The call came when I was stuck in traffic. Jackson’s voice was desperate on the other end of the line. “Kaylee, the info on that USB drive is literally life or death for me. Please, you have to find it.
”
I rushed to his apartment, found the drive, and felt a knot loosen in my chest when he said he was almost there. He was my childhood best friend, the one everyone expected me to marry. We had an engagement agreement between our families, but lately, he’d been distant. And I’d been feeling something even worse—relief.
When I handed him the drive, he looked me over and made a comment that stung more than he knew. “Kaylee’s well behaved. Too well behaved though. Doesn’t spark any excitement.
”
I forced a laugh. That was just Jackson being Jackson. But then he mentioned his brother, Samuel, was coming back, and I saw a flicker of something in his eyes. My best friend told me I’d be better off marrying the elder brother anyway.
The truth was, Samuel and I had history. When my parents died in a car accident, the Stanley family took me in. Samuel was the one who held my hand, told me I was home now, and that he’d take care of me. He was a few years older, quiet and intense, and I’d been scared of him.
Not scared—respectful, I corrected myself. It was respect. He’d been abroad for years, so I hadn’t seen much of him. When his parents summoned me to their home, I walked in to find him sitting there, looking older and sharper than I remembered.
“Samuel,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “Kaye,” he replied, his eyes scanning my face. “I heard you haven’t been home in a long time. ”
I felt his presence like a weight.
I was no longer a child hiding in the corner; I was a woman who had grown up in his family’s shadow. Before I could say anything else, Jackson walked in and snatched my attention. “I’m going to head back,” I said, needing to escape the tension. Jackson isn’t the ideal partner, but I thought he was my friend.
I was wrong. He started resisting the marriage arrangement to our families, refusing to even pick up his phone. Meanwhile, my parents—the Thorps—were both gone, and the Thorp Group was struggling. I decided to do the noble thing and call off the engagement myself.
I went to the Stanleys to break the news. “Mr. and Mrs. Stanley, you took me in when I had no one.
I’ll be forever grateful, but maybe it’s time to call it off. ”
I expected relief. Instead, a voice cut through the room. “I object.
”
It was Samuel. He stood tall, his expression unreadable. He spoke about the 20-year alliance between our families, about the promise we’d made to my late parents. Then he looked at me directly and asked, “Why does it have to be Jackson?
Why couldn’t it be me? ”
My pulse raced. Samuel? The brother who was practically a stranger?
I tried to let him off the hook, telling him he didn’t have to take on this burden. But he was insistent. “Kaye, your last name is Thorp. Mine is Stanley.
I was never your real brother. This engagement is between our families, not just the two of us. ”
He was right. The Thorp Group couldn’t function without the Stanley’s backing.
I’d be selfish to ruin it. Reluctantly, I agreed to think about it. Our next meeting was awkward. He showed up at my apartment with takeout from a restaurant I loved.
He asked me not to hate him, if I’d fallen for someone else. When I denied it, he suggested we spend more time together. I was too overwhelmed to say yes, so I made an excuse and ran. But he knew my door code after that first visit.
0527. My birthday. He left breakfast for me. On my doorstep.
And somehow, that small act of kindness terrified me more than his intensity did. I was in a daze after that. My best friend Emma kept trying to tell me that Samuel and I were a perfect match. “Killer body.
Gorgeous face. It just all fits so well. ” I told her to get those messy ideas out of her head. Meanwhile, Jackson was making a public spectacle of himself with some actress named Belle Ashton.
Everyone knew about it. My friends were disgusted. “Look at them. Disgusting.
You guys haven’t even publicly called off the engagement yet. ”
I didn’t care. I didn’t like him that way. But then everything changed.
David, my brother, got into a serious car accident overseas and was unconscious. The Thorp Group immediately started to crumble. Major projects went south, partners walked out, our stock price tanked. We were facing a huge capital gap and aggressive suppression from competitors.
I was the only one left to save it. I went to Samuel with a marriage proposal. He agreed without hesitation. “Your 20th birthday is coming up soon.
By that day, we’ll go get our marriage certificate,” he said. I was relieved, but he’d already taken care of everything. He wired the money before I even had to ask. He had his secretarial team take over all our projects.
When I thanked him, he just said, “This is simply what I do as your fiance. ”
We got married on my 20th birthday. It was a quiet civil ceremony. There was no love in the room, only the weight of a business alliance.
Our wedding night was awkward. I was terrified. He tried to kiss me and I flinched. “You never kissed anyone before?
” he asked. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. ”
He just told me I’d get the hang of it soon.
The very next day, he told me he was going on a two-day business trip. I was almost glad for the space. But when he returned, he brought the pressure back. He hinted I should move into his mansion permanently.
“Live here? ” I asked. “I have no intention of separating right after marriage,” he replied. Before I could process, he was gone again.
Jackson was back in town, trying to stir up trouble. He cornered me, insisting I married Samuel to save the company, that I had no feelings for him. He even tried to grab me. “Jackson, I’ve already gotten married to your brother.
You need to know your place,” I snapped. Hot on his heels came Belle. She was threatened by me. She saw me with my brother, and decided to start a rumor that I was an opportunistic gold-digger who latched onto men.
The rumor went viral overnight. I was panicking when I got a text from Emma: “Kaye, you can finally drop your worry. Your brother just publicly acknowledged your identity on Thorp Group’s official account. ”
My brother saved my reputation.
Then Samuel took it further. He posted our wedding photos on the Stanley Group’s official website. “The Stanley Group people won’t be bullied by anyone, especially not Mrs. Stanley,” he said.
Belle’s roommate, the one who started the rumor, was subsequently exposed as a mistress and suffered the consequences of her own actions. Belle was furious. But she was about to do something much worse. At a charity gala, I started feeling dizzy and sick.
I quickly messaged my friend. I felt numb, terrified. I managed to reach Samuel on the phone. “Kaye, are you in the restroom?
Don’t panic,” he said. “My bodyguards are outside the banquet hall. Lock the door. ”
I was on the eighth floor, barely able to stand.
Jackson found me first. “Don’t touch me,” I managed. “Kaye, I won’t do anything. Let me take you to the hospital.
”
He carried me out, and the next thing I knew, Samuel was on the phone, telling Jackson to get me out now. I woke up in a hospital bed. Next to me was Samuel, looking exhausted. “Don’t be scared.
I’m right here. ”
Later, I found out Belle had drugged my drink. Samuel confronted Jackson. “This girlfriend of yours, are you going to handle her yourself, or should I take care of her?
”
“Leave it to me,” Jackson said, his jaw tight. He wasn’t just going to let it slide. He leveraged his own power to ruin Belle’s career. He forced her to quit the industry.
The satisfaction was palpable. After I recovered, things with Samuel started to feel different. He brought me my favorite cake. He took care of me when I had a fever.
He was always there, steady and constant. I even got a puppy, Poppy, which he helped me take care of. For the first time, I felt like I might be falling for him. But then I overheard something.
A woman from his past: Sophie. Sophie was Mr. Holden’s only daughter. The esteemed overseas businessman who had admired Samuel and even tried to take Jackson under his wing.
“Don’t you care why Samuel took on this marriage agreement? ” my friend asked. I felt a cold blade of insecurity slice through me. Was Samuel in love with her?
Did he marry me out of pity and duty? The thought felt like a physical blow. Samuel tried to explain. “Kaye, you don’t actually think there’s something between me and her, do you?
”
“Isn’t there? ” I challenged. “I chose to marry you because I love you,” he declared. I didn’t believe him.
I couldn’t. A man like him—on a business empire, surrounded by beautiful, powerful women—couldn’t possibly love a girl like me. In a panic, I told him I wanted a divorce. He was furious.
“Kaye, I’m not divorcing you. Any problem in a marriage can be fixed. It doesn’t have to end in divorce. ”
He even suspected I’d met someone else.
When I denied it, he probed, “Then tell me the real reason now. ”
I finally broke. “Sophie. ”
He looked at me like I was insane.
Then he informed me that Sophie was right there and offered to have her explain. I was humiliated, but I agreed to meet her. Sophie was not what I expected. She was blunt, loud, and utterly obsessed with my brother David’s good looks.
“I swear I’m not into that stupid guy,” she said about Samuel. “But hey, who was that guy who dropped you off? Is he single? I’m a total sucker for good looks.
”
I laughed so hard my sides hurt. The misunderstanding was cleared in five minutes. Samuel had been telling the truth all along. He took me somewhere special after that.
We stood in a beautiful place, and he admitted he had been in love with me since we were kids, patiently waiting, hoping I’d see him for who he was, not just my brother. Then he got down on one knee. “Kaye, I’ve waited for this moment for a long time. I’m gathering all my courage to ask you once.
Will you marry me? ”
I did. Later, at a family dinner, Samuel had a special birthday present for me. “Honey, I want to give you a special birthday present,” he said, pulling me aside.
I was confused. “What is it? ”
He looked joyful. “Samuel, you are going to be a father.
”
I gasped, my mind spinning. The marriage that felt like a cold business transaction had bloomed into something real, with new life growing inside of me. I looked at my husband, the man who claimed me out of love and duty, and thought, maybe this was it.
Maybe this was home.
