The Bought Wife

The Truth He Hid

"You know something."

The accusation hung heavily in the room.

Zephyr didn't answer.

That was answer enough.

Vesper felt her stomach twist.

The note remained clenched in her hand.

Ask Zephyr why he chose you.

A simple sentence.

Yet somehow it had changed everything.

Slowly, she stepped toward him.

"What aren't you telling me?"

His gaze followed her.

Careful.

Guarded.

The look irritated her instantly.

"No more secrets, Zephyr."

Cassian crossed his arms.

"I agree."

For once, the brothers were on the same side.

Zephyr noticed.

And looked less than thrilled about it.

A tense silence filled the room.

Then he exhaled slowly.

The sound was almost tired.

Almost defeated.

"I didn't choose you because of the marriage contract."

Vesper frowned.

"Then why?"

His eyes locked onto hers.

"You saved my life."

The room went completely silent.

Vesper blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"I've never met you before."

"You have."

Her heartbeat stumbled.

"No."

"Yes."

The confidence in his voice unsettled her.

Because he genuinely believed it.

Cassian looked just as confused.

"When?"

Zephyr's gaze never left Vesper.

"Seven years ago."

Vesper searched her memories.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

"I would remember meeting you."

"You didn't meet Zephyr Draven."

Confusion deepened.

"Then who did I meet?"

For the first time, something softened in his expression.

Something vulnerable.

"You met a man bleeding in an alley."

The memory hit her instantly.

Like lightning.

A rainy night.

A narrow street.

A wounded stranger.

Her breath caught.

Oh.

Oh no.

She remembered.

Seven years ago, while returning home from work, she'd found a man injured behind a restaurant.

He had been unconscious.

Covered in blood.

Barely breathing.

Everyone else had ignored him.

She hadn't.

She'd called an ambulance.

Stayed until help arrived.

Then left.

That was all.

Or so she'd thought.

The realization slowly settled.

Her eyes widened.

"That was you?"

Zephyr nodded.

A strange silence followed.

Because suddenly she remembered more.

The man had grabbed her wrist before the ambulance arrived.

Weakly.

Desperately.

She remembered his voice.

A promise.

A thank you.

Then nothing.

"You remembered me?" she whispered.

A faint smile appeared.

Small.

Rare.

Beautiful.

"I never forgot."

The words hit harder than they should have.

Vesper looked away first.

Her heart was suddenly doing very stupid things.

Dangerous things.

Things she didn't want to examine too closely.

Cassian broke the silence.

"Hold on."

Both turned toward him.

"You married her because she called an ambulance?"

Zephyr looked offended.

"No."

"Then why?"

The CEO remained silent.

Which immediately made Vesper suspicious.

Again.

"What?"

His jaw tightened.

Nothing.

"What?"

Still nothing.

Cassian groaned.

"Just tell us."

Another pause.

Then—

"I started looking for her."

Vesper froze.

The room froze.

Everyone froze.

"You what?"

Zephyr's expression remained calm.

Mostly.

"I looked for you."

"For seven years?"

"Yes."

The answer came too quickly.

Too naturally.

As if searching for a stranger for seven years was completely normal.

It wasn't.

At all.

Vesper stared.

Her mouth opened.

Then closed.

Then opened again.

"You searched for me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

For the first time since she'd met him, Zephyr seemed uncomfortable.

Actually uncomfortable.

The sight was shocking.

Then he answered.

"Because I wanted to see you again."

Her heart skipped.

Hard.

The room suddenly felt too warm.

Too small.

Too intimate.

Cassian's expression darkened.

Noticeably.

But Vesper barely noticed.

Because she couldn't stop staring at Zephyr.

Seven years.

He had looked for her for seven years.

Nobody had ever done something like that for her.

Nobody.

"That's crazy."

A faint smile touched his lips.

"A little."

"A little?"

His smile widened.

"Maybe more than a little."

Against her will, Vesper laughed.

The sound surprised both of them.

Especially her.

For a moment, everything felt lighter.

Simpler.

Until Cassian spoke.

"You should've told her."

The mood shifted instantly.

Because he was right.

Zephyr should have told her.

From the beginning.

Instead, he'd hidden it.

Just like everything else.

Vesper folded her arms.

"Why didn't you?"

His expression hardened slightly.

The vulnerability disappeared.

Replaced by the powerful CEO she knew.

"Because I wasn't sure how you'd react."

She scoffed.

"Probably better than finding out through a creepy note."

Fair point.

Even Zephyr seemed unable to argue.

Then a strange thought occurred to her.

One she couldn't ignore.

"If you were looking for me..."

His gaze sharpened.

"Yes?"

"Then why buy me?"

The question landed like a bomb.

Cassian immediately looked toward his brother.

Waiting.

Watching.

Vesper did the same.

This answer mattered.

A lot.

Zephyr remained silent for several seconds.

Then he took a step toward her.

Only one.

But somehow it felt significant.

His voice lowered.

Deep.

Steady.

Honest.

"Because someone else was going to marry you."

Vesper frowned.

"What?"

"I found out your stepfather was arranging a marriage."

Her stomach dropped.

The arrangement she'd only recently learned about.

The one she'd assumed Zephyr had created.

"You knew?"

"Yes."

"And?"

His eyes darkened.

Something possessive flashed there.

Something that made her pulse race.

"And I didn't like it."

The confession stunned her.

"So you..."

"I stepped in."

The realization hit all at once.

The contract.

The money.

The marriage.

The timing.

It hadn't been random.

Zephyr hadn't bought a wife.

He had stopped another man from getting her first.

The thought left her speechless.

Across the room, Cassian suddenly looked furious.

Because now he understood too.

And so did Vesper.

This had never been business.

Not for Zephyr.

Not from the beginning.

Then Zephyr took another step closer.

Close enough that her heartbeat became impossible to ignore.

Close enough that she could feel the warmth of him.

His gaze held hers captive.

And his next words nearly stopped her heart.

"I've waited seven years for you, Vesper."

Silence.

Dangerous silence.

Then he added quietly—

"I'm not letting anyone take you away from me."

And for the first time...

Vesper wasn't entirely sure she wanted him to.