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Chapter 31

Penulis: Michy Gaza
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2024-12-03 03:11:17

The estate was silent, save for the faint hum of the night wind brushing against the windows.

Alexander made his way through the hall, his movements slower than usual.

As he approached the master bedroom, he hesitated, his hand resting on the doorknob.

Am I doing this for her... or for me?

The thought froze him for a moment, but then he pushed the door open quietly.

The soft glow of the bedside lamp illuminated the room in a warm, golden light.

Sarah was sprawled across the bed, her hair a dark halo against the white pillows.

One hand clutched the edge of the blanket, and her face was turned slightly toward his side of the bed, as if she’d unconsciously sought his presence.

Alexander wheeled closer, his movements careful to avoid waking her.

She looked peaceful in sleep, the faintest curve of a smile on her lips.

For a moment, he just watched her, his heart tightening in a way that was both foreign and achingly familiar.

What is it about her?

He had met countless women in his life, mo
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  • The Disabled CEO's Swapped Bride   Chapter 32

    At breakfast, the dining room was unusually quiet.The morning light streamed through the tall windows, casting a warm glow on the elaborate spread prepared by the staff.Sarah sat across from Alexander, nervously fidgeting with her fork as the tension in the room became palpable.Alexander’s mother, Beatrice Blake, was seated at the head of the table, her sharp gaze flitting between her son and Sarah like a hawk circling its prey.She sipped her tea delicately, her composure as impeccable as ever, but the disdain in her posture was unmistakable.“Sarah,” Beatrice finally spoke, her tone clipped. “I trust you’ve had sufficient time to learn the responsibilities that come with being Alexander’s wife.”Sarah’s hand froze mid motion.She looked up, meeting Beatrice’s cool, assessing stare. “I’m doing my best,” she replied evenly, though her voice betrayed a hint of nervousness.Evelyn’s lips thinned. “Doing one’s best is admirable, of course. But this family requires excellence, not effo

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-03
  • The Disabled CEO's Swapped Bride   Chapter 33

    The jewelry division was a stark contrast to the sleek, modern aesthetic of the rest of the Blake Group.The offices were filled with vibrant sketches, dazzling prototypes, and intricate displays of finished pieces.The air buzzed with creative energy, and Sarah immediately felt a spark of excitement.“Impressive, isn’t it?” Alexander said, watching her reaction.“It’s beautiful,” Sarah admitted, her eyes roaming over the displays.“Good. You’ll be spending more time here,” he said casually.She turned to him, surprised. “What do you mean?”“I mean, you’ll be helping me manage this division,” Alexander replied. “I trust your instincts.”Sarah stared at him, stunned. “You trust me? You barely know me.”“I know enough,” Alexander said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “You’re my wife, and I’d rather rely on you than anyone else.”His words left her speechless.As they toured the department, Alexander explained his vision for elevating the jewelry division.Sarah listened intently,

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-04
  • The Disabled CEO's Swapped Bride   Chapter 34

    That evening, Sarah sat in the spacious lounge of their estate, her sketchbook open on her lap.The pencil in her hand moved aimlessly, creating faint lines that didn’t form anything meaningful.Her mind was far from focused on design tonight.The guilt was beginning to creep in.She glanced over at Alexander, who was seated by the grand fireplace, a glass of whiskey in hand as he reviewed documents from his meeting.His sharp profile was illuminated by the flickering firelight, and he exuded an air of quiet authority.He deserves to know, Sarah thought.Her gaze shifted back to the sketchbook, where she had subconsciously begun to outline a design, a delicate mountain rose pendant with tiny, intricate petals. It was her signature, the hallmark of her secret identity.The Mountain Rose brand had been her escape, her sanctuary. It was the part of her that she’d built entirely on her own, without the influence of the Caldwells or the Blakes. But as the days passed, the secrecy weighed h

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-04
  • The Disabled CEO's Swapped Bride   Chapter 35

    Saturday dawned softly over the Blake estate, golden sunlight streaming through the floor to ceiling windows.Sarah stirred, her thoughts already spinning about the day ahead.Today wasn’t for leisurely shopping or exploring the city, it was for her.Her heart raced as she mentally rehearsed her plan.She had arranged to visit Margaret Windsor’s private studio, where her designs for Paris Fashion Week would finally come to life.The idea of seeing her sketches transformed into reality made her giddy, but the weight of secrecy loomed over her.The lie wasn’t ideal, but it was necessary. Alexander couldn’t know, not yet.As she dressed in casual but stylish attire, she practiced her story one last time.The key was keeping it simple and plausible.Sarah walked into the dining room, where Alexander was already seated, sipping coffee and scrolling through his tablet.He glanced up, his sharp blue eyes softening when he saw her.“Good morning,” he said, setting the tablet aside.“Morning,”

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-05
  • The Disabled CEO's Swapped Bride   Chapter 36

    Sarah felt a rush of freedom as she walked away from the car and toward the entrance of the mall.Her heels clicked on the polished floor, each step punctuating the growing sense of independence in her chest.No one knew who she was here. No one was watching her every move.She moved quickly, blending into the crowd, her brown hair tucked under a simple cap to keep her more incognito.The usual anonymity of the city felt comforting for once. But her destination wasn’t a boutique or any of the department stores that lined the shopping district.No, she had something far more important to do today. And it was a risk, but it was a necessary one.Sarah had no intention of sticking around here for long.She was already formulating her escape route in her mind as she passed by the perfume counter, the bustling food court, and the high end shops.The idea was simple, slip out of sight, use a side exit, and hail a cab.The less attention, the better.She took a few turns around corners, casua

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-05
  • The Disabled CEO's Swapped Bride   Chapter 37

    The hum of the taxi’s engine was steady, a comforting backdrop to Sarah’s swirling thoughts.She leaned back into the slightly worn seat, the faint scent of upholstery cleaner mingling with city air wafting in through the open window.Her heart still raced with the adrenaline of her session at Margaret’s studio.The sketches had come to life in her hands, transforming from ideas into prototypes that carried the weight of her dreams.Her mind replayed every moment, Margaret’s approving nods, the way her hands worked swiftly yet delicately, and the glowing feedback she had received.For a brief moment, Sarah allowed herself to imagine the Paris Fashion Week showcase.The bright lights, the applause, the thrill of seeing her designs worn by elegant models on the runway, it felt like the culmination of everything she had worked for in secret.She could almost hear the hum of approval from an enraptured crowd.But as the taxi rolled over a bump, jolting her slightly, reality came crashing

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-06
  • The Disabled CEO's Swapped Bride   Chapter 38

    Swallowing her rising panic, Sarah hurried back toward the mall entrance.If William wasn’t inside, then maybe he had gone looking for her outside. She pushed through the heavy glass doors, the cool air hitting her like a slap.The parking lot was still and eerily quiet compared to the mall’s bustle. William’s car was exactly where it had been, unchanged. But the sight of it now felt more ominous than reassuring.She stood there for a moment, unsure of her next move.Should she wait by the car and hope he returned?Or should she try to find a security guard and ask for help?Her hands clenched into fists as frustration bubbled up.She had always been resourceful, but this situation felt different. It wasn’t just her own safety she had to consider, it was the secrets she carried, the life she was building, and the consequences if anyone found out the truth.Sarah took a deep breath, steadying herself. If William didn’t show up soon, she would hail another taxi and head home.She could

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-06
  • The Disabled CEO's Swapped Bride   Chapter 39

    Sarah’s breath caught in her throat as she stood at the top of the stairs, the muffled voices growing clearer.Her legs felt leaden, but curiosity and a gnawing sense of unease propelled her forward.She descended quietly, her bare feet barely making a sound on the carpeted steps.As she reached the main floor, she noticed that the voices were coming from somewhere deeper within the house, somewhere hidden.Her pulse quickened when she spotted a slightly ajar door near the back of the kitchen. A soft light spilled out from behind it, illuminating the otherwise dim hallway.Taking a deep breath, Sarah slipped through the doorway and found herself at the top of a narrow staircase leading down.The air grew cooler with each step, and the sound of voices became sharper, echoing faintly in the confined space.She descended cautiously, her hand brushing against the cool, stone walls for support.At the bottom of the stairs, she came to a heavy, reinforced door, which stood slightly ajar.Th

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-07

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  • The Disabled CEO's Swapped Bride   Chapter 255

    Sarah stayed curled in Alexander’s arms for a long moment, breathing him in like he was the only tether keeping her from floating away.His hand cradled the back of her head, his chest rising and falling in unsteady waves as if he still couldn’t believe she was real, that she was here.But then her eyes drifted down.Her gaze locked on the white sheets, crumpled and slightly lifted around his lower half.Something tugged at her memory, the shot.The sharp crack of a bullet.The sight of him falling behind her as she ran, screaming his name. Her stomach twisted.She leaned back slightly, her hand moving instinctively to the edge of the blanket, brushing against the thick padding of a cast beneath.Her voice was soft. “You were shot… I remember… I...”Alexander caught her hand gently, pressing it to his lips. “It’s okay. I’m here.”But Sarah’s heart had already begun to race again. “You were limping… and I saw… but I didn’t know it was this bad.” Her eyes darted toward the crutches now

  • The Disabled CEO's Swapped Bride   Chapter 254

    The first thing Sarah registered was the scent of antiseptic, clean, sharp, and nauseating.Then came the ache. Deep in her bones. In her chest. In the marrow of her soul.She stirred, her fingers twitching over crisp hospital sheets as her body shifted ever so slightly, and her mind scrambled to catch up.She wasn’t tied down. She wasn’t cold anymore. She wasn’t in that dark room. That house. That… nightmare.She was safe.Or… something like it.Her eyes fluttered open slowly, lashes damp from tears she hadn’t even known she’d been crying.The ceiling was a sterile white blur. The walls hummed faintly with distant activity, soft footfalls, medical monitors, the low murmur of conversation somewhere outside the door.But none of it mattered.Because he wasn’t there.And without him, none of this felt real.Her lips parted, cracked and dry, and she tried to speak. Tried to push out the name that had lived on the edge of every prayer she'd whispered during captivity.It came out broken a

  • The Disabled CEO's Swapped Bride   Chapter 253

    Alexander turned his head, his eyes bloodshot and glistening. “I’ll be a burden now. She’ll never say it, but I’ll see it in her eyes. Pity. Guilt. I’d rather she hate me than pity me.”“She’s not that kind of woman,” Darius said firmly.A pause. Then Alexander swallowed hard and asked the question that had been clawing at him since the moment the doctor said the word paralysis.“What if she stays… just because she thinks she owes me?”Darius’s brow furrowed. “Then you remind her what you both have been through. Remind her who the hell you are. And what you mean to each other.”Silence again.Then Alexander leaned back against the pillows and stared up at the ceiling. “Gerald got away.”Darius’s expression hardened. “Barely. One of my men put a tracker on his vehicle before he escaped. Victoria got caught in the crossfire. Gerald used her,” Darius replied coldly. “He doesn’t care who dies as long as he gets what he wants.”Alexander’s jaw clenched. “Then we’ll burn every last shadow h

  • The Disabled CEO's Swapped Bride   Chapter 252

    The sterile beep of Alexander’s heart monitor filled the hospital room like a metronome, steady and soft. The worst had passed, so the doctors said. He had survived the bullets, the blood loss, the surgery. He had defied death.But outside the room, just as Darius turned to check on Sarah again, something in her expression shifted.Relief.That was the first thing he saw.A full bodied, all consuming relief that weakened her spine, dulled her eyes, and uncoiled every taut muscle that had kept her upright through pain, fear, and heartbreak.Then she crumpled.“Sarah...!” Darius lunged forward and caught her just before her knees slammed into the polished floor.Her body was limp in his arms, barely conscious, her breathing shallow and unsteady. Her bloodied hands slipped against his shirt as he pulled her close, his voice sharp and commanding as he yelled over his shoulder, “Get a doctor! Now!”Within seconds, nurses flooded the corridor. A gurney was wheeled over, and Darius laid her d

  • The Disabled CEO's Swapped Bride   Chapter 251

    The woman he’d secretly crushed on since the first night he saved her bleeding and defiant.“Holy shit,” he muttered.But she was already in the driver’s seat.The moment her fingers wrapped around the wheel, she changed. Her spine straightened. Her breath slowed. The fear didn’t vanish, but it sharpened, fused into her bones like steel.And when her foot hit the gas, the tires screamed their fury into the night.The SUV became a blur under her hands.Trees melted past them. Headlights glared like ghosts. The world narrowed to instinct and motion.Sarah didn’t flinch when they nearly sideswiped a truck. She didn’t panic when the back tires fishtailed across loose gravel. She was in it.. back.Back to the part of herself she’d buried when she married into the Blake family.Back to Sparrow.“Hang on,” she said under her breath, glancing at Alexander in the mirror, his head resting in Darius’s lap as the man tried to stop the bleeding.“He’s fading,” Darius warned. “We’ve got fifteen min

  • The Disabled CEO's Swapped Bride   Chapter 250

    The air turned electric as Darius’s boots pounded the forest floor, his rifle cradled tight against his shoulder. His men moved ahead of him like shadows, silent, fast, lethal.Their coordinated breaths were drowned out by the distant echoes of gunfire erupting from the estate.Alexander was still fighting.He was alive.But for how long?“Alpha to all units,” Darius growled into his earpiece, “entry on my mark. Hostile count is high. Primary objective, get Alexander out alive. Secondary level anyone who tries to stop us.”“Copy that,” came a chorus of calm, battle hardened voices.Behind him, the night swallowed his words.But not all of it.He turned briefly, his sharp gaze locking onto Sarah, who stood beside the black SUV Darius had arrived in. Her body trembled, her eyes red from tears, but she had not collapsed.She hadn’t fallen apart.And that, Darius admired deeply.“Can you drive?” he asked, voice hard but not unkind.Sarah blinked, startled. “What?”“If this goes south, we’

  • The Disabled CEO's Swapped Bride   Chapter 249

    SarahShe sat on the floor, trembling hands curled around a piece of porcelain, a broken teacup she’d stashed away after a “servant” delivered tea hours ago.The sharp edge glittered in her shaking grip.She was pale.Her lips cracked from dehydration. Her dress hung off her like it didn’t belong to her anymore. Her eyes were void. Empty.As if she was no longer here.“Just one cut,” she whispered to herself. “Just one cut and I’ll see him again.”She looked up, eyes glassy, smile fragile, as if she could see someone standing in front of her already.“Alexander,” she breathed to the ghost in her mind. “I’m sorry I didn’t wait. I couldn’t. I’m just... so tired…”She raised the shard to her wrist.And a hand caught her.Real. Warm. Strong.Her eyes widened in horror and disbelief. “No…”She turned, and for a heartbeat, she didn’t believe it.But he was there.Kneeling before her.Alexander.His chest heaving from the run. Dirt on his clothes. Gun holstered at his side. Eyes red, wild, b

  • The Disabled CEO's Swapped Bride   Chapter 248

    Alexander hadn’t slept.He couldn’t.His mind was a storm of fury, grief, and determination, all tightly leashed beneath the sharp cut of his suit and the red ring around his eyes that hadn’t dulled since Sarah was taken.The private jet cut across the clouds like a missile, Darius seated across from him, tablet in hand, phone to his ear, speaking in rapid fire to his tech team.“She’s still alive,” Alexander muttered under his breath. Not to Darius. Not even to himself. To the universe. As if daring it to prove him wrong. “She has to be.”Darius finally looked up. “We caught a break. One of Gerald’s men paid a contact to move a chopper from that warehouse. The payment route was unusual, and we traced it to a shell company under a different alias… all leading to one place.”He tapped on the screen and turned it to Alexander.An isolated property on the southern coast. Hills. Forest. A private airstrip nearby. No neighbors for miles.Gerald’s new hideout.“You think he’s keeping her th

  • The Disabled CEO's Swapped Bride   Chapter 247

    Alexander pulled at the collar of his coat, suffocating from the weight of regret.When she had insisted he save Raven, he thought he was doing the right thing.He believed that was what Sarah would want. But now, the decision clawed at his chest like poison.He imagined her now, alone, terrified, thinking he was dead. Thinking he’d abandoned her.And that killed him.With trembling fingers, he grabbed his phone and called the only man he trusted in a crisis this dire.“Pick up,” he growled.The line clicked.“Darius,” Alexander said, his voice steely. “They took her. Gerald, he has her. He flew her out in a chopper. I need you to mobilize everything. I don’t care what you’re doing, who you’re with, drop it. Get me a flight path. Scramble every contact you have in surveillance, air traffic, satellites, everything.”Darius’s voice was sharp, ready. “On it.”“And send a second team. Heavy artillery. No questions. I want Gerald hunted down like the rat he is.”“Consider it done.”Alexand

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