Lahat ng Kabanata ng DEAR STRANGER, MARRY ME AGAIN: Kabanata 51 - Kabanata 60

SLOANE “What do you mean if your father did what my father did? What did he do?” I ask. Technically, John is not my father in any sense. That man is dead to me. But Lian doesn't need to know that. I watch her laugh before clamping her Cece & co powder shut. “Just keep your fragile self away from Ian. You can't handle what chaos he brings. I can and you know it.”I'm about to give her a piece of my mind when the door shakes and Kade’s voice echoes on the other side,“Mrs Quinn, are you alright?” “Your babysitter is worried about you. Answer him and while you're at it. Tell him to take you back to your hotel.” Lian brushes past me. I take one last deep breath, straighten my shoulders, and open the door.Kade’s large frame stands on the other side, his jaw tight, eyes alert and scanning for any sign of danger. “I’m fine,” I say before he even gets the chance to ask again.He doesn’t look convinced, but he nods and places his hands at his front.“I'll wait out here then.” He doesn't

SLOANEThe man beside him leans in and whispers something in Mandarin.I watch my grandfather inlaw's eyes narrow as he looks back at me, then at Ian.I take a breath and smile, stepping forward a bit.“It’s a gift card,” I say, keeping my tone light. “To my interior design service. If you ever need anything done in this place or anywhere, you can call me.”The room grows quieter. A few guests glance at each other, seemingly surprised. Me included. I was told I was terrible at it but I'm at the end of a rope here. This is all I can think of hoping and praying he never truly asks that from me. Aunt Mei scoffs loudly, crossing her arms. “Father has the best people. Why would he call you?”I meet her glare evenly. “Because I’m a better choice.”Her sneer deepens, but before she can respond, he lets out a deep, hearty laugh.“She is definitely more Quinn than that boy Sam will ever be,” he says, his eyes twinkling with amusement.The room tenses, and all eyes flick to Aunt Mei, who look

SLOANE “Where are you taking me?” I ask as she speeds through the streets of Hong Kong.The night lights are beautiful, glowing like spilled neon across the wet streets, but I can't seem to appreciate the view. My palms are sweaty, my heels tight, and every bump in the road makes my heart jump.She doesn’t answer right away. Just keeps chewing her gum, with eyes on the road and one hand lazily draped over the steering wheel like she owns the entire city.I study her profile on sharp cheekbones, glossy lips and not a single wrinkle on her expressionless face. Which is too calm if you ask me. It's the kind of calm you only learn when you've been around real chaos.“Are you going to kill me?” I ask half-jokingly.She snorts. “If I was, you wouldn’t be in the back seat. You’d be in the trunk.”Great. That’s comforting.“Ian won’t like this,” I mutter.“Ian doesn’t like a lot of things,” she says coolly. “Also, he can't seem to make the hard decision, so I'll make it for him.”“What hard d

IANSomething is wrong. I can feel it in every ounce of my bone as I stand next to Grandpa. “You need to get your head right, boy. The family is talking, and everyone wants to replace you at the hospital. Frankly, I agree. You didn’t just marry a woman who knows nothing about our culture… You married the daughter of your mother’s killer.”My pulse spikes and my vision clouds.So this was why he wanted me here? To corner me into abandoning my wife or choosing the position? “I will not leave her, so save your breath.” I respond through gritted teeth.I can feel the anger starting to burn inside me, and I'm hanging by a thread before I lose my shit. “You will divorce her and marry Lian,” he continues like I didn’t just speak. “She is the perfect match for the Quinn family. You can keep the Sloane girl as your mistress if you wish.”I scoff, the rage cracking out of me like thunder. “You really think I’d reduce her to that?”“You think I care what you’d reduce her to?” he snaps back.I

SLOANEMy eyes flutter open as the light pours in through the curtains in soft and golden rays, brushing against my skin like a caress, and for a second, I forget where I am or what happened.I feel like I just woke from a deep sleep, and I can't help but stretch before it hits me. The tightness in my chest is so much that I can't help but wonder what happened.I sit up slowly, blinking against the brightness as my fingers clutch the blanket, grounding me.Noah! I suddenly remember what happened to my brother and sit up too fast but fall back as the room spins a little.I know I need to rush back down and check on my brother, but everything comes crashing into me, making a scream build in my throat, which comes out as a sob instead. Tears begin to fall one after the other until I’m gasping, shaking, and breaking all over again. The grief claws at me from the inside, and it's brutal and merciless. It’s not just guilt towards Ian that I feel. It’s shame, pain, loss of control, trust, a