DESTINED SOULMATES

CHAPTER 004

I couldn’t sleep a wink. The questions kept swirling in my head, each one more sinister than the last. What did Julian mean when he said he was ‘running out of time’? And why was I suddenly the key to fixing it?

Thankfully, neither Zayn nor Julian came barging into my room to demand answers about what I had overheard. Maybe they didn’t see me at all or maybe they thought it was just a staff cleaning the house? I wondered.

But then again, there was a more disturbing possibility. What if they had seen me and were just giving me space to think I was safe, only to confront me later?

A light knock on the door made me jump and I froze for a moment, my breath catching in my throat as my mind raced. I could feel my heart pounding wildly against my ribcage as I wondered who was at the door.

Could it be Zayn? Or Julian? My pulse spiked.

“Mrs. Blackwood,” a small feminine voice called softly. A heavy sigh of relief escaped my lips as I realized it was just one of the staff. “Breakfast is ready.”

I didn’t answer immediately as I took a moment to steady myself and make my heart beat normally again. Mrs. Blackwood. The name still felt foreign, like a costume I was forced to wear.

“I’ll be down in a minute,” I finally replied, my voice quaking slightly.

After I heard her footsteps echoing down the hallway, I got up from the bed, quickly took my bath, and then got dressed in a simple light blue bouffant dress that had a light and silky touch against my skin. As I made my way to the dining room, the tension in the air could almost be felt and I felt like a stranger walking into a battlefield.

Julian was seated at the head of the table with his usual stoic expression as he ate his eggs, while Zayn occupied the first seat to his left, casually scrolling through his phone. His jaw muscles seemed tense, and I noticed a subtle hint of dark circles under his eyes. He wasn’t getting any sleep either.

“Good morning,” I murmured, pulling out a seat at the far end of the table.

Julian gave a curt nod, barely acknowledging me as he continued to chow down on his breakfast. Zayn, however, lifted his gaze briefly and scanned me for a moment before he shifted his attention back to his phone.

I had barely settled into my seat when Julian’s voice broke through the silence. “Come, Ariana,” he called, his tone firm as he gestured for the staff to bring my food closer. “Sit closer to us,” he added, motioning to the first seat on his right.

The staff member quickly moved, carrying my food and setting it down in the seat directly across from Zayn before she scurried away. My heart thudded as I stood up and my legs suddenly started to feel weak. The closer I got, the more I felt a strange pressure in the air. I slowly walked over and sat down, now directly facing Zayn.

As soon as I settled into the chair, I felt Zayn’s eyes on me. His dark gaze was fixed on mine, sharp and piercing, as if he were trying to see through me. The intensity of his stare sent goosebumps up my skin, pinning me in place as he held me captive.

I averted my gaze and dropped them to my plate as I felt heat rush to my face. My hands betrayed my unease as they suddenly started to shake when I picked up my fork. The warmth of the room seemed to disappear as a strange coldness pricked at my skin and I could barely concentrate on anything as his burning gaze kept reminding me of how close we were—even though we were just a few feet apart.

My heart was pounding louder than ever and I was so sure they could hear it.

“You’ll need to pack,” Julian announced abruptly, breaking the tense silence.

“Pack?” I asked, still struggling to process what he had just said. With a sharp and almost deadly glance, he motioned for Zayn to join in. Zayn’s gaze flickered to mine again for a brief second before he finally spoke up, his voice low and strained. “For the honeymoon,” he said simply.

I blinked, not quite sure how to react. “Honeymoon?” I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper. “Is it really necessary?”

Julian’s eyes narrowed slightly and Zayn didn’t say anything more. Instead, he looked at me for a moment then shared an unreadable look with Zayn before answering. “Yes. I’m sure you know that newlyweds need time alone and considering the circumstances of your….marriage,” he paused for a second, probably trying to choose the right words to say. “It would be fitting for the two of you to spend some time together. Get to know each other.” His tone was flat, but there was something about the way he said it that made my stomach twist into a knot.

I looked down at my plate, nodding slowly as I played with the food, my appetite suddenly lost. I had no choice but to agree, at least for now. But within me, I knew this honeymoon wasn’t about ‘bonding’ or ‘romance’. It was just a farce, about something else I couldn’t quite figure out yet. But whatever the reason was, I had to figure it out before it was too late. I had to find out why Zayn got married to me. I needed to know what they were talking about last night and find out what they wanted from me because I had absolutely nothing to offer them.

My gaze strayed briefly to Zayn who was yet to say anything more. He seemed….distant, almost as if he was somewhere else entirely. His jaw tightened slightly, and I saw his face twist in a wince as if a pang of pain had just struck him. It looked like he was trying to hide his unease, but I caught it.

Then, without another word, he stood up abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor, and walked away, leaving me alone with his father.

The silence that followed was suffocating. Julian didn’t speak for a moment, his gaze fixed on me as he leaned back in his chair. “You should probably go pack,” he said finally, his voice almost too calm as he broke the silence.

I nodded and got up to leave, even though my mind was in a whirlwind of confusion and suspicion. I had no idea what plans they had for me, but I intended to find out.

As I turned around the corner of the dining room, the heavy silence hanging in the air was broken by the shrill ring of Julian’s phone. I hesitated for a moment, pausing in my steps but didn’t turn around. Julian’s deep and commanding voice reached my ear and I considered ignoring it at first, but the tension in his voice grabbed my attention.

“Yes, I know….I’m working on it right now,” he said, his voice low but laced with a strange urgency.

“I’ll get it. Just give me a little more time. I’ve already begun sourcing it and….” He paused for a while before he spoke up again. “I know, I know what’s at stake…but don’t worry, I’m already taking care of it, and soon I’ll resolve everything.”

After a minute, he dropped the call and I could still feel the weight of his words hanging in the air.

“Zayn better not fail me now,” I heard him say quietly to himself.

A chill passed down my spine. What exactly was he talking about? Who was he talking to over the phone? And more importantly, what the heck did Zayn and Julian have planned?

I didn't wait to hear more as I swallowed hard and without a second glance, I hurried towards the stairs.