I'm In Love With My Bestfriend's Billionaire Fiance!
Chapter 111: An Ungracious Host...

Chapter 111: An Ungracious Host...

(Kira’s POV)

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I sat down on a plush armchair in the living room, the fabric warm beneath me, like it had soaked in the lives of those who lived here. I placed my hands on my knees, but they wouldn’t stop fidgeting. My fingers twisted together. Untwisted. Rested. Twitched again.

The photos were watching me. I could feel their gaze.

And the silence returned—deep, weighty, crawling under my skin. It wasn’t a comfortable silence. It was the kind that lingers in old houses after something major had happened. Or before something worse does.

I lowered the grocery bags carefully to the polished wooden floor, propping them up with the edge of my boot as if keeping them upright might somehow delay the inevitable collapse of this whole strange, surreal moment. The weight of what I was doing—not just delivering groceries, but pretending, lying, dodging—settled heavily in my chest.

The interior of Maddie’s home was modest but with a certain understated elegance. Clean lines. Muted tones. No clutter. Everything had its place, and it felt like every item had a story behind it—chosen not just for function, but for memory. It wasn’t grand, but it breathed comfort. Style without arrogance. Lena’s voice echoed in my memory, the way she’d beamed with pride when she told me about it.

"She worked her whole life to give me everything. Buying this house for her was the first time I felt like I’d finally given something back," she’d said. "It was the best feeling in the world, but it was only a fraction compared to everything she did for me."

And now here I was—standing in that very house, not as Lena’s partner, but as a stranger with a bag of groceries and a fabricated errand. The irony was as sharp as glass in my throat.

I barely had time to sift through the guilt before Maddie reappeared from the kitchen, balancing a tray with two delicate glasses and a small ceramic bowl of sugar. Her movements were practiced, careful. She handed me a cup and I took it with both hands, trying to steady myself through the ritual of it all.

The tea was cool, sweetened just enough to be refreshing, but my stomach clenched with every sip. It wasn’t the taste—it was the gnawing anxiety that refused to loosen its grip. This wasn’t how I had ever imagined meeting my girlfriend’s mother. Not as a liar. Not with this weight between us.

"So," Maddie said after a pause, her tone casual but her gaze unwavering, "to what do I owe this pleasure?"

I set the cup down gently onto the tray, its soft clink sounding far louder than it should have in the quiet room.

"Well," I started, forcing a neutral smile, "like I said earlier... Lena sent me. She knew I’d be nearby, and asked if I could swing by with some things."

"All that for me?" she asked, tilting her head slightly toward the bags. There was a softness to her voice, but something about the angle of her posture told me she was still assessing me—like she hadn’t quite decided what kind of visitor I was.

"Yes," I replied. "It’s all in there. I, uh... I actually have to get going now. Work’s expecting me back soon."

She smiled, polite but distant. "Of course. Thank you. That was very thoughtful of her. Of you."

As she moved to pick up the bags, I stood quickly. I couldn’t stay another minute. I could feel my control slipping, like sweat off the back of my neck. Every second here felt like another chance for me to blurt out the truth, or worse—another crack in the lie that would expose it all.

But before I could make a swift exit, Maddie straightened up again and said, "Let me walk you out."

It wasn’t a question. And something about the insistence in her voice made my skin crawl—not because she meant harm, but because kindness always felt sharper when you didn’t feel like you deserved it.

We stepped outside together, and the sun hit me like a wall. The heat clung to my skin immediately, suffocating after the cool shadows of her living room. I was already halfway down the porch steps when I felt her hand on my arm.

Then, without warning, she pulled me into a hug.

I froze—caught between surprise and confusion, my arms hovering awkwardly before returning the embrace with half-hearted politeness.

"Uhm..." I muttered, completely thrown off. "What... what was that for?"

She pulled back slightly and smiled, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek.

"I didn’t know I’d have a visitor today," she said gently. "And... it’s just nice. Having someone come by. You brought more than groceries—you brought company."

My throat tightened again. I nodded, too stunned to speak.

Then it happened.

A sudden roar of an engine ripped through the quiet afternoon. Tires screeched—rubber scraping violently against asphalt. I turned instinctively, eyes drawn to the street just beyond Maddie’s carefully pruned hedges.

A silver car came tearing out of her cul-de-sac, its tires fishtailing slightly as it swerved out of control, almost hitting the curb before regaining speed.

I barely had time to register the make or model before another vehicle came flying in hot pursuit.

Kraven.

His unmistakable black sedan—low, sleek, a beast on wheels—shot forward like a predator locked onto prey.

My blood turned to ice.

Maddie turned too, squinting at the commotion, but to her it was probably just a reckless joyride. She couldn’t have known what that chase meant. What it really meant.

My heart pounded so loudly I thought it might drown out the sound of the engines.

Kraven was chasing Maven. Maven was here all along, as suspected. There was no way I was going to let him slip from my grasp.

And it was happening right here. Right in front of Maddie’s house. On the same street where I had just stood sipping sweet tea, like this was some innocent suburban visit.

The timing was too perfect. Too cruel.

I was going to catch Maven, and put an end to all this madness!

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