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MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 97
ZARA'S POV I'm not quite sure how long has passed, even, since I sat here fisting the recording in my hand, every word uttered on that recording was mere evidence to substantiate this dreadful truth I had existed with all these years, couldn't change, prove, or even escape. Everything stands so different now, however-Kai is dead and, with my future at last within reach, so it is time for my father's name to be cleansed of the stains attached.I glance down at the file full of all evidence against him in front of me to bring Mr. Klein into the courtroom. It was finally over: the man who killed my mother and, the man who framed my father for a crime that he did not commit, was finally going to pay for his misdeeds.Behind me, footsteps echo, and turning, I see Michael standing in the doorway. His eyes are fatigued yet full of determination. He had been at each turn with me through my journey and now was down to the final move he and I would make."How are you holding up?" he asks softl
Last Updated : 2024-12-25MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 98
ZARA'S POV I sit beside Liam's bed; the smell of the hospital is sterile. Machines beep steadily, their monotony no longer a reassuring sound. The sallowness of Liam's skin has sucked that vital spark from his face. With every breath, his chest rose and fell weakly. I could never have believed it would turn this way, the ending part with him. First, he came into my life as that confident, charming friend, one who would even make me laugh when I wouldn't want to smile. But here we are; the fact that one moment of his bravery sealed it for all of us changes everything.The creaking door opens, and in comes Michael, quietly, his gaze working its way around the space before finally resting on me. A faint trace of a smile bursts across that worn face, housing so much of the love held for me. He closes in before laying a reassuring hand on my shoulder in silent support."How is he?" Michael said softly, his voice barely audible over a whisper.I shake my head. "He's hanging on, but not fo
Last Updated : 2024-12-25MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 1
ZARA'S POV My father and I sat in the back seat of his car, parked inside Standesamt Mitte in Berlin, awaiting the arrival of the Adlers. The marriage registration was scheduled for 15:00, and it was already 14:00."There must be other ways of saving the company; do I have to do this?" I turned to my father, who had been silent since our arrival.He sighed heavily, "That's not the only issue; you'll be marrying a man old enough to be your uncle," he grasped my hands, his expression grave as he met my gaze, "But desperate times call for desperate measures, Zara. This marriage is our only option to avoid bankruptcy and homelessness."Tears began streaming down my cheeks as the weight of the situation sunk in. "But why me?" I protested softly. "What about Lena? She's older; she could handle this much better than me."His expression suddenly hardened, and he dropped my hand, signalling my breach of an unspoken line."You, Zara, know exactly why. Your sister is instrumental to the company
Last Updated : 2024-08-08MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 2
ZARA'S POV A knock on my bedroom door woke me up. I got up to open the door, and it was Madam Tess and a young maid who held a tray of food in her hands.“Good morning Ma'am,” they both greeted.“Good morning,” I replied.“Your breakfast is here,” Madam Tess said, motioning to the tray.“Please take it back, I'm not hungry, ” I replied.“You have to eat, Ma'am; Mr Adler won't be happy if he finds out that you refused to eat.” she protested.“What does his happiness have to do with my appetite?” I countered. “My dear, you don't want to evoke Mr Adler's anger, it won't do you any good. Just do yourself and everyone else a favour by doing as you are told and following his rules,” she pleaded with concern in her eyes. “I don't care what he does, he has no right to tell me what to do or order me around.” I closed the door and went back to bed ignoring her pleading. I was still angry at the way Kai treated me last night and felt stupid for thinking he was different from the rumours. I cr
Last Updated : 2024-08-08MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 3
KAI'S POV The room was dim, illuminated only by the glow of my laptop screen. I sat at my desk surrounded by piles of medical journals and printed articles. I stared at the email from Dr. Richardson in London, my pulse quickened as I read the words again. ** Mr Adler, the surgery has a 30% chance of success. However, if you don't undergo the procedure soon, it will be too late. The tumour is aggressive, and immediate action is required. Please consider the risk and make your decision swiftly.**My phone rang. It was my friend and the managing director of my company, Ethan.“Hello,” I said, answering the call calmly.“I just found out that you didn't come to your office today. Did something happen?” Ethan asked, his voice laced with concern.“No, everything's fine, I just needed some rest,” I responded soothingly, trying to ease his worry. “All right. I have some reports to hand over to you personally. So, I'll see you at your house later today,” Ethan s
Last Updated : 2024-08-08MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 4
ZARA'S POV Three days, three blessed, quiet days. The mansion had never felt so peaceful, without Kai's oppressive presence. The weight that usually pressed down on me from every corner of the house has lifted, if only temporarily. I wandered the halls, feeling a strange sense of relief mingled with my ever-present dread. Kai's mansion was an architectural marvel, sprawling and grand with its high ceilings, marble floors and crystal chandeliers. But to me, it was nothing more than a gilded cage. Every ornate detail, every lavish room was just another reminder of my confinement and lack of freedom.But my heart whispers, ‘Not much longer.’ Kai's time is running out; just two months left. I can almost taste the freedom that awaits me.My room, once a prison cell, now feels like a temporary refuge. I spent my days reading, daydreaming and counting down the days until Kai's inevitable departure. “What future awaits us,” I whispered, to the little one growing inside me. Mrs Adler, My da
Last Updated : 2024-08-08MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 5
ZARA'S POV Ethan's announcement yesterday left me dangling over the edge. I was up all night thinking about how the rest of my life was going to be a living hell once KKaireturned. I thought I had it all planned out–Kai's death, my freedom and my life with Liam. But fate had other plans to snatch away my freedom forever, by giving Kai another chance to live. ‘I can't stay trapped with Kai for the rest of my life. I have to get out here, I have to run far away from the Adlers and my family.’ The thought echoed in my head, fueling my determination. I couldn't give up on my freedom yet.I was in my room, pacing and trying to formulate a plan, when I heard Mrs Adler's voice from the living room, which filled the whole house.“Zara, dear!” she called out, her tone unusually cheerful. “I have wonderful news!”I forced a smile and walked downstairs, my heart sinking with every step. Mrs Adler stood in the foyer, beaming. “Kai has regained consciousness,” She announced. “He called me per
Last Updated : 2024-08-08MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 6
ZARA'S POV The next day came with a sense of urgency. Every minute felt like a countdown to freedom. I had packed a small bag with just my essentials and hid it at the back of my closet.It was getting closer to the time for the party. Mrs Adler had informed me that Kai was already on his flight back to Berlin. It was just a two-hour flight, and he would be here soon. Mrs Adler had outdone herself with the party and gone all out for the celebration, and I was just another accessory to display.Madam Tess brought in the dress Mrs Adler had selected for me. It was a stunning emerald green gown that clung to my body in all the right places. The dress symbolized everything I despised about my life here, beautiful on the outside but a cave of thorns inside.“Let me help you with this dear,” Madam Tess said, her voice gentle.“Thank you,” I replied, forcing a smile.As she helped me with the dress, my mind was elsewhere, focused on my escape plan and the perfect timing to sneak out of the
Last Updated : 2024-08-08
Latest chapter
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 98
ZARA'S POV I sit beside Liam's bed; the smell of the hospital is sterile. Machines beep steadily, their monotony no longer a reassuring sound. The sallowness of Liam's skin has sucked that vital spark from his face. With every breath, his chest rose and fell weakly. I could never have believed it would turn this way, the ending part with him. First, he came into my life as that confident, charming friend, one who would even make me laugh when I wouldn't want to smile. But here we are; the fact that one moment of his bravery sealed it for all of us changes everything.The creaking door opens, and in comes Michael, quietly, his gaze working its way around the space before finally resting on me. A faint trace of a smile bursts across that worn face, housing so much of the love held for me. He closes in before laying a reassuring hand on my shoulder in silent support."How is he?" Michael said softly, his voice barely audible over a whisper.I shake my head. "He's hanging on, but not fo
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 97
ZARA'S POV I'm not quite sure how long has passed, even, since I sat here fisting the recording in my hand, every word uttered on that recording was mere evidence to substantiate this dreadful truth I had existed with all these years, couldn't change, prove, or even escape. Everything stands so different now, however-Kai is dead and, with my future at last within reach, so it is time for my father's name to be cleansed of the stains attached.I glance down at the file full of all evidence against him in front of me to bring Mr. Klein into the courtroom. It was finally over: the man who killed my mother and, the man who framed my father for a crime that he did not commit, was finally going to pay for his misdeeds.Behind me, footsteps echo, and turning, I see Michael standing in the doorway. His eyes are fatigued yet full of determination. He had been at each turn with me through my journey and now was down to the final move he and I would make."How are you holding up?" he asks softl
MARRIAGE PACT 96
MICHAEL'S POVMy veins surge with adrenaline as I approach the mansion. It's what I have been planning for weeks-each move, each little thing calculated. Tonight is the night everything changes. Tonight, I take Zara home, which means everything I have sacrificed will pay off.Liam's inside now, on the path we rehearsed. I can hear Liam's voice in my ear, slow and steady, soothing even. He's good.What I need to do now is distract Kai with something.I step onto the property, my footsteps silent yet heavy with intent. I head for the main door at which Kai will already be waiting; timing will play a very big role here. Should anything go wrong, this whole thing goes up in smoke.I push the door open and step inside the dimly lit hall. The slight creak of the door does not send a jitter down my bones. One shot at this, and I am not going to back down now."Kai," I call out, hearing my voice echo in empty corridors.He sits behind his desk, that cold, calculated expression carved into his
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 95
Zara's POV I peer into the mirror, and the image staring back shows only an empty shell of the girl that once used to be. Michael's dead, and here I am in this mansion, caught by that very man who ruined my life. Every thought about him, Kai, grasps my heart with a fit of anger. But still, he presses on: he wants me to forget Michael, learn to cope with this kind of life-the twisted reality-to be his wife every waking day."Zara," his voice floats into the room deep and insistent. "Come out here. We need to talk."I didn't move. Not an inch. His commands mean absolutely nothing to me. Not anymore.The sound of his footsteps drew closer and I shrink further into the corner, knowing well how pathetic it sounded but quite beyond my control. A man who had taken away everything that mattered from me was master over this house. Well, today was different; at least he wasn't getting that satisfaction. The door creaked open."You can hide in here all you want, but you're never going to escape
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 94
ZARA'S POVI sat on my bed by the window, and the raindrops falling against the panes coursed down in rivulets without sound-a reflection of the void inside my soul. There lay my son, sleeping still peacefully on the bed, curled up into a small bundle, his steady breathing the only sound in my room. For an instant, at the sight of him, all was well again, but pretty soon my reality confronted me.A knock shattered the fragile silence."Ms Zara," Madam Tess's voice was indistinct from the other side. There was something odd in her tone, like hesitation, even fear.Slowly, I rose, quickening at the pulse. Opening the door, I found her standing there, clutching a folded piece of paper in her shaking hands."What is it?" I asked, a knot already forming in my stomach.It's. It's a message," she breathed over her shoulder, eyes wide in that wild, frantic way. "From jacob."I plucked the paper from her shaking fingers, mine shaking too as I unrolled it. The words were a real kick in the guts
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 93
ZARA'S POV For the past three years, I'd been telling myself-lying to myself, actually-I would never pass through those doors. Well, here I was at Kai's mansion gate with one heart in the rib, walking like gazelles all full and weighing in this huge over-reined guilt.The smell of polished wood and a touch of cologne wafted in as the heavy door now groaned open, while Madam Tess stood in the hall, her face alight with so much welcome just like always. "Madam Zara, you have returned!" she exclaimed in a voice that shook.I gave her no thought, strode right past her, as if she had never been, never broke my stride, my headset with one thing on my mind and one only, my son.Where is he?" I demanded ice with growing venom while whirling back a few feet to see Kai with dancing dark eyes and relishing the success.“Sleeping," growled gruff and small with curving lips ending into a smirk. "Welcome home, Zara.""It is not my home," I snapped.Kai's smirk grew. "Oh, but it is. Legally, nothi
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 92
Zara's POVThe shrill buzz of my ringing phone pulled me from my reverie. I had sat in my office, staring rather blankly at the papers on my desk, unable to focus on anything. When I glanced at the screen, the headline flashing across it stole the breath from my lungs: Jacob Donovan Arrested for Attempted Murder of Mr. Klein.I shook my head, hardly able to say the word. "No," I whispered, shaking it now as if that somehow was going to make this vanish. My hands had some kind of tremor when I unfolded the article to read it. And damned if the accusations weren't-wild, depicting Jacob as an avenging business that finally snapped under all those pressures.A wave of nausea rolled over me. It wasn't a Jacob attack; it was personal.I banged my phone down and leaned back in my chair, racing my mind. One didn't have to be a genius to know behind whom this was-Kai. It had his fingerprints all over it. Jacob had been my rock, my ally in this war against him, and sat now behind bars for somet
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 91
ZARA'S POVI sat at Hartmann's Enterprise, in my office, staring aimlessly at the screen of my computer. The numbers all seemed blurred together, the reports dim and far away. The only thing my mind replayed was the sound of the judge's ruling, the image of Kai walking out of the courtroom-smug-with my son in his arms. With every passing moment, the weight in my chest crushed me from the inside out.A soft rap at the door sliced through my fog. "Ms. White, you have a new message," my assistant Lily said in a faltering voice and laid an envelope on my desk before wheeling around to beat a swift retreat.I frowned at the plain white envelope. There was something about it that was … not quite right. I opened it, shaking, and pulled out a single sheet of paper.*Come home, Zara. You have to be with me and our son. Don't compel me to do something we'll both regret later on. Tell Michael to leave the matter alone- or he may not live any longer.*Those words sent a shiver down my spine. The
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 90
ZARA'S POVThat was one heavy courtroom; I could feel it, a weight palpable upon the air. Seated beside the plaintiff's table, clutching the photo of my son tightly between my clasped hands, every beat of my heart seemed to feel this invisible vice squeezing tight. Across the room, Kai sat oozing smug confidence: the expensive suit, cool, calm demeanor molding him into every inch of the untouchable mogul he wanted the world to think he was."Ready?" Michael whispered beside me, his hand light on my arm.I nodded, but by now my stomach had started to do its wildest churning ever. "I have to be," I whispered low, "for my son."In strode the judge, and to his presence as one single body rose the courtroom. "All rise," cut through the silence of the voice of the bailiff.We sat in a chair as the trial began and stood up to address the court with that gloss of refinement only money can provide."My client, Mr. Kai Adler, is here for safety and welfare for his son," he began, "He has testif
