Page 44 of The Rancher's Vengeful Heart

Big mistake, baby girl.

She obviously wanted to keep their marriage a secret. Unfortunately for her, she should've also realized that a man like him would only see such actions as a challenge.

TASSY AND STELLA HADjust walked out of the building when Stella suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. "Oh,wow.Do you see that?"

"The black car?" Tassy asked, genuinely confused by her friend's reaction. It just looked like another luxury vehicle to her—-the kind that regularly ferried Black Carpet International's high-profile clients.

Stella gave her a pained look. "That's Youngest LX, Tas. Close to two hundred thousand dollars. It's one of the most expensive electric SUVs in the world."

"Well, of course I knew that," Tassy quipped without missing a beat. "I was just checking to see if you knew that, too,duh."

Stella let out a snort. "Why don't you also tell me that the sky's pink, pigs fly, and—-" Stella broke off when a dignified-looking chauffeur in a perfectly tailored uniform opened the passenger door.

"Is that Lucius Young?" Stella whispered beside her, voice hushed with disbelief.

The name barely registered in Tassy's mind, her attention having shifted back to the entrance of their building, where Fontana had just emerged with her trendy entourage, their laughter cutting through the afternoon air.

Fontana, meanwhile, had also caught sight of the electric SUV across the street, and her perfectly manicured hand flew to her throat in recognition when she saw who had stepped out of the car.

Was that Lucius Young?

His presence stirred everyone into a frenzy, and even her own friends looked awestruck.

Perfect.

Fontana tossed her honey-blonde hair over her shoulders, saying loudly enough to be overheard, "He's probably here to see me."

"Oh my gosh, girl. You know Lucius Young?" One of her friends clutched her arm, practically vibrating with excitement.

The answer to that would beno, but what other reason was there? She was the only heiress around here while everyone else (her friends included) was horribly middle-class. He had probably seen one of her photos on Instagram and was instantly captivated. It happened all the time, so this was nothing new.

Fontana moved forward with the confidence of someone who had never been told no, but just as her crimson-colored lipscurved into a practiced smile as they came face to face, the billionaire simply strode past her as if she were invisible.

What the hell?

Fontana fumed in outrage, turning around to see who the billionaire intended to meet. This was so embarrassing, but she told herself she could keep faking it until she had him eating out of her...what the fucking hell?

Her body started shaking with a mixture of rage and disbelief as she watched Lucius come to a stop before the very last woman on earth who should have anything to do with him.

Tassy jumped when someone suddenly cupped her elbow from behind. Her lips parted in surprise, but before she could react, she found herself looking up into a pair of familiar copper eyes. Her husband had appeared by her side, the cologne-scented heat of his presence enveloping her senses, and she belatedly realized what the frenzy of excitement around her was all about.

Lucius slowly bent his head, his breath warm against her ear, and her body burst into flames as he whispered, "You've been a very bad girl, wife."

Tassy's knees knocked together, her head spinning.

Oh my gosh.

Had he just called her...wife?

No, actually, he'd done more than that. He hadn't just said it. He'dpurredthe word, and it was just so...wait.

Did he also just say she was a...bad girl?

Tassy's mystified gaze flew up to his, but his coppery eyes only glinted back at her, dark and dangerous. "Didn't I warn you about how possessive I am? And how easily jealous I get?"

She nodded vehemently. Yes, he had, but—

"Then why," he continued, voice dropping to a silky murmur that sent shivers racing down her spine, "did you instruct Jacob to drop you off two blocks away from your workplace and pick you up at the same place? Are you trying to hide the fact that you're married to me?"

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