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Chapter 41
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2024-10-09 18:48:27Related chapters
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 42
ZARA'S POVI couldn't shake the feeling that everything I knew was built on a house of cards that was ready to collapse at the slightest pressure of truth. As soon as the day began, I was determined to dive into research regarding my mother's past. I sat at my desk, turned on my laptop, and blocked the world from view as the need to learn her story overcame me.All couples of searches resulted in just her name, with a couple of details about her life as a prosecutor. Then, I struck an article outlining the fight by her to unmask corruption within Adler's family business. Every word, in my reading of her stand-up to giant figures and how she took on the nails to bring them to book, my heartbeat was racing fast; her being strong-headed, career-oriented-aggressive, a veritable warrior in a world full of darkness."How come I didn't know any of this?" I grumbled. And the betrayal of my own ignorance, washing over me like a cold wave. “How come my father had never mentioned anything abo
Last Updated : 2024-10-10MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 43
ZARA'S POV I didn't waste a second. Since the moment I'd walked away from Jacob in the park, my stomach had been a hollowed pit of anxiety. His disclosures weighed upon me like a heavy leaden blanket, its smothering weight crushing the breath from my lungs as my mind struggled to make sense of the reality he'd said I belonged to. But could I? Could I believe him? Not without proof, not without testing every word he'd said. That was why I was here, stepping into the glass towering building of my father's company, plastering a smile on my face as I headed straight to Lena's office. If anyone could fill in the gaps, then my sister was the person to do it. "Zara!" Lena exclaimed bright-eyed the instant I stepped into her office looking up from her desk, "You're glowing. Kai is really doing a good job spoiling you." "I know right. Thanks, Lena," I said, trying my best to retain the lightness in my voice. "I thought I'd drop by. It's been a bit since we've had lunch together." "Tha
Last Updated : 2024-10-11MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 44
ZARA'S POVI stepped out of the hospital and inhaled deep as the cool breeze stroked my skin. Jacob walked beside me wordlessly but was there with me as we walked away from the sterilized confines. My head whirred on Is this real? Had we just given them a DNA sample? Was I finally going to see whether my dad isn't my real father?Not a single one of those emotions escaped onto my face. Jacob didn't see that the slightest bit of chaos was churning inside me."So." Jacob's voice cut through the silence. "How are you feeling?”I gave him a sideways look. "I'm good," I said a little too quickly. Thing was, I hadn't been feeling good for days. My belly had been tied up in knots since that old conversation in the park, but like heck was I about to let that on.We had stopped at the curb where his car was parked, and yet he didn't open my door. He turned to me instead; his eyes seemed an etching of concern. "Zara, the doctor said you haven't been eating well, and you're carrying a child. Yo
Last Updated : 2024-10-13MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 45
ZARA'S POV.Sobs wracked my body across the silent restaurant. God, I detested this feeling-the utter feeling of powerlessness. Everything that I knew was tumbling down at my feet. Jacob came and sat next to me, his big frame overshadowing mine as he wrapped his arms around me, hugging me. I wanted to push him away, scream at him to leave me alone, but I didn't. I let him be there holding me, since despite all that had gone down, I needed someone anchoring me.His voice was soft, almost broken, with the words: "I'm so sorry, Zara. I didn't mean for things to happen this way."I snuffled out, "Sorry? You are sorry?" as my fists pounded his chest in an attack full of heart. You come into my life and turn my world upside down, and all you can say is sorry? Why now? Why now that I am finally happy? When everything was going so smoothly with Kai? When I thought nothing could ever go wrong again, you show up and ruin it all!” He didn't flinch or budge as the blows fell. His arms were still
Last Updated : 2024-10-13MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 46
ZARA'S POVHovering outside his study door, my shaking hand toyed over the handle. My heart ran a mile a minute inside my chest and my palms clutched the voice recorders hard enough to leave bruises. Now, it all weighed upon me-the secrets, the lies, the truth. Yet I just have to find out.I took a deep breath, feeling my chest start to quake as I reached for the cold door handle and slipped silently inside Kai's study. It was empty, but the slightest hint of his cologne hung in the air. As it usually was, the room was neat, everything in its place, nothing out of order. I went right to his desk, not trying to feel one bit guilty, knelt down, and pushed the recorder underneath. My hands shook when trying to clip it in and I made sure that it was connected to my phone.I whirled and ran backward, with my heart pounding in my chest. This was wrong, yet necessary. I could still hear Jacob's voice in my head. ‘You deserve the truth.’I turned and exited the study as quickly as I entered,
Last Updated : 2024-10-15MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 47
ZARA'S POV"We got Jacob's location."The world seemed to tilt sideways beneath my feet. My heart fell to my stomach. Jacob. What did they want with him? I strained harder to hear more, holding onto the phone so tightly it hurt."Good," Kai's voice came through the recorder in his study. "We need to get rid of him before he causes any damage. He knows too much, and i know he won't keep stil.l""I agree," my father said. His voice was firm and clipped, colder than I'd ever heard it. "Jacob's release was bound to stir trouble. They should have let him rot in prison. Now he might try to expose the truth.""The truth about what?" I wondered as my brain did this frenzied relay, trying to put it all together.The next words out of my Kai's mouth, and everything in my world came crashing down."This is all your fault though,I didn't know how you were so careless to let him witness you killing her.”I let out a gasp, my hand flying up to slap over my mouth, hopelessly trying to stifle the so
Last Updated : 2024-10-18MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 48
ZARA'S P.O.V.The sunlight streaming through the large dining room windows was too warm, too bright. I sat across from Kai, my eyes fixed on the breakfast laid out before us, but unable to eat a single thing. My head still reeled from the conversation I'd overheard the night before, that dark and horrifying truth about the way my mother had been murdered. The man opposite me, my husband, the man I've grown to love, had been a part of her death. And Jacob was next.I took a deep, hard breath and fought hard to go numb, push all my anger, my sadness, my fear inside. Kai didn't know what I'd heard. Not yet. I wasn't ready for that kind of confrontation.“Zara," Kai's voice pulled me back to reality. He was smiling at me, that disarming smile he always seemed to hold up as his defense. My skin crawled now. How could he even look at me like that, as if he hasn't ripped my world in two?"Hm?" I muttered, barely able to lift my gaze to his."You've been going out quite frequently lately," he
Last Updated : 2024-10-18MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 49
ZARA'S POV"Zara," Jacob whispered, his voice low, serious, taking another step closer to me. "I knew it would come to this. I knew your dad along with Kai would do anything to get rid of me." His eyes bored into mine, serious, unblinking. "They covered their tracks for years. And they would do anything to keep it buried.”I blinked, still having a heart overbeating in my chest from the drive-terror of being caught. "I didn't want to believe it at first," I whispered, shaking my head. "But you were right. I overheard them last night… everything." My voice shook because the memory was still too fresh. "I heard them through the bug recorder you gave me."Jacob nodded, his jaws tight. "I thought maybe you might have found out by now. The pieces always fall into place together, sooner or later. You have been living in a cage of lies, Zara. Deceit, betrayal, monsters, all of them."The word monsters swirled in my mind. How was I ever so blinded for so long? I laid my hand on my chest in th
Last Updated : 2024-10-19
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MARRIAGE PACT 87
Zara's POVThe world contracted, and I breathed shallowly; all the little noises around me sounded muffled. And then, in the eye of my brain was Kai's smirk, the cruel confidence etched in his features-because it reminded me just what futile position I find myself in with him: he has my son, and he knows that.Teeming with warmth from the multitude of members, with facial masks of confusion and curiosity while the room filled in, my stepfather Mr. Klein finally reached an upright pose, his mask of control mixed with charm upon his face, though it was faintly shaded over by some unease which danced through his eyes.Kai let out this calm, yet strong and clear voice from the back: "Now that is off our back, let us resume."He turned to Mr. Klein, who gave him less than a nod of acknowledgement. My stepfather moved forward; his voice was like silk-slow, cultured, calculated. "Ladies and gentlemen, please-I do apologize for this misunderstanding just now. It was about something very perso
MARRIAGE PACT chapter 86
Zara's POV Thick as the air you breathe, tension lay heavy in the room with all the threats flying around. Michael stood firm beside me, his very presence of us against them. Mr. Klein and Kai sat before us, the sharp glint in their eyes keen and calculating. Here's the deal," Michael said, even but icy. "You come clean about everything-illegal deals, murder, cover-ups-or we take it to the press." Klein let out a low, insidious chuckle that succeeded in raising the hairs on the back of my neck. "You've got a lot of nerve, boy. You have any idea what you're up against? "Don't test us," I said, cutting in-the edge of my resolve, lacing my tone. "We have all the evidence against you: documents, recordings, eyewitnesses. Your empire will fall, and for the first time, you will pay for your crimes." Kai leaned back in his chair, curling his lips a little. "And you are above the law, is that it? You just think nothing's going to come your way due to your little crusade?" I met his gaze
MARRIAGE PACT chapter 85
Zara’s POV The thick silence of the room, after all the board members had been dismissed, made the air almost unbearable. Those who remained were those that counted toward this confrontation: Kai, Michael, Jacob, Mr. Klein, Lena, and me. I felt the weight of their gazes upon me-Lena in her confusion, Jacob in his calm resoluteness, Michael in steadfast support, Mr. Klein in feigned nonchalance, and Kai piercingly amused. Kai was the first to speak, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife. “Well, Zara, it seems you’ve set quite the stage. What now?” I took a step forward, my pulse racing but my expression calm. “Now, the truth comes out—every last piece of it.” Mr. Klein leaned back in his chair, the smirk concealing something more unease in his eyes. "Truth is such a subjective concept, don't you think?" I turned my back to him, turning to Lena instead. She looked just so lost, so totally bewildered by everything that had happened. My heart was out for her, but this wa
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 84
Zara's POV Thick with tension, suffocating, the room slowly filled with members, reporters, and the unmistakable weight of anticipation. Michael sat beside me, calm and collected as expected, yet practically humming with energy. This was it—today was the day. Across the room, Mr. Klein's smug confidence had fallen to a more guarded expression. Kai sat beside him, leaning back in his chair with an unsettling calm, his calculating gaze flicking between Michael and me. But it wasn't Kai or Klein that unsettled me the most. It was Lena. She stood beside her father, a mask of confusion etched upon her face, her eyes darting in my direction for some sort of explanation-one that for now was impossible for me to provide. Whispers of reporters murmured their questions, as cameras poised for a shot of every moment in action. I pulled the folder laid across my lap just a little tighter. It was heavy-heavier than the words of my mother. Michael leaned closer into me; his voice low, "You ready
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 83
Kai's POV I sat in my study-the soft glow of the lamp on my desk, the only light in the room. It was dead silent, with only the irregular tick of the clock on the wall breaking the stillness. My eyes flickered toward the envelope that lay on the desk, its edges slightly shaking under the weight it carried. Madam Tess entered quietly, carrying a tray with a glass of scotch. "The envelope from Ethan arrived earlier today," she said in that still, calm tone of hers; though her eyes told a whole different story. "Leave it there," I said, nodding toward the desk. I sounded colder than I knew, but the disposition to soften it just wasn't there. I nodded, setting down the drink and envelope, before beating a retreat for the door. A glance over my shoulder before I went did seem in order. "Whatever it is, sir, I hope it brings you clarity." Clarity. A commodity I hadn't enjoyed for years. It glowered at me, a silently hurled challenge. My hand moved to it much more slowly, sliding the kn
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 82
Zara’s POV "We’re almost there," Michael said, his voice steady, yet laced with determination. He leaned forward, spreading the documents across the table in his study. "This evidence alone could take Klein down, but combined with yours, Zara, it’s irrefutable." I nodded, my eyes scanning the papers in front of me. My fingers danced over the old recorder on the table-the same one that had captured a truth I wished I could forget. "It's been three years, but hearing it again." I trailed off, shaking my head. "It still feels unreal." Jacob leaned forward, his voice finally coming deep into the corner, a frown on his face. "Whatever the pain, that recording is the nail to the coffin, Zara. It blindsides both Klein and Kai. I looked toward him with those grooved lines on his features. Years of unjust accusations the world had thrown at this man, my source of strength, and yet some window of ache in the eyes reminded me of exactly what this was all about:. "They silenced her," I whispe
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 81
Kai's POV "Say that again, Ethan," I growled, my fingers clamping onto the edge of my desk. My jaw clenched as I waited for him to repeat words that had already set my pulse racing wildly. The silence had stretched long, but when the words did come, Ethan sounded distinctly uncomfortable. "The boy. He was born in New Zealand two years ago. His birth certificate lists Michael Hartmann as the father." My fist came up onto the desk before I could catch it. It made a resounding thud that bounced back into the silent room. "You're telling me Zara gave birth to a boy and didn't feel that was something important enough to mention to me?" "That's exactly what I'm saying," Ethan replied evenly, though I could hear the hesitation in his voice. "The child is with Michael's cousin. I have the address." I closed my eyes, breathing in deeply, trying to restrain the storm inside me. She lied to me. She told me he was dead. My mind coursed through the possibilities. What kind of twisted game was
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 80
Michael's POVThe glow from my laptop screen cast faint shadows across the darkened study. I leaned back in my chair, the weight of the discoveries pressing hard upon my chest.How deep does this go?For weeks, I had tracked every transaction with Mr. Klein's name on it, using his business partnership as cover in investigating his accounts. And what I'd found wasn't illegal; it was explosive: shell companies, offshore accounts, bribed officials-a web of corruption. And right at the center of it? Kai.A knock on the door yanked me from my reverie. Zara stepped inside, her expression grim."Any luck?" she asked, her voice soft yet urgent.I gestured toward the screen. "More than I bargained for."She closed the door behind her and went closer, crossing her arms. "What did you find?"I turned the laptop toward her. "See for yourself."Her eyes moved down the documents, while her furrowed eyebrows deepened further with each passing second.“Offshore accounts in dummy names,” I began, “Tra
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 79
Zara's POVMichael’s voice was low, but the tension in his words cut through the air like a blade. “I don’t care what your agenda is, Kai. Whatever game you’re playing with Zara, it stops now.”I stood frozen, unseen by either of them, near the door of the conference room. Neither had noticed me step back inside after fetching my file. I pressed my back against the wall, angling for the confrontation without a sound.Kai was annoyingly calm, the arrogance dripping from every pore. "Game? I don't think you understand, Michael. This is no game to me. I have unfinished business with Zara. You're in my way."Michael let out a harsh snort foreign in nature. "Whatever unfinished business you think you have with her is of no relevance. She moved on. You should know how to respect that.”“Moved on?" Kai's laughter was low and cold. "That's what she told you? You really are a kidder, Michael. Zara is a master of concealing the truth. If you think you know her, you're living in dreamland."With
