Paid To Pretend, Destined To Love のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 31 - チャプター 40

Immediately after Isabel returned to her seat, the room seemed to recalibrate itself at once. Conversations lowered into restrained murmurs, chairs shifted in slow coordination, and attention naturally gathered toward the cleared centre of the hall where the open space now carried a sense of preparation rather than emptiness. Diego, seated at a distance, exhaled subtly with relief, not because anything had been resolved, but because Isabel was no longer positioned directly beside Joseph and Rachel, softening the pressure that had been building around them since dinner began. A man in his mid-forties rose with unhurried authority from a seat near the front, his presence immediately organising the room’s attention without effort. He adjusted his stance, then spoke in a clear, controlled voice that carried across the hall, formally marking the transition into the next part of the evening. The live music adjusted almost instinctively to his timing, rising in gentle alignment as he announc

The car was occupied with silence. Joseph kept his gaze on the outside view. Rachel on the other hand was lost in touch with what was going on around her. Her mind was elsewhere. She thought about what happened a few minutes ago. She had left unsaid at the Delgado estate and allowed her body to carry the residue of the evening like a weight she could not set down. Joseph loved the absence of Isabel and every other member of the family. He was finally free from the fading echo of voices and the unending fake laughter. “I’m sorry,” Joseph broke the silence which settled between them. Rachel turned to look at him. For a moment, she did not know what to say. The apology felt different from what she expected. It was not simply about what Isabel had said. It was not even about the uncomfortable dinner. It was obvious that Joseph was apologising because he believed she should never have been put in that position in the first place. Rachel held his gaze for a moment before looking away agai

The next morning, Rachel arrived at the office earlier than most of her colleagues. She had not slept well. Her sleep had been broken, and she woke up several times during the night. By the time she got to work, she felt tired, but she was used to working like this. The office was still quiet when she arrived. A few people were already at their desks, and others were just coming in. The usual sounds of typing, phones ringing, and soft conversations slowly filled the space. Rachel went straight to her desk. Everything was where she had left it the day the last time she was in office..She sat down, placed her bag beside her chair, and turned on her computer. Before she could properly start her work, her work phone rang. She picked it up.“Good morning, Sterling Tech support, Rachel Martinez speaking,” she said.A man’s voice came through immediately. He sounded annoyed. He complained about a problem that was not fixed the previous day. He spoke fast and did not give her a chance to inte

Rachel woke up early, before her alarm went off. For a few seconds, she stayed still in bed, staring at the ceiling while her mind adjusted to the new day. Then reality came back to her slowly. Benjamín was home now. He needed rest, medication, and constant care. And she still had to go to work. Nothing in her life could pause. She got up quietly and walked into the living room first. Benjamín was already awake. He was sitting up slowly on the couch, adjusting his position with care. He still looked weak, but there was a small improvement compared to the days before.“Morning,” he said.“Morning,” Rachel replied. She looked at him closely, checking his face, his breathing, the way he held himself. It had become a habit now, something she did without thinking. “How are you feeling?”“Tired,” he answered. “But okay.”“You look better,” she said.He gave a small nod and leaned back slightly into the couch. Rachel did not sit for long. She already knew how the morning routine went now, an

Rachel saw Joseph’s message later that evening. He had sent the message before she left work but she was too busy to notice it. She had been dealing with customer complaints when her phone vibrated. She looked at the screen and saw his name. For a moment, she just paused, then she opened the message.> “I will be out of the country for a week. Italy. Business and personal matters. I won’t be at the office. Take care of yourself.”She read it twice. There was nothing complicated in it. It was just a piece of unnecessary explanation and no extra explanation. She knew she had no right to ask further questions. The man was the CEO whom she had private deal with. She was surprised that that was what he said he had to tell her. After a short pause, she typed a reply.> “Okay. Safe trip.”She sent it and placed her phone back on the side of the bed.The next morning, Rachel arrived at Sterling Tech like usual. She greeted the few people she met on their seats and went straight to her desk i