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Chapter 173
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Hired Fiance Chapter 174
Ryan's POV I felt my jaw clench at the thought. He’d been circling her like a vulture for weeks now, his interest in her obvious despite her supposed disinterest. But Emma was good at hiding things. She’d become an expert at it over the years.When I arrived at the office, I walked in with the air of authority that came naturally to me, but my mind was still preoccupied. I barely greeted anyone as I made my way to the boardroom, already dreading the tedious meeting ahead. Quarterly projections, budgets—none of it mattered right now. Not when my mind was focused on Emma and where the hell she had disappeared this morning.Just then, I saw that she was in her cabin, talking to Kate and Jane; Kate was talking to her as she talked to me, and Jane even offered her a coffee mug. She took it with a sarcastic smile. I felt a bit relieved. She was giving orders to them when I walked into her cabin. " Good morning! Why did you come so early? You didn't even wait for me? We could have come
Hired Fiance Chapter 175
Ryan's POV P“Emma,” I called out, my voice sharp with authority. I tried to stop and confront her, Her face was pale, her eyes wide with something close to panic. She looked at me, and for a moment, I saw something raw in her gaze—fear, maybe, or desperation. But she blinked, and it was gone, replaced by that same guarded expression she always wore around me.“I need to go,” she said, her voice shaky, but firm. “It’s personal.” She looked like she was on the verge of breaking down, but she held herself together, her chin lifting defiantly.I felt the anger flare again, my control slipping. “You don’t just walk out of a meeting without an explanation,” I snapped, my tone harsher than I intended. “What’s going on, Emma? Who was on the phone?” I asked but she snapped.“It’s none of your business, Ryan. Just… let me go.” Something about the way she said it—let me go—made my chest tighten. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t just let her walk away from me again, not without knowing what was going
Hired Fiance Chapter 176
Ryan's POV The boy was small, maybe five or six, but from my vantage point, I couldn’t see the boy’s face, only the back of his head, a mop of dark hair that looked unsettlingly familiar. A sick feeling settled in my gut. I watched as Emma knelt to the boy, her lips moving in quiet conversation, her hand gently brushing through his hair. She looked tender, motherly—a side of her I had never seen before.A child?Who was this child?Does she have a child? It couldn’t be hers. Could it?My jealousy flared up, a wave of bitterness washing over me.For a brief moment, I wondered if this boy was the child of the man Emma had supposedly moved on with. Was this why she had kept her life so private? Had she started a family without me?My chest tightened as a horrible realization began to dawn on me. The child… could he be mine?No. She wouldn’t have kept that from me. She wouldn’t have hidden something like that for six years. Would she?But there he was, holding her hand, and she hugged
Hired Fiance Chapter 177
Ryan's POV I didn’t need to ask the question again or wait to hear her reply. I didn’t need a DNA test. The truth was staring me right in the face, as clear as day.Emma had been hiding him from me? But why? How could she?? I staggered back, my mind reeling. I could barely breathe, the shock hitting me like a freight train. The boy—my son—was looking up at me, wide-eyed, innocent, unaware of the storm brewing inside me." Hello, I am James, who are you? " His name. My voice cracked as I said it, almost unconsciously. "James?"The boy blinked, his small face lighting up with excitement. "You know my name?"I couldn’t speak. My throat was tight, my heart thudding painfully against my ribcage. But then, something happened that shattered the last bit of restraint I had left, nothing could have prepared me for it. "James, he is Ryan... He is my... " She was saying but the expression of his cute face changed dramatically, all of a sudden. " Ryan????" He asked as if he was shocked to
Hired Fiance Chapter 178
Ryan's POV My parents had died in an accident and I was deprived of their love and family environment. My grandpa gave me everything, but he could not give me the love my parents used to. And here this son of mine was craving for my love, thinking that he lost me... I had a son... A son. I was getting very emotional and, at the same time, was getting very furious with Emma for depriving him as well as me of each other. My family was right in front of me." Orphanage?? " I glared at Emma again and she looked away. " Yes!" "But why did they say that you were from an orphanage?" I asked. " They asked me my dad's name, but I didn't know, so they teased me that she got me from there or she was a bad woman who didn't know my dad's name. " He said, a tear flowed from his eyes. I wanted to beat all those guys for hurting my son. But first of all, I wanted to punish Emma for all this... Why didn't she tell me anything? Why was she putting our son through so much pain? " Oh, my dear, you
Hired Fiance Chapter 179
Ryan's POV Life before this day felt so dull compared to the bright smile on my son's face. Emma had kept all this happiness from me. She had kept him from me. I felt like a raging bull at the moment; I wanted to confront her properly, not in hushed tones, in front of everyone. I turned back to James, my heart heavy with the weight of everything I had just discovered. "Why don’t you go find your teacher for a moment, son?" I said softly, brushing his hair out of his face.He nodded, beaming at the word son, and ran off without hesitation, leaving me and Emma alone. The silence between us was deafening. My blood was roaring in my ears as I stared at her, trying to keep my rage in check, but it was impossible.I turned to her and, holding her arm in my hand, I pulled her aside. "Why?" I finally rasped, my voice low and dangerous. "Why didn’t you tell me?" I really wanted to yell... If it was anyone but her, I would have lost my anger completely. Her eyes filled with shock, and she
Hired Fiance Chapter 180
Ryan's POV "There was nothing like that... I was too busy to take care of him." Her eyes locked onto mine, filled with guilt, pain, and something else that I could not read.But that wasn’t enough. It would never be enough. How could she look me in the eye now, after all this time, and expect me to just let this go?" Then why did you elope when you were with my child if you could not take care of him?? No, you don't deserve to have him with you. I will make you repent the moment you thought of taking my child away from me. I will make you crave to get even a glance at him. He will live with me now." I yelled at her. “Ryan, you can't do that after everything that happened between us. You don't know how difficult it was for me to do it.” Her voice cracked, barely a whisper as the tears finally spilled over, cascading down her cheeks. She burst into tears. I felt bad for her as I had seen how she had panicked when someone from the school had called her; she drove here at a record-br
Hired Fiance Chapter 181
Ryan's POV " Well, if you want him to be around you, you can tag along, I will make arrangements for you to stay with me. I am not as heartless as you are." I said as I was very angry. " No!! Neither I nor my son will go anywhere with you. I had my reasons for doing that but you will never acknowledge them even though you know that I am right!" She glared at me; I was amazed how she could even look into my eyes, and here she had an accusation in her eyes as if I was the reason why she did that. " Tell me why did you leave and never tell me that you were giving birth to our baby? " I asked as I could never understand why she did that. “ Why are you asking me about it? I was trying to protect him. I didn’t know how to—” I was shocked at what she said. “Protect him?” I cut her off, my voice sharp and cold. “From what, Emma? From me? Do you think I wouldn’t have been a good father? Do you think I wouldn’t have loved him? Who gave you the right to make that decision without talking
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Hired Fiance Chapter 200
Emma's POV Suddenly, James tugged at my sleeve, pulling me from my thoughts. “Mummy, are you okay?”I forced a smile, nodding. “I’m fine, sweetheart.”Ryan’s eyes flickered toward me, his expression softening for just a moment before he turned back to James. “Right, let’s finish up and get home. We’ve got a living room to camp in, remember?”As we left the diner, James happily chatted about all the “camping” supplies they’d need; I couldn’t shake the growing unease in my chest. Ryan was laughing and planning with James as if we were a normal family, but things were far from normal. I wasn’t sure if I could let my guard down.One thing was clear, though: James was thrilled. And as long as he was happy, I would go along with their ridiculous plans… even if it meant letting Ryan be a little too close for comfort.We reached my home, and he stopped the car; before he could say Anything, I got out of the car, turned on my heel, and headed for the door. He followed behind me, his footsteps
Hired Fiance Chapter 199
Emma's POV Ryan raised an eyebrow but didn’t press it. Instead, he turned back to James. “So, mate, I’ve been thinking. Once we finish this monstrous milkshake, we should plan something fun. You know, a real adventure. How about we build a fort when we get home? Or…” His eyes twinkled mischievously. “We could camp in the living room tonight. I’ll bring my torch, and we’ll tell scary stories. What do you say?”James gasped, bouncing in his seat. “Can we, Mummy? Please? Can we camp in the living room?”I blinked at them, half-expecting Ryan to burst out laughing at the absurdity of his suggestion. But he was dead serious—and so was James. “I don’t think we have space for that…”Ryan cut in, shaking his head. “Emma, where’s your sense of adventure? We don’t need space. We’ll make it work. Move some furniture, throw down some blankets. It’ll be like we’re out in the wild!”“Camping… in my flat?” I asked, incredulous.“Exactly,” Ryan said, giving me a grin that I both hated and… found a l
Hired Fiance Chapter 198
Ryan's POV Great! Simply great!! Now you see, my love, how I won you back; no matter what happened in the past, I am going to resolve it and have you in my home, in my bed, and my arms, soon, very soon. You are mine!! Emma's POV “Fine,” Ryan said, finally relenting, though his tone was still far too smug for my liking. “If you insist on your flat, we’ll go there. But don’t think this is over, Emma. We’ll talk more about what’s best for James.”I glared at him but said nothing; he drove back toward my flat. I was looking out of the window. Just then James asked from the back seat, “Mummy! Can we stop for lunch? I’m starving!”“Starving?” Ryan scoffed dramatically, quickening his pace to catch up with James. “Didn't you eat breakfast, son?”James giggled. “But that was 3 hours ago! I’m a growing boy.”Ryan smiled at him through the rearview mirror. “Alright, alright. You’re right. A growing boy needs fuel. How about we stop at that diner just up the street? The one with those massive
Hired Fiance Chapter 197
Emma's POV “Are you out of your mind?” I hissed, barely able to keep my voice steady.Ryan’s eyes darkened, his smile fading into something more cold, more calculated. “Yes, I am. I’ve lost all sense of reason after finding out you’ve been hiding our child from me. The best I can do now is ensure he lives with me, where he belongs. You can come along if you like, or I’ll take you to court. And trust me, Emma, I’ll make sure you don’t get to live with him. You deprived me of his love. The choice is yours.”His words struck like a blow, knocking the wind out of me. I knew he wasn’t bluffing. He had the resources, the connections, and the determination to follow through. And James—oh God, James would be caught in the middle of this, pulled apart by our war. My stomach twisted at the thought.I stood there, my pulse thundering in my ears as Ryan’s words sank in. His smile was too calm, too assured as if he already knew how this would play out. As if he’d won. I clenched my fists, resisti
Hired Fiance Chapter 196
Emma’s POVHalf an hour ago…I woke up in the quiet stillness of the hotel room, my head heavy but the sharp edge of the migraine thankfully dulled. Soft morning light filtered through the curtains, and I blinked, adjusting to my surroundings. The space beside me brought a pang of unease. Where was Ryan?My heart quickened as fragments of last night flickered in my mind—Ryan’s warm, steady hands taking care of me, holding me through the worst of the pain. Was it real, or had I dreamt it? And now, he was gone.Then the realization hit me like a cold wave. James. School.Ryan had been insistent about removing James from the hostel, determined to bring him home. My breath caught as dread clawed its way into my chest. He hadn’t waited for me to wake up. He didn’t as he was going to take James away from me.“Oh, God,” I muttered, panic rising. Why hadn’t I realized it sooner? I shouldn’t have agreed to this, I shouldn’t have let him take the reins. I had to stop him.I threw on yesterday’s
Hired Fiance Chapter 195
Ryan's POV I wasn’t going to let our son stay in that hostel any longer. He belonged with us, with me. And I knew Emma. She wouldn’t let me take him away from her. She loved him too much for that. It was the one card I had to play, and I was going to play it carefully and strategically. She’d have no choice but to come back. And once she was here, once we were together again, I’d make sure she never left.I leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, and smiled. “You were born to be with me,” I whispered, my lips brushing against her skin. “And I’ll get you back, my love. By hook or by crook.”She stirred slightly, but I didn’t move. I wanted to hold her longer, to stay like this forever, but I had things to do. I couldn’t afford to waste time, not when the plan was already in motion. I gently untangled myself from her, careful not to wake her, and slipped out of bed. She needed her rest. Last night had taken its toll, and I wasn’t going to rush her recovery. I could wait. I h
Hired Fiance Chapter 194
Ryan's POV I hadn’t planned for things to turn out this way.But this time she shocked me. Not only did she leave me without saying a word, even when we had a baby together. Why did she leave? What was the reason that had torn us apart? My jaw tightened as the memory surfaced. How could she not have told me? Didn’t I deserve to know? Didn’t I have a right to be angry?But then, looking at her now, so pale and fragile, all that anger seemed to dissolve into something else. Something softer, more desperate. I didn’t just want answers. I wanted her. I wanted to hold her, pull her close, and make all of this go away. I wanted her back in my life, in my arms, where she belonged.But I couldn’t do that. Not yet. Not until we talked. Talked.Despite everything, I could never fall out of love with her. For now, I had to be patient. I had to let her rest, let her heal. There would be time for everything else later.But as I sat there, watching her sleep, I knew one thing for certain: I wa
Hired Fiance Chapter 193
Ryan's POV I sat down next to her, not saying anything at first. She didn’t move, didn’t look at me, but I knew she was aware of my presence. After a while, she spoke, her voice, barely a whisper, “I hate it here.”It wasn’t a dramatic statement, just a simple, heartbreaking truth. She wasn’t talking about the river or the house or even her life. She was talking about being stuck in a world that didn’t let her be herself. I didn’t know what to say. I was just a kid too, barely able to handle my own emotions, let alone someone else’s.But I wanted to comfort her, to let her know she wasn’t alone. So, I did the only thing I could think of—I took off my jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. It wasn’t much, but it was something. She looked up at me then, and for the first time, I saw her really look at me, not as her older brother, or a family friend, or some orphan boy her parents had taken in, but as someone who mattered to her. It was in that moment that I realized I cared about
Hired Fiance Chapter 192
Ryan's POV Everyone was worried about her, and she was hiding in my room. I had no idea how she’d managed to slip past her mother’s watchful eyes, but there she was, curled up under my bed. At first, I thought she was just playing some game, but then I realized she was sleeping. She must have been so exhausted from constantly having to be someone she wasn’t. I watched her for a while, not sure what to do. Should I wake her? Should I let her sleep? In the end, I just left her there. She looked peaceful, and I wasn’t about to disturb that.When she got up and I felt the moment under the bed I bent to see her. " Hello!! " " H..Hi!! " She said looking a bit scared. " Come out!! " I said and she came out feeling embarrassed for being caught. " What are you doing here?? " I asked. " Hiding." She bit her lip. " But why?" I asked her. " My mom wants me to learn to play music and Dad wants me to take classes to be like him... I..." She told me hesitantly. " And you don't want to do th
