Flash Marriage to a Stunning CEO (Alistair and Richard) novel Chapter 18

Chapter 18 New Discoveries

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After ending the call, Caroline stared blankly at her phone, lost in her thoughts in the spacious office.

She hadn’t even noticed when her assistant, Kelly Johnson,

entered. “Ms. Ashbourne, these documents need your

signature.”

Caroline snapped back to reality and gave a cool nod. Kelly turned to leave.

As Kelly closed the door thoughtfully behind her, she couldn’t help but quickly glance at Caroline’s elegant figure.

Even as another woman, Kelly had to admit Caroline was drop–dead gorgeous.

The only problem was how cold and distant she seemed, making her difficult to approach.

It was hard to imagine what kind of man could be worthy of her.

After giving it serious thought, Kelly concluded that probably no

one!

If Kelly had known that Caroline was not only married but had actually initiated the marriage herself, she would have thought she was hallucinating.

Chapter 18 New Discoveries

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Caroline opened the folder, but her pen hovered in midair.

She hadn’t asked, so Alistair hadn’t volunteered any information.

He could have handled the situation and had already resolved the trouble. Still, she wanted to help Alistair and be involved.

Caroline, who usually minded her own business, found herself inexplicably concerned about every aspect of Alistair’s life despite him being a stranger.

But Alistair hadn’t given her the chance.

After signing the documents, Caroline pushed them aside and picked up her phone again. She began researching Alistair’s personal information.

Caroline began investigating Alistair’s background.

When they first met, she felt an inexplicable urge to approach and get to know him better.

This feeling came without any apparent reason. While Caroline didn’t mind spontaneity, she disliked confusion without cause.

It couldn’t simply be that Alistair matched her type perfectly, and she’d fallen for him at first sight, could it?

Caroline believed such superficial reactions wouldn’t apply to someone as naturally methodical as herself.

Chapter 18 New Discoveries

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Unable to find answers, she looked for them in Alistair’s past.

She hoped to uncover clues in his history that might explain her attraction.

Caroline focused on Alistair because she had a year–long gap in her memories.

She remembered nothing from when she was twelve–an entire year completely erased.

She had asked about it before, and everyone told her the same story. She had been gravely ill that year, nearly dying. She had spent the entire time bedridden at the Ashbourne Manor. They assured her it was normal not to remember anything from such a difficult period.

Was that true?

If so, Caroline reasoned, even if she hadn’t forgotten, those memories would only be filled with the smell of antiseptic and the tedium of recovery–hardly worth dwelling on.

Yet, while Caroline outwardly accepted this explanation, a slight doubt occasionally nagged at her.

Why did everyone’s expression seem unnatural whenever I asked about that year?

Alistair had grown up in one of Chicago’s poorer neighborhoods.

As a child, relatives raised him while his parents worked in New

Chapter 18 New Discoveries

York.

When Alistair was seven, his mother died unexpectedly.

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That same year, his father remarried and used his savings and his late wife’s insurance to buy a house in New York.

Alistair continued attending elementary school in Chicago.

Alistair’s grandfather, Robert Harlow, brought him to New York for middle school. Alistair transferred to a middle school in New York. He later earned admission to New York’s most prestigious high school, thanks to his exceptional grades.

Caroline reviewed Alistair’s personal history multiple times and found almost no trace of Liam’s involvement in his life.

It was as if Liam had wholly forgotten his son.

During the spring semester of his freshman year, Robert passed away, leaving Alistair completely alone.

He managed to survive on Robert’s modest savings and financial aid from the school.

Just before the SAT, despite his teachers‘ high expectations, Alistair suddenly dropped out.

Caroline knew he had left school because of a teenage romance.

However, she noticed something puzzling.

Chapter 18 New Discoveries

According to her investigation, Alistair attended the regular honors program while Rebecca was in the international

program.

Though all of this happened before Alistair knew her, and even though being with him now didn’t mean they were a conventional married couple, Caroline still felt bothered. She had no real reason to be jealous, yet she was.

And Caroline, who was the same age as Alistair, had lost her memories when she was twelve.

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She might have convinced herself she believed it, but she only realized today how long she’d harbored doubts about her twelfth

Chicago… Alistair’s hometown…

To help children adjust more quickly, the preschool allowed new students to leave early on their first day.

Though Eloise was in the middle class, this was her first day at preschool, so she, too, got the early dismissal treatment.