Chapter 12

With no other options left, Stephanie pulled out her phone and dialed Luke's number.

“Get over to the family house right now,” she ordered into the receiver the moment the line connected, her voice entirely devoid of warmth.

Luke, who was already on his way back, floored the gas pedal and arrived within minutes.

“What's wrong? You sounded frantic on the phone,” Luke asked as he shoved the front door open, finding Stephanie pacing restlessly across the living room, lost in deep thought.

“I came by earlier to see Arden. After she left, I tried to look around the house, but her bedroom door was locked, and none of the staff were anywhere in sight,” Stephanie explained, her brows knitted together.

“Locked?” Luke echoed, a flicker of confusion crossing his face.

“And all day today, Arden has been acting strange—”

“How so?” Luke interrupted.

“She hired a personal driver and instructed him to block everyone from entering. Then, when I confronted her about it, she made it seem like I was the problem. I have a bad feeling, Luke... I think she might have found out about our plan.”

“No, that's impossible. Have you forgotten who Arden is?” Luke scoffed. “If she had found out, she wouldn't have just brushed it off. She would have confronted us publicly, called off the wedding, and hauled us straight to the cops. None of that happened. Our wedding is still happening in less than twenty-four hours.”

Stephanie paused, weighing his words. “Yeah, I suppose you're right. But she was acting off...”

“Don't overthink it. It's probably just wedding stress,” Luke dismissed smoothly. “Besides, how could she possibly find out? We've been meticulously careful from day one.”

Thinking back on the morning's events, Stephanie began to calm down. Arden didn't actually know I was locked out—that was just Kate playing games. And the moment Arden saw me, she let me right in. I must just be paranoid.

“True,” Stephanie muttered aloud. “And she didn't head back upstairs after I arrived; she probably locked the door by mistake and grabbed the key on her way out. It definitely has to be wedding stress, especially since she was rushing off to a board meeting.” She let out an embarrassed laugh. “Silly me... getting worked up over nothing.”

A wide, relieved smile spread across her lips, prompting Luke to shake his head with a chuckle.

“You're stressing yourself over nothing. We've been carrying this affair out right under her nose for months. How could she possibly figure it out two days before the wedding?”

“You're right. Honestly, I just can't wait for all of this to be over,” Stephanie sighed, leaning into him.

“Me too. Once it's all done, we're taking a month vacation to celebrate,” Luke promised, pulling her close.

Meanwhile, the moment Arden left the estate, she switched off her phone. After dropping Kate off at her apartment, she directed the driver straight toward Ethan’s headquarters.

Checking the time she saw it was a few minutes past 2:00 PM. She knew Ethan kept a strict schedule, always breaking for lunch precisely at 2:30. She had desperately hoped to catch him beforehand—she had promised to marry him, and if this was ever going to work, she needed to bridge the gap between their past and present. She was ready to put in the effort, daunting as it felt.

Stepping out of the car, she glanced at her watch again: 2:29 PM. She had barely sixty seconds to reach the executive floor before he left for lunch, or she risked missing him entirely.

She quickened her pace into a brisk jog across the marble lobby, slipping into the elevator bay just as the digital display ticked over to 2:30. Arden let out a soft groan of frustration, realizing she had missed him by a hair. But knowing his habits, she figured he would likely be descending or moving through the executive corridor soon, so she turned to wait—and immediately lost her footing on the polished stone floor.

Arden gasped in fright, bracing herself for a hard impact. But instead of hitting the cold marble, she bumped backward into something solid and warm. Two firm hands instantly shot out, gripping her arms to steady her and gently pushing her forward.

Regaining her balance, Arden stumbled half a step away, her heart hammering against her ribs. Even before turning around, the sharp, familiar scent of cedar and expensive cologne filled her senses, giving away his identity instantly.

She spun around to come face to face with the exact man she had been rushing to see.

“Did he already have lunch?” The stray thought crossed her mind, though she kept it to herself.

Noticing she was momentarily frozen, Ethan took the initiative, his voice a low, level hum.

“Watch your step, or you're going to hurt yourself.”

“Y-yeah... sure. I... I will,” Arden stammered, flushing slightly.

Ethan cast a brief, analytical glance down at his wristwatch before locking his dark gaze back onto hers.

“I'll be going now,” Arden muttered, dipping her head to slip past him.

“I'm assuming you didn't come all the way down here just to trip and turn right back around,” Ethan noted, stopping her dead in her tracks.

She couldn't tell if it was a question or a challenge, and quite frankly, she didn't have the energy to parse it.

“Come to my office,” Ethan added smoothly, turning toward the private corridor. “We have things to discuss.”

“Okay,” Arden whispered, her voice quieter than she intended as she followed him down the hall.