Chase barely glanced at her. His attention stayed on me.
“I can’t believe you’re actually married,” he said once he reached me. His voice was low, tight. “To him. Of all people.”
I crossed my arms. “You lost the right to have an opinion about who I marry.”
He ignored that. “Is this some kind of joke to you? Taking a billionaire’s place like this? You think it’s funny?”
Of course, his wife must have told him the same Successfully unlocked! : up in her head.
I stared at him for a long second, then let out a slow breath. “You really don’t believe me, do you? You think I’m an imposter just like your silly wife.”
Серес
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“What ein supposed to believe, Blair?“. He dragged a hand through his hair, frustration clear “You spent years acting like memy was tight. You never talked about private jets or family foundations or any of the shit people like the Monroes live with You wore the same jackets. You took the bus with me when my car was in the shop. And now I’m supposed to accept that you were a bithonaire the entire time and just…what? Lied about it for fun?”
“I didn’t lie about being poor, said. “I never said I was poor. I just never advertised who my family was.”
“That’s the same thing.”
“No, it isn’t.”
Chase shook his head, still not buying it. “If you really were William Monroe’s daughter, why keep it from me for six years? No. Nine years. Why let me think you were just some regular girl who happened to be good at helping me out? People don’t hide that kind of money without a reason.”
‘Maybe I wanted to know if you actually wanted me,” I said quietly. “Not the name. Not the access. Not the doors my father could open. And it’s a good thing I did. It turns out you never did.”
His jaw worked. “That’s not fair.”
‘Isn’t it? You married Sophie because you thought she was the reason you became captain. You believed her when she took credit for something she had nothing to do with. And now you’re standing here accusing me of stealing a life I was
born into.”
Chase looked at me for a long moment, conflict written all over his face. The doubt was still there. So was the jealousy he didn’t want to admit.
‘I don’t get it,” he said finally. “If you had all that money and power the whole time, why live like you didn’t? Why let me struggle for years thinking we were in the same boat?”
Struggle? He never did. I made sure of it.
I held his gaze.
‘Because I loved you,” I said. “And I wanted you to love me back without any of it getting in the way. Not my money. Not my family. None of it.”
Chase didn’t have an answer for that. I truly didn’t care about his response anymore. It wouldn’t change a thing.
One of the guests waved at me and I quietly excused myself. I could feel his eyes on me as I walked away. Soon enough, he would regret it all. But by then, it would be too late for him.
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hapter 10
Dex Morgan
Dex works to elevate each story with clean writing, emotional balance, and thoughtful flow for readers.