All Chapters of My stunning bride: Chapter 171 - Chapter 180

Aiden Days later, in the city. The past few days had been silent. No word from outside. I didn’t trust silence anymore. Not the kind that came after victory. Not the kind that came after loss. This silence felt different. Measured. Intentional. Like something was sitting behind it, waiting to be spoken first. I stood by the glass wall of the temporary city penthouse, watching the city stretch beneath me in restless motion. Lights moved like they were alive. Cars stitched lines through the dark. People below lived inside noise they never questioned. Up here, everything sounded distant. Controlled. My phone rested in my hand, already unlocked. Waiting for confirmation I hadn’t decided to give yet. Martin’s call had ended minutes ago. Q’s message still sat open. I read it again. Then again. Not because I missed anything. But because I didn’t like the shape of what it meant. “They’re ready to negotiate.” Simple sentence. Heavy consequences. I exhaled slowly, set

Liam stood in a dimly lit room far from the noise of the city, the glow of multiple screens reflecting faintly across his face. The space around him was controlled chaos—folders open, encrypted files stacked in layers, digital traces branching like veins across a map only he could fully interpret. He had not slept properly in days. It did not matter. This concerned his sister's safety and his. The threats to his life had become more frequent. Sleep was not a priority when answers were finally beginning to surface. On the main screen, a partially reconstructed identity file remained open. Most of it was still redacted, lines of information erased or replaced with meaningless codes meant to discourage pursuit. But Liam had never been easily discouraged. His eyes scanned the same fragment again, slower this time. Sibling designation: Twin A — Status unconfirmed. He leaned back slightly in his chair, letting the weight of the words settle.His mother had a twin, a desperate one.

The letter arrived in a plain envelope.No fancy markings. No dramatic seal. Just my name printed neatly at the front, like it had no idea how much weight it carried.Arianna Young.I stood in the middle of the room for a few seconds without opening it.Just staring.Like if I delayed long enough, it would turn into something less important.It didn’t.Aiden was by the window, phone in hand, speaking lowly to someone I couldn’t hear. His voice had that controlled edge again—business tone, not personal.He noticed me without turning fully.“You got in?” he asked.I lifted the envelope slightly.“Yeah.”That was all I could manage.He ended the call immediately and turned toward me.Not rushed.Just attentive.Like he already knew what this moment meant without needing it explained.“You’re not opening it,” he said.“I am.”But I still didn’t move.Because something about it felt final.Not just an answer.A direction.A shift.Aiden walked closer, stopping a few steps away like he alwa

Arianna’s POVThe moment she turned away, something inside me refused to move.My body stayed rooted where I stood, even as the crowd around us kept flowing like nothing unusual had happened. People passed between us, laughing, talking, carrying shopping bags, living their normal lives.But mine had stopped.Completely.I tightened my grip on the envelope in my hand without realizing it.It felt too light for something that heavy.Aiden stepped closer beside me, but I still didn’t look at him.Not yet.Because if I did, I knew I would break out of whatever fragile control I was holding onto.“She’s gone,” he said quietly.I swallowed.“I saw that.”His eyes stayed on me for a moment longer than necessary.“You’re shaking.”“I’m not.”I was lying.He didn’t argue.He never did when he could already see the truth.Instead, he shifted slightly, scanning the direction she had walked off in.“Do you know her?” he asked.My throat tightened.“No.”But even as I said it, the word felt wrong.

Liam I was late.Not by choice.By design.The kind of delay that doesn’t feel accidental when you’ve spent your entire life learning patterns of danger.The restaurant came into view as I stepped out of the car, its glass front reflecting too much light, too many movements inside. I had chosen it for one reason only—neutral ground. Public enough to discourage stupidity. Quiet enough to talk without interruption.Arianna was already inside.That was the plan.She was supposed to meet me first.Then leave.Then Aiden would take over the rest of her movement schedule like he always did now—tight, controlled, calculated. I didn’t like it, but I understood why it was necessary.What I didn’t expect was the call I received twenty minutes ago.Aiden’s voice had been sharp.Not panicked.Never panicked.Aiden didn’t do panic.“Something is off, why did she show up?” he said.That was all.No explanation at first.Just that.Then he added, “Stay alert around her today.”I had frowned.“Why?”