My Stone-Hearted Billionaire Husband

She glanced around the table, meeting the eyes of her family members as they all looked at her with eyes full of hope and expectancy.

How could she secure this land and save her family’s legacy?

“Heck! It means going through that man again, isn’t it?” she grimaced inwardly.

She just never seems to escape Sebastian’s clutches. The man appeared to hold the key to every door she needed to unlock.

It was traumatizing at this point!

With a deep breath, she turned her attention back to her grandmother. “I’ll do it, Grandma. I’ll find a way to get that land for us. I… I’ll talk to my husband about it.”

A glimmer of hope danced in Grandma Florence’s eyes as she reached out and squeezed Kourtney’s hand. “Oh, bless you, my dear. You are truly our ray of hope in these dark times.”

Kourtney could only force a fake smile as she took in everyone’s praises and words of admiration throughout the rest of the brunch. ****** Later that evening, as the Allens prepared to depart from the Serenity Villa, Margaret’s voice broke through the chatter, her concern evident. “Where’s Kathlyn? I haven’t seen her in a while.”

Everyone looked around, confirming that Kathlyn was indeed missing.

“Where has she wandered off to? She’s pregnant, for goodness sake! And she shouldn’t be all by herself,” Margaret voiced, worry lining her face.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Kourtney, ever the responsible one, stepped forward.

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll go find her,” she assured her mother.

She couldn’t shake off the feeling of guilt that Kathlyn might be lost somewhere in the vast mansion due to the freedom she had granted everyone to explore earlier.

She set off on her own to look for Kathlyn, but even after over 10 minutes, she was still unsuccessful in the quest. When it got serious, every other person present, including the servants, joined in, searching every area of the sprawling villa, but Kathlyn was nowhere to be found.

Minutes turned into almost an hour, but she hadn’t been seen. Margaret and Luke were already throwing tantrums and on the verge of calling the cops to assist in looking for Kathlyn.

Everyone was almost going crazy with worry, and her phone line was dead too.

Kourtney, especially, was feeling super-apprehensive, wondering where her malicious sister could have wandered off to. The security guarding the gates confirmed that Kathlyn hadn’t left the mansion either.

So where could she be?

As Kourtney made her way back and forth to the opulent corridors along with the others, she couldn’t shake off an eerie feeling that nagged at her mind.

A strange sensation pricked at her senses….

Following her intuition, she climbed up the giant staircase and approached the master bedroom she shared with Sebastian. It was one of the few places that hadn’t been searched yet.

Trusting her gut, she pushed the door open, revealing a scene that left her breathless.

A sight that made her blood run cold.

Kathlyn perched on the marital bed….

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?” Kourtney’s voice was a mix of shock and anger, her eyes narrowing at her sister’s audacity.

Kathlyn merely sneered, unfazed by Kourtney’s outburst as she met her gaze. “Oh, dear sister, always so dramatic!”

“Shut up and tell me what the fu*k you’re doing in mine and my husband’s bedroom. Are you nuts?” Kourtney was almost screaming at this point.

“Oh, nothing… Just admiring the view from your throne, dear sister., nothing more,” Kathlyn drawled, her tone dripping with sarcasm. She remained nonchalant and unapologetic.

Fury bubbled within Kourtney at the blatant disrespect, and she clenched her fist tightly, trying to control herself. Sebastian was still in his study and could have walked in any minute.

Just how venomous could Kathlyn be to get in here and sit on her matrimonial bed like this?

The nerve!

“Oh, what’s wrong, Kourtney? Why can’t I admire your bedroom? After all, you have everything, don’t you? The perfect husband, the lavish lifestyle… It must be nice to be you,” Kathlyn remarked, her tone laced with her own bitterness and envy.

She rose from the bed, a challenging glint in her eyes. “You must think you’re so much better than me now. Isn’t it?”

Kourtney took a deep breath, still trying her best to control herself and avoid dragging Kathlyn by the hair out of her room… her mansion… her home. Her eyes started twitching as she clenched her fists even tighter.

No!

She wasn’t going to do anything that would make her the villain who hurt her “weak” and pregnant sister just like last time. Kourtney was pretty sure this was exactly what Kathlyn wanted and was aiming for, but she wasn’t going to let her succeed this time.

Absolutely NOT!

“Life isn’t a competition, Kathlyn. You need to let go of this bitterness and move forward,” she implored, hoping her words would break through Kathlyn’s wall of resentment.

But the weight of years of rivalry and resentment hung heavy in the air between the two Allen sisters.

Kathlyn’s eyes flashed with a mixture of hurt and defiance as she took a step closer to Kourtney, still grappling with her own emotions. She had been in this bedroom for more than three hours now, and no one even noticed her absence right until they were about to leave.

She’d never felt so worthless in her entire life!

Finally, she broke the short silence. “I just… I just wanted a taste of what you have, Kourtney. Is that so wrong?”

Kourtney only rolled back her eyes, deciding that it was time to put an end to Kathlyn’s delusions. “Last time, You wanted to know why I wasn’t bothered by Brandon being with you. Wasn’t it? Well… It’s because I already bagged someone even better. As you can see now, I’m married to The Sebastian Woods. He really is my husband now.”

Feeling a sharp pang in her chest, Kathlyn lost her snotty composure for a minute.

The name “Sebastian Woods” struck her once again like a lightning bolt, and she couldn’t quite recover from it.

It left her feeling so pained and so wronged.

Seeing Kathlyn’s crushed expression, Kourtney smiled triumphantly, feeling a sense of vengeance, so she decided to press even further. “And did I tell you? He is everything Brandon can never be! You really believed that Brandon was some kind of grand prize, didn’t you? But little did you know that he’s merely a drop in the ocean compared to my husband! I feel so bad for your future, Kathlyn. Bearing a child for such a loser… must be so nice!”

Kathlyn bit her lips until she could almost feel the taste of her own blood. Kourtney’s words had hit a nerve.

Her jaw clenched as she struggled to process the agonizing statements. She had always believed that her worth was tied to her ability to win men over, and now she was confronted with the reality that Kourtney had surpassed her in every aspect of life.

She was seething with jealousy as she spoke. “Young Master Woods must be blind or desperate to choose a woman like you, so don’t start feeling so special, dear sister! I’m pretty sure he’ll dump your loser ass just like every other man you’ve been with. They always get tired of you… Don’t they?”

Kourtney merely smiled, unfazed by the insult. “I know you’re trying to hurt me with your words, but it won’t work, Kathlyn. You’re just sour grapes! I’ve grown beyond seeking validation from others, especially from someone like you. It’s a stark contrast to the empty and shallow existence you’ve led until now. Hope this helps?”

Kathlyn felt suffocated as frustration washed over her.

With each passing moment, she realized that her attempts to belittle Kourtney were futile. In just a matter of days being the wife of a magnet, Kourtney had seemed to have grown more confident and became a force to be reckoned with.

She couldn’t stand the sight of Kourtney’s happiness any longer. It was eating away at her.

The knowledge that Kourtney married such a powerful industry Titan and became the Woods’ family young mistress was eating Kathlyn’s soul.

“You… you’re just lucky, Kourtney!” she finally snapped, unable to control her emotions. “You stumbled into a life you don’t deserve. You… you think you’re so much better than me now? Well, let’s see how long your happiness lasts!”

Kourtney sneered. This time, she’s really had enough!

“I’m your blood sister! Yet you hate me so much and like to see me suffer. Why, Kathlyn? You took Brandon not because you even loved him but because you wanted to break me… to see me suffer. What kind of sister are you? I’m your elder sister, and Lord knows I’ve always been nice to you. I’ve never done anything bad to you, have I? So why do you hate me so much?” Kourtney’s heart pounded with hurt as she spoke.

She couldn’t fathom why her own sister harbored such deep animosity towards her. Despite the years of rivalry and resentment, she had always hoped for some semblance of sisterly love from Kathlyn.

Yet, here they were, standing in the midst of an intense confrontation.

What could she have possibly done to deserve this insane level of hatred from Kathlyn?