All Chapters of The CEO'S Unexpected Bride: Chapter 41 - Chapter 47

The stylist tugged gently at the edge of my sleeve.“Try not to wrinkle your arm,” she murmured, eyes narrowed in concentration. “This fabric creases like a jealous woman.”I didn’t respond. Not because I was being rude.. but because I wasn’t really here.Not fully.I was sitting in front of a mirror the size of a window, hair pinned in soft waves, lips painted a clean blush nude, and a custom emerald-green gown draped over me like I belonged in a museum. The stylist team worked around me like they were tuning an exhibit, not dressing a person. The stones on my ears sparkled faintly when I shifted.Still, my mind was somewhere else.“If you want to win this… read everything. And decide how far you’re willing to go.”Lily’s words from yesterday clawed their way back.I had read it. Late last night. Alone.Inside the envelope? A brief summary of an internal Graham Holdings meeting. The kind that didn’t get filed in public memos. A note from a board member expressing concern over “Luci

I still wasn’t used to the suits.Not the tailored navy one I was wearing, or the man sitting across from me in the back of the car in a gray Tom Ford jacket that probably cost more than my last apartment. My heels were pinching, my blouse was too crisp, and the quiet hum of the car felt louder than it should’ve.Ryan hadn’t said a word since we left the house. Typical.The driver took a smooth left turn, city buildings blurring past the tinted windows.I crossed one leg over the other, looked out the window, then back at him. His phone sat untouched beside him, and he was checking his watch. He looked calm. But I knew better.“You didn’t tell me.”He looked up. “Tell you what?”“That I’d be sitting in this car on a Monday morning headed to work… as an employee of Graham Corporation.”He let out a faint smirk, like he’d been waiting for me to say something.“That wasn’t in the contract, Ryan.”“I know.”I stared at him.He didn’t elaborate. Just leaned back in his seat.“That’s it?”

I didn’t knock.I didn’t pause or take a breath or think about how it would look barging into the sitting room like that, barefoot, tablet in hand, barely even dressed.Ryan was on a call, sleeves rolled up, a whisky glass untouched on the table beside him. He looked up when I came in, eyes scanning me fast.. confused first, then alert.“I’ll call you back,” he said into the phone, and ended the call.I tossed the tablet onto the table between us.“The fuck is this?”He blinked once. Looked down.The image was still open on the screen. Bright and sharp.Us, in the closet.Kissing.His jaw tightened. “Where did you get that?”“Don’t ask me like you don’t know,” I snapped. “It was emailed to me. No name, no subject. Just that.”He stood slowly. “When?”“Ten minutes ago.”His eyes stayed on the photo, like he was trying to memorize every detail.I crossed my arms. “You’re not even surprised.”“I’m furious,” he said calmly. “There’s a difference.”“You don’t look furious.”“I don’t perfo

"Are you serious right now?"Ryan’s voice cut through the garden like heat through glass.I turned before I could stop myself. He was already marching toward me, dress shirt wrinkled like he'd barely left his office before chasing after me. The sun was nearly gone, shadows stretching across the stone path behind him.He stopped two feet away, breath uneven. His eyes dropped to my face, like checking to see if I was okay. But that wasn’t what this was.“I saw you,” he said tightly. “With Carl.”I blinked. “So?”“So why the hell do you keep giving him audience? I’ve told you a hundred times.. he’s a snake, Lucia. He’s not someone you sit with in a garden like it’s casual. He gets in your head.”“He didn’t have to get in my head,” I snapped. “He just opened his mouth.”Ryan’s brow furrowed. “What does that mean?”“Oh, don’t worry,” I said, my voice going sharper than I meant. “I got the warning. Again. ‘Carl’s a snake.’ ‘Carl’s dangerous.’ But the thing is, Ryan... you didn’t say anyth