Chapter 16
633 Words
Chapter 16: The First Move
The door closed behind them.
Quietly.
But the weight it left behind—
was anything but.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Monica stood in the middle of the room, unmoving, as if everything that had just happened was still catching up to her.
The words.
The decision.
The future that wasn’t hers—
being planned without her.
Kian watched her carefully.
He didn’t rush in this time.
Didn’t interrupt the silence.
Because he knew—
she needed a second to breathe.
Monica let out a slow exhale, her hands curling slightly at her sides.
“This isn’t real,” she murmured.
But it didn’t sound like denial.
It sounded like… hope.
Kian stepped forward.
Slow.
Grounded.
“It is,” he said quietly.
Not harsh.
Not cold.
Just honest.
Monica closed her eyes briefly.
“Of course it is.”
A humorless breath escaped her.
“Because my life can’t be simple, right?”
Kian stopped in front of her. “It doesn’t have to be this complicated either.”
She looked up at him.
“And what do you suggest?” she asked softly.
There it was.
The question.
Not emotional.
Not desperate.
Just real.
Kian held her gaze for a moment—
then something in his expression shifted.
Subtle.
But clear.
“Leave it to me,” he said.
Monica frowned slightly. “Kian—”
“I’m serious.”
His voice was calm.
But there was something underneath it now.
Something sharper.
More focused.
“This isn’t just about feelings anymore,” he continued. “If they want to treat this like business…”
He paused.
Then finished quietly—
“Then we play it like business.”
Monica searched his face.
“You’re planning something.”
Kian didn’t deny it.
“I’m thinking.”
“That’s worse,” she muttered under her breath.
Despite everything—
he smirked slightly.
He reached for her hand, squeezing it gently.
“I’m not asking you to fight this alone,” he said. “But I need you to trust me.”
Monica hesitated.
Not because she didn’t trust him—
but because she knew exactly what kind of world he was stepping into.
“This isn’t small, Kian,” she said quietly.
“My parents… they don’t lose.”
Kian’s eyes held hers.
“Neither do I.”
Silence settled between them again.
But this time—
it felt different.
Not heavy.
Not uncertain.
But shifting.
Like something had already started moving.
Later that night—
after Monica had finally fallen asleep—
Kian stepped out onto the balcony.
The city stretched endlessly before him, lights flickering like signals in the dark.
His phone was already in his hand.
Waiting.
He made one call.
It was answered immediately.
“Sir.”
Kian’s gaze remained fixed on the skyline. “I need everything you have on the Valemont Group.”
A pause.
Then—
“Yes, sir.”
“And the royal family they’re connected to,” Kian added. “All of it.”
“Understood.”
Kian’s expression hardened slightly.
“Also,” he continued, “set a meeting. I want to know who’s behind this alliance… and how far it’s gone.”
“Yes, sir.”
The call ended.
But he didn’t move.
Marriage alliances.
Royal families.
Control.
He had heard it before.
Seen it.
And now—
it was here.
Kian exhaled slowly, his grip tightening slightly on the phone.
“They picked the wrong person,” he muttered under his breath.
Behind him, inside the room—
Monica slept peacefully.
Unaware—
that the moment her world was being decided for her—
someone had already started changing the game.
And Kian Anderson—
was not the kind of man who waited.
- Writer
