บททั้งหมดของ BRIDE FOR RENT IS MY FATED MATE.: บทที่ 41 - บทที่ 50

Rebecca’s POVThe thoughts wouldn't leave me. So I stood up from my bed and walked over to the vanity to keep myself busy. I took a hair brush and started brushing my hair. Suddenly, I heard a soft knock on my door. It came like the person on the other side was unsure whether I was inside and debating whether to turn back.I paused, staring at my reflection. For a moment, I did not recognize the woman looking back at me. She looked… calmer, quieter, and somewhat at peace. Still yet, something restless lived behind her eyes.“Yes?” I called.“Ma’am,” a soft voice answered, “someone wishes to see you downstairs.”I frowned. “Who is it?”“She did not give her name,” the maid said. “But she said she saw you earlier today and believes you might remember her.”"Remember her?" I whispered to myself. I hadn't seen any woman today. I had only seen children and young ladies my age. Except she had seen me from a distance, and I was distracted by something else.“I will come,” I said.The walk d

Donald’s POV“That was such a rejection,” I muttered under my breath as I pushed the door shut behind me and leaned against it for a moment longer than necessary.The room was quiet, it made my thoughts louder than they deserved to be. I exhaled slowly, letting my head fall back against the wood. Rebecca’s face replayed in my mind, the way she had looked torn between curiosity and restraint, between wanting and fear. I had asked her gently, even playfully, and still she had said no. I respected that. I truly did. But that did not stop the sting from settling somewhere in my chest.I pushed myself away from the door and loosened my shoulders. I needed the shower. I needed the heat and the steam to wash away more than just sweat.I had just returned from handling business. The kind of business that reminded people not to mistake my silence for weakness. Someone had tried to double-cross me, thinking I would not notice the shift in loyalty, the small but telling signs of betrayal. He had

Seraphina’s POVI lifted my hand, ready to knock on Donald’s door, but I didn’t Because before my knuckles could touch the wood, I heard laughter. It was soft at first, then clearer. That sounded like the laughter of a happy woman. Soon after, Donald’s voice followed. It was low, warm, and teasing.My heart did not crack. It shattered.I couldn't remember the last time Donald laughed with me like that. I froze there, my hand suspended in the air, my breath caught painfully in my throat. The door felt hotter than it should have, as if it knew I did not belong on this side of it anymore.He was inside. With her, I knew.I pressed my palm flat against my chest, as though I could physically hold my heart together. I swallowed hard.I know he is angry with me. He has every right to be.We used to be close, close enough for people not to talk and make speculations. Everyone said we looked good together. They said it so often that it began to feel like truth, even when it was never spok

Rebecca’s POVThe first laugh did not hurt.But the second one stung hard.“Wait,” a woman said loudly, tilting her glass and squinting at me like she was trying to place a familiar stain on a white dress. “Are you saying Mr Donald Smith married a broke woman?”Silence followed for half a second.Then murmurs.Another woman stepped closer, her heels clicking confidently on the polished floor. She smelled expensive and looked expensive. Her eyes dragged slowly over my dress, my shoes, and my hair.“Oh come on,” she scoffed. “It has been so many years. She probably finally found a way to make money. Rebecca always knew how to survive.”I couldn't recognize this second person but the word survive landed heavier than she probably intended. Because that's what I had been doing my whole life until I met Mr Smith.“She used to eat leftovers at the dining hall,” another voice chimed in. “I remember. She would wait until everyone was done before she showed up.”A man laughed awkwardly. “That b

Donald's POVThe taxi pulled up to the sleek glass facade of Smith’s Corporation. The driver glanced at the meter, then at me.“That’ll be two hundred dollars, sir.”I handed him a crisp note and stepped out of the car. The taxi pulled away smoothly, leaving me standing alone on the wide pavement. I straightened my jacket, took a steadying breath, and walked toward the revolving doors.The lobby was bathed in soft blue lighting, the marble floor reflecting the glow from the reception area. Albert stood behind the curved security desk, scrolling through his phone, with an earpiece in one ear. He looked too relaxed for a man who had just stolen millions from the company he was paid to protect. When the automatic doors slid open and I stepped inside, his head snapped up.His eyes widened and his phone nearly slipped from his hand before he caught it.“Boss? You’re here?” His voice cracked slightly on the last word, shock appearing on his face.I kept my pace even, hands in my pockets, an