After betrayed, I married the man in the Forbes

Joshua West watched Leonard Peters’ face darken, and a sudden wave of panic hit him out of nowhere. He cut into the conversation fast, voice sharp with urgency. “Mom, we need to get out of here.”

Mrs. West was thrown off by Joshua’s sudden move at first, but one glance at the sweat beading on his forehead and she got it right away. Any more of this fight wouldn’t just turn the Hendersons against them—it’d draw Leonard Peters’ wrath full-on. Leonard wasn’t just the hot new rising star in London; he was tied to one of the city’s most powerful families. Pissing him off would be a complete disaster.

Her shoulders sagged with quiet defeat. She nodded at Joshua, and the same sharp unease coiling in his chest twisted in hers too as they headed for the exit.

When they brushed past Nelson Carlson, he dropped a calm, razor-sharp warning right into their path: “If I catch you anywhere near my sister again, you’ll be lucky to scrape by anywhere in this city.”

With Maxwell Henderson’s connections backing him, Leonard could boot Joshua out of London’s elite circles before the sun even rose tomorrow. Joshua kept his eyes glued to the floor, too humiliated to meet Nelson’s glare, as he and his mother walked out of the ballroom.

Back inside, Haven Peters turned around to find her mother, Sophia Porter, standing poised in a silk Victorian-era evening gown that looked straight out of a royal portrait. Haven went rigid. She had no clue how much of that awkward confrontation her mom had overheard. But Sophia didn’t look ruffled at all—her eyes were still locked on Leonard, like that whole messy run-in with Joshua and his mother hadn’t even happened. Haven let out a shaky breath she didn’t realize she was holding, relief flooding her.

She hurried over to slip her arm through Sophia’s, her voice soft and warm, that gentle tone only her mom ever got to hear. “Mom, why don’t you sit down for a minute? There’s another wave of guests coming later.”

Sophia listened to her daughter’s gentle offer, but her gaze never strayed from Leonard. A faint, almost unreadable smile tugged at her lips, but when she spoke, her voice was ice cold. “This young man is quite something, isn’t he, Haven? Is he a friend of Nelson’s?”

The nearby guests caught her question, and their eyes went wide. Low, curious whispers rippled through the crowd right away.

“Aren’t Haven and Leonard Peters married? Why’s Mrs. Porter acting like she doesn’t even know her own son-in-law?”

“I heard Leonard’s grandfather is pushing him to court all those rich, powerful heiresses. If Haven’s already his wife, wouldn’t Mrs. Porter know him?”

“Did they elope? Get hitched in secret?”

“No way that’s actually happening.”

The whispers were quiet, but Sophia picked up every word. She kept her eyes on Leonard, and it clicked into place—this was definitely the man her daughter had been seeing for five years. What threw her off was why Haven had kept him hidden this whole time. Her husband had sung Leonard’s praises more times than she could count, after all.

Nelson was waiting for Haven to do the introductions, but Leonard beat him to it. His voice was clear, respectful, as he stepped forward and handed Sophia a wrapped gift. “Happy anniversary, Mom. I picked this out just for you.”

That one word—Mom—caught Sophia completely off guard, cracking her calm composure for half a second.

She pulled herself together fast in front of all the watching guests, nodding at Bo Mitchell, who stepped forward to take Leonard’s gift and hold it for her.

All eyes in the ballroom zeroed in on the box when it was opened, and the entire room drew a collective breath. The emerald jewelry set inside was stunning, its deep, rich green glinting bright under the chandeliers, the delicate handiwork stealing everyone’s attention.

“Wow! That emerald set is absolutely breathtaking!”

“It’s nicer than any piece I own—has to be worth at least a million pounds. Mrs. Porter really hit the jackpot with a son-in-law this thoughtful.”

Nelson admired the lavish gift, taking it as solid proof how much Leonard cared for Haven.

Meanwhile, Haven couldn’t hide her shock. Their arrangement of convenience marriage, this over-the-top extravagant gift for her mom—none of it felt real, it was all so much bigger and more formal than she’d ever imagined it would be.

While everyone else gushed and stared in awe, Sophia kept her calm, cool demeanor. She spoke softly to Leonard, just loud enough for him to hear: “Come with me, please.”

Did her mom already know something?

Leonard exchanged a polite, steady glance with Haven before following Mrs. Porter back to her private lounge.

Once the door clicked shut, and they were alone with no outsiders listening, Sophia’s whole demeanor shifted. It went from calm polite to sharp, frosty sternness in a heartbeat.

“Mr. Peters, pardon me for being blunt. You hold such a respected position in this city, yet you’ve been with my daughter for five years and you’ve never once come to see me, her own mother! Can I even ask if you have any respect for my daughter, or for our family at all?”

Tension thickened the air in the small room. Nelson and Haven’s nerves spiked as their mother called Leonard out.

The truth was, Haven and Leonard were practically strangers. They’d barely spoken two words to each other before all this, and now here was her mother calling his whole commitment into question.

Leonard’s absence all these years was definitely a problem. Any parent would feel snubbed, hurt even.

Haven wanted to just melt into the floor out of sheer embarrassment. She even felt guilty for Leonard, even though this chewing out wasn’t entirely his fault.

Then, out of nowhere, Leonard reached for her hand and laced his fingers through hers.

His warm cedar scent wrapped around her, and it calmed her out of nowhere, soothed the jittery panic coiling in her gut.

Haven’s heart skipped a crazy, unexpected beat, shocked by how steady and sure he was being.

What on earth was he doing?