The Billionaire's Arranged Bride

Chapter 6

The Billionaire's Arranged Bride

Chapter 6

The Woman Behind the Name

The following morning, Astrid woke up to a strange realization.

She missed Trey.

She stared at the ceiling.

"No."

She immediately rejected the thought.

She had only been living in his house for a few days.

They had gone on one date.

One.

That did not give her permission to miss him.

She grabbed her phone from the bedside table.

No messages.

Astrid frowned.

Why was she checking?

She put the phone down.

Then picked it up again.

Still nothing.

"Stop it."

She threw the phone onto the bed.

Five minutes later, she checked it again.

Still nothing.

This was ridiculous.

Trey had work. She knew that.

He wasn't required to send her good morning messages every day.

Still...

She had gotten used to them.

And that was the problem.

She was getting used to him.

---

By ten in the morning, Astrid decided she needed something to do.

She went downstairs and found one of the household staff arranging flowers in the living room.

"Can I help?"

The woman looked surprised.

"You don't have to, Miss Astrid."

"I know."

Astrid smiled.

"But I want to."

She helped for almost an hour.

It was simple work, but she enjoyed it.

The house felt less intimidating when she was doing something ordinary inside it.

When they finished, Astrid stepped back and looked at the flowers.

"Much better."

She smiled.

Then she realized something.

The house was slowly starting to look like her.

Not completely.

But a little.

There were groceries she had chosen.

Books she had brought.

A small vase she'd placed on the dining table.

A blanket she'd left on the sofa.

Tiny things.

But they made the place feel less like Trey's house.

And more like theirs.

The thought made her stop.

Theirs?

Astrid shook her head.

"Okay. Too soon."

---

At noon, her phone finally rang.

"Trey?"

"Hi."

His voice immediately made her smile.

"Hi."

"Did I wake you?"

"No. I've been awake for hours."

"I see."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Astrid narrowed her eyes even though he couldn't see her.

"You're laughing."

"Maybe."

"You're making fun of me."

"I wouldn't dare."

She smiled.

"How's work?"

"Busy."

"Did you eat?"

"Not yet."

Astrid sighed.

"Again?"

"I'll eat later."

"No."

There was silence.

"No?"

"No."

She stood up.

"Where are you?"

"At the office."

"I'll bring you lunch."

"You don't have to."

"I know."

He laughed.

"You really like saying that."

"Yes."

"And what if I tell you I'll eat?"

"I won't believe you."

"You're becoming very bossy."

"Someone has to."

There was another pause.

Then Trey said, "All right."

Astrid smiled.

"Good."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

---

An hour later, Astrid arrived at the Santillan Group headquarters.

The building was enormous.

Glass walls.

Polished floors.

People in suits moving quickly in every direction.

Astrid suddenly felt very out of place.

She approached the reception desk.

"I'm here to see Trey Santillan."

The receptionist looked up.

Her eyes widened slightly.

"Miss Aragon?"

Astrid nodded.

"Yes."

The receptionist immediately stood.

"Of course. Mr. Santillan is expecting you."

Astrid blinked.

"He is?"

"Yes."

Apparently, Trey had already told them she was coming.

She followed an assistant toward the elevator.

As the doors opened, she stepped inside.

"Ma'am," the assistant said politely, "Mr. Santillan's office is on the top floor."

Astrid nodded.

"Thank you."

When the elevator doors closed, she exhaled.

She hadn't expected to feel nervous.

It wasn't like she was meeting him for the first time.

But this was his world.

His company.

His territory.

And she suddenly understood why people found him intimidating.

---

The elevator opened.

Astrid stepped out.

The atmosphere was different from the rest of the building.

Quieter.

More controlled.

His executive assistant approached her.

"Miss Aragon, Mr. Santillan is finishing a meeting."

"It's okay. I'll wait."

The assistant smiled.

"You can wait inside his office."

Astrid nodded.

She entered.

His office was exactly what she expected.

Large windows.

Dark furniture.

A huge desk.

Everything perfectly organized.

There wasn't a single unnecessary thing.

Astrid walked toward the window.

The city stretched beneath her.

She had barely finished looking around when the door opened.

Trey walked in with two men behind him.

He stopped when he saw her.

For a moment, his expression softened.

"You came."

Astrid held up the lunch bag.

"You haven't eaten."

One of the men looked between them.

Trey noticed.

"Gentlemen, this is Astrid."

He didn't say my future wife.

He didn't say the woman I'm being forced to marry.

He simply said her name.

And somehow, Astrid liked that.

The men greeted her politely before leaving.

Once the door closed, Trey walked toward her.

"You didn't have to come all the way here."

"I know."

He smiled.

"You're impossible."

"I've been told."

She handed him the bag.

"Eat."

"Yes, ma'am."

Astrid laughed.

"You're making fun of me."

"Never."

---

They ate lunch together in his office.

Astrid looked around.

"You spend most of your day here?"

"Usually."

"Don't you get tired?"

"Sometimes."

She looked at him.

"You always say that."

"Say what?"

"Sometimes. Maybe. Depends."

Trey smiled.

"You notice."

"I told you. I notice things."

He leaned back in his chair.

"What else have you noticed?"

Astrid thought about it.

"You work too much."

He nodded.

"You don't eat properly."

Another nod.

"You don't decorate."

He looked around his office.

"I don't see the problem."

"It's depressing."

He laughed.

"It's an office."

"Still."

"What else?"

Astrid looked at him.

"You're not as scary as people think."

That made him pause.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"That's disappointing."

She laughed.

"I said you're not scary. I didn't say you're not intimidating."

"What's the difference?"

"You're intimidating when you're quiet."

"And when I talk?"

"You're annoying."

Trey smiled.

"Better."

Astrid smiled back.

---

After lunch, Trey had another meeting.

Astrid decided to wait.

She sat on the sofa and opened a book.

Twenty minutes passed.

Then thirty.

Then almost an hour.

Eventually, Trey came back.

He stopped when he saw her still there.

"You stayed."

"You told me to wait."

"I didn't expect you to actually wait."

Astrid raised an eyebrow.

"You're the one who said you'd be back."

"I know."

She closed her book.

"Then I waited."

Something in his expression changed.

Not dramatically.

Just enough for her to notice.

"Thank you."

She smiled.

"You're welcome."

---

On the drive home, Trey was unusually quiet.

Astrid glanced at him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You're quiet."

"I'm thinking."

"About?"

He kept his eyes on the road.

"You."

Astrid blinked.

"Me?"

"Yes."

She waited.

"What about me?"

"You came to my office."

"Yes."

"You brought me lunch."

"Yes."

"You waited for me."

Astrid shrugged.

"That's what people do when they care."

The words slipped out.

She immediately looked away.

Trey didn't say anything.

After a few seconds, he asked quietly,

"Do you care about me?"

Astrid swallowed.

She didn't know how to answer.

They had known each other for such a short time.

Yet the answer felt obvious.

"I think I do."

Trey glanced at her.

"Think?"

She smiled nervously.

"I'm still figuring it out."

He nodded.

"That's fair."

Then, after a moment, he added,

"I care about you too."

Astrid looked at him.

She didn't expect him to say it.

The silence between them felt different now.

Softer.

Warmer.

More dangerous.

---

That night, Astrid stood in front of the mirror while removing her earrings.

She thought about everything that had happened.

The grocery shopping.

The dinner.

Their first date.

The lunch she brought him.

The way he had looked at her when she said she cared.

This was no longer just an arrangement in her mind.

Something was changing.

Slowly.

Quietly.

She wasn't in love with him.

Not yet.

But she was beginning to care.

And maybe that was how it started.

Not with grand declarations.

Not with flowers or dramatic kisses.

But with coffee at six in the morning.

Someone remembering what you liked for breakfast.

A text asking if you'd eaten.

And a man who was supposed to be a stranger slowly becoming the person you looked for when you entered a room.

Astrid smiled at herself.

"This is dangerous."

Across the hall, Trey was thinking the exact same thing.

He had spent years keeping people at a distance.

He had built walls around his personal life and convinced himself he was perfectly comfortable behind them.

Then Astrid walked into his life.

She didn't demand anything.

She didn't try to impress him.

She didn't treat him differently because he was a billionaire.

She simply treated him like Trey.

And somehow, that was the most dangerous thing of all.

Because he was beginning to realize that he didn't just want this arrangement to work.

He wanted her to stay.