The Alpha's Forced Mate

A Threat Arrives

The peaceful atmosphere in the penthouse was shattered later that afternoon when Ethan's private phone rang. He took the call in his study, but his voice was so loud and angry that Aria could hear it clearly from the living room.

"I don't care what you think you found, Richard!" Ethan roared into the phone. "The marriage is legal, and the documentation is complete. Stay away from my wife, or I will ruin you financially before the week ends!"

A few moments later, Ethan walked out of the study, his face dark with rage. He looked at Aria, his eyes filled with intense worry. "We have a major problem. My uncle, Richard Vance, has hired a private investigator to dig into your background. He suspects that our marriage is a scam to secure the inheritance."

Aria felt a cold wave of panic wash over her. "What? If he finds out about the financial transaction to my father's hospital, everything will be ruined. My father... your company..."

Ethan walked over to her, grabbing her shoulders firmly to stop her from trembling. "Listen to me, Aria. I won't let him touch you or your family. I have already hidden the paper trail. But Richard is going to show up unannounced at our family dinner tomorrow night. He will try to provoke you, trap you in a lie, and make you reveal the truth."

Aria looked up at him, her eyes wide with fear. "What do we do?"

"We make our story completely airtight," Ethan said, his voice dropping to a serious whisper. "We need to know every single detail about each other. Our favorite foods, our childhood memories, our habits. We need to spend the next twenty-four hours together, transforming this fake arrangement into the most believable love story this city has ever seen."

Aria nodded, her determination overriding her fear. "Tell me everything, Ethan. I'm ready."