A Woman Worth Billions Dated the Wrong Brother novel Chapter 17

I married a man

The room felt different once the doors closed.

Quieter.

Less like a battlefield.

I watched Jason move through the space. The dark wood, the tall windows, the controlled minimalism. Everything about this

room spoke of restraint.

Control.

“I’ll shower first,” I heard myself say.

I needed the water. Needed something steady and predictable against my skin after a day that had been anything but.

The marble bathroom was warm, the steam rising quickly as I stepped beneath the spray. I closed my eyes and let it fall over me.

Today, I married a man who had once been my almost-brother-in-law. 1

Today, I stepped into a dynasty that could crush me if it chose to.

Today, I held a little girl who looked like she had already learned too much about fear.

And somehow… I wasn’t shaking.

When I returned to the bedroom, wrapped in a thick robe, Jason looked up. His gaze wasn’t assessing. It wasn’t territorial.

It was aware. T

That felt safer than it should have.

After he disappeared into the bathroom, I changed into something simple. Soft. Familiar. Mine.

The bed was larger than any I had ever slept in. Too large for one person. Almost too large for two.

I slipped beneath the covers carefully, unsure of the unspoken rules in a marriage that had begun in fire.

When Jason returned, he turned off the last lamp, and darkness settled around us.

He lay down beside me.

Not touching.

Close enough to feel his presence.

Far enough to respect distance.

The silence wasn’t awkward.

It was… waiting.

I stared into the dim outline of the ceiling and felt the weight of everything pressing against my thoughts.

The whispers that would follow tomorrow.

The questions.

The comparisons.

Oscar

Nicole

Alice.

The Sun family.

And yet-

I wasn’t afraid.

Not in this moment.

Jason shifted slightly, and warmth radiated from his side of the bed. Solid. Steady.

I surprised myself when I turned just a fraction toward him.

Not enough to bridge the space.

Just enough to feel that I wasn’t alone in it.

“Goodnight, Jason,” I murmured softly.

It came out more natural than I expected.

Sincere.

I heard him begin to answer.

But the day had taken everything from me.

Sleep pulled me under before he could finish.

There was no struggle.

No spiraling thoughts.

Just warmth.

And the quiet realization – right before darkness claimed me

That for the first time since this chaos began…

I didn’t feel like I was standing alone in the fire.

The first thing I felt was warmth.

The second-

Impact.

A heavy pounding against the bedroom doors.

Not polite.

Not hesitant.

Demanding.

My body jerked before my mind caught up.

For half a second, I didn’t know where I was.

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The ceiling above me was unfamiliar. The sheets were softer than any I owned. The air carried a faint scent of sandalwood and something distinctly him.

Then-

The door again.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Voices followed, muffled through thick wood.

I couldn’t make out the words.

Only urgency.

Something stirred beside me.

Jason.

I became aware of how close we were.

Sometime during the night, the careful distance had disappeared. His arm was heavy across my waist, his body angled slightly toward mine, as if instinct had overruled intention. 1

The pounding didn’t stop.

A voice broke through more clearly this time.

“Jason!”

Low. Male. Agitated.

Another strike against the door.

Jason shifted.

Not startled. 1

Not confused.

Just instantly awake.

It was unsettling how fast his body went from rest to readiness.

He tightened his arm briefly around me before lifting his head.

Then I felt it

His hand at my shoulder. 1

Firm.

Gentle.

“Amber.”

My name wasn’t sharp.

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