Fake Mating To My Ex's Powerful Enemy

Chapter 157: Chapter 157 A Messy Marriage

Niall’s POV

Since his disastrous wedding with Beatrice, Niall had been swamped with pack business and company management. His father Clive was so furious he refused to help with any Frostpelt Pack matters. Every time Clive attended meetings with other pack Alphas or elders, they’d make snide remarks.

"Alpha Clive, how’s that lovely daughter-in-law of yours handling pack affairs?" They’d ask with barely concealed contempt, implying Beatrice wasn’t truly Franklin’s daughter but some impostor who had infiltrated their bloodline.

These jabs about the Frostpelt Pack having an impure-blooded Luna infuriated Clive. He’d return to their pack house and unleash his rage on Niall.

He also made frequent trips to confront Alpha Franklin of the Crescent Pack, demanding to know how he could have hidden the truth about his daughter. Franklin’s apologies fell on deaf ears. Clive had severed all business ties between their packs.

Caught between both sides, Niall struggled to mediate.

Today, he finally managed to leave work early and return to the pack house, only to find Beatrice wasn’t home.

After waiting all afternoon, he finally saw her arrive.

"Who was that?" Niall demanded the moment Beatrice stepped through the door.

She didn’t answer immediately, closing the door and fiddling with her scarf as if it were caught on something.

"That woman in the car," he said. "You arrived almost half an hour ago but only now decided to come inside?"

"She’s a friend of mine."

"Then why didn’t you invite her in?" He walked toward the window. The woman was getting into another car. "She looks familiar. Have I met her before?"

"I don’t think so." Beatrice slid past him. "You’re home early. Wasn’t the office busy today?"

"You’re home late. Beatrice, you’re seven months pregnant. What were you doing driving around? The doctor ordered bed rest. Mom told you to stay home."

She didn’t respond, just kept walking.

He followed her into the dining room.

Luna Louisa was already seated, quietly eating her dinner.

Willow kept her head down, glued to her phone.

Clive wasn’t home.

Beatrice reached across the table. "Willow, can you pass the salt?"

Without looking up, Willow pushed the pepper shaker closer.

Niall took his seat. "You need to take this seriously. Running around like this isn’t good for the baby."

Beatrice clutched her fork tightly, staring at her plate.

"She needs rest," Louisa said without looking up. "If she miscarries, it’ll be her own fault."

No one contradicted her.

Niall felt exhausted. He just wanted a normal life after work, not daily arguments.

Yet the drama continued relentlessly.

After Beatrice’s true identity was exposed, his father Clive had demanded the marriage be annulled.

Louisa nearly had another heart attack. She repeatedly emphasized that she had suspected something was wrong all along, and that Christina would have been a better choice.

Perhaps Niall had been stubborn.

Perhaps he wanted to prove them wrong.

Perhaps he had fallen in love with Beatrice—not the person she pretended to be, but the real Beatrice.

Whatever the reason, he had defended her loudly and firmly.

In the end, the pregnancy had silenced everyone.

They covered up the scandal.

Beatrice stayed.

But lately... lately Niall found himself speaking less and less.

Especially when Louisa brought up Christina for comparison, pointing out how Christina would have made a better Luna, how efficiently she managed both business and pack affairs, how seriously she took her career and had developed her own management style.

Not that he completely agreed.

But the facts were undeniable.

Christina had built something at Nyx.

Now she had her own studio.

Even after marrying Hudson Laurent, she continued working. Even Niall had to grudgingly admit that Hudson had more money and power than he did—though he would never acknowledge this publicly.

Beatrice had quit her job the day she discovered she was pregnant.

She had never taken her position as Niall’s secretary seriously anyway.

Now she spent her time shopping and having tea with friends.

Then there was her supposed half-brother, always calling, always asking for money.

He claimed it was for his sick father, but Niall knew better.

How could he defend any of this?

So he didn’t.

After dinner, Willow headed upstairs, Louisa went off to her sitting room to go through her social schedule, and Beatrice made her way to the living room.

"Did you see the news?" she asked, leaning close to him. "Christina is getting slammed online. They say she refused to work with some unknown actress. Everyone’s calling her a snob."

Niall glanced at her. "Really?"

She handed him her phone, tapping the screen with her nail. "It’s all over. Look at the comments."

He scrolled through. Zoe Foster. The name sounded familiar. "This is who she refused?"

Beatrice nodded. "She thinks she’s too good for everyone now."

"That doesn’t sound like her. She did everything at Nyx. She valued her work and wouldn’t refuse someone without reason."

He returned the phone without meeting her eyes.

She snatched it back.

He got up to grab coffee but stopped. "Wait. Zoe—wasn’t she the woman I saw you with in the car?"

"No," Beatrice answered too quickly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

He didn’t push.

In his study, he sat down and opened Instagram.

Christina’s latest post mentioned the "Aureate Award—Preliminaries."

He almost left a comment but decided against it.

Someone knocked.

Beatrice spoke from the doorway. "Niall, can we talk?"

"What is it?"

She hesitated. "It’s Jace."

His anger flared immediately. "He wants money again? How many times have I told you to refuse him? He lives in my penthouse, eats my food, and now he wants me to finance his gambling? Beatrice, you have to stand firm. He might be your half-brother, but that doesn’t mean his problems are yours to solve."

Her cheeks flushed. "I know, but he’s my only real family now—"

"And I’m not family? Mom, Dad, Willow—we don’t count?"

"Do they consider me family, Niall?" she snapped. "Really? Your father looks at me like I’m some kind of monster. Your mother constantly talks about dear Christina. Your sister acts like I don’t exist. And you—"

Her gaze fell on his phone lying screen-up on the desk.

In two steps, she crossed the room and snatched it. "Niall, are you seriously stalking Christina online?"

He grabbed the phone back. "I’m not stalking her." fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

"Then why are you on her profile page?"

"I was just checking—" His voice trailed off.

He couldn’t find a reasonable excuse.

So he exploded instead. "Mind your own business, Beatrice. At least Christina has her own career. She doesn’t depend on others for support or enable a parasite brother. You need to block Jace’s number and get back to bed. The way you’re bouncing around, it’s like you want to harm the baby."

He stormed out of the room.