Undressed By His Arrogance-Chapter 329: Tom Kane Is Dead

God, he was going to enjoy being her husband.

Because she was fire. Because she fought for family. Because she drove him insane.

When they finally pulled up to the courthouse, Evans was already outside with Sam.

Winn didn’t ask how things had gone with Tom. He didn’t want to know. Not today. Today was supposed to be about him and Ivy. At least, it was supposed to be—until she’d gone AWOL and nearly given him a coronary.

He stepped out first, rounded the car, and opened her door. The moment she stood, the dress settling around her.

She threaded her fingers through his, their hands fitting together.

"Still mad?" she asked softly.

He leaned in, voice low. "Furious."

She smiled in response.

They walked toward the entrance together. Evans approached them.

"I’d like to give you an early wedding gift," Evans said.

"Morgana and Tom are in police custody?" Ivy asked, the excitement bubbling out of her before she could stop it. Her hand tightened around Winn’s, her whole body leaning forward. After everything—after the fear, the threats, the years of looking over shoulders—the idea of it being over hit her like a rush of oxygen.

Evans shook his head once. "No. Morgana is. Not Tom."

Ivy frowned. "Why?"

Evans’ gaze flicked briefly to Winn. "Because Tom Kane is dead."

Winn’s reaction was immediate and not at all graceful. His eyes snapped to Evans, his mouth opening on instinct. Thank God sat right there on his tongue, fully formed, begging to be said—but it stuck. His chest tightened instead, breath catching halfway in.

Dead.

Tom Kane had been a cancer. Winn had built half his adult life around anticipating Tom’s next move.

He almost expected Tom to step out from behind the courthouse doors, smirking, alive out of sheer spite.

Ivy felt the shock hit her in a wave. Her excitement evaporated. "What happened?" she asked quietly.

Evans exhaled. "According to James, Tom was plotting with Morgana to have Trish kidnapped. It was a way to get to you. Again." His jaw tightened. "James shot him. Morgana took the blame."

"Oh my God..." Ivy whispered, her free hand flying to her mouth. Her thoughts immediately went to James. "Poor baby."

No child should ever have to pull a trigger on their own parent, no matter how deserved.

"Killed by his own son. How poetic." Winn shook his head once. Then, he shifted gears. "Well," he said, glancing at Ivy, "shall we get married."

"Wow. Emotional range of a teaspoon."

He smirked. "Sue me."

"Only if you say please." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

He groaned dramatically, tilting his head back toward the courthouse sky. Then he turned back to her.

"I’m in a good mood," he said slowly, eyes dark, mouth dangerous. "So... the dearest love of my life, your highness, my princess—" he leaned in, lips brushing her ear, "—would you do me the biggest honour of getting the fuck into that courthouse and marrying me, please."

Ivy huffed dramatically, chin lifting as she turned. "I’m so going to spend all your money on a younger man," she tossed over her shoulder, already striding into the courthouse.

Winn stared after her, stunned before a slow, dangerous smile crept across his face. Younger man. Right. He shook his head. God help him, that mouth was going to be the death of him—and he was absolutely going to enjoy every second of it.

Irene walked up beside him, arms folded, watching Ivy disappear through the heavy doors. "You really are the husband of the year, aren’t you?" she drawled.

"What did I do?" Winn asked, genuinely confused.

She gave him a look that screamed you’ll learn.

Evans snorted as he wrapped an arm around Irene’s waist, tugging her closer. "I’ll help hide your body when she kills you," he said cheerfully, already steering his wife toward the entrance.

*****

Hours later, Ivy stood in what had once been her room—now a room she was leaving behind—packing her life into suitcases with the help of Trish and Irene.

The dress was gone. The heels were kicked off.

"We should have a wedding party, Ivy. A big one," Irene said.

"Oooh, a party!" Trish perked up instantly, eyes lighting.

Ivy smiled faintly but didn’t look convinced. She paused mid-pack, fingers curling around the edge of a shirt. "I don’t know," she said slowly. "The wedding was supposed to be a secret. Just family. Close friends." She swallowed. "I still feel like there’s this huge threat hanging over our heads."

"That doesn’t just go away overnight. You’ve been in survival mode for so long, your body doesn’t know how to stand down yet." Trish said.

"A party will help make it real," Irene said gently. "Make all the noise you can. The freedom will help you come to terms with the fact that it really is over, Ivy. Come on. You deserve that."

Ivy exhaled slowly. She looked around the room. Freedom still felt fragile. "Okay," she said finally, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Where will we have it?"

"Orchards Ville!" Trish screamed, throwing her hands into the air.

Irene winced. "Okay, you are a tad bit too excited about that."

"What?" Trish shot back, eyes sparkling. "I have never seen the place."

Ivy laughed, shaking her head. "Trish’s enthusiasm aside, I think it’s actually a good idea. There’s a huge ballroom right at the entrance of the ville. Winn said Mrs. Orchard used to throw massive business parties there."

"Sounds festive," Trish said dreamily.

"Well," Irene said, arching a brow at Ivy, "that task falls to you now."

Ivy groaned. "Oh boy. Can we do that when we get back from Canada with Liz? I need at least one week where nobody’s trying to kill me or blackmail me."

"Of course," Irene replied easily. "We’ll have everything ready. All you have to do is show up at the party, look stunning, and remind the world that you survived."

Trish clasped her hands together. "I am definitely going to get my billionaire husband now," she giggled.