Lahat ng Kabanata ng Arrange Marriage to a Heartless CEO: Kabanata 101 - Kabanata 110

CHARLOTTE’S POVMorning came quietly. All through the night, my thoughts were scattered all over my mind. Why did he show up now?Why did he choose now to text meThe air in the room was still cold from the night before. I hadn’t really slept. The last thing I saw before closing my eyes was Dylan’s text, glowing against the darkness like a ghost that refused to fade.“Hello, Charlotte.It's been a long time.Miss me?”From Dylan.That one line had undone me completely.It’d been months since the night everything changed, the fight between him and Dylan at the motel room, the night Dylan came to see me in the hospital, and after that, he vanished, after Dylan's head collided with my head and I blacked out. They told me it was an accident. That Dylan fled because Aiden swore to destroy him. That my memory loss was temporary.Temporary, that word had felt like mercy and punishment at once.I touched my forehead unconsciously, right where the scar hid beneath my hairline. Sometimes when

CHARLOTTE’S POVFour days.It’s been four endless days since Aiden left for Chicago, and 2 days since Dylan started planting doubts I can’t seem to dig out of my mind.Every time my phone buzzes now, I flinch. Not because I’m expecting Aiden to call, but because I’m scared it’ll be Dylan again.He’s already said enough to make me question everything I thought I knew.About Aiden.About his past.And then Alana.Even hearing her name out loud that night, when Dylan said it so casually, left something cold behind in me.“Aiden’s ex-wife is alive. And if he’s in Chicago, something fishy is going on.”He had said. I’d told him he was insane.But now, in the quiet of our room, I don't know what to think anymore. Because if Dylan was lying, why does Aiden’s silence feel so heavy?Why hasn't he been taking my calls or returning them? And my text messages too.Why does my gut twist every time I see his name and no new message under it?The clock on my nightstand blinked at 7:13 a.m. I was sitt

CHARLOTTE’S POV“Elsie, did you remember to tell Lila to go to the supermarket today?” I asked, my voice sharp but calm, hiding the storm inside.“No, Miss Charlotte, I will do that now,” Elsie replied softly, careful, knowing my tension had a new edge ever since the pictures Dylan had sent.I stood in the sitting room, black leggings hugging my legs, a brown fitted tee, and hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. I looked like I was ready for a mission, and truth be told… I felt like I was. My ponytail swung as I moved, a simple statement: I’m alert and readyElsie called out to Lila softly. “Go ahead, and get ready,” Lila appeared almost immediately, her expression unreadable, smooth, practiced. “Miss Charlotte said you should go to the supermarket.” Elsie handed her the list. “Get everything on that list.”“Yes, Elsie,” she said lightly, but the slight twitch in her jaw betrayed her. She tucked the list into her apron pocket.She disappeared into the maids’ quarters to get dressed. I

CHARLOTTE’S POVCold.That was the first thing I felt. A deep, crawling cold that slipped under my skin, crept into my bones, and dragged me back to my environment.“... no… no, please…”My eyes fluttered open, and the first thing I saw was the dark ceiling built with hard metal. A dull, flickering light somewhere to my right. It was barely illuminating the entire room. It was still dark everywhere.I blinked again.“Where… where am I…?”My throat felt dry like sandpaper. My head throbbed heavily and pounded like something had slammed into it. No, not like. Something did hit me. I remembered walking out of the supermarket tracing Lila, the footsteps behind me that distracted me before darkness came upon me.I pushed myself up, slowly, carefully from the floor. I used my palms to support myself from the ground.There was rough metal on the floor. It was not smooth like a factory, but more like the warehouse's storage room. I lifted my eyes and forced them to adjust.The room was squar

CHARLOTTE’S POVDarkness swallowed me again.Not the soft kind that comes with sleep. This one felt thick… heavy… like sinking through tar.I heard voices. They sounded distant and spoke in hushed tones, as if they didn't want anyone to hear what they were saying.“…she moved…”“…not supposed to wake yet…”“…Alana won’t like…”I tried to lift my eyelids. They felt glued shut.“Aiden…” I whispered, or maybe I imagined it. My lips barely parted. “Aiden… please…”A cold floor pressed against my cheek. It was concrete, not metal this time.The air smelled different, dusty, old, and damp.They moved me. That realization hit harder than any blow.Where was I now? Why did they move me? What did they want?I forced my eyes open again. I saw blurry shapes, shadows, and a faint light bulb swinging slowly somewhere above me.My head felt thick and heavy, like I was drugged. I tried lifting my hand. It trembled violently.I heard the door open and close, as if someone had just walked out of the r