Arrange Marriage to a Heartless CEO のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 10

CHARLOTTE’S POVYou know those stories where the girl gets whisked off into a surprise marriage and ends up living happily ever after?Yeah, this might not be one of them.I was halfway through a cup of coffee and a chapter deadline when the world decided to flip itself upside down.“Charlotte, your mother and I need to talk to you”. That was Barry, my charming, overly groomed stepfather, whose love for tailored suits almost equals his obsession with control.He never “needed to talk”. He ordered meetings like a CEO who forgot he was also part of a family. I thought it would be about my writing again. Something about it wasn’t “career-worthy” or “profitable” enough for someone with a legacy like mine. Whatever that meant. They seize every opportunity to make fun of me and my career path.I dragged myself into the dining room and immediately regretted it.Barry sat at the head of the table, arms crossed, a folder in front of him like he was about to present or pitch a business deal to

CHARLOTTE’S POVI wasn’t sure what I expected when I walked into that room.Maybe someone arrogant and cold. The type who saw women as part of a checklist. A name, a ring, and a legacy.But Aiden Kingston wasn’t what I imagined, he was worse.He was calm.And not the “let’s talk this out” kind of calm. The dangerous kind. The kind that said I’ve seen things you wouldn’t survive.He didn’t argue or smile. He didn’t try to charm me like most men would when told they’d be marrying a stranger.Instead, he just looked at me like I was another detail in a long, exhausting list of duties.Which pissed me off even more.I wasn’t a detail.And I wasn’t his.Back home, I slammed the door to my room and stared at the ceiling, unsure whether I wanted to scream or cry.I chose bothA few angry tears slipped down my cheeks, but I wiped them away before they could fully fall. Weakness wasn’t allowed here. Not in Barry’s house. Not under Dianne’s shadow.And for what?A dying company?A reputation s

AIDEN’S POVI messed up.Not because I said too much, but because I allowed her to see something I buried a long time ago. That moment on the stairs, the book in her hands, the softness in her eyes, it cracked something inside me.And cracks? They are dangerous.Because when people find the cracks, they start digging.I have lived most of my life behind stone walls. And I built them for a reason.The next morning, I didn’t wait for breakfast.I left early.Charlotte had this look on her face last night like she thought something had changed between us that we were finally becoming something.We weren’t.We couldn’t.By the third day of me successfully avoiding Charlotte, she finally confronted me.I was in the study, hunched over reports I brought home from the office. I was deep inside my work when she walked in.“Aiden.” Her voice was gentle. “Can we talk?”I didn’t even look up. “I’m busy.”“You have been busy for days.”I sighed. “It’s called work, Charlotte. You should try it som

CHARLOTTE’S POVThe garden was quiet, birds chirping softly in the distance. I sat with Elsie on a bamboo chair under the oak tree, sipping a cup of cold lemonade.“You have been quiet these past few days,” she said.“I have had a lot on my mind.”“Still thinking about what Cheryl said?” Elsie pushed again, trying to make me talk.“It’s not just that; the house, the silence, Him, everything.”Elsie glanced toward the mansion. “He doesn’t talk to you much anymore?”I looked at her and scoffed, “He barely looks at me. I deserve more than cold glances.”“You deserve more ma’am.”“I don’t know what I deserve anymore.”We fell silent.Footsteps crunched on the path that led to the oak tree.“Charlotte.”I turned and saw Aiden. He stood a few feet from us in his suit, distant as always.“Yes?”“There’s going to be a dinner tomorrow.”“A dinner?”“Yes, to celebrate our companies coming together and our marriage.”“And you are telling me this now?”“You have enough time to prepare.”“Why didn’

AIDEN’S POVFour days since we last spoke, four days since I last saw her.I sat behind my desk, staring at the untouched stack of reports. My thoughts were a mess of everything, but work. I learned back in my office chair, eyes fixed on the ceiling as if it held answers.The silence between Charlotte and me was deafening. I tried to lose myself in spreadsheets and contracts.Why did she have to die? If she hadn’t died or our baby.. I would not have gotten married to Charlotte. I miss her laugh, her scent lingering in the sheets, the softness in her eyes. I really miss you, Ariana.“Sir?” Sheila’s voice snapped me out of my imaginary world. Sheila is my personal assistant.I looked up. “Yes?”“These are the contracts you asked for,” she said, placing them on my desk. “I have rescheduled all your meetings for today, should I move tomorrow’s too?”I ran my hand through my hair. “No, leave tomorrow. Actually… move the first half, I need to get home early.”Her brows lifted. “Going home