While He Waited in Aspen, I Married His Rival Chapter 04

While He Waited in Aspen, I Married His Rival Chapter 04

When I arrived at the club, Chloe was holding court, surrounded by investors in suits like a triumphant queen.

When she saw me, she glided over with a glass of champagne, her silver heels clicking.

“Ava, you’re here.”

My eyes fell on the champagne silk gown she wore. The cut, the simple yet luxurious design… it was almost identical to the gown I’d chosen for my wedding reception.

Liam followed close behind her. The moment he saw Chloe, a flash of undisguised amazement lit his eyes. His voice was thick with admiration.

“Chloe, you look incredible tonight.”

Chloe’s cheeks flushed as she lowered her lashes with just the right amount of shyness.

“Liam, don’t. Ava’s right here.”

Liam’s gaze was practically glued to her, the heat in it undeniable. Without even glancing at me, he reached out and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

The intimate gesture drew a few knowing chuckles from familiar investors nearby. Liam’s father, a sharp, severe-looking man, even remarked with a look of mock regret.

“Honestly, Chloe is a much better match for our Liam in business. They’re a perfect pair.”

I looked down at the conservative navy dress I was wearing. It was my mother’s favorite style—dignified and proper—but in this glittering world of money and power, it looked painfully out of place.

Chloe feigned a generous protest.

“Uncle, don’t say things like that in front of Ava. You’ll upset her.”

Liam’s parents just smiled dismissively, their expressions full of contempt for an “outdated rancher’s daughter.”

Only then did Liam finally turn to me. But there was no apology in his eyes, only reproach.

“Ava, my father is just stating a fact. We’ve all seen how much Chloe has contributed to this project. Can you stop making a scene about everything? Can’t you take a joke?”

“You’ve spent too much time on that ranch,” he said, lowering his voice, though his words still cut like a knife. “You don’t understand the rules of the modern business world. Here, results are all that matter.”

I stared at him, my heart feeling as if it had been plunged into ice water.

“So your promise to my grandfather, your promise to Blackstone Valley… was that just another business rule that could be thrown out whenever you wanted?”

A flicker of guilt crossed his face, but in front of his family and peers, he would never admit defeat.

His expression darkened.

“Don’t confuse the issues. Chloe and I are fighting for all of our futures. You should be thanking her, not spreading your negativity everywhere.”

Chloe again.

He would always defend Chloe.

A sudden, immense weariness washed over me. Every beautiful illusion I’d held on to had become a stone weighing down my heart. I took a breath, ready to end this farce once and for all.

“Liam, I came here tonight to formally tell you, in front of everyone…”

“Liam!” Chloe’s sharp, excited voice cut me off. She hooked her arm through his. “My best friend from college wants to come to Aspen for our wedding. Are there still seats on the private jet?”

Liam barely hesitated.

“Of course. I’ll have it arranged.”

Behind him, his assistant looked troubled. “Mr. Henderson,” he murmured, “the last two seats… they’re reserved for Miss Monroe’s family.”

“Oh, then never mind,” Chloe said, instantly releasing Liam’s arm, the picture of wronged consideration. “I wouldn’t want to upset Ava. Family seats are the most important.”

Liam couldn’t stand to see her look disappointed. He made his decision in a heartbeat, his voice just loud enough for everyone around us to hear.

“Ava’s family can fly commercial. Chloe’s friends aren’t familiar with Aspen. They need to come with us.”

Final. Decisive.

Chloe immediately hugged his arm again, delighted, and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

“Liam, I knew you were the best to me!”

The way people looked at me was suddenly filled with open contempt and amusement.

“He chartered a private jet for the wedding, and the bride’s family doesn’t even get a seat?”

“Are you surprised? Haven’t you heard? The Monroe ranch is about to go bankrupt. They’re counting on this acquisition to save them. For that kind of money, they’d swim to Aspen if they had to.”

The whispers were like a thousand tiny needles.

And Liam, his attention completely absorbed by the smiling woman at his side, didn’t notice what I’d been trying to say, nor did he care what I’d just heard.

In the end, I was just a prop in his grand performance. A bystander.

My heart sank. I no longer had any desire for a public confrontation. I turned, wanting only to escape that suffocating room.

But as I turned, something caught my eye.

Chloe was smugly showing something off to her friends. Under the lights, a platinum necklace glittered around her neck.

I knew the shape of that pendant all too well.

It was the commercial logo they had twisted from my family’s brand—the one meant to represent their so-called “luxury resort experience.”

The brand that had once symbolized a century of my family’s honor.