Our Wedding Was Ruined and I Found a Husband 33

“You’re bluffing.” 

“Am I? Do you want to test that? If you don’t cooperate, I’ll make things difficult. For your sisters. For your business. For that sick little girl.” 

Don’t bring Ava into this. 

“If you come near Ava- 

“Then give me what I want. Marry William. Give me access to his network.” 

“No.” 

Victor laughed. Cold. “You think you’re so strong. But you’re nothing without the Harper name. And that name comes with obligations.” 

“My only obligation is to the company I built.” 

“Then we have a problem. Maybe those sisters would be better off elsewhere.” 

“You touch them and I’ll cut you off completely. Every dividend, gone. I’ll tie up the company in legal paperwork so thick you’ll need a machete.” 

“You can’t. The board-” 

“The board answers to me. I have controlling interest. And lawyers who’d love to tear apart that dividend agreement.” 

Silence. 

“You’re making a mistake. Family secrets have a way of coming out when you least expect it.” 

“Is that a threat?” 

“A warning. Think carefully. Because you can’t protect everyone forever.” 

The line went dead. 

I stood there in the hospital hallway. Shaking. Adrenaline flooding my system. 

Would his gossip really be enough to permanently damage my reputation? 

I leaned against the wall. Letting my head fall back against the cold concrete. I tried to breathe through the panic rising in my chest. 

The real Vanessa’s voice echoed in my memory. Weak and fading in that hospital bed three years ago. 

“They’ll bleed the company dry if you let them.” 

We had spent a lot of time here, the two of us. I was recovering from giving birth, while Ava was in the NICU, and Vanessa was dying, cancer eating her from the inside. 

The Harper family had already started circling. 

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Chapter 33 

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“I don’t have anyone else,” Vanessa had whispered. “My sisters are still so young. They need protection.” 

“I’ll help however I can,” I’d promised. 

“I need you to become me.” Her eyes locked on mine. Desperate. “You look enough like me. Take my name. Take my company. Protect my sisters. Promise me you’ll be stronger than I was.” 

I’d promised. Not fully understanding what I was agreeing to. Not knowing how parasitic her family truly was. 

After she died, the transformation had been easy. The family hadn’t seen her in over a year due to an “extended vacation” that was actually her cancer treatment. 

A new hairstyle. Different makeup. Slight changes in mannerisms. 

They’d accepted me without question. Too eager for dividends to look closely. 

And I’d kept my promise. I took control of the company. Protected Jessica and Hannah as best I could from a distance. 

But Victor was getting bolder. More desperate. 

I pushed off the wall. Straightened my spine. Forced myself back into control. I’d dealt with worse than greedy relatives. I’d survived Jason’s rejection. Given birth alone. Built a life from nothing. 

Victor Harper didn’t scare me. 

But his threats against Vanessa’s sisters did. Against Ava. 

I needed to check on Jessica and Hannah soon. Make sure they weren’t being punished for my defiance. 

Back in Ava’s room, she was stirring. Her eyes fluttered open. Focused on me with that too–knowing gaze 

children sometimes have. 

“Mama? What’s wrong?” 

I forced a smile. Crossed to her bedside. Brushed hair from her forehead. 

“Nothing, sweetheart. Just work stuff. Nothing for you to worry about.” 

She studied me with those green eyes. So much like her father’s. 

“You looked sad,” she said. “And mad. Both at the same time.” 

Too perceptive. 

“I’m not mad, baby. Just thinking about boring grown–up things.” 

She seemed to accept this. Settled back into her pillows. Then her face brightened slightly. 

“Will Uncle William come visit tomorrow?” 

“Probably. He said he would.” 

Ava was quiet for a moment. Then she asked the question I’d been dreading. 

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Chapter 33 

“Mama? Are you going to marry Uncle William?” 

My breath caught. “No, honey. We’re just friends.” 

“Oh.” She processed this. “What about Jason?” 

The name sent a shockwave through me. 

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