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Home / MM Romance / Rival's Marriage Agreement / Kabanata 121 - Kabanata 130

Lahat ng Kabanata ng Rival's Marriage Agreement : Kabanata 121 - Kabanata 130

134 Kabanata

120

Cameron’s POVMy hand tightened around Brandon’s before I even realized I was doing it.“I know that voice,” I said again, more clearly this time, even though my chest felt tight like something was closing in.Brandon turned to me immediately. “Who is it?”I didn’t answer right away, because my mind was already racing, trying to connect everything, every conversation, every moment that had felt slightly off but not enough to question at the time.The screen flickered again, and the masked figure stepped closer to the camera.“Come on, Cameron,” the voice said, calm and almost amused. “You’re usually faster than this.”Wilson let out a quiet, panicked laugh. “I do not like this. I really, really do not like this.”“Be quiet,” Irene said, but even she sounded tense now.Brandon squeezed my hand slightly. “Cameron, talk to me.”I exhaled slowly. “Take off the mask,” I said, my voice steady even though everything inside me was not.The figure tilted their head.“Straight to the point,” th

121

Brandon’s POVFor a second, I thought I was seeing things.Like my brain had just decided to glitch after everything we had already been through, because there was no way—absolutely no way—that the person standing in the doorway was real.But they were.And the worst part?Cameron looked like he recognized them immediately.“You…” I said slowly, my voice coming out more uncertain than I wanted. “Who is that?”Cameron did not answer me right away.His entire body had gone still, the kind of still that meant something serious was happening in his head. His grip on my hand tightened just slightly, like he was grounding himself.“That’s not possible,” Irene said again, her voice sharper this time. “You were gone.”The person in the doorway smiled, like she had been waiting for that reaction.“Gone?” she repeated. “That’s a strong word.”Wilson took a step back so fast he nearly hit the wall.“Oh, I do not like this,” he said. “I do not like surprise returns, especially not the creepy kind

122

Cameron’s POVThe room felt smaller the moment my fingers touched the file.Not physically.But mentally.Like everything had narrowed down to this one moment, this one decision, and there was no version of it where things stayed the same after.“Cameron,” Brandon said quietly beside me, his voice careful, like he was trying not to push too hard. “You don’t have to open it right now.”I looked at him.For a second, everything else faded again, just like it had the night before, just like it always did when it came down to something real.But this—This was different.“Yes,” I said. “I do.”Wilson made a distressed noise behind us.“I feel like we should vote on this,” he said. “And I vote no. Strong no. Extremely strong no.”“No one is voting,” Irene replied.Liana crossed her arms, watching me closely.“You can take your time,” she said. “But it won’t change what’s inside.”I did not respond to her.Instead, I opened the file.Slowly.Deliberately.The first page was clean.Too clean

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

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

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

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

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

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

129

Brandon’s POVFor a moment, nobody moved.Not me.Not Cameron.Not even the wind felt real anymore.Everything was just… suspended.“You saw that, right?” Wilson whispered from behind me. “Please tell me I did not imagine that because I am emotionally invested now.”“I saw it,” Irene said quietly. “He’s breaking through.”I did not respond.Because I was too focused on Cameron.On his hand.On the way it had moved toward me and then stopped, like something inside him was fighting itself.“Don’t pull away,” I said softly.“I am not pulling away,” Cameron replied, but his voice still had that controlled edge, like he was trying to hold onto something slipping.“You almost did,” I said.“That was conflict,” he said.“Good,” I replied. “Then keep fighting it.”Kade’s voice came again, calm but different now.“Emotional override is increasing,” he said. “This is not supposed to happen at this rate.”I turned my head slightly.“Then maybe your system isn’t as perfect as you think,” I said.

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