Lahat ng Kabanata ng THE GUARDIAN'S BRIDE: Kabanata 101 - Kabanata 109

CHAPTER 101: AlliancesThe morning light was sharp through the blinds, falling in broken stripes across my desk as I reviewed the reports stacked in front of me. I dropped the pen and leaned back in the chair, rubbing my temples to reduce the building pressure.I had not gone home last night. There had been no time for it. After I left the house to meet up with my secret ally in this war against Vance and Patricia, it was already too late. I spent the night at the penthouse and headed into the office early this morning. My alliance with this person was not something new. I was yet to tell Madelyn about it as well. It was not the right time. Knowing her as well as I did, I knew that she was already suspicious with the way I acted last night.The door opened quietly. Julia walked in with a folded garment bag draped carefully over her arm. “Good morning, Zach,” she said, her voice smoother than it needed to be. She set the bag on the side table. “I thought you might need a change of c

CHAPTER 103: Tread gently among your rosesThe late morning sun rested gently on the lawn, though the brightness felt a little too sharp against my eyes. I leaned on the stone balcony rail for a moment, inhaling the quiet hum of the estate, before walking down the stone steps into the garden where I knew I’d find her. Ever since she started her new job, Lenny and I do not spend as much time as we used to. I was happy for her because she finally got what she wanted, but I was sad too. I hardly got to see my friend as much as I liked. Thankfully, it was a weekend and she was home. I needed someone to share the crippling weight of the thoughts I had been struggling with since that talk with Zachary. I stepped into the garden, and there she was, on her knees beside a bed of roses, trimming the excess leaves with the carefulness of a woman who loved life’s details. It was surprising because she usually wasn't into gardening. The gentle snip of the shears punctuated the air. “I was quite

CHAPTER 105: Are you in love with your husband?“Zachary said he was going to handle it.”There was a ray of hope in her eyes. “He did? What does he plan to do? Get whatever evidence they have?”I shook my head slowly. “I don't know, Lenny. He just told me not to do anything and stay away from Vance.”Her face crumpled and she raised a brow. “Huh? Just that?”“Yes.”She thought over it for a while, then replied. “He must have a plan, then. Just trust him. That husband of yours is infuriating, but I believe he can get those two.”Her words were meant to reassure me, but I felt anything but reassured. She noticed my dour expression.“What is it? Is there something else? Please don't tell me there's more?”I exhaled shakily, my hands gripping the fabric of my dress. “No. It's not that.”She sighed in relief. Then, her brows furrowed. “What else, Mads?”My lips trembled around the words. “Zachary… he… he is hiding things from me. Still. I can feel it. That night, like I told you, he left

CHAPTER 107: A vulture in the greenhouseThe late afternoon sun filtered through the glass panes of the greenhouse, streaking the rows of orchids and delicate vines in hues of gold, while supplying the much needed nutrients for the precious plants. I preferred this place over any office or boardroom. Plants had a way of telling you the truth without ever speaking. It was no wonder that i valued plant life over some human life. They had more worth if you asked me. They thrived when nurtured and withered when ignored. People, on the other hand, masked themselves behind lies, greed, and ambition. It's always rotten business if you asked me. Since returning from the hospital amid all the chaos and drama, I had not had the opportunity to tend to the greenhouse. I never allowed anyone tend to them but me. However today, after a bit of relief, I was down here to tend to them.I was adjusting the support frame of a fragile vine when I heard soft footsteps approaching. My housekeeper’s voice

CHAPTER 109: The smell of fearThe rage was still a roaring fire in my chest as I slammed the door of my car and slid behind the wheels. I took a second to breathe it all in, then I growled into the confines of the car. The old man had pulled one on us. On me.It wasn’t only the humiliation. It was the certainty in his voice. The audacity to speak to me as though I were some naive boy meddling in men’s affairs. He didn’t even tremble when I raised my voice. He wasn’t afraid of me. Isaac Blackwood was cut from the same cloth as his son. Both were insufferable and arrogant. They acted like they were above everybody else. I went there today, thinking that mother was exaggerating, and that the old man was easier to deal with. But I was proven bitterly wrong.That fact alone made my hands shake with fury.I needed someone to release it on, someone who would remind me that I was still feared. Someone who rightly deserved to be on the other end of my ire.Which is why, less than an hour late