Flash Marriage to a Stunning CEO (Alistair and Richard)

Chapter 167 Wonderfully Unfair

"I'm busy. Can't return. I've got work to do."

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If they didn't know better, they'd think Caroline was brushing off a complete stranger. Someone she barely tolerated, someone she had no interest in getting close to.

Maybe in her mind, Gordon really was a stranger.

Without another word, she tossed the phone back to Julian, who stood there frozen. Then she glanced at Alistair, just a flicker, not enough time for him to react.

The second they stepped across the threshold of her office, Caroline leaned in close. Her breath warmed the shell of his warmed the shell of his

ear, soft enough to feel intimate, but the feeling that crept up Alistair's spine was anything but tender. It reminded him of a snake, coiling close, ready to strike.

He wasn't saying his wife was venomous, but something about her tone, the quiet chill wrapped in heat, sent a very real pressure through his chest.

Caroline narrowed her eyes. "Was that pity I just saw in your eyes, Alistair? You felt sorry for me?"

Her relationship with her father had always been strained. Not because she was rebellious or ungrateful, but because Gordon had never been the kind of father anyone should have to

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Chapter 167 Wonderfully Unfair

tolerate. Growing up in a broken household, even as the daughter of a billionaire, hadn't made her lucky. Not in the ways that mattered.

And Caroline, proud as she was, couldn't stand to be pitied.

Alistair knew better than to argue, but still, he tried. "That wasn't pity," he said,

hesitating just for a beat before adding, "It was... concern."

The moment he said it, he straightened his shoulders a bit. Yeah, he felt bad for her. And even Caroline didn't get to twist his intentions around.

Luckily, his kind and terrifying wife let it slide with a quiet

snort.

Their routine resumed like clockwork. Caroline took her seat behind the desk while Alistair slipped into the office's private lounge. It was their unspoken rhythm, unbothered companionship that needed no show of affection.

Over time, their afternoons had settled into a pattern. Unless something urgent came up, Alistair usually spent his time holed up in that lounge, writing. The two of them didn't talk much while they worked, but that was the point. They were together, quietly.

He'd even started to notice a strange phenomenon.

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*) 18 min left

he first showed up at the office, the employees avoided eye contact like it was policy. No one looked at him, no one acknowledged his presence. It was like he

Vireon Technologies like he belonged, something changed. People started glancing at him. Not outright staring, but enough for him to catch

asked Julian about it one afternoon. Julian grinned. "Well, you are Caroline's man. And any man who can win her heart? That makes people wonder. They're probably just trying to figure out what makes you

scratched his chin thoughtfully. "So what you're saying is, at first they didn't dare look because they assumed I was someone powerful. But now they've realized I'm just a

does. Otherwise, out

Alistair smirked to himself.

somehow, out

mean he had some hidden,

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Chapter 167 Wonderfully Unfair

(**) 18 min left

then maybe the world

in his favor.

He chuckled.

look. Then, once they got used to seeing him

stopped again... until recently, when the sideways glances started creeping back

knew exactly why. The online

Let them talk.

truth, and eventually, they would too. Time had a way of silencing rumors

opened

One glance, and he

novel wasn't a breakout hit, but it had found its rhythm. After a few ups and downs, his numbers had stabilized into a

superstar, not a failure.

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Chapter 167 Wonderfully Unfair

the bills and

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half his day writing made-up

he heard a knock at the office door. Julian stepped in and

odd. Julian never lowered his voice around Alistair. Usually, he walked in and started

not out loud. He was whispering, intentionally keeping his voice low so

Okay, now that's suspicious.

him like an outsider. The fact that he

it all the more obvious

someone knocked softly on the lounge

I've got a meeting to go to. Stay here, and if you need anything, just

nodded. "Go handle your stuff. I'll be

walked

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** 18 min left

been casual. But Alistair knew her well enough to recognize a lie dressed in

sat with it for a moment, thinking

father's voice on the other end of the line. But if Gordon showed up in person, there wasn't much she

still her company, yes, but no one here could

to Caroline's office, probably out of consideration

always thinking ten steps ahead, had clearly played along. That was why she'd claimed