CHAPTER 38 — The Stranger with Blue Eyes
It was nearly 1 a.m., but Alex was still wide awake.
The lights were off. Only the glow of her phone screen lit her room, casting pale light across her sheets. Her bedroom door was locked—double-checked. She sat cross-legged in bed, phone propped against a pillow, and tried not to explode as she stared into the screen.
Brenda blinked, wide-eyed on the other end of the FaceTime call. “Wait. Hold on. You’re telling me... you said yes?”
Alex groaned, burying her face into her hands. “It wasn’t a real yes. It was a... not-no.”
Brenda squinted. “What the hell is a not-no?”
Alex looked up, hair sticking out in every direction. “It’s the kind of answer you give when your dad takes you to your favorite restaurant, tells you he loves you, reminds you of every good childhood memory, and then emotionally sucker-punches you with a life contract.”
Brenda tried not to laugh. “Okay, but... arranged marriage? Seriously?”
“Yes. Seriously. With someone I’ve never even met, Brenda.”
“That’s insane,” Brenda muttered. “Are your parents, like, royalty now?”
“They might as well be,” Alex grumbled. “The family’s business is their empire, and I’m the bargaining chip.”
“Is it at least someone your age?”
Alex shrugged. “Apparently.”
“And you can’t just... refuse?”
“If I refuse, I don’t get the company,” Alex said flatly. “Which means all of this—all my plans, everything I’ve worked for—goes to dust.”
Brenda hesitated. “Okay... so then maybe you play it smart. Agree on paper. Fake it. Focus on your goals. It’s not like they’re asking you to sleep in the same bed.”
Alex stared at her.
“What?” Brenda asked.
“You make it sound so easy.”
“I didn’t say it was easy,” she replied gently. “Just... survivable.”
Alex didn’t respond.
Her thoughts flickered—uninvited—to Michael. His voice. His anger. His silence. She hadn’t seen him in days, and when she did catch sight of him across campus, he barely looked at her.
This was survivable?
Alex wasn’t sure anymore.
***
Morning came too fast.
She trudged into the kitchen, hair damp from the shower, yawning and rubbing her eyes. She plopped down at the long marble island, reaching for a slice of toast without looking.
Nova was already seated, elegant as ever, sipping her tea.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” she said lightly. “You won’t be going to university today.”
Alex paused mid-bite. “What? Why?”
Luca entered the kitchen at that exact moment, pulling on a watch. “We have somewhere to be.”
Alex’s eyes narrowed. “Okay... where?”
He adjusted his cufflinks. “You’re meeting your fiancé.”
The toast fell out of her mouth and back onto the plate with a muffled thud.
“You what?”
Luca poured himself coffee. “We’re having lunch with him today. His name is Zade. I’ve worked with his father for years. Great man. His family was thrilled when we proposed the arrangement.”
Alex blinked, speechless.
“It’s just lunch,” Nova added calmly, dabbing her lips with a napkin. “You’re not getting married today.”
“You could’ve told me sooner,” Alex snapped, standing. “I look like I just crawled out of midterms.”
“We’ll fix that,” Nova said with a wink. “I had a few dresses pulled this morning. Something sharp but not too formal.”
Alex stared at her like she’d been replaced with a Stepford wife.
Everything was happening so fast.
***
The car ride was quiet.
Alex sat rigid beside Luca in the back of the sleek black vehicle, one hand clenched in her lap, the other fiddling with the zipper on her purse. Nova sat up front beside the driver, humming quietly to the soft jazz playing through the speakers.
No one spoke about where they were going.
Alex watched the city pass in a blur—her chest tightening the closer they got to the coast. When they pulled into a private parking lot near the seaport, she leaned forward slightly.
“What... is this?”
“You’ll see,” Luca replied.
The restaurant was stunning.
All glass and sleek lines, perched above the water, waves glinting below like liquid silver. A waiter welcomed them by name and led them to a table near the window.
And there he was.
Zade.
He stood the moment they entered, bouquet in hand. His blond hair was slicked back, jaw clean-shaven, suit tailored perfectly to his lean frame. But it was his eyes—clear blue, calm, piercing—that caught Alex’s attention first.
They locked gazes, and he smiled.
A real, easy smile.
He stepped around the table and pulled out her chair.
“Alexandra,” he said smoothly. “It’s a pleasure.”
She sat down slowly, nodding once.
“You can call me Alex.”
“Even better.”
Zade moved with effortless confidence, sitting once the rest of them did, laying the bouquet gently on the edge of the table.
“You didn’t have to bring flowers,” Nova said with a warm smile.
“My father would haunt me if I didn’t,” Zade replied. “He says flowers are a gentleman’s first handshake.”
He was charming.
Alex hated how charming he was.
She said nothing for most of the meal, only speaking when necessary. Instead, she listened as Zade chatted with her parents—about business trends, Harvard memories, a recent trip to Marrakesh. He spoke with wit and polish, laughed easily, never once sounded like he was trying too hard.
He’d already paid for his meal in advance and offered to treat them all, though Luca politely declined and insisted on paying for his own and Nova’s. Still, Zade took it all with grace, even making a joke about Luca’s “old-school pride” that somehow didn’t offend him.
Alex poked her plate with her fork, eating little.
After dessert, her parents excused themselves to the front to settle the check. Zade remained seated across from her, watching the ocean in thoughtful silence.
It was awkward.
Until he finally turned to her.
“I know this is weird,” he said gently. “And new. And maybe... kind of insane.”
She looked at him, startled by the honesty in his tone.
“I am weird and new—for you. But I promise, this doesn’t have to be terrible. It could be... good for both of us.”
Alex raised a brow.
“I’m not here to ruin your life, Alex,” he added with a half-smile.
She stared, unsure what to say.
“I’m not all that bad,” Zade said with a shrug. “Promise.”
Then—before she could react—he reached across the table, took her hand, and kissed it softly.
His lips brushed her knuckles with practiced ease. Not too slow. Not too rushed.
Like a gentleman in a story she’d never wanted to read.
Alex blinked.
And before she could pull her hand back, he was already standing.
“Thank you for lunch,” he said, nodding toward the hallway. “Please give my regards to your parents.”
With that, Zade turned and walked away, casual and calm.
Alex watched him disappear through the glass doors of the restaurant.
Her hand still tingled from the kiss.
She sat there, confused and startled—and for the first time since this whole thing began, just a little bit curious.