Chapter 29 CHAPTER 29

Chapter 29 CHAPTER 29
EMILIA

The guard, sensing what was coming, dropped to his knees, trembling, as he muttered desperate apologies. Andrea didn’t look at him; instead, he pulled me closer, a subtle tightening of his hand on my waist, as other men moved in to drag the guard away.

I felt a pang of guilt. Maybe I shouldn’t have done that. Maybe he had been truly sorry. But Andrea had made it clear—he was going to be punished. My stomach twisted as I tried to push the thought away.

We climbed back into the sleek black car. Lucas’s hands were steady on the wheel, but I noticed the subtle tension in his shoulders. My heart thrummed as I clutched my jacket, every sound outside the window amplified in my nerves.

The car slowed, then stopped in front of a sprawling glass terminal. The sign above glinted in gold letters: Shénlì International Airport. Glass panels reflected the sunrise, and the soft hum of travelers; rolling luggage, muted chatter, distant announcements—filled the air. But the moment Andrea stepped out, the world seemed to shrink around him. People moved aside instinctively, whispers following in his wake.

Uniformed crew members approached, their crisp navy blazers and silk scarves immaculate. One stepped forward—a woman with a polished smile and confident posture. Her nametag read Li Hua. She bowed slightly, a graceful acknowledgment of Andrea’s presence.

“Wēn huān, Mr. Andrea, Miss Emilia,” she said, her voice soft but precise.

Andrea’s gaze swept over the check-in counters. “Was the flight delayed as I requested?”

“Yes, sir. Fifteen minutes and counting,” Li Hua replied, forcing a calm smile.

Andrea’s lips curved just slightly. Without a word to anyone else, he strode past the line of passengers, his aura commanding. Security subtly shifted aside, the crew opened a VIP passage, and we bypassed all normal airport procedures. My pulse hammered, trapped between awe and terror as I followed him.

The VIP cabin of Zénith Airways Flight 7X gleamed under soft, ambient lights. Cream-colored leather seats stretched in wide rows, polished floors reflecting the overhead lighting. Flight attendants moved with quiet precision, checking seatbelts and adjusting trays.

As I walked down the aisle, eyes followed. Some passengers glared, suspicion or jealousy in their expressions. Others stared openly at Andrea, mouths twitching in awe. I pressed my palms to my thighs, trying to shrink into myself. Lucas followed, lifting the luggage carefully into the overhead bins. Andrea didn’t look back; his presence dominated the aisle like a tide, leaving me breathless.

The sun had just begun to spill golden light across the runway as Andrea’s hand brushed the back of my seat.

“Buckle up,” he said, firm, with a quiet impatience.

I obeyed quickly, fidgeting with the belt as the engines hummed louder. My palms were slick, my heart hammerrd as the plane taxied and lifted into the sky. Heights had always been my nightmare. I gripped my jacket, biting my lower lip until it stung. Panic flared in my chest.

Andrea noticed me trembling but said nothing. Instead, he rested his hand lightly over mine. My pulse throbbed; as I turned to face him, he still had that smug smile of his. I realized then, his gentleness wasn't kindness. It was dominance, a quiet reminder that I was utterly at his mercy.

The plane leveled out, and I tried to calm myself, focusing on the view through the window, though the dizzy spells lingered. Andrea leaned back, scrolling through his phone with the precision of a man who owned not just the plane, but every second of the journey.

The flight attendant, Li Hua, returned with trays of food. Her movements were precise, almost mechanical, yet polite.

“Would you like something to eat, Miss Emilia?” she asked, her voice careful and professional.

“Mrs.“ Andrea corrected, not raising his head from his phone.

She gulped nervous. “Pardon my manners,“ her lips twitched into a nervous smile, her face glinting with fear. “What would you like to have, Mrs. Emilia?“

I almost said nothing until I remembered; I still don't know where Andrea was taking me to, and not everyone was mama Rosa who was going to be worried if I ate or not.

“Do you have curry rice?” I asked, my voice tinged with hope.

She shook her head, lips pressed in a polite apology. “I’m afraid not, ma’am. We have noodles, dumplings, or assorted sandwiches.”

I pouted. How could they have others and not curry rice. “Fine… snacks and a drink then.”

She scribbled down, her hands slightly shaking...

“W...what about you, Mr Andrea?“ She tried to smile, though her face was white as a ghost.

"A bottle of water."

"Noted," she smiled not having to write that down.

She moved to other people at our sections taking what they had like to have.

She returned shortly, placing our orders before us. The chops she brought were mouthwatering, but just as I was about to dig in... I stopped her.

"Do... do I have to pay for this?" I whispered.

She smiled, as her eyes squinted, "no ma'am, complimentary. It comes along with the bills covered."

I had only been on the plane once, too fast for me to note when I was on and off. So that was why I asked. Who knows, this might be Andrea's plan to disgrace me.

Andrea didn’t glance up, but I felt his eyes on me, calculating. Every choice I made seemed to pass through his judgment.

I ate quietly, barely tasting the food, my nerves thrumming like a second heartbeat.



A crackle on the intercom jolted me awake.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we will begin our descent to Lóngchéng International Airport in approximately eight minutes. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts.”

China? My stomach dropped. I shot a panicked glance at Andrea. Why here?

The plane landed smoothly on a gleaming runway. Through the wide windows, I glimpsed a modern terminal: glass walls, metallic accents, rows of arriving passengers and automated luggage carousels. Customs officers and staff moved with quiet efficiency, checking passports, scanning tickets, guiding arrivals. I felt trapped, every heartbeat echoing in my chest.

We reached a sleek black car waiting at the VIP exit. Andrea slipped inside first and turned, blocking my way.

“Not so fast, wifey…” His lips curved, but there was no warmth. Ownership dripped from the word.

He looked at Lucas, whose expression was always unreadable. “He has a role to play. And it has to be done correctly.”

My stomach churned. What role? What does he want me to do? Fear covered me like a wet blanket, as I turned to Lucas who looked anything but pleased.

The car Andrea got in drove off. I was left looking like a fool.

“Come with me, ma'am,“ Lucas said, walking towards another car.

Was this Andrea's idea to get rid of me?

“No!“ I said, crunching my stomach.

“I'm not asking you to trust me,” Lucas said his voice low, “but I'm not going to kill you.”

“And you expect me to believe that?“ I hissed.

“We don't have time ma'am,“ he added urgently, pulling the car door open. The look in his eyes told me if I disobeyed there had be serious consequences. And I wasn't ready to find out what they were.

“You are to act like the Boss' sweet wife in front of his friends, and answer any of this to the questions asked to you... If you are being asked anything you don't understand keep quiet.“

I sighed looking outside the windows though I couldn't see as it was tinted. That punk actually brought me here to play his pretend wife? Was that why he was suddenly nice to me this morning?

“You have five minutes to go through the questions and answers,“ Lucas' voice silenced the air sharp and final.

I did read that the terms of this marriage could come to an end under the willful termination of this contract by Andrea...

A smile curled up onto my face at the thoughts forming in my head, as I picked up the document from Lucas...

I would give Andrea reasons to divorce me. Maybe this was my perfect opportunity after all. A course to an end.