Chapter Five: The Name She Couldn’t Forget
665 Words
Yvonne barely slept that night.
She lay awake, staring at the ceiling as her father’s words repeated in her mind.
Adrian Sterling.
The name belonged to the man she had met earlier.
The man whose eyes had held hers for a little too long.
The man who had helped her find the office without knowing who she was.
And now she was supposed to marry him.
Yvonne turned onto her side and sighed.
“This can’t be happening.”
The next morning, she went downstairs earlier than usual.
Charlotte was already at the breakfast table.
The moment she saw Yvonne, she smiled.
“So you heard.”
Yvonne stopped.
“Heard what?”
“That you’re the one.”
Yvonne slowly sat down.
“The one?”
Charlotte lowered her voice.
“The Sterling bride.”
Yvonne looked at her.
“You seem very happy about that.”
Charlotte smiled.
“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity.”
“Yesterday you didn’t.”
Charlotte’s smile faded for a second.
“I didn’t know the arrangement was with Adrian.”
Yvonne’s eyes narrowed.
“You knew?”
“I knew his name, not the details.”
Charlotte looked away.
“Besides, it doesn’t matter now.”
Yvonne studied her sister.
Something wasn’t right.
Charlotte seemed relieved.
Almost too relieved.
Before Yvonne could question her, Richard entered the room.
“Yvonne, Adrian will be coming this afternoon.”
Her heart skipped.
“Here?”
“Yes.”
Richard sat down.
“You’ll have dinner with him.”
Yvonne nodded slowly.
Charlotte’s expression remained unreadable.
Richard continued, “I want both families to become acquainted before the wedding arrangements begin.”
Yvonne nearly choked.
“Wedding arrangements?”
“We have already agreed on the marriage.”
She looked at him in disbelief.
“You’ve decided everything so quickly.”
“There’s no time to waste.”
Yvonne pushed her chair back.
“I need some air.”
She left the dining room.
Outside, she walked through the garden, trying to calm herself.
She couldn’t understand how her life had changed so quickly.
Yesterday, Adrian had been a stranger.
Today, he was her future husband.
And somewhere deep inside her, she couldn’t deny that the thought didn’t frighten her as much as it should have.
Because when she had looked into his eyes yesterday, she’d felt something.
Something she couldn’t explain.
Meanwhile, across the city, Adrian sat in his office while his father reviewed the agreement.
“You’ll meet Yvonne this afternoon,” Edward said.
Adrian looked up.
“I already met her.”
Edward paused.
“You have?”
“Yesterday.”
A faint smile crossed Adrian’s face.
“She came to deliver some documents.”
Edward studied him.
“And you didn’t know who she was?”
“No.”
Adrian leaned back.
“If I’d known, I probably would’ve behaved differently.”
“Why?”
Adrian was silent.
He remembered the way she had looked at him.
“I don’t know.”
Edward closed the folder.
“You’ll understand soon enough.”
Adrian looked toward the window.
For some reason, he was looking forward to seeing her again.
He just didn’t know why.
Back at the Carter mansion, Yvonne stood in front of her mirror.
She changed outfits three times before finally settling on a simple dress.
She didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard.
She also didn’t want to look like she didn’t care.
When she finally came downstairs, she found Richard waiting.
“You look lovely.”
“Thank you.”
A car pulled into the driveway.
Yvonne’s heart began racing.
Richard looked toward the door.
“He’s here.”
Yvonne took a slow breath.
The door opened.
Adrian stepped inside.
Their eyes met.
And once again, neither of them looked away.
Only this time, Yvonne knew his name.
Adrian.
The little boy from her forgotten past.
The stranger from yesterday.
And now, the man she was supposed to marry.
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