The Billionaires Son Chose Me
His Unwanted Wife, The Hidden Genius
I flew back to New York on my twenty-fifth birthday, carrying vintage gold cufflinks I spent weeks finding for my billionaire husband, Declan. But when I walked into our townhouse, I found him throwing a massive victory party with Sloane, a glamorous socialite, standing by his side as the proud hostess. "Don't cause a scene. Go upstairs." Declan coldly dismissed me in front of his guests. Even Poppy, the rookie player whose shattered ankle I had painstakingly rebuilt, rolled her eyes and ignored me to suck up to Sloane. Hiding in the shadows, I heard the maids gossiping that everyone thought Sloane was the future Mrs. Hartford. To make matters worse, I discovered Sloane had stolen my anonymous, groundbreaking medical algorithm and was planning to present it as her own. First my husband, then the girl I mentored like family, and now the scientific foundation I had built with my own hands. Declan even texted me to cancel our birthday breakfast without a single apology, treating me like an annoying afterthought. My tears vanished, replaced by a freezing clarity. I signed the divorce papers, leaving them on his desk with zero demands for his money. Then I packed my bags, booked a one-way ticket to Boston, and prepared to destroy them on the global stage.
Chapter 1
Aurelia Vance POV:
I had been married to Declan Hartford for three years.
Today was my twenty-fifth birthday, and I had flown back from Boston in secret, hoping for one quiet evening with my husband.
I'd spent a week carefully picking out a pair of gold cufflinks as a gift for my husband.
But the laughter spilling from the front door told me I was already too late: the woman who had taken my place at his side was already inside.
The heavy oak door swung open before I reached the porch. Three young players from the New York Titans, Declan's NHL franchise, stumbled out with crystal tumblers of scotch, laughing loudly. They barely glanced at me as they passed.
I stepped into the grand foyer. The heat hit me instantly,expensive champagne, roasted tenderloin, cigar smoke.
Dozens of people filled the double parlor: executives, scouts, wives in designer dresses.
In the center stood Declan, tall and broad in a bespoke charcoal suit. Beside him, laughing into his ear, was Sloane Whitfield, her backless silver dress catching the chandelier light. Her hand rested on his forearm like she belonged there.
Before I could take another breath, a blur of blonde hair darted past my elbow.
"Sloane!" Poppy Delacroix cried, throwing her arms around Sloane's slender waist. "You were completely right about the catering! This is literally the best victory party the team has ever had!"
Poppy is fourteen, a junior elite forward prospect.
I scouted her two years ago from a crumbling youth league, back when she was at her lowest.
Her parents had once shown me great kindness, and I knew they had already passed away, leaving her all alone in the world.
Declan and I adopted her together.
I rebuilt her shattered ankle with a custom rehabilitation plan.
I had always loved and cared for her as both a mother and a sister.
Now, she did not even glance in my direction.
Declan turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the crowd until his eyes locked onto mine. The easy grin on his sharp jaw vanished instantly. His brows drew together in a hard, irritated line.
He excused himself from Sloane, cutting through the throng of players with long, impatient strides.
"Aurelia," Declan said, stopping two feet in front of me. His voice carried zero warmth. "What are you doing here?"
My throat felt like sandpaper.
"I took the four o'clock flight from Boston," I whispered, clutching the strap of my bag until my knuckles turned white. "It is my birthday, Declan. I thought we could—"
"We are celebrating the division win," he cut in, his tone sharp enough to draw blood. "The board is here. The sponsors are here. Sloane spent four consecutive days coordinating this event so the organization could project stability."
He did not look at me. His gaze slid past my shoulder to the bar, like I was a waitress who had wandered into the wrong room.
"Don't cause a scene," he added quietly. "Go upstairs."
A soft, mocking murmur rippled through a cluster of players' wives standing near the grand staircase. Two women with platinum blowouts exchanged knowing glances over their flutes of Dom Pérignon.
"I didn't know," I said, my voice barely audible over the swelling music. "I am sorry."
I turned toward the staircase, my legs trembling beneath my wool trousers.
Near the landing, Poppy was adjusting her designer jacket in the hallway mirror.
"Poppy," I said softly, pausing beside her. "How is your ankle feeling after Thursday's third period? Did you complete the isometric sequence I sent?"
Poppy rolled her eyes, sighing loudly as she pulled out her phone.
"Aurelia, please, not right now," she muttered without looking at me. "Sloane is introducing me to a marketing director from one of our partners. I don't have time for your spreadsheets."
The dismissive edge in her voice hit me harder than Declan's coldness. I had stayed up until three in the morning reviewing her biomechanical scans while she was recovering from surgery, and now I was just an annoyance in the way of her social ascent.
I walked up the rest of the stairs and entered the primary suite—the massive, sterile bedroom allocated to me under our prenuptial agreement.
I sat on the edge of the mattress and pulled out the velvet box. The gold cufflinks gleamed under the bedside lamp, cold and useless.
Downstairs, cheers erupted. The sound vibrated through the floorboards.
I walked to the French doors overlooking the rear garden. Down on the illuminated patio, Sloane was directing two servers by an ice sculpture. Declan stood beside her, his head bent down as he listened to her speak, his hand casually brushing the small of her back.
They looked like the couple the city expected them to be.
My phone buzzed in my coat pocket. I pulled it out, hoping against hope.
It was an email notification.
"Happy Birthday, Aurelia. Remember that true science requires patience and solitude. You are meant for greater arenas than New York boardrooms. -Dr. Edmund Sterling."
My mentor at Harvard was the only person in the world who had remembered.
I typed a brief "Thank you, Professor" and shut off the screen.
Hours passed. The bass eventually quieted, replaced by the occasional clatter of glassware and slamming car doors. My throat burned with thirst.
At two in the morning, I padded downstairs in my stocking feet to fetch a glass of water from the butler's pantry.
As I rounded the corner near the service hallway, the voices of two newly hired catering maids stopped me dead in my tracks.
"Miss Whitfield is stunning," the first girl whispered, scraping dessert plates into a bin. "Mr. Hartford's girlfriend carries herself like royalty."
"A girlfriend?" the other asked, pausing. "But isn't Mr. Hartford rumored to be married? Is it inappropriate to be this close with Whitfield?"
"Married?Where did that come from? Even if there was one, they must have split long ago. I've worked three events here this month, and Miss Whitfield is the only woman hosting by his side. Everyone knows she's the future Mrs. Hartford."
I shrank back into the cold shadow of the archway, my blood turning to ice.
In the home where I held a legal marriage certificate, my presence had already been wiped clean.
The Billionaire's Son Chose Me!
After a brief appearance at a birthday celebration, Ayra Carter's life took a drastic turn when the famous billionaire's heir chooses her to be his new mum.. "I like you a lot so you have to come home with me and be my new mummy" Arya's heart warmed as she stared at the cute little boy in front
When The Moon Chose Me
One night. One howl. One kiss that changed everything. Seventeen-year-old Ethan Cross wakes up with blood on his hands and a wolf in his soul. Marked by an ancient pack and hunted by shadowy enemies, he's thrust into a war he doesn't understand-where every full moon threatens to steal his humanity.
The Son She Chose to Lose
I thought I had it all. A quiet, devoted husband David, a brilliant son Ethan heading to college, and a secret life of immense wealth, lavishing affection and luxury on my high school sweetheart Leo and his charming son, Finn. My two worlds never touched, or so I believed. Then, a frantic call from
The Son Who Chose A Stranger
Three weeks after Mark informed me his "ideal woman" Sarah was moving in, forcing me out, I returned to our house for one thing: the divorce papers his lawyer drafted. As I fumbled for keys I no longer had, heavy, uneven footsteps sounded behind me, a low, slurred muttering growing closer. I pound
This Life Chose Me
A 19-year-old girl, Clara ,finds herself ensnared in a web of manipulation as she is tricked into marriage. Plunged into a loveless union with a much older man, her heart longs for a connection she never anticipated. As time passes, fate intertwines her path with that of her husband's charismatic an
Rejected by the Son, I Chose the Don
On my wedding day, my father sold me to the Chicago Outfit to pay his debts. I was supposed to marry Alex Moreno, the heir to the city's most powerful crime family. But he couldn't even be bothered to show up. As I stood alone at the altar, humiliated, my best friend delivered the final blow. Alex
The Alpha Who Killed Me Chose Me Again
When Alpha Kael publicly executes his mate over an accusation of wanting to destroy the werewolf packs, Jean dies with one heartbreaking truth buried in her chest-she loved him until her very last breath. But death was not the end. Jean wakes up three years in the past, before the betrayal, before
He Chose The Mistress, I Chose Freedom
"The child is mine." My husband, the Capo of the Chicago Outfit, announced to the world, his hand resting protectively on his mistress's stomach. He was lying to save her life, but in doing so, he signed the death warrant for the baby growing inside me. Just hours before, I had finally gotten the
The Billionaires Fake Marriage
Alexandra Thompson, a self-made tech billionaire, and Julian Saint Clair, a charismatic real estate heir, agree to a 6-month fake marriage to secure a lucrative business deal. As they navigate their growing attraction amidst deception, they face complications from rival CEOs, past lovers, and family
The Billionaires Unwilling Vows
CRACK. Daniel landed a clean punch right to Leo's jaw. I gasped, hand flying to my mouth, but internally? Oh god, that was satisfying to watch. Ally and I latched onto each other, giggling like schoolgirls, and took this as our cue to GTFO. We bolted from the VIP section, dodging security and wea
The Billionaires Relentless Love
You watched the end but you never did read the start. The Billionaires ex wife is back!!!! Katherine gray is 20 and fresh out of college, she needs to intern somewhere and she needs to find an internship fast. James Saunders an arrogant play boy turned business man set out to take the world of
The Billionaires Vampire Lover
Ivy had to sacrifice her heart to the ruthless billionaire whom despised her and intentionally gave her a job at his firm to mess with her and her family for a sin her family commited unknown to her but regardless when his health was on the line and he needed a heart donor, she donated her organ to
The billionaires unintended Bride
Jade is a young girl fresh out of college who has got her whole life ahead of her. Her world starts spinning when her father, a ruthless billionaire breaks news to her of an arranged marriage Alex is a powerful billionaire with striking and piercing blue eyes from which jade can't take her eyes off
The billionaires proposal
Max Wellington, a self-made billionaire, has always been driven by success and control. But when he meets Emily Wilson, a free-spirited artist, his carefully constructed world is turned upside down. Emily's beauty and creativity captivate Max, and he finds himself wanting to possess her, body and
Kidnapped by the billionaires
Vanessa Rogue, a broke college student dropout gets kidnapped the same night as doctor Kimberly Lex, due to a coincidence and simple misunderstanding. Both ladies now find themselves as captives of very powerful, wealthy, and influential men. Valentino Foxx and Wayde Patino are both influential an
The Billionaires Choice
A past that haunts her. A billionaire who won't let her go. After a life shattering prom night, Ondina swore she'd never trust a man again. Moving to New York in hopes of starting fresh, she meets the Raphael Lahsen ,CEO of Lahsen Enterprise. This dark-haired, russet-eyed, impossibly handsome, and
The billionaires unexpected wife
Blurb: Kael Vance is three months from losing his grandfather's company. His only hope is Santos Engineering. But Antonio Santos will not sell to strangers. His daughter is not a stranger. Lira Santos would do anything for her dying father. Even marry a cold, beautiful CEO who looks at her like
The Billionaires last chance
Sonya Edwards is a successful entrepreneur who has risen from the ashes of her painful past with a nonchalant husband. But when her ex-husband Callum Peters comes crawling back to her, she must decide whether to give him another chance or simply leave him in the dust.
The Billionaires Contracted Affection
In a world where hardships and power collide, Cordelia Woods, a young artist finds herself on the verge of despair. Desperate to save her sick brother's life, she turns to her only talent, selling her dear paintings, in the process of trying to gather the money needed for her brother's surgery. But
The Billionaires Substitute Bride
Blurb: Mia's life turns around when she eavesdrops on a billionaire conversation and dents his car. Allen makes Mia his substitute bride when he finds out his fiance has been cheating on him. Mia turns from a girl with debts to a billionaire's wife in just a day. After she signs a contract to be th
