All Chapters of MARRIAGE PACT: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

MICHAEL'S POVI was on the other side of this neatly polished mahogany desk, tapping my fingers down onto its edges, fidgeting but feigning interest in the documents laid before me. The atmosphere hung, suspended in heavy tautness like a drawn breath-a type which seeps into the bones and with each breadth takes a chance.Mr. Klein sat at the head of the table, impassive-looking but beneath those piercing eyes of an eagle which has just flown over its would-be prey leaning backward in her chair beside him. Lena drummed her fingers on the corner of the folder.“You are silent, Mr. Hartmann," Mr. Klein said as the smoothness in his voice was but varnish for that subtle challenge in the eyes of a man who knows how much weight his words carry. "What is your feeling regarding our proposal?”I leaned back in my chair, making a display of seeming thoughtful. But in fact, I knew just from the moment that they came through the door. That was the break Zara and I needed."It's… ambitious," I sai

ZARA'S POVThe place was a sight to behold, a perfect harmony of elegance and extravagance. It was beautiful, but no amount of beauty could cloak the tense atmosphere that seemed to crackle beneath my skin; I could feel it, an unsaid storm looming above us.Michael stood beside me, his hand brushing mine in a silent reassurance as we watched the guests take their seats. I wasn't aware if he knew how tightly I was clutching on to the edge of my clutch, but today's events had my nerves raw.I tried to block out the tight knot in my chest as Lena came into view, an intricate creation of lace and pearls that shimmered in soft light. The smile across her face glitter, though for one who knew her like me, the cracks around it stood a mile off.Mr. Klein reached us, his face split into this all-so-familiar fatherly grin. That made my stomach churn."Zara," he said warmly, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I'm glad you're here. It means a lot to Lena, you know."I forced a tight smile, biting b

KAI'S POV It wasn't different, with only her across from me with this feeling of walking right into the memory I had kept locked up tight all these years. There she sat, so quiet-faced, almost uninterested, as though the silence of three endless years chiseled no abyss in my world. Steady tapping fingers upon her laptop continued through the air, while the whirlwind which swept inside my insides found no deafening.The files lay in front of me, but all was a blur of numbers in front of my eyes as I tried to focus. All that could surface was her,, that woman who turned my life upside down and then vanished into thin air.I leaned back and felt this tension in my chest unbearable. "We can't keep pretending this is normal," I finally said, breaking the silence.She gave no heed for a moment, her fingers hovering over the keyboard, then continued as if I hadn't spoken."Zara," I went on, my voice crisp. "Are you just going to ignore me or actually tell me why you vanished?”Her fingers s

Zara's POVI strode into the conference room, my head high, a smooth mask of indifference firmly in place. It was a fragile dance this partnership with Kai required; precision and constant vigilance not to slip up at one wrong move. He, too, was studying me closely, his eyes digging for chinks in my armor.I would give him none.I settled across from Kai, the echo of Michael's warning still playing out in my head. "Be careful, Zara," he'd said. "Kai isn't the same man you left behind. He's dangerous now, unpredictable."He wasn't wrong. Every time we entered a room together, tension seemed to hum in the undercurrents. Kai was unrelenting; his intentions as murky as they were unnerving.But I wasn't that woman anymore. I knew how to play the hard games, and I would win."Ready to begin?" I asked, light, professional.Kai leaned back in his chair, his gaze never leaving mine. "Always."Smooth and calculated, the tone was. There was almost something predatory in the way he looked at me,

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