They Rejected Me—Then I Married The Billionaire They Feared Chapter 03
The Glass Reef was a private aquarium my father had been building since the year I was born, tucked underground on the north side of the Grant estate. The main hall had one enormous wall of green crystal glass; when the seawater and the lights hit it just right, the whole room lit up like a night sky.
Six months ago, with construction nearly finished, my father handed the final inspection over to Adrian. It was supposed to be my birthday gift.
Now it was Sienna’s birthday surprise.
I turned to look at Adrian.
Without his say-so, Sienna couldn’t have set foot inside a space that hadn’t even opened yet.
He wouldn’t meet my eyes. His voice hardened.
“Sienna grew up bouncing between trailer parks with her mother. She’d never even seen a real sky full of stars. I just wanted to give her one wish. The property’s still in your name—what exactly are you throwing a fit about?”
He paused, then added, like he was tossing me a scrap.
“Fine. A month from now, at your birthday party, I’ll announce our engagement. Will that do?”
I looked at his face, and something inside me almost laughed.
Caleb frowned at him.
“You don’t have to sacrifice yourself like this. Evelyn’s got a foul temper and a colder heart. Marry her and you’ll spend the rest of your life miserable.”
Logan gave a dry laugh.
“She’s probably losing her mind right now. Years of chasing him, and she finally gets what she wants.”
Sienna’s tears spilled over on cue.
“Adrian, don’t ruin your whole life for me. I can apologize to Evelyn. I’ll get on my knees if that’s what she needs…”
My throat felt dry.
“I’m not marrying you.”
Adrian went still.
Caleb and Logan exchanged a look, and their faces changed too—like they were suddenly worried I might swing around and pick one of them instead.
I didn’t want to stand there another second. I turned to leave.
Sienna caught my wrist and dropped straight to her knees.
“Please don’t punish Adrian for this. The three of them were raised by your family. They already owe you so much. If it’s about The Glass Reef, I’ll apologize. I’ll do anything you want.”
She bent forward and slammed her forehead against the floor. A red mark bloomed almost instantly.
Adrian yanked her up, then turned that terrible cold stare back on me.
“You say you won’t marry me. Fine. Just make sure that’s still true when the time comes. Are you not tired of using your own future as a weapon against Sienna?”
“You’re just going to run to your father and get her thrown out, aren’t you?”
I met his eyes.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. But rest easy—I would never choose you as my husband.”
He grabbed my hand.
“Not me? Then who? Caleb? Logan?”
“Logan’s leaving for Europe to study art. Caleb refuses to be tied to any family. Wasn’t wrecking my life enough? You want to drag them into it too?”
He was holding his temper down, but only barely. His voice dropped.
“As long as you leave Sienna alone from now on, I’ll marry you. Stop making a scene. Can you do that?”
I looked at him for a long time.
“Everything you want—you’ll get it.”
He was terrified I’d hurt Sienna. He didn’t want to marry me either.
Once I married Felix, every worry of his would disappear at once.