THE ARRANGED BRIDE のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 41 - チャプター 50

KELLAN'S POV“You killed that deal, Kellan," Brian said, still smiling as he clicked his glass to mine across the corner booth at our regular lunch place. "I swear, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were born to close deals like this."I laughed, shaking my head. "It's all in the presentation. If you act confident enough, they will believe anything you are selling."Brian threw himself backward in his chair, laughing. "Well, whatever it is, it's working. Speaking of which… how's it at home? You and Olivia seem to be getting on all right these days."The thought alone brought a smile to my face. "Yeah, actually. Things have been… surprisingly good. We have been spending more time together, talking-actually getting along. I think she's starting to thaw up to the fact that maybe we can make this work.""That's great to hear," he said. "I knew it was only a matter of time. You two just needed some space to figure things out.”I didn't even have time to say anything before I found Brian

KELLAN'S POVThe morning started off normal with a drive to Mom and Dad's with Olivia in tow on a call with Brian. He had called an hour before Mom did; he was there, way ahead of us, doing what he does best, trying to get everything fixed. I simply couldn't wrap my head around it, how could things have spiraled this out of control this fast?Olivia sat beside me, never a twitch, her hands in her lap looking out the window. I knew she wasn’t okay. She hadn’t been okay since yesterday after those horrid postings, but she just got up quietly this morning and followed me out the door. By this time, my conscience really began to gnaw on me.I leaned over, taking her hand in mine, giving it a soft squeeze-my other still on the wheel. "We're going to sort this out," I said, and my voice was low, even firm. "I'm going to fix it."She didn't turn to me, but her hand squeezed mine. That much was a lifeline. We were just going to have to get through it because we didn't have a choice.The two f

OLIVIA'S POV“Kellan, do you really think this is such a good idea?" I asked low as we walked to the hotel. My heart was racing, my stomach twisting with a bad feeling. Coming here to meet Sharon in a hotel room just felt off. But she had insisted on the location. Then his features set, he turned to me: "I have to see this through to the end Olivia. And you wanted to come. We'll go through it together."I nodded, my hands clasped tightly in my lap, as the car pulled to a stop. But this was no longer just about Sharon anymore; this was about everything: our reputations, our families, our lives. Yet there was something in the insistence of Sharon to meet in private that sent a quiver down my spine.We went to the lobby, and he had only to ask for the room number. His voice didn't shake, but I could trace the tension across his jaw. The hum of the elevator was silent between us as we went higher. I reached out for his hand, squeezed as we approached the room."I'm with you," I whispere

BRIAN'S POVI gripped the steering wheel, parking in front of Sharon's house. My knuckles whitened on my clutched rage with my jaw clenched as my inside burned with fury. Outside, the quiet of the neighborhood was deep, parents and children probably all tucked away in their beds-but a storm raged in the pit of my stomach. Kellan was lying in a hospital bed because of her. This time, she had crossed the line, and I wasn't about to let her get away with it.I got out of the car, shut the door behind me. Crystal clear with every step that I took from the car to her front door was what needed saying: she really needed to understand that at this point, this was no more a game; people were getting hurt and unless she backed off, serious consequences were in the offing.I rang the doorbell-my finger jabbing the button a great deal harder than it needed to. In a little while, I heard movement inside and the door swung open. Sharon was standing there, her face going from mild surprise directly

OLIVIA'S POVIt had almost been my second home, and with every conscious minute of the day, I knew a duty called to sit beside Kellan's bed and make sure he was fine. Days had run their course since the accident, and once the doctors reassured me that everything was all right, nothing else mattered but hovering over his bed like a mother hen. It was no longer something that I felt I needed to do, but my reason to want to go. Somewhere in a big way, I became attached to him much more than I ever expected.Minor things, really. The way in which he would glance at me, teasing and bright-eyed glinting, the softening of his voice when my name was spoken by his mouth. When his eyes crinkled up with laughter over my serious nature-in that infuriating and yet-at-once curiously disarming.Today was like all the days before it: Kellan was his usual impossible self.Olivia," he groaned, puffing out an exaggerated show of agony with his hand pressed against his forehead. "I think… I think I might