Billionaire’s Unlikely Bride - Chapter 31: Chapter 31

Back at the mansion, Julie was scrolling through her phone when she stumbled upon the news. Her heart dropped. The headlines are bold and clear: RAVEN BARRETT’S SECRET AFFAIR WITH HER HUSBAND'S COUSIN.
She rushed to Raven, finding her in the sitting room, drawing in her sketchbook. "Raven," she said breathlessly, holding up her phone, "you need to see this."
Raven's eyes widened as she took the phone from Julie. The blood drained from her face as she saw the photos, Justin leaning in and kissing her neck, but it looked as if they were both kissing.
"No," Raven whispered, her hands trembling. "This isn’t true. I didn’t---"
"I know, and I'm sure Mason won't believe this either," Julie said softly, sitting beside her. "I hate how the media twists things just to get a good story. This is Justin’s doing, I'm sure of it."
"Not just Justin, I know Blair’s involved in this." Raven’s heart pounded in her chest as she picked up her phone to call Mason. The phone rang, but he didn’t answer. She tried again and again, her anxiety rising with each unanswered call. "He's not picking up."
Julie placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't panic yet, he's probably just overwhelmed. He’ll come around. I will make sure Dad doesn't see this, we wouldn't want him stressed out."
Raven nodded, but she silently hoped that Mason trusted her.
Meanwhile, at the office, Mason couldn’t concentrate. His mind kept replaying the images of Justin and Raven in his head. He stood up and stormed out, unable to stand it any longer. He drove straight to Justin’s house.
The moment he arrived, Mason shoved the guard aside and marched through the door. Justin was relaxed in his living room, unaware of what was coming. Mason didn’t hesitate. He walked up to Justin and punched him in the face, sending him stumbling back.
"You have some nerves going after my wife," Mason snarled, his voice low and dangerous.
Justin wiped the blood from his lip, a smirk forming on his face. "I think you should be asking your wife why she responded to my kiss."
That statement caused Mason’s blood to boil, but before he could land another punch, the guards rushed in, pulling them apart. Mason’s chest heaved with fury, his fists clenched but he allowed the guards to drag him away.
As he left, Justin laughed behind him, blood dripping down his chin. He turned just as Blair descended the stairs. She had asked to be discharged from the hospital without informing her mother. She stayed with Justin in an attempt to avoid Mr Clinton’s advances and hide from the mess her mom placed her in.
Blair walked over to Justin, her eyes scanning his battered face. "You know how to provoke people, don’t you?" She remarked, chuckling slightly as she grabbed a cloth to clean his wounds.
Justin shrugged, wincing as she dabbed at the blood. "At least I got the reaction I expected. I knew he'd find it difficult to trust Raven after Candice did the same thing to him."
Blair shook her head in amusement. "You still haven't told me what you plan to achieve from all this."
"That's for me to know," Justin smirked.
Blair looked at him for a moment, she knew he wasn't going to share his plans with her. But she also knew that it would be beneficial to her if she stayed in his life.
That evening, Mason found himself in a bar, holding a drink. He needed something to help him stay calm, something to make him forget about the images and Justin’s words.
He had no idea Justin had someone keeping an eye on him. When Justin was informed that he'd gone to a bar, he knew it was the perfect opportunity. He paid the bartender to spike Mason's drink. Then he asked Blair to put her plans with Candice in motion but also not to mention his involvement with Candice.
As the alcohol began to take effect, Mason didn’t notice when Candice slipped into the seat beside him. She watched him for a moment before placing a hand on his arm. "Mason," she said softly.
Mason didn’t recognize her at first, his mind hazy from the drugs the bartender had slipped into his drink.
"You look like you’ve had a rough day," she said, faking concern.
"What do you want, Candice? I don't have time for your silly games."
"I'm not playing games, Mason. I saw the news about your wife, and I know you must be heartbroken."
Mason chuckled. "You're all the same after all. Leave me alone, Candice; I'm not in the mood for this." Mason took another swig of his whiskey. The alcohol was making his head feel heavy.
Candice gently touched his arm, but he pulled back slightly; he didn’t have the energy to fight her off.
"I know you must hate me," Candice murmured, her fingers trailing softly along the edge of her glass. "But I know you still care for me. You can't just throw away everything we had because of a silly mistake."
"I know I made a mistake but people change. I still love you a lot, Mason." She continued
"You must be out of your mind, Candice. You only came back because you found out who I was, not because you loved me. You don't even know what that word means." Mason mumbled, blinking hard as the room started to spin.
"You and I were supposed to be together, Mason, and you know that. We can... we can go back to how things were."
Mason shook his head slowly, the alcohol making it difficult to form coherent thoughts. "It's too late for that." He said standing up.
But Candice wasn’t ready to give up. She moved closer and whispered in his ear. "No, it’s not. Just give me a chance. One night. That’s all I’m asking."
Mason was slowly losing his grip on reality, the room kept spinning. He didn’t realize as Candice led him towards the back of the bar.
Mason stumbled, unaware of his surroundings, as she led him to a private room upstairs.
The door clicked shut behind them, and Candice guided him to the bed. Mason collapsed onto it, his body giving in to the exhaustion, the alcohol taking full control.