The Heiress' Husband

Raelynn Lancaster had spent years perfecting the art of calm and control. She knew how to keep her face neutral in the face of disappointment, how to mask hurt behind a perfectly arched brow, how to turn heartbreak into an icy smile that made people wonder if she had ever cared at all.

It was a skill, a necessity, something she had mastered in the cutthroat world of high fashion and high expectations. And yet, as she stepped out of the agency and into the cool evening air, something inside her shifted.

She felt numb.

She knew she was supposed to feel something, relief, maybe even triumph. Instead, there was only exhaustion. It was as if the years of effort, of clawing her way to the top, of dodging betrayals and enduring whispers, had all drained out of her in that single moment.

She was done. Mentally checked out.

The realization settled over her, thick and suffocating. The confrontation at the agency had come with an eerie clarity. There was nothing left for her there. Not when Jake was grooming Stella to be his next star girl. Not when every campaign, every runway, every opportunity that should be hers was hoing to be handed to a woman who hadn't bled for it the way she had.

She climbed into the Audi, pressing the bridge of her nose between two fingers before letting out a slow exhale.

"You're quiet."

Nessa's voice cut through the silence, eyes still on the road as she maneuvered through the city traffic. "I mean, you're usually quiet, but this is a new level of quiet."

Raelynn exhaled again, her gaze locked on the neon-lit streets blurring past the tinted windows. "I'm just thinking. I want to leave the agency."

Nessa didn't immediately respond, which was answer enough. When she finally did speak, her voice held none of the surprise Raelynn might have expected.

"Okay. But not yet. You have to go through with this shoot first. And your contract expires in two months. We just won't renew."

That was Nessa, calm, logical, always one step ahead.

Raelynn turned her head slightly. "You're not surprised."

Nessa let out a dry chuckle. "It's a decision that's five years overdue. I've been waiting for it for soooo long."

Raelynn smirked despite herself. "You know, I pay you better than this. You should advise me, not support my decisions to self-destruct."

Nessa laughed outright. "First of all, I do advise you, saying i do not is just plain insulting. You just never listen to me. So at this point, better to support you than leave you to blow up alone."

Raelynn chuckled, but the weight of her decision pressed down on her.

She had built her career with Jake's agency. Her whole life as a model had been tied to his empire. Every photoshoot, every campaign, every show, leaving meant stepping into the unknown.

But staying?

Staying meant watching herself become past news. It meant fading into the background while Stella took everything she had bled for.

And fade?

Raelynn Lancaster did not fade.

They pulled up in front of her building, and she stepped out, heels clicking against the pavement. The sound was sharp, decisive, a stark contrast to the war waging inside her.

As they rode the elevator to her penthouse, Nessa shifted uncomfortably beside her.

Raelynn noticed instantly. "Spill."

Nessa cleared her throat. "Well, don't kill me."

"That depends," Raelynn said, arching a brow.

Nessa sighed. "It's your grandfather."

That caught her attention. "What about Grandfather?"

"Well… he sort of arranged a blind date for you."

Raelynn blinked. "He what?"

"He arranged a blind date for you," Nessa repeated, her voice deceptively casual.

Silence stretched between them before Raelynn finally spoke, voice slow and deliberate. "Since when have you known about this?"

Nessa let out an awkward laugh. "Today?"

The elevator doors slid open with a soft ding. Raelynn stepped out, heels clicking against marble floors as she processed this fresh betrayal.

Of course. Of course, her grandfather would pull something like this. He had never truly approved of Jake, always saying a man like that couldn't be trusted.

This wasn't just about a date.

This was a carefully orchestrated plan. his way of saying, *Dump your ex. Marry a man I would approve of.*

Raelynn sighed. "When is this cursed date?"

"Tonight."

Raelynn froze mid-step. "You're joking."

Nessa raised both hands. "I wish I was."

Raelynn let out a sharp exhale, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I just nuked my professional life, and now I have to deal with whatever matchmaking scheme my grandfather has cooked up?"

"Pretty much."

"Please tell me there's an escape plan."

Nessa followed her into the penthouse, flopping onto the couch with an unapologetic grin. "I mean, you could always fake your own death or elope."

"Tempting."

"Or," Nessa continued, "or, you could just go and get it over with."

Raelynn shot her a look. "You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"

"A little bit, yeah."

Rolling her eyes, Raelynn sank into the couch beside her, rubbing her temples. "Fine. I'll go. But if this man is insufferable, I'm blaming you."

"Noted."

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Nessa reached into her bag, pulling out a manila folder. She handed it to Raelynn.

"What's this?"

"Details of your blind date."

Raelynn accepted the folder but tossed it onto the coffee table without so much as a glance.

"Don't you want to know what's in there?" Nessa asked.

Raelynn stretched her arms over the back of the couch. "What does it matter? It's not like I have an interest in him."

Raelynn looked at the file again, tempted.

She told herself it didn't matter. That this was just another one of her grandfather's games, another power move disguised as concern. That whoever was in that file was inconsequential.

And yet…

Her fingers twitched.

It was just a name. A face. A few basic details.

It shouldn't have meant anything.

But something in her hesitated.

Raelynn Lancaster did not hesitate.

Her grandfather's hand in this made it suspicious enough, but Nessa's silence? That was what made her uneasy.

She reached for the folder and held it. Not opening it.

Nessa watched her, arms crossed. "Aren't you going to look?"

Raelynn met her gaze, then smirked faintly. "If I know who he is, it wouldn't be a blind date, would it?"

Then, exhaling sharply, she tossed the folder back onto the table like it had burned her.

She stood abruptly, heading toward her bedroom.

"Come on," she called over her shoulder. "The fact that this was dumped on me last minute doesn't mean I get to look less than fabulous."