Breaking Free, Loving Again -The Flash Marriage with Mr. CEO-Chapter 381: Stop manipulating my son.

Wenna, have you truly not considered the possibility of knowing my uncle before?

Gianna's words echoed in Arwen's mind, refusing to grant her even a moment's peace.

It wasn't that she hadn't considered the possibility of Aiden …

But rather it was more like, she had considered it too much —so much that she knew it was next to impossible.

And that impossibility felt … disappointing.

With a soft sigh, she closed her eyes and leaned back against the car seat, her thoughts drifting to the boy she had seen in her dreams.

A small smile curved up her lips as she recalled how effortlessly he had gotten a promise from her.

As … if as long as he asked, she was willing to give it.

However, she didn't remember herself as being so willing to anyone in her life.

And that made her think …

If that memory wasn't a dream —if it had truly happened —would she have given a promise so easily?

The immediate answer that she realized was a 'no'.

Arwen valued promises far too much to give them lightly.

For her, a promise wasn't a string of words —it was a commitment, a vow she wouldn't make unless she truly meant it.

So, if that incident had actually happened, it could only mean one of two things:

Either she had known exactly what she was signing up for and had genuinely wanted that boy in her future …

Or it hadn't happened at all.

It was nothing but a dream —a fragment of her imagination, a tick her mind had played on her.

Maybe that was the case. After all, recently, she was desiring some weird fictional fantasies —forgetting that she wasn't living a story of some book, but rather a reality.

And in real life, fictional plots as such, having some unforgettable loves that go back in history, don't exist. All that exists is the logical

"Madam!"

Alfred's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

She opened her eyes and saw him glancing at her through the rearview mirror.

"We have arrived," he informed her.

Arwen turned to look outside the car window. As Alfred had said, they had reached the company.

"Thank you for driving me, Alfred," she said as she gathered her things. "I will ask my assistant to send you my schedule. I have some errands to run later, so please wait here until then."

"Yes, Madam," Alfred nodded in understanding.

With that, Arwen stepped out of the car and walked into the company building, pushing aside the lingering thoughts.

***

At the same time, at Mayfair Cafe Castle,

The moment Catrin entered, a waitress immediately came forward to greet her.

"Mrs. Quinn, you are here. Mrs. Foster has been waiting for you."

Catrin gave her a nod before gesturing for her to lead the way.

Soon, the waitress brought her to a VIP room tucked away inside.

"Mrs. Quinn, this is the one," she said, stepping aside to slide the door open so Catrin could enter.

Catrin nodded curtly and stepped inside. Behind her, the waitress quietly shut the door.

Inside, Beca was already seated at the table. The moment she saw Catrin, her gaze flickered —calm yet unreadable.

"Did I make you wait long?" Catrin asked as she approached.

Beca shook her head. "I arrived just a few minutes ago. Come, have a seat first."

Catrin smiled faintly and pulled out a chair, settling down across from her.

For a few seconds, Beca remained silent.

Catrin immediately noticed the unusual stiffness in her demeanor. But rather than commenting on it, she merely asked, "Shall we order, then?"

"I have already placed the order," Beca replied. "I made sure to include the dishes you like. But if there is anything else you would like, I can ask them to add it."

"That won't be necessary," Catrin declined firmly. "Beca, we didn't become friends yesterday or the day before yesterday. It's been more than three decades now. And in all this time, you have come to know my preferences better than I know them myself. I trust you."

Under usual circumstances, Beca would have smiled at that —maybe even chuckled softly before nodding in agreement.

But today, she didn't.

She simply kept her gaze on Catrin as if studying her.

Under her watchful gaze like that, Catrin felt uneasy.

Her fingers curled slightly against the palm of her hand as she tried to understand why something felt off.

Finally, she asked, "Beca, what's wrong? You seem … different today. Not just today, actually. Even yesterday, over the phone, your tone sounded off. Did something happen?"

She glanced around the private room they were seated in.

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"And why here, of all places? Didn't we always prefer to invite each other to our homes? Why did you ask me to meet you here today?"

Beca exhaled slowly before speaking.

"We used to prefer that," she admitted. "But that doesn't mean things will always remain the same, Catrin."

Catrin frowned. "What do you mean?"

Beca met her gaze head-on.

"Before, when we used to invite each other, there was a reason for it. We wanted to strengthen our familiar bond, to ensure our families would be tied together for the future."

She paused.

"But now …"

Catrin's fingers clenched slightly. "Now what, Beca? She demanded. "Nothing has changed. We are still the friends we used to be. And we still need to make sure our families remain connected."

Beca scoffed, for once her tone tinged with hostility. "I don't think things are as simple as you are making it look, Catrin."

Catrin's brows furrowed deeply, especially her tone. "What do you mean, Bec?" Her voice carried an edge that she was trying hard to restrain within.

Beca's lips curled up a little, but that smile didn't reach her eyes. It was just a polite curl in which she just let her lips curl into so that it appeared to be friendly.

Staring at the woman across from her, she said, "I mean, things are no longer the same." It came soft at first, but later, she made it come a lot firmer. "Our friendship might not have changed. It might have remained still the same, but the plans we once made have long changed. We, now, no longer need to strengthen the familial bond between our families. Because there is no future of our kids together."

"Beca, you —"

"Catrin, I want you to stop manipulating my son into believing something that we both know isn't possible."