Chapter 689:

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As she turned to head back inside, she glanced over her shoulder. Alistair was watching her go, a small, genuine smile on his face. And she realized with a jolt that she hadn’t made the gesture as a strategy or a power move. She had done it because she had genuinely wanted to. She had publicly, willingly stepped into the role of his wife, and to her utter astonishment, it felt surprisingly, unnervingly right.

The evening before the wedding ceremony was a flurry of quiet, efficient activity. The country estate buzzed with florists, caterers, and event planners making their final preparations.

Sloane stood alone on the stone balcony of her suite, a cashmere wrap pulled tightly around her shoulders. She stared down at the massive, elegantly lit tent erected on the snow-dusted lawn, a cathedral of white canvas and fairy lights.

Despite the recent, surprising thaw between them, a wave of cold dread washed over her. She had accepted the practicalities of their union. She had even found herself intrigued by the man behind the corporate armor. But the ceremony felt different. It felt final. It felt like a public lie, cementing a transaction. She was closing the biggest deal of her life, and the thought made her feel hollow and cold.

The French doors opened behind her. Alistair stepped out onto the balcony. He had shed his CEO persona for the evening, dressed simply in a dark grey cashmere sweater and trousers. He saw the tension in her shoulders, the emotional wall she had rebuilt.

“Second thoughts?” he asked quietly, coming to stand beside her at the balustrade, not touching.

Sloane wrapped her arms around herself, a defensive gesture. “This just feels… transactional,” she admitted, her voice barely a whisper against the quiet night. “I feel like I should be preparing a closing statement, not vows.” She turned to him, her expression guarded. “Alistair, I think it would be best if we maintained separate suites after this. And separate lives. As business partners do.”

He was silent for a long moment, his gaze fixed on the distant lights of the city. Then he turned to face her, his expression uncharacteristically serious.

𝗜𝘯𝗍𝘦𝗇ѕ𝗲 𝗋𝘰mа𝗻се 𝗈𝗇 g𝗮𝗅𝘯o𝘷𝗲l𝗌.𝘤𝗼𝗆

“I need to tell you something, Sloane.”

His voice was firm, demanding her full attention. When she tried to turn away, to retreat back into the room, he stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

“When my father first proposed this merger,” he began, his eyes locked on hers, “I was against it. I have never believed in arranged marriages.”

Sloane stared at him, confused. This contradicted everything she had assumed.

“I was prepared to refuse the deal entirely,” he continued, his voice low and steady. “I told my father I would find another way to absorb the Kensington assets after your company inevitably filed for bankruptcy protection.”

The casual brutality of the statement should have angered her, but she was too captivated by the story to react.

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