Married to a Billionaire Stranger
Chapter 17: Echoes and Applause
The studio lights had been soft, almost flattering.
The interview had felt real. Unscripted.
Ella hadn't sugarcoated her story. She spoke about growing up in a quiet part of Georgia, about ambition outgrowing her surroundings, about stumbling into a marriage that felt like walking into a stranger's fire and calling it home.
She hadn't mentioned Xavier by name often.
But his presence lingered in her words.
Not as a savior. Not as a villain.
Just as a man — complicated, powerful, and terrifying in the way only someone close to your heart could be.
> "I didn't marry him for money."
> "But I did marry for escape. And I didn't expect to find pieces of myself in the process."
The host had nodded gently.
And the final question came:
> "Would you choose him again?"
Ella had paused.
Then answered:
> "I would choose myself first. But yes… I'd choose him too. If he keeps choosing me back."
---
The interview aired two days later.
It trended within hours.
#EllaKingInterview
#ModernLoveOrStrategy
#TheContractWifeWhoSpokeUp
The reactions were mixed — raw, emotional, and messy.
Some called her brave.
Others said she was calculated.
A few even said she looked too "composed" to be honest.
But most… listened.
And that was all she'd hoped for.
---
When Xavier watched it, he didn't say a word.
Not at first.
Ella sat on the edge of the sofa, legs tucked beneath her, waiting.
When the screen went dark, he stood.
She braced for him to speak.
But instead, he walked to the window, arms folded.
"Did it feel like the truth?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "It was the truth."
A long pause.
Then he turned.
And his voice, though soft, hit like a storm.
"Then I'm proud of you."
She blinked, surprised by how much those words mattered coming from him.
Before she could respond, his phone buzzed.
He checked it — and his jaw immediately tightened.
"What is it?" she asked.
He handed her the phone.
> Incoming visitor clearance request: THEODORE BRYANT.
Her stomach turned.
"He's here?" she asked.
Xavier didn't answer.
Because a second later, the elevator chimed.
---
The door opened.
And there he was.
Theo Bryant — tall, handsome, and exuding that effortless confidence Ella remembered far too well.
Her first serious boyfriend.
The boy who broke her heart before she ever knew how to guard it.
"Wow," he said, stepping in like he belonged. "You look... different."
She stiffened. "You weren't invited."
He held up a hand. "Just hear me out."
Xavier stepped forward, voice cool and unreadable. "This is private property."
Theo glanced at him, then back at Ella. "I saw the interview. You were... incredible. But it made me realize something."
"Don't," Ella warned.
He ignored it.
"I let you go once, because I thought you'd never be more than the girl I met in college. I was wrong. You became more than I ever imagined."
"Too late, Theo," she said. "You don't get to rewrite history just because you saw me on TV."
"I'm not here to win you back," he said. "I'm here to remind you who you were before he came along."
Ella flinched.
Xavier's voice was suddenly lower.
"You're done."
Theo glanced at him. "You think you've changed her, but she was always like this. She just needed someone to believe it."
"She doesn't need your belief," Xavier said, stepping closer. "She has her own now."
Theo looked between them.
Smiled faintly.
"You're falling for her, aren't you?"
Xavier didn't flinch. "Leave."
---
After the door closed, the silence felt heavier than any confrontation.
Ella stood still for a long time.
"He was never supposed to come back," she said.
Xavier crossed his arms. "Do you want to see him again?"
She turned to him, offended. "Do you think I want that?"
"I don't know what you want," he said honestly. "Not always."
Ella's shoulders dropped. "I want to stop being pulled in every direction. I want to be seen — and chosen — not just defended."
"You were more than seen in that interview," he said.
"Then say it."
He hesitated.
Then: "You weren't just seen. You owned it."
She nodded once, blinking fast.
Then left the room before her voice cracked.
---
That night, Xavier didn't sleep.
He sat in his office long after the city went quiet, thinking of Ella's words, the look on her face when Theo appeared, and the fact that he'd felt something sharp twist in his chest.
Not just jealousy.
Fear.
Fear that she might realize she didn't need him at all.
That maybe, she was finally learning to need only herself.
---
Ella didn't sleep either.
But unlike Xavier, she wasn't lost in thought.
She was busy deleting old messages.
From Theo.
From her past.
She wasn't holding onto it anymore.
But she wasn't sure if she was ready to fall forward either.
---
By morning, the storm outside had cleared.
But the storm between them hadn't.
Not fully.
Still, Xavier approached her at breakfast, a quiet determination in his eyes.
"I'm going to L.A. next week," he said.
She looked up.
"For a board meeting?"
"For a choice," he replied.
She frowned.
"What kind of choice?"
He hesitated, then said: "One that could change everything — for both of us."