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Home / Romance / MARRIED TO MY EX-FIANCE'S RUTHLESS UNCLE / Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

All Chapters of MARRIED TO MY EX-FIANCE'S RUTHLESS UNCLE: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

94 Chapters

Restraint

The penthouse was too quiet that evening.Kael remained in his office. He didn't come out for anything. Not for supper. Not for any reason.I ate by myself. Mrs. Chen left the food on the counter. I picked at it. didn't feel hungry.I heard his door open at nine.Footsteps echoed, followed by the sounds of the bar: glass clinking, liquid pouring.I stayed in my room, avoiding him. I dreaded facing him, unsure what emotion to show or what words to use.The next morning, I woke up early. Six AM. The penthouse was silent, unchanged from the night before.I got dressed, then went to the kitchen.Kael was already there. Coffee in hand. Staring out the window."Morning," I said quietly.He turned. Looked at me. Then looked away quickly."Morning."No other words. Just that.I poured coffee. Sat at the counter. We didn't speak.The silence felt heavy—tense with unspoken feelings. Both of us were anxious, waiting for a conversation neither wanted to start.Finally, he cleared his throat. "Th

Distance

I woke up to a note under my door.Breakfast at seven. Business casual. We're meeting my mother for lunch at noon. - KNo explanation about the text from last night. No mention of what he'd meant.Just instructions.I got dressed. Navy blue dress. Simple. Appropriate.When I walked into the kitchen, Kael was already there. Coffee. Laptop. The usual."Morning," I said."Morning." He didn't look up.I poured coffee. Sat down. Waited for him to say something about last night.He didn't."About your text," I started."Forget it. I was tired. It meant nothing." His voice was flat. Dismissive.It meant nothing.The words were painful. I had no idea why."All right," I muttered.We ate silently. He looked at his phone. I gazed at my dish.He hesitated as he got up to go. "I believe it would be preferable if we kept a suitable distance going forward.In private.""Appropriate distance?""Yes. We're not a real couple. We don't need to pretend when it's just us." He adjusted his watch. "Separate

Unravelling

The next morning, Kael had a meeting at the office. He wanted me there."Why?" I asked over breakfast."The senior partners want to meet you. Brief introduction. Ten minutes." He didn't look up from his laptop. "We leave in an hour."At ten AM, we walked into Blackwell Tower. The executive floor was all glass and steel. Expensive furniture. Views of the entire city.Marcus met us at the elevator. "They're waiting in the conference room."Inside, six men and two women stood around a table. All of them are older. Successful. Intimidating.Kael's hand found my back. "Everyone, this is my wife, Aria."They smiled. Shook my hand. Said polite things."Mrs. Blackwell, we've heard wonderful things," one man said. David. I remembered him from the profiles Marcus had shown me. "Kael speaks very highly of you."I glanced at Kael. He didn't react."Thank you," I said."How are you finding married life?" one of the women asked. Patricia. Chief financial officer."It's an adjustment. But good.""I'

Boundries

The next morning, I found a revised schedule under my door.Monday through Friday. Every hour accounted for. Meetings. Appointments. Events. All with notes: Driver assigned. Kael to attend. Security present.I stared at it. Tried to find a single hour where I was alone.There wasn't one.I walked to the kitchen. Kael was already there. Coffee. Laptop. The morning routine."We need to talk," I said.He looked up. "About?"I held up the schedule. "This.""That's your itinerary for the next two weeks. Mrs. Chen prepared it last night.""Every single event has you attached to it.""Yes.""That's not normal.""It's necessary." He went back to his laptop. "The press is still watching. My family is still asking questions. Presenting a united front is critical.""I understand that for public events. But this includes lunch with Sophie. A dress fitting. A doctor's appointment." I set the paper down. "Those don't require you.""They require supervision.""I'm not a child.""I didn't say you wer

Adaptation

The next morning, Kael had a meeting at the office. He wanted me there."Why?" I asked over breakfast."The senior partners want to meet you. Brief introduction. Ten minutes." He didn't look up from his laptop. "We leave in an hour."At ten AM, we walked into Blackwell Tower. The executive floor was all glass and steel. Expensive furniture. Views of the entire city.Marcus met us at the elevator. "They're waiting in the conference room."Inside, six men and two women stood around a table. All of them are older. Successful. Intimidating.Kael's hand found my back. "Everyone, this is my wife, Aria."They smiled. Shook my hand. Said polite things."Mrs. Blackwell, we've heard wonderful things," one man said. David. I remembered him from the profiles Marcus had shown me. "Kael speaks very highly of you."I glanced at Kael. He didn't react."Thank you," I said."How are you finding married life?" one of the women asked. Patricia. Chief financial officer."It's an adjustment. But good.""I'

Absence

Kael checked his watch. 7:15 AM.Aria was late for breakfast.She was never late. Not anymore. Not since she'd stopped arguing and started following the schedule with mechanical precision.He poured coffee. Checked his laptop. Waited.7:20 AM.He glanced toward the hallway. Her door was closed.Mrs. Chen appeared from the kitchen. "Is Mrs. Blackwell joining you this morning?""She should be." He kept his tone neutral. "Has she left already?""I haven't seen her yet."He nodded. Went back to his laptop.But he couldn't focus.Where was she?The schedule said breakfast at seven. She'd been following it perfectly for days. Why would today be different?He pulled out his phone. Almost texted her. Then stopped.That would be excessive. She was probably just tired. Sleeping in.Except she never slept in.He set down his phone. Drank his coffee.He made himself glance at the quarterly estimates on his screen.The numbers blended together.7:30 AM.He stood. Walked toward her room. Stopped ha

Escalation

The next morning, I woke to voices outside my door.Kael's voice. Low. Controlled.And someone else. A woman.My chest tightened as I got up and opened the door, uncertain.Kael stood with a woman in a dark suit. Professional. Severe."Good morning," the woman said. "I'm Agent Sarah Chen. Private security."I glanced at Kael, searching his face for answers.I looked at Kael. "What's going on?" I asked. Kael kept his tone casual. "There has been an issue. Agent Chen will conduct a security assessment. For the next hour, please remain in your room.""A situation?""I'll explain after." He gestured toward my room. "Please."I stepped back inside. The door closed.I heard them talking. Moving through the penthouse. Checking things.An hour later, Kael knocked."Come in."He entered. Alone now. He looked tired."What happened?" I asked.He pulled out his phone. Showed me a screenshot.It was a text message. From Damien.Tell Aria I need to speak with her. It's important. About her legal si

Systems

I woke to find my schedule had changed again.Not by a few hours. Completely rewritten.Every external appointment: canceled.Every outing: replaced with "in-house alternative."Every gap in supervision: filled.I walked to the kitchen. A man I didn't recognize stood by the elevator. Dark suit. Earpiece. Same uniform as James, but younger."Good morning, Mrs. Blackwell," he said. "I'm David. Part of your security detail.""I already have security.""James is handling external surveillance today. I'll be managing internal movement."Internal movement. Like I was cargo."Where's Kael?" I asked."Mr. Blackwell left for the office at six. He said you'd receive the updated schedule." David gestured toward the kitchen counter. "Mrs. Chen has breakfast ready."I walked to the counter. Found the new schedule. Read it twice.Breakfast at 7:00 AM8:00 AM: Personal time (only at home)10:00 AM: In-house stylist appointmentLunch at 12:00 PM2:00 PM: Virtual meeting with Kael's mother, Mrs. Black

Clarity

The next morning, I woke to the same routine. Breakfast at seven. Schedule delivered under my door. David was at his post by the elevator. I read the schedule. Memorized it and said nothing.At breakfast, Kael was already working on his laptop. I poured coffee. Sat down. "How did you sleep?" he asked without looking up. "Fine." "Good." He typed something. "The call with Sophie is at three.I'll be joining from my office. You'll use the laptop in the living room." "Okay." He glanced at me. Waited for more.I didn't give him anything. At four, Marcus will arrive to go over some paperwork.Nothing urgent. Just routine." He closed his laptop. "Any questions?" "No." He studied me for a moment.Then nodded. "Good." He left for work at six-thirty. I stayed in the kitchen. Finished my coffee. Looked around. David is by the elevator. Mrs. Chen is in the kitchen.The camera is in the corner of the living room. Everything visible. Everything monitored. I started noticing patterns. Mrs. Chen chec

Collateral

The message came through at nine AM.To Aria, we've made several attempts to reach you regarding the gallery position. We've moved on to another candidate since we haven't received a response. I wish you success in all of your future pursuits. Director Elena MartinezI gazed at the screen. Disbelief prickled; I read it three times, a chill settling in.Gallery position.I opened my email and scrolled back through the last two weeks, my heart beating faster.There they were—three emails from Martinez Gallery, all sent ten days ago.Subject lines: Interview Request. Follow-up. Final Opportunity.I'd never seen them.After checking my spam folder, I still found nothing.I looked in the deleted items as well, but no luck.They'd never reached me. I wondered what it meant for an opportunity to vanish in silence—how easy it was to lose something you wanted without ever realizing it was offered.I left my room and entered the living room. David was at his post."David, who manages my email?"

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