All Chapters of THE BRIDE HE NEVER WANTED: Chapter 191 - Chapter 200

I reached for my phone and answered. “Aisha?” “Serena.” Her voice was serious enough to concentrate on the call. “What happened?” “Nothing is wrong,” she said quickly. I frowned. “Then why are you calling me like this?” “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you, I—” “You did. I told you and Priya to call only if there was trouble.” “I know, and there isn’t any trouble at Lumina.” I let out a breath. “Then tell me, why did you call?” Aisha hesitated for a second before she spoke. “There’s an important client coming tomorrow.” I looked toward the others. “Tomorrow?” “Yes. They contacted the office earlier today, I tried to handle it myself but they specifically asked to meet with you.” “About what?” “A very big deal.” I stood from my seat and walked a few steps away from everyone. “What kind of deal?” “They want to sign a major contract with Lumina.” I stopped walking. “How major?” “We don’t have the final amount yet because there are still a few th

I stared at the phone for a few seconds after Aisha ended the call. There was barely enough time to sleep. We would have to leave before dawn if I wanted to reach Lumina by six-thirty. Instead of going straight to bed, I opened the contract. If this deal was really worth almost forty billion dollars, I wasn’t going to walk into that meeting knowing only the number. I began reading. Then I reached the section about me. I stopped. The client didn’t just want Lumina. They wanted me personally involved. For five years. Major decisions would require my participation. Certain parts of the partnership would remain under my direct supervision. They wanted me available for important meetings, strategy discussions, and long-term planning. This wasn’t just another contract for Lumina. It would tie me personally to the client. “Still reading?” I looked up. Clara stood near the doorway. “What did you find?” I turned the laptop slightly so she could see. “The five-year condition.” Clara re

The room went quiet. Nobody moved. I kept my eyes on the representative, waiting for him to answer the question I had just asked. “So where exactly does my authority end?” He slowly leaned back in his chair. “That is a fair question.” “I didn’t ask whether it was fair. I asked for an answer.” Aisha looked at me, but I didn’t look away from him. The representative finally opened the folder in front of him. “The reason we chose you is because we have tried this before.” I frowned. “Built an international division?” “Yes. Twice.” “And both failed?” “They did.” “Why?” “The companies we partnered with kept changing leadership.” I listened carefully. “Every time a new CEO came in, priorities changed. Strategies changed. People were replaced. Agreements were questioned. What was supposed to become a long-term operation became a series of new negotiations.” He paused. “We lost years because of that.” “So you don’t want another CEO.” “No.” “You want me.” “Yes.” I looked at

The security officers reached the reception desk within seconds. The young woman standing there did not move. One of the officers stopped a few feet from her and looked at the receptionist. “What happened?” The receptionist lowered her voice. “She has been here for several minutes. She keeps asking for Serena. I already told her there is nobody here by that name. She might have the wrong company.” “I don’t have the wrong company,” the woman said quietly. The receptionist frowned. “Ma’am, I work here. If you were looking for someone called Serena, I would know.” The woman lowered her eyes. She looked exhausted. Her clothes were plain and slightly wrinkled. Her hair was messy, and there were dark circles beneath her eyes. She looked like someone who had not slept properly in days. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m not here to cause trouble.” “Then please leave,” the receptionist replied. “If you are looking for someone, you can call them.” “I tried.” “And?” “No answer.” The sec

I got home that evening more tired than I expected. The day had been long, and Lia’s visit had left me with too many thoughts. I wanted nothing more than to sit quietly and forget about the problems waiting for me. I had barely settled down when my phone rang. I looked at the screen. It was the security guard from the Laurent house that took a bullet for me. I answered. “Hello?” “Good evening, ma’am.” “Good evening. Is everything okay?” “Yes. I wanted to let you know that I’m ready to begin the work tomorrow.” I sat up. “Tomorrow?” “Yes. If that is still convenient for you.” I thought about it. The children were resuming school tomorrow, and that changed everything. After everything that had happened recently, I could not afford to leave them without protection. “All right,” I said. “I need you to be assigned to the children at all times.” “Understood.” “You will take them to school, stay around while they are there, and bring them home safely.” “Yes, ma’am.” “I want you