Semua Bab Unexpected ties: Arranged Marriage. : Bab 71 - Bab 80

Mia sat on the edge of the bed, absently twisting the hem of her blouse between her fingers. The faint ticking of the wall clock was the only sound in the room. Afternoon light leaked through the half-drawn curtains, painting the space in warm, faded gold.The house felt different when Darren wasn’t in it. Too quiet. Too empty.She told herself she shouldn’t care. We’re just a nominal couple. That was the agreement from the start. They had no obligations beyond sharing a roof and keeping out of each other’s business. But ever since the strange little moments the way his hand lingered on hers when passing something, the quiet protectiveness in his eyes when he stood up to her adoptive family something had shifted inside her.She hated to admit it, but Darren’s absence gnawed at her.Her phone buzzed on the bedside table, making her flinch. She leaned over and picked it up. The number was unfamiliar.She hesitated before answering. “Hello?”A low male voice spoke quickly, almost in a wh

The drive back to the house was quiet, but not the comfortable kind. It was the kind where unspoken questions pressed against the glass like cold breath, filling the air with a tension that neither of them seemed willing to address first.Mia sat with her bag pressed against her lap, the folder inside feeling heavier than any object had a right to be. She kept her gaze fixed on the passing streets, afraid that if she looked at Darren, he’d see too much written on her face hope, fear, and the restless ache that came with both.He drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting loosely against the gearshift, his profile calm and unreadable. Yet every so often, she caught the faint tightening of his jaw when they passed a car that lingered too long behind them, or a figure on the sidewalk who turned their head a moment too late.When they reached the house, Darren killed the engine but didn’t move to get out right away. “Before you open that folder,” he said, his voice even, “you sho

The apartment was quiet when they both got home.Mia dropped her bag on the couch with a soft sigh. Darren followed behind, loosening his tie, his expression calm but unreadable.They talked over dinner — nothing flirty, just simple conversation. Darren mentioned that the Edwards family had sent him to an event earlier that day.“It was… a gathering of business partners,” he explained casually. “You wouldn’t believe who I ran into there.”Mia tilted her head, curious. “Who?”“Your sister. Eva.”Mia’s hand paused halfway to her mouth. “Eva?”Darren gave a short nod. “Yes. She didn’t mention you….” He said it simply, without emotion, but Mia caught something in his tone she couldn’t quite place.They moved on to talk about other things, but the air between them felt heavier somehow, not awkward, not cold, just… charged.After a while, Mia stood from the couch, stretching her arms. “I think I’ll head to my room now—”She didn’t finish. Her foot caught on the corner of the coffee table, m

The hum of the office was soft that morning, the kind of quiet that followed a big project’s completion. Mia was going through her email when the small notification box slid onto the corner of her screen.“Brandon Preston: I reviewed your report from yesterday. Good work.”Her pulse jumped just a little. She typed back quickly, keeping her tone neutral.“Thank you, Mr. Preston. I’m just doing my part.”The reply came faster than she expected.“That’s what makes you stand out. Keep it up.”It was just a simple sentence, but something about it felt… warmer than usual. His messages were always short, direct, but today there was a softness beneath the professionalism.She hesitated, fingers hovering over the keyboard, before typing,“I will. Thank you for trusting me with these projects.”Brandon’s answer came seconds later.“I don’t give trust lightly, Mia.”She sat back in her chair, biting her lip. She couldn’t explain why her stomach felt strangely tight reading that, or why she kept

Eva’s fingers tightened slightly on the steering wheel as she pulled her car into the far corner of Preston Group’s underground parking. She wasn’t here for an official visit. She wasn’t here to apologize to her sister for what happened with that contract weeks ago, either the contract she had nearly destroyed out of petty spite. No. This visit had a different purpose.She slid out of her seat, smoothing her skirt, her heels tapping lightly on the concrete. She didn’t walk straight to the main lobby entrance. Instead, she took a quieter route through the service corridor that connected to the visitor elevators fewer eyes there.As the elevator ascended, she tapped her nails on her phone case, glancing at the mirrored walls. The image of Darren kept replaying in her mind the man Mia married under the pretense of him being some struggling nobody. Yet, she had caught glimpses of him here before… and those glimpses didn’t match the story Mia told.The elevator doors opened into the lobby.