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Chapter 48
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MARRIAGE 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
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 50
ZARA'S POV I sat on the bed and stared into the report that I just received from the hospital. It was it. Jacob was my biological father. Not that this was news to me anymore, for everything that I had heard over the past two weeks had pointed in that direction. Yet, I had spent the better part of my life in a lie amalgamating with those very people I was supposed to trust. Now, I know the truth.I had recordings, evidence of every whispered conversation, every shady deal between Kai and my so-called father, Mr. Klein, even Mrs. Adler, Kai's mother; they were all involved, deeper than I could have ever imagined. My mother's murder, the illegal operations running beneath Kai's company, it all connected. And I was right in the middle of it.Kai, though. Kai had been sweet. Too sweet. More presents, more cuddles. Each touch of his hand, each kiss only seemed to pull that knot in my stomach tighter. He was trying to make me feel secure, trying to make me to believe nothing was wrong. I
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 51
ZARA'S POV.I pulled up to my father's mansion, the mansion that once seemed so much like home, but now was the heart of everything dark and twisted in my life. Stepping from the car, my pulse quickened. I wasn't ready for what was about to go down, but at this point, I had no other choice. The sleek cars lined up against the driveway, soft murmurs of music bleeding from the house, it just felt all so wrong.I grasped the door handle, fighting for my head to clear from these racing thoughts. Why would Lena lie to me? And Liam… why was his voice mixed with hers? But only for a minute, because the questions in my head were drowned by the scene that greeted me upon entering through the front door.A lavish party.It wasn't a "little gathering" as Lena had so innocently put it. No, this was big-grandiose-something of a celebration of sorts. Heavy, expensive perfume wafted through the air, together with laughter and chinking glasses high to toast champagne. I swallowed hard and moved throu
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 52
LIAM'S POVI watched Zara disappear into the crowd, stiff-shouldered, her feet hurrying for a pace. The bottom had fallen out of my world and the realization was heavy on me as to what I had done, the betrayal out in the open, and I was standing right in the wreckage."Liam."I jerked at Lena's voice, her nails digging into my arm as she stepped in front of me, hard in her expression. "Don't even think about going after her."I gritted my teeth and yanked my arm out of her grasp. "You don't control me, Lena."She smiled coldly. "Oh, but I do. You agreed to this Liam. You made the choice. Just like I did."Anger flared, my skin prickling, but I didn't have time for games with Lena. Not now. I had to find Zara. "This isn't what I wanted," I growled, shifting around her in a bid to push through the crowd."You think she's going to forgive you?" Lena's voice was razorlike, slicing through the chatter surrounding us. "After everything, after how you've betrayed her?"I froze. My fists clen
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 53
KAI'S POVI was not supposed to be in that mansion anymore. The party was just another formality for the sake of making an appearance, after which silently I could leave. I did not want her to know where I was, knowing full well that once she found out about Lena's marriage arrangement with Liam and my involvement in it, she was going to hate me for it. It was already raining heavily. As I finally turned toward my car to make my exit, My eyes caught something and I couldn't move. Zara's car stood in the driveway.My heart hit the floor. What in the world was her car doing here?That was most definitely not supposed to happen. I hadn't told her anything about this party, much less that I would attend it.I was already getting drenched but I didn't care; I ran up to the car and knocked on the driver's window. He rolled down the window immediately "Why are you here?" I insisted, "Where is Zara?"The driver got down from the car looking startled; he was dumbfounded by my sudden appearan
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 54
ZARA'S POV. The rain was relentless, it pounded against my skin, soaking my clothes and skin, I barely felt any of it. The only sensation filling my head was that crushing hold of betrayal against my chest. I needed to be away - away from them, away from everyone. Kai, the one person i thought was reliable, and it now turns out he, too, was in on all of this tonight. How could he lie to me? He stood there at a party I wasn't supposed to know anything about, pretending that everything was alright, knowing full well about this marital arrangement between Lena and Liam, and he was involved. My legs seemed to take me of their own volition, walking me along, farther and farther from that mansion. I didn't know where I was going and didn't much care; rain was only coming down in sheets now, making it impossible to see much in front of me, anyway. And I didn't stop. I couldn't. My father, well,my step father didn't even care about how I'll feel about this, he only cared about what his
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 55
KAI'S POV It had barely stopped raining since nighttime. The droplets lashed against the panes of this mansion, mirroring the storm inside me. I couldn't breathe properly. My hands shook as I dialed Zara's number for the twentieth time, same lifeless, hollow ring Voicemail again.I slumped back against the couch, my eyes pinned on that door, hoping, praying, she'd walk through it. But the house was dead and silent. I'd been sitting here for hours, just waiting. Waiting for some kind of sign that she was okay.Where in the hell was she?It's all my fault.I massaged my hands through my hair, pulling on it as the frustration pulsed a little harder in my veins. God, I shouldn't have lied to her about that party, let alone agree to be part of Lena's damned marriage arrangement. At the time, I'd thought that was saving our relationship, keeping Liam away from her, and keeping her away from it all. Now though, I saw how wrong it had been. She finds everything out from them and it's what
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 56
KAI'S POV.I sat at my desk and stared out the window at the city's skyline; city lights flickered like stars so far away, mocked with every passing day, not knowing she was. Zara was nowhere to be found, and I was in the process of drowning, going down just a little bit deeper every day she stayed away. And in a month, well-known Berlin for me turned into that endless labyrinth, which swallowed her, leaving with nothing but questions and memories.Every lead, every vague trail that I'd followed came to one conclusion, a blind alley. I couldn't eat or sleep properly. The nights simply merged with the mornings, and everything that I thought about was her-being out there probably alone, perhaps frightened, and the best that I could do was nothing. Nothing!I muttered to myself, rubbing at my temples. "Not much longer, I have to do something. Can't sit around, waiting for her to return.”The door clicked open and Liam came in, his face as haggard as mine."Anything?" I asked before he'd
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MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 68
ZARA'S POV. FLASHBACK.The pungent smell of disinfectant filled my nostrils as I blinked into consciousness, the fluorescent lights above my head a brutal brightness to the eyes. Blinking a few times, I turned my head slowly around me. That was when I saw him sitting next to my hospital bed, concern etched deep in his features."I am so sorry," he said in that low, firm voice of his. "I didn't see you. I thought.."Stop," I whispered, my throat dry and raw. "You saved my life. You brought me here.""I had to," he pressed on, leaning further in. "You were… I hit you. I was terrified."In a few moments, the nurse came in, took my vitals, and peripherally I had forgotten all the agony that had lanced through my body. Finally finding my voice, I asked in a whisper, "What about my baby?”She reassured me that my baby was all right and that I really was lucky, not to have been hurt so seriously in the accident. The relief that flowed in then was displaced by the weight of my situation. My
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 67
LENA'S POV.I gripped the edge of the vanity, staring at my pale reflection. Zara. Her name clung to my tongue like poison, filling me with a rush of anger and fear. I'd hoped she would just stay gone after everything-after she found out about Liam and me. She had been so broken, so devastated. I'd hoped that would be the end of it.There she was, back from the past, standing beside no less a figure than Michael Hartmann. Of course, who did not know him: the billionaire whose influence cut across Berlin and beyond. Papa had been dying for a business partnership with his company; he said that was what would take ours to the next level. But if Zara swayed him against us…My bedroom door burst open, and Father stormed in, his face twisted with exasperation. "Lena, do you understand what this means?" his voice came sharp, tinged with anger so barely controlled. "This isn't some girl with a grudge. She's come back with Michael Hartmann. Do you know what that means for us?”"I know, Father,
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 66
KAI'S POV The room was din around me, the raw shock pounding through my veins, or that moment of clarity when it fell into place, but it just crashed upon me like a freight train. Michael Hartmann-the name which I had heard three years ago in that hospital when they told me she'd been taken out of the country. A man with that last name had been with her. Then, divorce papers. I was off and running. Michael Hartmann was the reason she'd left.I caught her alone just as she slipped away from the crowd. I moved fast, catching her arm and yanking her onto the balcony. Cold air slapped both of us when she whirled, eyes narrowing."What the hell do you think you're doing, Kai?" she snapped, jerking her arm free of my grasp."What am I doing?" I spat, voice shrill, trebly loud with the weight of years in unasked questions. "Zara, what am I doing? You vanished into thin air. You left me with nothing. And then you show up now, pretending… this?" My hand gestured to the door, to everything in
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 65
Kai's POVThe announcer's voice sliced through the hushed mass of people inside, nothing compared to the increase in tension inside that room, taking my brain away from the Michael Hartmann mystery. That look of wonder, how he stared straight into my eyes as though to know me, some hidden secret which only he can uncover with his eyes-just left something chilling upon my veins.His voice, with the microphone, boomed again, "Tonight, I am delighted to introduce you to a lady who is not only my fiancée but also my bright and supportive partner in this new venture. "The words were like a train that slapped and flung me back into reality. Fiancée? Partner? My gaze sliced to him; my heart was running amok."Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for Zara! "My heart stopped. Of all names, Zara.She walked out towards the stage, and for this one moment, in surreal fashion, the whole world did this weird flip around her. It was her, Zara; my Zara, this woman whom I had looked
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 64
Kai's POVThe host strode up the stage, his voice sonorously resounding in the luxurious ballroom and pulling me out of my conversation with Alina and Lena. I had been waiting for a reason, any reason, to tune out of their chit-chat, and it seemed I finally had one.“Ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer spoke dramatically. “We are really privileged to introduce to you the CEO of Hartmann Enterprises: a man of vision, of legacy, who brings with him not just an empire but the promise of a new future.”I covered a yawn; the interest was just about nil. Each night was one and the same: a platform of cash and prestige filled with people dying to show off their influence. But as he went on further, I really did wrap myself up in one phrase that said: "A man of legacy." It resonated, though I couldn't quite place why."Tonight, please welcome… Michael Hartmann!”I straightened; my eyes narrowed. Hartmann. The name sounded to reverberate in my brain, tugging from a memory buried deep. I could
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 63
Lena's POVThe crystal chandeliers above cast soft golden glows on the finest of Berlin. I snapped the diamond bracelet onto my wrist and then turned to Liam standing beside me; his expression was set in that mask of disinterest so characteristic. He hadn't said a word all evening, but that didn't matter. Tonight was not about him-it was about appearances. And I needed ours to be impeccable."Can you believe this?" I said beaming, taking in the passing guests. "This CEO that everyone's talking about-he's already causing such a stir and he hasn't even arrived yet. Apparently he's young, from New Zealand and his family's legacy is-what's the word I'm looking for? Legendary.”Liam nodded shortly, his gaze already roving to the exits. I clench my teeth, hoping he would just bloody well fake interest in this. My voice didn't quiver as I plunged on, "Father is talking about a partnership, and if we play our cards right, it's going to be a translation of more influence inside Berlin business
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 62
Kai's POVI stared blankly at the woman across from me as my brain went numb, listening to her list all that she had accomplished, all of those high-end fashion events she had attended, and all those awards she had won. More than full-fledged into the fifth minute of elaboration about her high-end fashion career, her voice rose with each sentence ringing with pride.".and last year, I received the European Fashion Innovator award," she concluded, her chin just that fraction higher. "Honestly, it felt like a walkover without stress. I was kind of disappointed, all the others were just no competition at all. You understand how that goes, Kai-mediocrity has no standing against true talent.”I didn't change expression, only nodded a little to forward the encouragement. It was a trick I'd gotten pretty good at: the supportive nod and the accompanying hum that let people know I was really, really paying attention. She didn't catch on that I hadn't said a word in the last ten minutes. Or may
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 61
Kai's POVI stared blankly at the paper works in front of me, my mind was far from it. Three years…. Three years of searching, of questions that had gone unanswered, of nights that had gone with sleeplessness. Three years of wondering if Zara even remembered me, if she still thought of me-or if she was already lost in a world with someone else. And if she was… Is she raising our child with him? At the thought, my chest tightened with churning anger in my tummy, like a bitter edge.A knock on my door yanked me out of the spiral my thoughts had taken."Come in," I said, gruffer than I intended.My mother stepped in, the lines of her face set in that soft look of concern she had been wearing of late. "Kai," she said softly, seating herself across from me. "It's late. You should be home, rather than burying your nose in work.”"Work's all I have left, Mother," I replied flatly, without emotion, uncaring if the honesty hurt. The concern swirled in her eyes, but after years of her hinting a
MARRIAGE PACT Chapter 60
KAI'S POVI pulled up to the address Mark had given me, eyes narrowing as I took in the tall gray façade of the building. A hospital. My chest clenched as anxiety crept up my throat. Why would Zara be here? Has she been hurt? And what about the baby? My baby. But no sooner was I inside, the sliding of automated doors, the sterile smell of antiseptic hitting my nostrils, did little to improve my disposition. My eyes did a quick sweep of the waiting room before they settled upon the receptionist, a girl, probably in her early twenties, fidgeting over a stack of files.I approached her; urgency practically dripped from my pores. "Excuse me," I said, stammering and fighting to keep the shakiness out of my voice. "I'm trying to find someone, a patient named Zara Adler. She was just recently admitted here this month."She looked up at me, with a courteous expression, voice detached. "Let me check," she said, fingers already racing across her keyboard. "Zara Adler, you said?""Yes, Zara Ad
