Page 8 of Forever His Favorite
I am Empress—the creator behind every design Miss Amelia Jones has ever claimed as her own.
Here is the link to my copyrighted work from 2017, years before Miss Jones falsely presented them as her designs in 2021.’
Jeremy let out a sudden bark of laughter, loud and sharp, making Emily flinch. He slapped his knee, shaking his head as if the absurdity of it all had finally broken loose. “I bet Amelia is losing her mind right now.” His eyes darted to Emily, gleaming with mischief. A wide grin stretched across his face. “Even I didn’t know you had copyrighted them already!”
Emily’s lips curved, a smile tugging despite herself. She rolled her eyes, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Of course I did. I was just too lenient with her and with Lucas. Back then, I was blind in love. Foolish. But not anymore.”
Jeremy leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “This… this is going to be great!” His tone rose, sharp with excitement, almost triumphant. “You finally came out! Are you going to file a legal complaint? Don’t tell me you’re not.”
Emily exhaled slowly. She pushed herself onto the opposite end of the couch, sinking down into the cushions. She nodded. “I already asked my lawyer to take care of it.”
Jeremy’s brows arched higher. “You also outed Lucas as a liar for denying your relationship all these years. He’s been telling the media for years you two had nothing to do with each other. Do you really think he’ll confess the truth so easily now?”
“I don’t care anymore,” she whispered. “He can say whatever he wants. I’m done with their lies.”
Chapter 4 She’ll Never Know
Sebastian stepped out of the office late at night, the city’s glow stretching across the polished glass windows behind him. His shoes clicked against the pavement until he reached his car. Sliding into the passenger seat, he loosened his collar as the door shut with a quiet thud.
At the wheel sat Alexander Graves, Sebastian’s younger brother.
The man’s profile was clean yet dark, lit faintly by the dashboard. As Sebastian settled in, the engine purred to life.
“When did you come back?” Sebastian asked, settling in and straightening his cuffs. His tone was flat, casual. “Had enough of Germany?”
Alexander didn’t answer him. His face was cold, handsome in that effortless way. The black rectangular glasses sharpened his gaze, his office attire still crisp as if he’d come straight from work. His eyes cut to Sebastian, probing.
“As far as I know,” Alexander began, his voice low and cool, “you didn’t have any woman by your side all these years.” His lips curved faintly. “I almost feel bad for you with all the headlines lately.”
Sebastian turned his head slowly toward him, his sharp features set in stone. A faint frown tugged at his brows, but he didn’t reply.
Alexander pressed on. “You must be depressed… tied down to a woman so suddenly. Marriage, rumors, the media circling like vultures. Aren’t you pissed off?”
Sebastian exhaled, turning his head away as he adjusted his tie with precise, controlled movements, then smoothed the face of his watch. “I’m the one who went to the courthouse to get married. On my own. Then I informed Mom. Took longer than I wanted.”
Alexander’s head snapped toward him, disbelief breaking through his composure. “You chose to get married to her?”
Sebastian gave a short nod, casual as if discussing the weather.
“To a woman?” Alexander pressed, incredulous.
Sebastian’s eyes cut back at him. The glare was deadly, a warning most men would shrink under. But Alexander only held his gaze, blank and unflinching, as always.
Sebastian exhaled slowly, irritation edging into his composure. “We got the marriage certificate a few weeks ago. We’ll hold a proper ceremony soon.”
Without another word, Sebastian slid his phone out, pulled up the marriage certificate’s photo, and handed it over.
Alexander leaned over, plucking the phone from Sebastian’s hand. His eyes scanned the screen, surprise flashing in his eyes. He looked back at Sebastian like he’d grown another head. “What about that girl you’ve been hung up on for years? You never even looked at anyone else. And now you’re suddenly married?”
Sebastian turned his head slightly, his voice cool, clipped. “Look at the name on the certificate.”
Alexander’s gaze dropped. His eyes widened, the calm cracking into open surprise. “You married that woman? Wasn’t she already in a relationship with another man all these years?” His voice shot up, disbelieving. “How did you get her?”
Sebastian snatched the phone back with a smooth flick of his hand, sliding it into his pocket without a word.
But Alexander wasn’t done. His tone darkened, suspicion sharpening his words. “And how come she agreed to marry you so suddenly? Did you blackmail her?”
Sebastian’s head snapped toward him, the sharpness of his glare slicing through the dim car. “If you don’t shut up right now, I’ll throw you out of my car.”
