MARRIED FOR TIME

Chapter 10

*Valerie’s Pov*

I spun around to face him, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, my eyes wide with embarrassment.

"I was just thirsty!" I gasped out, trying desperately to cover up the humiliating truth. "And I ran down here because I actually have a solution to our problem, not to listen to your ridiculous ego."

Bastien walked over to the parlor sofa, taking a seat and crossing one leg over the other. He leaned his head back, his fingers slowly rubbing his sharp jawline as he evaluated me. "Alright. Let's hear it."

I took a deep breath and pitched Clara's exact strategy—the orphanage visit, the massive corporate donation, and using the event to announce a formal celebration of our marriage to completely shift the media's focus away from the brawl.

Bastien stared at me for a long moment, the mocking look fading into a genuine, dark amusement. "Well, look at that. I didn't know I married a marketing strategist," he said, a slow, teasing smirk spreading across his face.

My brows twisted into a fierce frown. "Yeah, well, someone has to be the smart one, considering you’re completely dumb," I retorted with a mocking, triumphant smile.

Before he could respond, I spun on my heel and bolted toward the front door.

"Hey! Watch that sharp mouth of yours!" Bastien called out, instantly leaping off the sofa and giving chase. We raced through the grand hallways of the estate, our laughter echoing off the high ceilings until we both finally skidded to a halt near the foyer, breathing heavily as we caught our breath.

Bastien looked down at me, the playful glint in his silver eyes softening. "Alright, play time is over. Let's go to the orphanage."

Before I could even take a step toward the door, Bastien moved forward. With a swift, effortless motion, he swept me completely off my feet, cradling me securely against his chest as he walked out to the waiting car.

"I have perfectly functioning legs, Bastien. I can walk," I protested, my hands gripping his shoulders for balance.

"I never said you couldn't," he murmured smoothly, placing me gently onto the passenger seat and slamming the car door shut before I could argue.

---

When we arrived at the local orphanage, the back of the car was packed to the brim with premium gifts and supplies. The director and the staff welcomed us with immense warmth, completely oblivious to the corporate warfare raging in the tabloids. Bastien immediately stepped into the main office to handle the heavy financial donations and discuss long-term funding, while I eagerly headed toward the back kitchen to assist the sweet elderly cooks preparing lunch for the children.

As I was stirring a large pot of soup, smiling warmly at a joke one of the older women made, I felt a gentle tug on the hem of my shirt.

I looked down. A little boy, around five years old, was standing there holding a bright red playground ball. He looked up at me with wide, hopeful eyes. "Can you play with me, miss?" he asked, a shy smile breaking across his face.

My heart melted instantly. I bent down and carefully scooped him into my arms. "You want to play ball? Of course I will," I said softly, carrying him out of the bustling kitchen and leading him toward the wide, grassy playing field behind the main building.

We spent the next thirty minutes tossing the ball back and forth. I noticed the other children playing together near the swings, completely ignoring our section of the yard.

"How come you aren't playing with the other kids, sweetie?" I asked, sitting down on the grass as the ball rolled back to me. "What's your name?"

"I'm Ben," he whispered, looking down at his sneakers. "I... I'm too shy to talk to them. They already have their own groups." He suddenly looked up, his eyes bright with a new idea. "Can we play hide-and-seek instead? Please?"

"Alright, Ben. You go hide, and I'll count to twenty," I agreed, closing my eyes and resting my head against a large oak tree.

I counted slowly, listening to the faint sound of his little footsteps scattering into the distance. "...nineteen, twenty! Ready or not, here I come!" I called out, pushing myself up from the grass.

I began wandering the perimeter of the field, calling his name into the cooling air. "Ben! Come out, come out, wherever you are!" No answer. I checked behind the equipment sheds, under the benches, and near the thick treeline bordering the property. The sun was dipping rapidly below the horizon, casting long, eerie shadows across the ground.

Suddenly, a faint, muffled sound cut through the rustling leaves.

It was a sharp, terrified cry.

My motherly instincts locked in instantly. "Ben?!" I shouted, sprinting at full speed toward the dense brush at the edge of the woods.

I pushed through the thick thorns, following the sound of his frantic sobbing, until the ground suddenly dropped away beneath my feet. I skidded to a halt right at the edge of a deep, forgotten concrete construction pit. Looking down into the shadows, my stomach dropped. Ben was curled into a ball at the very bottom, crying hysterically as the dark evening air turned freezing cold.

"Ben! Hold on, sweetie, I'm right here!" I yelled down, my eyes frantically darting around the clearing for a rope, a ladder, or a branch. There was nothing.

Looking at my outfit, desperation took over. I gripped the fabric of my long cardigan and the hem of my heavy shirt, using every ounce of my strength to violently tear the material into thick, long strips. Kneeling on the damp dirt, I tied the arms and the shredded fabric together, knotting them tightly to create a makeshift rope.

I lowered the fabric line into the dark pit, stretching my arms as far as they could go. "Ben! Grab onto the cloth! Pull yourself up!"

Down below, the little boy's crying was growing faint. His small body was shivering violently, and his eyelids were dangerously heavy, fluttering shut against the cold. He was slipping into hypothermia. He couldn't even lift his arms to reach the line.

"Ben! Stay awake! I'm coming down to help you, okay?!" Tears blurred my vision as I leaned over the mud-slicked edge, desperately stretching my fingers down to try and hook his jacket.

Suddenly, the loose earth beneath my boots gave way completely.

A sharp gasp escaped my lips as I lost my footing. I slid violently over the edge, tumbling down the rough, concrete wall of the pit. A sickening *crack* echoed through the dark space as my ankle twisted violently beneath my weight, sending a blinding white flash of agony straight through my brain.

I screamed out in pain, collapsing onto the hard dirt floor of the pit. Clutching my throbbing leg, I dragged myself across the ground until I reached Ben's motionless form. I immediately wrapped my arms around his freezing, rigid body, pulling him tightly against my chest to share my remaining body warmth.

Trembling with pure terror, my hand flew to my pockets, desperately searching for my phone to call Bastien.

Nothing. It wasn't there.

A horrific realization crashed over me—I had left my phone sitting right on the kitchen counter back at the orphanage. The darkness closed in around us, the temperature dropping rapidly as the shadows of the pit cut us off completely from the outside world.