All Chapters of ARRANGED TO BE BILLIONAIRE'S SUBSTITUTE BRIDE : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

AVERYThe quiet in the safe house made the movie sound louder than it should have. I sat in the sitting room watching A Different World, the new movie I found on Netflix, while James stayed upstairs dealing with business calls. The security team was outside, and for the first time since we left the penthouse, I felt like I could actually sit down without waiting for something else to happen.Then I heard footsteps behind me.I assumed James was coming downstairs, so I called his name without taking my eyes off the television. “James?”There was no answer.I lowered the volume and listened. The footsteps were gone, but I was sure I heard them. I called his name again, this time turning slightly toward the hallway. Still no response.A cold feeling ran through me.Maybe one of the guards had come inside. Maybe someone needed to speak with James. I got up from the sofa anyway, keeping one hand near my stomach as I walked toward the kitchen. The house suddenly felt too quiet.I reached t

JAMES'S POV I sat beside Avery while the doctor checked her vitals. The room was too quiet except for the steady beeping of the monitor and the soft shuffle of nurses in the hallway.Avery kept looking between the nurse and the doctor, waiting for someone to explain why we were still there. Her hand rested on the blanket, fingers tense, like she was bracing herself for news she already felt coming.The doctor checked the monitor, then looked through the results on the chart. I waited until he finally looked up.“What is it?”“Avery has high blood pressure, which could affect the growing baby. That was why I called you.”“How high?”“High enough that I’m concerned.”The number on the monitor didn’t mean much to me, but the way he said it did. He pulled the chair closer to the bed.“Avery, I’ve told you to get plenty of rest. Have you been resting?”Avery looked at me before answering. I knew exactly what she was thinking. There was no way she could explain everything that happened at h

JAMES'S POV I was already inside the psychiatric facility when I started wondering why I came.I was tired. Really tired. The last thing I needed was another problem with Sadie. Couldn’t she just move on and leave me alone? What did she want from me now?I stopped at the reception desk and gave the woman my name. She checked the list, asked for my ID, and had me sign the visitor log before handing it back. A security guard checked my bag, then another staff member came over to escort me down the hall.The place was quiet, with white walls, locked doors, and the faint smell of disinfectant hanging in the air. I followed the staff member into a small private visiting room and waited.A few minutes later, the door opened.Sadie walked in slowly.She looked thin and tired, pretty much the same way she’d looked the last time I saw her. The difference was in her movements. Everything seemed slower, and there was a dullness in her eyes that told me she was medicated.I didn’t feel sorry for

JAMES'S POV I got home earlier than Avery expected, but my head was still back in Daniel’s office. His words kept running through my mind, especially the way he looked at me when he gave me seven days. I could still hear him telling me to make Sadie happy again, like that was something I could just fix because he gave me a deadline.Avery looked up when I walked in. She took one look at me and put her phone down.“What happened? Did the social media thing go that bad?”I stood there for a second. The reasonable thing would have been to keep Daniel and Sadie between Daniel and me. Whatever they had going on was their business, and dragging Avery into it would only make things worse.But I had worked too damn hard to earn Avery’s trust. After everything we had been through, I couldn’t turn around and start keeping things from her now.I sat beside her. “The social media situation wasn’t why I went to the office.”Her expression changed. “Then why did you go?”“I went to see Daniel.

JAMES'S POV The call ended, but I stayed where I was, staring at my phone.Stepping away from the company? After everything I’d done to get where I was, Pa was asking me to consider giving up my position just to keep things from getting worse.I got up and headed to the study. I needed somewhere quiet to think because, right now, my head was a complete mess.I closed the door, sat behind my desk, and went over everything Pa told me. The proxy shares, the board meeting, the lender holding back the next round of funding. If the dispute dragged on, the entire development project could be in trouble.I picked up my phone and called one of the company’s lawyers. He answered after a few rings, and I got straight to the point.“I need you to explain something to me. If the board decides to remove me as CEO, what happens? And what if I choose to step down myself?”“Neither option would automatically resolve the proxy-share dispute,” he explained. “The shares would still exist, and we’d still