How To Lose Your Billionaire Alpha Husband In 365 Days (Or Less)!-Chapter 93: Enjoy the Dress...

~JASMINE’S POV~

"Well, well, well... who do we have here?"

The sound hit like a splinter under my skin. My shoulders stiffened before I even turned around, my eyes landing on Daniel Heart, my cousin. Uncle Vale’s golden boy.

He stood a few feet away, framed in the doorway like some smug ghost from a past I didn’t care to revisit. His gaze swept over the bags in my arms, pausing just a second too long on the black satin gown draped over one.

"Spending the family fortune, Jasmine? Or is this Frost’s black card I’m seeing in action?"

I took him in slowly, deliberately. Tall, polished, tailored to perfection. The kind of man who could walk into a boardroom and convince them to sell their souls if he wasn’t already in possession of them.

But the smile... that smile was too smooth. And the eyes? They didn’t just watch; they measured.

"Daniel," I said flatly.

Sophia leaned close enough for me to catch the faint scent of her champagne lip gloss. "Oh, this’ll be fun," she murmured.

Daniel closed the distance with a lazy saunter, hands in his pockets like he owned the air between us.

"Jasmine Heart... Or is it Frost now? I can’t keep up. One minute you disappear off the radar, the next you’re married to a billionaire. Quite the... leap."

"Talking like this is new for you," I said. "Well... people grow. Evolve."

He tilted his head, smirk deepening.

"Or they just find better ladders to climb."

Bite him, Lyra’s voice slid through my mind like a blade.

’Not here,’ I warned her silently.

Sophia, never one to let tension go to waste, stepped forward. Her smile was sugar-coated poison.

"Daniel. Never thought I’d see you in a place like this. Don’t you prefer the kind of stores where the salespeople call you sir before you even open your mouth?"

"I’m sure you didn’t," he cut in smoothly, his eyes still locked on mine like Sophia wasn’t even there.

And then there it was. That subtle shift in the air. His posture tightened, his jaw flexed once, barely noticeable unless you were looking for it.

"Uncle Vale sends his regards," he said finally. "He’s... curious to see how you handle yourself at the Council event. Says it’ll be a real test of your new status."

"Good thing I’m not worried about his opinion."

His smile held, but it cooled.

"You should be. You’re stepping into a world you don’t fully understand. It’s... dangerous to pretend otherwise."

"That almost sounded like concern."

"It’s advice," he said. "Not that you’ve ever been good at taking it."

Sophia gave a theatrical sigh.

"Wow, you really do the whole condescending thing well. Is that taught at home, or does it just ooze out of you naturally?"

He didn’t so much as glance her way.

Instead, he stepped a fraction closer, lowering his voice.

"Careful, cousin. The Council doesn’t take kindly to pretenders."

I moved forward, too, until there was barely space between us. The scent of his cologne, something dark and spiced, brushed against me.

"And I don’t take kindly to threats."

Something flickered in his eyes. Recognition? Annoyance? Or perhaps Both.

"Tell me, Jasmine," he said quietly, "when they strip away the name Frost, the title, the power you married into... what exactly will you have left?"

I didn’t blink.

"More than you think. More than you’ll ever be handed."

His brows lifted slightly. "Handed? I’ve earned my place."

I tilted my head. "No... you’ve been groomed for it. There’s a difference."

"Semantics."

"Reality," I countered.

That earned me a short, sharp laugh. "Still the same, aren’t you? Always with a comeback ready, no matter how thin the ground you’re standing on."

"Thin ground holds just fine if you know how to balance."

His smirk sharpened. "Balance won’t save you when he starts seeing you as a liability."

"Neither will blind obedience," I shot back. "But that’s your specialty, isn’t it?"

For the first time, his jaw ticked again, tighter this time.

"You think you’re ready for this game, cousin. You’re not. And you’ll learn that the hard way."

"Maybe," I said, letting a slow smile spread across my lips. "Or maybe I’ll learn that people like you are only as dangerous as the secrets they think they hold."

Sophia snorted. "Burn."

Daniel’s gaze lingered a moment longer, assessing, calculating. Then, with a final flick of his eyes to the Frost-branded credit card still in my hand, he stepped back.

"Enjoy the dress," he said. "You’ll want to look your best for the wolves."

"I always do," I replied.

Daniel’s gaze lingered on me for a long moment too long before he finally gave a short, sharp breath through his nose.

"You’ve always had a knack for talking big, Jasmine. Let’s see how far that gets you before the wolves stop circling and start biting."

"Careful," I said lightly. "You’re starting to sound jealous."

His jaw tightened, but he smoothed it over with a thin smile. "Jealous? No. I just know the ending to stories like yours."

"Then maybe you should go write your own and stop hanging around mine."

Something in his expression cracked, just a hairline fracture, but it was enough. He gave a dismissive huff, muttered something about "wasting his time," and stalked off deeper into the store.

I turned back to Sophia, who was smirking like a cat who’d found the cream.

"That was beautiful," she whispered.

A few minutes later, while we were still waiting for the sales associate to finish wrapping my gown, Daniel returned.

In his hands was a sleek garment bag, the kind high-end boutiques used for evening wear. Probably for a girlfriend. Or a date. Or one of those women who were interchangeable in his life.

He glanced our way, hesitated for half a beat, then moved to the counter beside us.

The cashier began scanning his purchase when I said, "Add that to my order."

Daniel’s head snapped toward me. "What?"

"I’m paying for it."

He frowned, shaking his head. "Don’t be ridiculous. I can..."

"Keep the money for something else," I cut in smoothly, sliding my Frost card toward the cashier without looking at him. "You’ll need it in the future."

For once, Daniel didn’t have an immediate comeback. His lips pressed into a thin line, and I could practically see the war between his pride and his temper.

"Consider it," I added, "a reminder that I’m not the one who needs climbing lessons."

The silence between us stretched until the cashier returned my card. Daniel took his garment bag, gave me one last unreadable look, and left without another word.

The door chimed as he left, the scent of his cologne fading into the sharper notes of the boutique.

Sophia leaned against the counter, grinning. "If we were keeping score, I’d say you won that one."

I collected my card from the cashier without looking away from the door. "This is more than a game," I murmured.

But my pulse was still quick. And I couldn’t shake the feeling that Daniel had come here for more than just conversation.

—

That evening, the event loomed like a glittering storm cloud. The Council had rented out one of the old marble halls in the city centre, a place where every step seemed to echo with history and judgment.

The air smelled faintly of polished stone, perfume, and champagne. Golden chandeliers spilled warm light over a crowd dressed in silks, tailored suits, and the kind of jewellery that came with armed security.

I moved through it with my head held high. My own gown, the black one I had chosen at the boutique that clung in all the right places, whispered across the polished floor as I walked.

Eyes followed me. Some looked curious, some seemed to be evaluating me, and a few had a really cold stare.

"Smile," Lyra murmured. "Half these people live on fear, the other half on gossip. Don’t give either group what they want."

"Noted," I said, keeping my expression neutral.

Somewhere in the crowd, I caught sight of Daniel. He wasn’t alone, standing with a tall brunette in crimson silk, drink in hand. His gaze met mine briefly, unreadable, before he turned away.

Good. Let him stew.

I wasn’t here for him. Tonight was about more than petty family rivalries. Tonight, the wolves were watching, and I intended to prove I could run with them.

I wasn’t here for him. Tonight was about more than petty family rivalries. Tonight, the wolves were watching, and I intended to prove I could run with them.