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Chapter 18

Author: Gem
last update publish date: 2025-04-23 15:54:17

Cameron’s POV

I woke up to sunlight stabbing me straight in the face and it felt like the universe was against me having proper sleep.

Groaning, I rolled over and fumbled for my phone, which had been buzzing for a while.

Dad.

God, what did he want now?

I let it ring for a few seconds, dragging my fingers through my disaster of hair, before finally picking it up. “Morning,” I said, trying to sound like I wasn’t still halfway inside a dream.

“Any updates?” Dad said with his voice sharp

It was ob
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  • Rival's Marriage Agreement    128

    Cameron’s POVThe moment I took the step forward, everything inside me shifted again, like something deep in the system had briefly misfired.Not broken.Not gone.Just… interrupted.“You moved,” Brandon said immediately, his voice sharp with disbelief and hope at the same time.“I did not complete the previous instruction set,” I replied.Wilson let out a loud breath.“I don’t know why that sounds more concerning than reassuring,” he said. “But it does.”Kade’s voice came from behind Brandon, calm as always.“The failsafe is destabilizing,” he said.Brandon turned slightly, not taking his eyes off me.“Then fix it,” he said.“I cannot,” Kade replied.Brandon scoffed.“You keep saying that like it’s helpful,” he said. “It’s not.”“It is factual,” Kade answered.Brandon looked back at me.“Cameron,” he said again, slower this time, “talk to me.”I processed the request.Language response: stable.Output: clear.“I am talking to you,” I said.“No,” he replied immediately. “You’re answer

  • Rival's Marriage Agreement    127

    Brandon’s POV“Failsafe?”The word did not sit right in my chest. It felt wrong the second it left Kade’s mouth, like something sharp pressed against my ribs from the inside.“What failsafe?” I repeated, louder this time.Kade did not look at me.He was still watching Cameron.Always Cameron.“You don’t remember that part yet,” he said calmly.I stepped in front of Cameron again without thinking, my hand tightening around his wrist.“Then you’re going to explain it,” I said, my voice steady even though everything inside me was not.Kade tilted his head slightly.“It’s not my job to explain,” he said. “It’s my job to observe.”“That’s not happening,” I snapped. “You don’t get to drop something like that and then act mysterious about it.”Wilson nodded aggressively.“Yes, exactly. This is not a movie. You cannot just say ‘failsafe’ and then refuse to elaborate. That is extremely unfair.”Irene shot him a look.“Now is not the time,” she said.“It is absolutely the time,” he argued. “We

  • Rival's Marriage Agreement    126

    Cameron’s POVThe moment the words left my mouth, I felt it.Not something external.Not something new.Something that had always been there.Buried.Controlled.Restricted.Until now.“I’m done holding back.”The air around us felt sharper, like everything had suddenly become clearer, more defined, more… predictable.Kade smiled.“Finally,” he said. “I was starting to think you’d never get there.”Brandon stepped closer to me, his voice tight with something I couldn’t ignore.“Cameron,” he said, “what does that mean?”I didn’t look at him immediately.Because my focus—Was on Kade.“It means he gets what he wants,” Kade answered for me. “A fair test.”“I didn’t ask you,” Brandon snapped.Kade ignored him.I took a step forward.Then another.Slow.Controlled.Every movement deliberate.“Cameron,” Irene said, her tone sharp now, “we need to leave. This is not the time to—”“No,” I said.The word cut through everything.Firm.Clear.Final.“We are not leaving,” I continued.Wilson star

  • Rival's Marriage Agreement    125

    Brandon’s POVEverything turned into chaos so fast that I did not even have time to fully process what was happening before my body was already moving on instinct.“Move!” Cameron said, his voice sharp, controlled, like he had switched into something else entirely.I grabbed his arm tighter instead of letting go.“I’m not losing you in this,” I said.“I am not going anywhere,” he replied, even as he pulled me sideways just in time to avoid Kade’s next move.Kade did not hesitate.He adjusted instantly.Like he had already calculated where we would be before we even moved.“That’s not normal,” I said, my voice rising.“He’s reading patterns,” Cameron replied quickly. “He’s anticipating reactions.”Wilson nearly tripped behind us.“I do not have a pattern!” he shouted. “I am pure chaos right now!”“That might actually help,” Irene said, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him out of the way of another attack.Kade moved again.Fast.Too fast.He came straight for Cameron this time, ignoring

  • Rival's Marriage Agreement    124

    Cameron’s POVThe wind hit harder up on the rooftop, but I barely noticed it because all my focus locked onto the figure standing in front of us.They were not moving.Not rushing toward us.Not even trying to close the distance.They were just… waiting.Like this was exactly where we were supposed to end up.“Cameron,” the voice said again, calm and steady. “Still running.”My chest tightened slightly.Brandon’s grip on my arm didn’t loosen.“You know them?” he asked, his voice low but urgent.“Yes,” I said.“Then please explain because I feel like I am constantly ten steps behind in this situation,” he replied.I did not take my eyes off the figure.“They’re not just part of the program,” I said slowly. “They are part of my program.”Wilson blinked rapidly.“I am sorry, your program?” he repeated. “As in your personal nightmare project?”“Yes,” I said.“That is not comforting,” he said.Irene stepped slightly forward, her voice sharp.“Who are you?” she demanded.The figure tilted t

  • Rival's Marriage Agreement    123

    Brandon’s POVThe word retrieval did not leave the room.It stayed there, hanging in the air like something alive, something breathing, something waiting.“They’re coming for me,” Cameron said again, quieter this time, but somehow heavier, like he had already accepted it.“No,” I said immediately.All of them turned to look at me.I stepped closer to him, my voice stronger now.“No, they’re not,” I repeated.Cameron looked at me, his expression unreadable again, but I could see it—the shift, the way his brain was already trying to calculate outcomes, already trying to prepare for something he thought was inevitable.“They have the resources,” he said. “The access. The documentation confirms continued monitoring. The probability of—”“I don’t care about the probability,” I cut in.Wilson blinked.“Oh, we are rejecting logic now. That is new,” he muttered.I ignored him.“I don’t care what they think they can do,” I said, keeping my eyes locked on Cameron. “They’re not taking you.”Ther

  • Rival's Marriage Agreement    117

    Brandon’s POVI woke up slowly, not in the usual rushed and disoriented way that comes with alarms or stress or unfinished thoughts, but in a quiet, almost unfamiliar calm that made me want to stay exactly where I was without moving at all. For a few seconds, I kept my eyes closed, letting myself e

  • Rival's Marriage Agreement    116

    Cameron’s POV The quiet did not break.It followed us.From the couch… to the moment Brandon finally shifted, exhaling softly like he had just made a decision.“We should probably go to the bedroom,” he said, his voice low but steady.I looked at him.“Probably,” I agreed.There was something diff

  • Rival's Marriage Agreement    115

    Brandon’s POV I did not remember the last time things felt this quiet.Not just around me.Inside me.Because usually my thoughts were loud, messy, always jumping from one thing to another, especially after a day like this. But sitting there beside Cameron, with his shoulder warm against mine and

  • Rival's Marriage Agreement    114

    Brandon’s POV The moment his lips touched mine, everything else disappeared.Not faded.Not blurred.Gone.Like the noise, the stress, the flashing lights, the chaos of everything that had just happened—all of it had been pushed out of existence by something stronger, something louder, something t

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