Library
Search
Home / Romance / The Bride He Bought / Chapter 17

Share

Chapter 17

Author: Krissy Writ3s
last update Last Updated: 2025-07-22 20:24:24
𝘼𝙇𝙀𝙍𝘼

His question has my heart missing a beat.

It's such a simple question. One I should answer without bating an eye.

But I'm left startled, like I'd just heard glass hit the floor and shatter. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. My brain scrambles, short-circuiting in the process but it still can’t come up with a single word that doesn’t sound like a lie.

Tell him the truth.

No.

He could decline even further. Maybe he'll just have a heart attack that'll take him from me.

I can't risk that.

My palms go clammy, and I’m pretty sure the blood drains from my face because my father’s brow furrows in concern. The room feels suffocating now. The beeping monitor beside him becomes impossibly loud, and my heartbeat tries to sync with it in a rapid, panicked rhythm.

Think, Alera. Think.

A knock cuts through the tension. The door creaks open, and a nurse steps inside. Not one I recognize. She’s tall, browned skinned and young looking. Probably my age? Her hair is adorned by
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter
Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Latest chapter

  • The Bride He Bought    Chapter 130

    𝘿𝘼𝙉𝙏𝙀Alera walks closer to me. My eyes don't leave hers as she makes her way here."Those are transaction ledgers linked to Rina."For a long time, neither of us speaks.Alera’s laptop sits between us, the glow of the screen painting her face in faint blue light. I scroll slowly, reading, then reading again, trying to make sense of what I’m seeing.Multiple wire transfers.Same beneficiary name.Rina.Every amount is higher than the last. Each one perfectly timed with the month Alera and I moved to Milan.My throat feels dry. “Where did you get this?”Her voice is small when she speaks. “From the company’s internal records. I was checking the vendor payments from last quarter, and it led me there. I didn’t mean to find it. It just happened.”I keep my eyes on the screen. “And you thought it was worth bringing to me?”She hesitates. “I don't know. It's just weird, Dante. You remember that night we had that fight? Well, that day I overheard Rowan, and he mentioned Rina. And then y

  • The Bride He Bought    Chapter 129

    𝘼𝙇𝙀𝙍𝘼 I burst into a nervous grin, "Hi. Yes...still working." I chirp even as my fingers tremble. Sweat trickles down my spine even though the air conditioning is in full blast. I keep my fake smile in place, pretending to scroll through the spreadsheet like everything’s fine, like my heart isn’t pounding in my throat. The progress bar at the bottom of the screen blinks 93%. Just a few more seconds. Rowan leans against the doorframe, smiling like a man who’s caught me in the middle of something but isn’t sure what. “I didn’t expect to see you still working,” he says easily, voice warm and smooth. “What are you working on?” I lift my head slowly, “Uhm, nothing serious. Just checking somethings with the vendors.” He walks into the office fully, the scent of his cologne cutting through the faint smell of coffee and paper. He moves like Dante, slow, sure and unreadable. “You know I've been looking for you,” he says. “You’ve been a tremendous help lately. I’m thinking we mig

  • The Bride He Bought    Chapter 128

    𝘼𝙇𝙀𝙍𝘼I’ve been staring at spreadsheets for so long, the numbers are starting to blur into each other.The office is quiet now since most of the team left hours ago. The only sound here is the hum of the air conditioner and the faint ticking of the wall clock reminding me time is still moving.I should have gone home too.But there’s something comforting about the silence, about losing myself in work when everything else feels like a mess. But most importantly, I'm not heavily thinking about Dante and the growing distance. I stretch my neck, take a sip of coffee that’s already gone cold, and scroll to the next report. It’s a reconciliation sheet for one of the smaller Moretti subsidiaries, a logistics branch under Rowan’s management. The numbers are neat and predictable. Until one transaction stands out.€250,000.Description: Consultation Retainer.Recipient: Rina Ferraro.Rina?I cock my head as my vision slightly dims. I'm sure it’s a coincidence.Rina Ferraro. It can’t be th

  • The Bride He Bought    Chapter 127

    𝘿𝘼𝙉𝙏𝙀 Lately, it feels like I’m walking through fog. Nothing stays clear long enough to make sense. Mama’s condition is getting worse; she’s reached the final stages of her illness, and any moment from now, she’ll be gone. I know this. I’ve been preparing for this. But seeing her already start planning her own funeral, saying things like, “I want lilies, not roses,” is driving me insane. I can’t stand hearing her talk about her death, so I’ve been avoiding her more than I should. It makes me feel like a coward. Because I am one. Luciana said the doctors want to run more tests, but everyone knows what that means. They’re preparing us. I don’t need to be a doctor to see what’s coming. And in the middle of all that, there’s Alera. I’ve spent years mastering the art of control, just like Papa taught me. I’ve kept everything about my life neat and compartmentalized, and for so long, it worked well for me. Until she showed up and wrecked all of it. Now, every time I wal

  • The Bride He Bought    Chapter 126

    𝘼𝙇𝙀𝙍𝘼 I don’t know how long I’ve been sitting here. The tears have stopped, but my chest still hurts. I wipe my face with the sleeve of my shirt, take a deep breath, and let it out slowly. The air feels thick, heavy with dread of the unknown. Maybe this is how it’s supposed to end. We were never meant to work out. We’re too different. He’s too closed off, too controlled. I talk and feel too much. We didn't even get together for the right reasons. And most importantly, my Dad hates him. Reasonably, that would have been more than enough reason to end this madness. But still… a small part of me wishes he’d at least tried. That he’d given us a chance instead of shutting me out like everything we've experienced together meant nothing. If I’d just kept my mouth shut, if I hadn’t thrown those words at him so carelessly, maybe we wouldn’t be here. But he’s right, this is for the best. He’s never given any hint that he thought we could be more than what we are. I grab my phone fr

  • The Bride He Bought    Chapter 125

    𝘼𝙇𝙀𝙍𝘼 Yesterday, I wanted to apologize to Dante for the way I spoke to him. There’s no excuse that justifies throwing those words at him, especially since we've been so good lately. But he wasn’t home when I woke up. And when I came back from work, he still wasn't home. I stayed awake waiting for him. When I finally heard his footsteps downstairs, I waited for him to come to my room like he normally does. He didn’t. That was all the confirmation I needed, that he's really angry with me. I thought about going to his room, thought about knocking and apologizing, but I couldn’t move. I was too scared he’d ignore me. So I just gave in to sleep. Hoping that tomorrow would be better. Well, it's finally tomorrow and right now, still in my robe and not ready for work, I’m standing outside his office, rehearsing the words I’ve been trying to form since last night. I breathe out slowly, twist the knob and push the door open. He’s behind his desk, typing. He doesn’t look up imme

More Chapters

You may also like

Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status