Flash Marriage To The Dangerous Billionaire - Chapter 68: Chapter 68

"Oh, if it isn't Ms. Levine." Regina's voice drifted over; it was sweet on the surface but tinged with a hint of playful accusation beneath.
Hearing her name, Hallie turned naturally toward Regina, her gaze calm and unwavering, like she was patiently waiting for Regina to finish whatever game she was playing.
Nelson stopped too, falling into step right beside Regina.
To the rest, they looked every bit the picture-perfect couple. When Regina and Nelson were publicly together, their love story was the talk of the city—passionate and high-profile. Now, seeing them make a public appearance together again, it was no surprise they were drawing stares from every direction.
Regina noticed the attention immediately, and she loved it. "From a distance, I almost thought you two were a couple. It was only when I got closer that I realized it was you, Ms. Levine, and Peterson."
She pursed her lips, still playing the role of a naive girl. "Oh, silly me. My eyesight must really be terrible to mistake you two for a couple."
Hallie had initially been curious to see what new stunt Regina might pull today, but after hearing such an old cliché jab, she completely lost interest.
She wondered, 'Why is Regina always so dead set on picking fights with me? I've already made it clear that my marriage to Nelson is only for six months. Can't she even wait that long?'
But she wasn't about to back down either. With a calm, unbothered smile, Hallie shot right back.
She said, "You're not bad yourselves. Seeing how you were so clingy to him from a distance, I almost mistook you two for newlyweds in their third month of marriage."
That barbed remark struck Regina right where it hurt—sharp, precise, and merciless.
The four of them knew all too well that Hallie was the one who had been married to Nelson for three months now. By default, that made Regina the "third party" in this scene.
With tears in her eyes, Regina said pitifully, "Nel, did I say something wrong? Did I upset Ms. Levine?"
Nelson let Regina cling to his arm, but his grim gaze cut sharply to Hallie, a faint warning flickering in their depths.
Hallie asked, "Oh, Ms. Dyer, whatever gave you that idea? I only said what I felt after hearing your comments and seeing how close you two looked. Surely you wouldn't mind a little honesty, would you?"
Having made her point, Hallie offered a half-hearted apology and left it at that. As for how Regina felt about it was none of her concern.
The cocktail party grew livelier by the minute. As more guests arrived, social exchanges among the crowd multiplied.
Not wanting to start a full-blown scene, Hallie took the chance to excuse herself, using a conversation as an out. With Peterson by her side, she moved away slowly, putting deliberate space between them and the other two.
Nelson didn't say a word, but after they left, his gaze lingered on their retreating figures for a long moment.
Hallie's slender, graceful silhouette next to Peterson's tall, confident figure suddenly struck him as surprisingly fitting. Before, he'd never thought much about it. But after Regina's offhand remark, something about the two of them together gnawed at him.
He took a sip of his drink, trying to suppress the inexplicable twinge of unease that had suddenly welled up inside him.
"Nelson, do you think Ms. Levine and Peterson hang out a lot? I can't help but feel there's something going on between them." Regina bit her lip, feigning innocence before adding. "I guess I'm just overthinking it."
"Yeah." Nelson nodded.
Regina had been ready to keep stirring the pot, to twist the knife just a little deeper and leave Nelson stewing in suspicion. But to her surprise, he only gave her an indifferent one-word answer in response.
That single dismissive sound hit her like a slap. Her carefully laid scheme had completely missed the mark. Flustered, Regina looked up at him, her eyes wide and innocent as she pressed, "Nel... did you just say something?"
Nelson replied coolly, "Your condition requires you to keep an open mind, not to overthink or speculate about other people's relationships. That doesn't help in your recovery."
As he spoke, his gaze seemed to drift far into the distance, clearly distracted by something else.
Regina felt as if a rock had lodged in her chest. His gentle reminder felt more like a quiet rebuke, and an icy wave of unease climbed up her spine.
After they'd walked a good distance, Peterson finally asked Hallie curiously, "Does Regina ever get under your skin?"
"Hm? Why would she?" Hallie answered, genuinely puzzled.
Peterson studied her closely, clearly hoping to catch even the slightest crack in her composure. "Regina's always glued to Nelson's side. As a woman—and his wife—don't you ever feel, I don't know, a little jealous?"
It was the first time someone had asked Hallie so bluntly about her relationship with Nelson. And it had to be Nelson's close friend, no less.
She was caught off guard for a moment, then an absurd sense of amusement washed over her. "And how do you know I'm not jealous?" she shot back, teasing him right back.
After all, she had thrown a subtle jab at Regina just moments ago. To an outsider, it might've looked exactly like two women squabbling over a man.
Peterson, however, just flashed a knowing, almost smug smile like he'd already figured her out. "You're way too calm, and that's not exactly the look of a jealous woman."
Hallie hadn't expected such an answer and thought it was somewhat ridiculous. But on second thought, Peterson had probably seen enough women to have a pretty good read on these things.
They passed a self-serve drink station, and Hallie picked up a clean glass, using the ladle to scoop herself some fruit juice.
The fresh, sweet scent lifted her spirits almost instantly, washing away the last traces of irritation from earlier. She said, "I don't need to get jealous over Nelson."
"Why? You don't like him?" Peterson seemed hooked on this topic, pressing her relentlessly for an answer.
Hallie shot back, "You're asking too many questions. And frankly, they're pointless. Instead of nosing around for tabloid gossip, maybe you should focus on the bidding tonight."
Hallie smiled as she clinked glasses with him. She'd never really bothered to consider whether she liked Nelson. After all, they had a contract marriage from the very beginning. To her, Nelson was more like a business partner, maybe even a friend now, but nothing more.
She knew exactly what kind of woman Nelson would fall for—and she wasn't it. And as for her, she could never bring herself to like a man who would get himself involved with another woman while still technically married to her, even if it was just a contract marriage.
The two of them smiled as they chatted, looking like they were having a good time. To an uninformed onlooker, it would be easy to mistake them for something more than just friends.
Meanwhile, Natalie had arrived arm in arm with Miles, flitting through the crowd like a social butterfly and drawing plenty of attention. She, too, happened to catch sight of Hallie and Peterson, laughing and clinking glasses together.
But what really made Natalie freeze was when Peterson's identity dawned on her. She recognized him as the heir of the Reed family.
"Is that... Peterson Reed?" Natalie practically gasped, turning to Miles as if she needed him to confirm what her own eyes were seeing.
"Yeah, that's him. He's always hanging out with Nelson. Wait, why is he here with a woman? And that woman, she looks just like your sister," Miles said.
His words confirmed Peterson's identity, sending waves of restlessness and jealousy through Natalie.
All this time, she'd been so sure Hallie's secret husband was some nobody—some loser so beneath her that she didn't even dare to bring him up in public.
That belief had been Natalie's private source of smug satisfaction for ages. Growing up, they'd always been compared, and no matter what, Hallie always came out on top—whether it was looks, ability, or status.
Natalie, on the other hand, would always be the illegitimate daughter. That label clung to her like a stain she could never scrub away.
So she'd pinned all her hopes on winning where it mattered most to her—by landing a more powerful man.
But if Peterson was really Hallie's secret husband, then Hallie wasn't losing out at all, and Natalie couldn't bring herself to accept this.