My Unchosen Ex Chases Reborn Me (Soren and Fiona) novel Chapter 11

Chapter 11 A Promise

Chapter 11 A Promise

:

A 60

+10 Free Coins

She could still hear Vincent’s voice, jaunty and full of sunshine, on the morning he had seen her off to marry Soren. “If Soren so much as makes you frown, I’ll march south and knock some sense into him. And if you ever tire of living at the Zonfrillo Estate, just send word and I’ll bring you home.”

The memory stung. A sour burn gathered in Fiona’s chest.

Not wanting anyone to notice the shadow clouding her mood, she slipped from the tent and made her way to the silent lake, settling on a flat stone where the world felt cool and far away.

The autumn wind had sharpened, brushing cold fingers across her cheeks. Each gust cleared her mind a little more, until memories returned with merciless clarity.

The last letter Vincent had sent–hurried, ink blotched–contained only a single line, urging her to look after herself and Meryl. He must already have known how precarious his position

was.

Vincent’s death could not have been an accident. His passing profited too many–the main branch of the family, the Wagner family, even the Thankerton family. The main branch is kin, and inheriting the honors Vincent fought for is only natural… The real fear, however, is that his death itself might not be separate from the main branch. Fiona lowered her lashes. That was the one truth she could not bear to face. Yet if it were real, even the combined weight of the Niven family would be nothing compared with the worth of Vincent.

From the shelter of a boulder a short distance away, Callum had been watching her for several

minutes.

He had arrived before Fiona and intended to slip away unseen. But she had chosen the very spot beside his hiding place. For half an hour, he waited, hoping she would leave first. She did not, and now duty required him elsewhere.

“Ms. Fiona,” Callum called out, stepping into view. “There are fewer guards posted on this side of the lake. You should head back before it gets late.”

Callum had been raised to walk the straightest path. Whatever shadows clung to the Niven family, the safety of a lone woman could not be ignored. Duty wrestled with caution, yet duty won, and the words of warning rose unbidden to his lips.

Fiona studied the man before her. Compared with Soren of the Zonfrillo family, Callum looked rough–hewn–broader in the shoulders, his frame carrying the unmistakable power of someone who sparred with steel each dawn.

1/4

14:37 Fri, Oct 10

Chapter 11 A Promise

59

+10 Free Coins

In Fiona’s previous life, she had exchanged only a handful of words with Callum. He was no flatterer; kindness, not eloquence, defined him, and his readiness to help burned brighter than any compliment.

“Mr. Callum.” Gathering herself, Fiona glanced over his shoulder, searching for any sign of Soren. Finding none, she allowed a discreet breath of relief, rose from the grass, and offered a graceful dip of the head.

Without meeting her eyes, Callum said, “The lake is pretty, yes, but it is still the wild outskirts. You should take someone trustworthy with you.” His voice was low, almost gruff, as though discipline itself were speaking.

“Thank you for the warning, Mr. Callum. I’ll head back at once,” Fiona replied, gratitude flickering across her face.

That fleeting smile–a small sunrise meant only for him–landed on Callum’s chest like a warm stone. He caught himself enjoying the sensation and, confused by it, pressed his brows together. No, this is wrong. A proper man should never let a woman’s charm sway his footing.

After she left, a whisper of gardenia lingered, weaving through the air like an invisible ribbon.

Callum could stare down enemy blades without blinking, yet now a rosy heat crept up his neck, betraying him in a way steel never had.

After he returned, his mind drifted, over and over, to that drifting perfume, as though the scent itself had pitched a tent inside his thoughts.

Naomi tried three separate times to draw him into conversation and received nothing but vacant nods. Irritated, she turned to Soren and muttered, “Soren, look how Callum sits- haunted, or worse, bewitched by some lady’s spell.”

Her teasing left Callum burning with embarrassment, as though every ember from the bonfire had leaped onto his cheeks.

He had never been the target of romantic jest; suddenly, he felt like an unarmored recruit on the first day of drills, unsure where to place his hands.

“I am hardly the sort who forgets duty for a pretty face. You may rest easy,” Callum declared, spine straight as a sword planted in earth.

Seeing his solemn insistence, Naomi waved the matter away, letting the mischief die on her lips.

Soren, informed of Callum’s lakeside encounter, merely shrugged. Whatever plans Fiona might harbor seemed far too simple to threaten them.

2/4

Chapter 11 A Promise

+10 Free Coins

To honor the night’s bonfire feast, every young lady had traded courtly splendor for clever novelty–garments lighter, colors softer, designs meant to glow in firelight rather than dazzle in daylight.

Fiona, by contrast, stepped out in a pale, close–fitting dress. Her hairpins were so plain they were nearly invisible–a portrait of deliberate modesty.

Yolanda’s eyes swept her from head to heel. “All the finest bachelors in Jexburgh are here tonight, and you show up looking like a whispered secret?”

Yes, Fiona’s beauty was unquestionable, but wrapped in such understatement she could vanish into any crowd, a mist among brighter lanterns.

That, of course, was Fiona’s intention. She wanted to remain unremarkable and glide beneath the net of searching eyes.

In her previous life, unwanted suitors had bloomed like weeds–worst of all, the Sixth Prince of Crown City. Had her engagement to Soren not arrived in time, she might have been pushed into his household as a mere concubine.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify