CHAPTER 5

ALARIC

Ever since I got married to Kimani—on impulse—I’ve been questioning myself.

Impulse is not something I allow. Not in business. Not in life. My world is built on precision, calculation, control. Every move I make is deliberate, weighed for consequence. Yet at the altar, with the whole city watching, I broke my own rule.

Four words. I will marry her.

I hadn’t planned them. I hadn’t even considered them until I saw the betrayal unfold before my eyes—the groom’s smug cowardice, the way the crowd feasted on her humiliation like vultures. And then her. Standing there, shoulders trembling but unbroken, tears streaking her face yet refusing to crumble.

Something about that sight made something in me shift.

I couldn’t explain it then. I can’t explain it now. But in that moment, I acted. I stepped forward, and the words were out before I could stop them.

And now, I have a wife.

I’ve read the headlines already—my assistant made sure I saw them before dinner. “Billionaire Alaric Walker Snatches Bride at Altar.” “From Humiliation to High Society—Kimani’s Shocking Marriage Twist.” A circus, exactly what I avoid. But strangely, I don’t regret it.

I think about her face when I asked her to trust me. The hesitation. The fear. And yet—she said yes.

That yes echoes louder in my mind than the media’s noise.

At dinner, she surprised me again. I expected silence, timid gratitude at best, or nervous chatter at worst. Instead, she challenged me. Boldly. Teasing about colors and pets as though she wasn’t sitting across from a man the city whispers about. She didn’t shrink beneath my stare. She leaned into it.

And then came her answer. Her fear. Being unwanted.

The words dug into me, sharper than I expected. I recognized them, though I’d never admit it aloud. That same hollow truth has lived in me longer than I care to remember. People want my power, my name, my wealth. No one has ever simply wanted… me.

And when she asked about my fear, I gave her the truth. Losing control. Because that’s the one thing I cannot afford. Control is safety. Control is survival. Without it, everything crumbles.

The way she looked at me then… curious, soft, not afraid—unnerved me.

She’s a stranger. Yet she sees more of me in hours than others have in years.

I tell myself it doesn’t matter. This marriage wasn’t planned. It’s a shield, a distraction, a necessary act in the moment. That’s all.

But when I carried her over the threshold, when I watched her laugh softly at her friends’ texts, when she sat across from me and dared to ask questions no one else would, I felt something I hadn’t felt in years.

A crack in the armor.

I don’t know what possessed me to make her mine in front of hundreds of witnesses. But one thing is clear:

Now that she is, I have no intention of letting her go.

The following morning, I was already dressed in one of my tailored suits, breakfast finished in silence, as it had been for years. The clinking of silver against porcelain, the crisp rustle of the newspaper, the stillness of an empty dining room, routine. Predictable. Controlled.

When I left, Evan was waiting with my briefcase. Always punctual, always composed—except this morning. His eyes flickered with something he clearly wanted to swallow back.

“You’re fidgeting, Evan. Speak.”

He cleared his throat. “It’s just that… you’ve just gotten married, sir. Even if it was on impulse, perhaps it would be wise to… embrace the phase. You know, the honeymoon period. The public is watching closely, and your sudden marriage has already shaken the city.”

I hated gossip. Yet even I couldn’t ignore the truth in his words. People were circling like sharks, waiting for the blood in the water, I don't blame them. I married a woman I haven't seen or spoken to before.

“Honeymoon phase, you say?” I murmured, lowering myself into the living room sofa.

“Yes, sir,” Evan replied carefully. “If you’re seen treating her well, publicly, it will silence the doubters before they even gain momentum.”

Silence the doubters. That, I liked. But it wasn’t only about the public. My mind returned to last night—to the look in her eyes when I asked her to trust me, to the way she smiled faintly at dinner as if she hadn’t been left in ruins only hours before. She hadn’t broken. She’d stared back.

"Okay, then. She will be coming with me to the office. Get some outfits ready for her, she needs to look the part." I said.

Evan’s surprise lasted a fraction of a second before he bowed his head. “At once, sir.”

After Evan left, I called the maid I had assigned to her-I don't think she knows yet. "When she wakes up, help her get ready." I told her. And she left after replying.

I remained seated, still and patient, though it was not in my nature. Calls waited, contracts required my signature, meetings ticked closer with every passing minute. My life ran on precision, on time I never wasted. Yet here I was—waiting. Breaking my own rules again.

Two hours later, I heard the sound of light footsteps on the marble staircase. I looked up, and there she was.

Kimani.

She wore a navy-blue blouse and tailored trousers, her hair pinned loosely, elegance in simplicity. Evan had chosen well. The sight of her was like the first breath after a long dive, unexpected, steadying, dangerous.

She caught me staring and frowned faintly. “What’s going on? Why am I so dressed up on your orders?”

I rose smoothly, buttoning my jacket. “Because,” I said, my voice leaving no room for debate, “you’re coming with me. To my office.”

The car was already waiting at the front steps when we walked out. I held the door open for her without thinking—something I never did for anyone—but the small flicker of surprise in her eyes made the gesture worthwhile. She slipped inside, cautious but composed, as though still trying to make sense of her new reality.

The ride was quiet. She kept her gaze on the city beyond the glass, her fingers folded in her lap. I should have been reviewing contracts, preparing for the morning’s meetings, but instead I found myself watching the subtle tension in her shoulders, the way her lips pressed together whenever we stopped at a light and someone outside recognized us.

Let them stare. Let them wonder.

When we arrived at Walker Enterprises, the reaction was immediate.

The moment we stepped into the lobby, the air shifted. Conversations faltered. Phones hovered midway to ears. My employees—men and women who had long perfected the art of working under my shadow—couldn’t disguise their curiosity.

“Good morning, Mr. Walker,” the receptionist stammered, her eyes darting to Kimani, wide with recognition.

My hand rested lightly against the small of Kimani’s back as I guided her forward. “My wife will be joining me today.” The words were deliberate, meant to echo across the marble floor.

Shock rippled like a wave. I saw it in their faces—disbelief, curiosity, the greedy spark of gossip barely contained. No one dared to whisper within my earshot, but I knew the building would buzz with speculation before the hour was out.

Kimani kept her chin lifted, though I caught the subtle rise of color on her cheeks. She wasn’t used to being the center of attention. She wasn’t used to walking beside a man who commanded it.

Good. They would learn. And so would she.

Evan joined us as the elevator doors opened. “Your first meeting is at nine, sir,” he said smoothly, and I caught the respectful glance he threw in Kimani's direction.

I stepped into the elevator, drawing her with me. As the doors slid shut, I caught her reflection in the steel panel, she was nervous, yes, but steady.

She had no idea the storm she’d just walked into.

But she was mine now. And I intended to make sure the entire world understood exactly what that meant.