Tempted By My Ex’s Brother-In-Law - Chapter 70: Chapter 70

Aria’s POV
Mr. and Mrs. Carter were frozen, staring at Grayson like a pair of stunned cows. And the stupid man actually muttered under his breath, “I don’t care who you are, you’re still not better than my son…”
“Dad!” Jace snapped, clearly losing it. “That’s Alpha Grayson. THE Grayson Hart!”
The two of them gasped like they just realized what’s happening.
“You—you’re Delilah’s brother,” Mrs. Carter squeaked, her face flipping into a bootlicking smile. “Well then, I guess that makes us family.”
She wiped her hand on her dress, then awkwardly held it out to Grayson.
I almost laughed.
Did she seriously think he’d shake hands with her?
Grayson didn’t even glance at her hand. His voice was cold as he looked down at her. “I don’t remember ever giving Jace Carter half my pack.”
“Well… you know,” she said with a smug smile, “because they’re married now. Your sister and my son. Legally speaking, that means he owns half your family’s fortune. My son’s basically a millionaire now.”
Grayson’s lips curved into a mocking smile. “Did your son forget to mention he signed a prenup?”
“What?!” they both gasped at the same time.
“P-P-Prenup? That’s impossible! My son would never sign a damn prenup!” Mr. Carter roared. “Tell him, Jace. Tell him you didn’t sign anything, ‘cause that’s a violation of your fucking rights!”
Jace clenched his fists, his face twisted in humiliation. “I didn’t have a choice dad… He made me!”
“Oh my god… I can’t believe this,” his mother muttered, looking like the world was ending. “So Hart family money isn’t ours? Then… then what’s even the point of this marriage?!”
Delilah whipped her head toward her in disbelief. “What did you just say? Are you marrying me, or my money?”
“Shut up, Mom!” Jace yelled. And he hurried to grab Delilah’s hand. “Don’t listen to her, baby. I married you because I love you. It’s got nothing to do with the money.”
I let out a very loud snort. That’s just the biggest lie I’d ever heard.
“Delilah, I don’t understand why you let them \ into the party. These people don’t belong here.” Grayson said freezingly.
“What do you mean they don’t belong here?! They’re my parents!” Jace yelled.
Delilah glanced at her brother. Her face flickered between anger and fear. “This is Jace’s party. I’m glad you came, Grayson, but we’re the ones who decide who gets to stay.”
Grayson scoffed. “If you’re okay with them humiliating you like that, then by all means.”
He offered me his arm. I took it with a smile and we walked forward together like the real hosts of the party.
Guests instinctively followed us, like we were the ones this whole event was actually about. Not Delilah and her ridiculous mess of a family.
The band started playing again like nothing had happened. But the tension in the air? Still there. Heavy. Electric.
Grayson and I stood by the bar sipping champagne. A group of guests looked like they wanted to come say hi to their Alpha, but bodyguards formed a barrier around us. No one could get close.
“So…” I asked, glancing at him. “Did you bring Jace’s birthday gift?”
He smirked. “Of course. He’s going to love it.”
I gave him a look. He still wasn’t spilling the secret. Fine. I could wait for the big finale.
“You’ve met his parent,” he said, more of a statement than question.
I shrugged. “Yeah. They hate me. Think I don’t deserve their precious son. His mother literally compared me to a gum stuck to the bottom of your shoe.”
Grayson leaned down and kissed the top of my head. “They aren’t completely wrong. Because you deserve someone much better.”
I smiled, then glanced across the room. Delilah was standing with Jace in the corner, and they seemed to be in the middle of a heated argument.
“Can you excuse me for a second?” I asked.
He nodded and let me go. “Go talk to her. She owes you an explanation.”
I smoothed my dress and walked toward them, 3 bodyguards trailing behind me. The crowd parted around me as I came through, like I was a real princess.
They were still fighting when I got close. So I caught the end of their conversation.
“Seriously, Jace? A fake diamond? This is the most humiliating thing I’ve ever been through in my entire life! I might as well just lock myself in the attic and never social again!” Delilah cried, covering her face in frustration.
“Fuck, that jeweler scammed me, okay?” Jace growled. “How was I supposed to know it was fake? It’s not that big a deal anyway. You still look stunning and you’re the star of the night.”
“But it’s not just the necklace. Your parents… especially your mom! The things she said, the way she acted… it’s so damn awkward…”
“What, you’re blaming my parents now? MY PARENTS?” Jace snapped. “I thought you wanted to meet them! They traveled all this way to see you and you’re not even grateful!”
Delilah’s fists clenched. “Did they come to see me, or to sniff out my money?”
“Oh my god, my mom just misspoke! Can you let it go already? What, do you want her to apologize or something?”
“This isn’t about apologizing, Jace. From the moment they arrived, they’ve been telling everyone they own half of Red Stone Pack, that I should treat them like royalty… I—I just feel uncomfortable, okay?”
He scoffed. “But they’re not wrong. If I was the richer one, and we got married, I’d give you half of what I own too. It’s our right. Your damn brother’s the one who stripped us of that and tried to turn us against each other. This is all his fault.”
Delilah hesitated. “But—”
“Babe, I just need you to be a little more patient with my parents. Sure, they’re different, but they’re still family. Trust me, they’re way better than your screwed-up family.”
I’d heard enough.
I stepped closer. Jace spun around the second he heard footsteps and scowled when he saw me. “What the hell are you doing here?!”
“I need to talk to Delilah,” I said coldly.
“My wife has nothing to say to you. Fuck off.”
“Excuse me! But I think I’ll decide whether I have something to say or not,” Delilah cut him off, her voice sharp. “And I think the one who should leave is you, Jace.”
He seethed, glared at me one last time, and stormed off.
I turned to Delilah. “Now you see why he didn’t want you to meet his parents? Everything he told you about himself, about his family… it was all lies to make you fall for him.”
“Shut up! Jace said you were the liar!” she snapped.
“You still can’t tell who’s lying?” I said coldly. “Wow. You really are stupid.”
“How dare you—”
“I’m done trying to pull you out of that shithole. You probably deserve it.” I stepped closer, staring her down. “And it was you, wasn’t it? The one who dragged my grandmother out of the hospital and stopped her from getting her meds.”
Her face went pale. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
“Oh, you know exactly what I’m talking about,” I scoffed. “I tried to be your friend, Delilah. The kind of friend you’ll never have in your fake little world. But you went after my family for a guy like him. I’m telling you—you will regret this.”
Her chest heaved. “Are you seriously threatening me now? Wow, you’ve changed a lot from that poor little town girl.”
“I guess we all grow up sometime,” I said coolly.
“But you are wrong about something.” Her eyes locked on mine, fierce and unyielding. “I’m Delilah Hart. I don’t regret anything. I’ll make sure Jace and I will rule this pack one day because we fucking deserve it. Even Grayson will have to step aside for me one day.”
I laughed at her face. “In your dreams perhaps.”
She shoulder-checked me hard as she stomped away, heading straight for the center of the hall. She snatched a mic from one of the servers.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to my husband’s birthday party. I’m your hostess, Delilah.”
That sugary smile returned to her face like a mask as she continued, “Thank you for coming from near and far. Drama aside, I know you all love me.”
A few laughs rose from the crowd. People clapped.
“Tonight we’ll drink, dance, and have a blast. But before all that let’s get to the most exciting part first—PRESENTS!”
She motioned to the entrance.
Four servers pushed in a massive platform piled sky-high with presents. It was so tall it nearly scraped the top of the doorframe.
Holy crap. I’d never seen that many gifts in one place ever.
Delilah reached for Jace’s hand. He took it and smiled like nothing had happened. You’d never guess they were just fighting minutes before.
“Now I want my dear husband to open his gifts. Let’s see if you can guess which one is mine. Get it wrong and you’ll be punished,” she giggled.
“There’s no way I won’t recognize your gift,” he said sweetly.
He reached for the first box.
And that’s when Grayson’s voice rang out:
“Wait. You should start with the gift from your family first.”
He took a velvet box from the guard. It looked heavy and elegant.
“Happy birthday.”
Grayson held the box out to Jace. His grey eyes glimmered cold like a blade.
The room fell silent. Everyone was watching, holding their breaths.
Even I stood on my toes, trying to peek.
What was in the box? Judging by the shape… maybe a piece of art? A designer item?
Jace swallowed hard. He looked nervous. But with everyone staring, he couldn’t refuse Grayson.
“Well, let’s see what my brother-in-law got me,” he said with a forced laugh. He undid the ribbon and opened the box.
And then, he froze.
Panic gripped his face.
Suddenly, he let out a furious yell and flung the box away.
Something tumbled out and rolled to Delilah’s feet…
I took one look and felt my stomach drop.
You won’t believe what it was.
It’s a fucking human head!