Billionaire's Forbidden Bride

One Bed Two Enemies

“Someone has been waiting for you to become my wife.”Adrian’s words followed Isabella all the way to his mansion.She stared at the threatening photograph on her phone. Whoever had taken it knew where she had been and when she had been there.“Could you stop staring at me?” Adrian asked.“Could you stop acting like you know everything?”“I’m trying to understand why someone would threaten you before you’ve even married me.”“Maybe your family has more enemies than you realize.”His jaw tightened. “Or perhaps you know something you’re not telling me.”Isabella scoffed. “I’m trying to keep my mother alive. I barely have time for my own problems, let alone yours.”“Then we’ll find out together.”She turned toward the window, wondering how she'd ended up marrying a man who already suspected her.Their car stopped before an enormous mansion surrounded by tall gates and beautiful gardens.“Is this your house?” she asked.“No. It’s where I keep women who annoy me.”She gave him a look. “You're not funny.”“Yet you keep talking to me.”She stepped out. “If I survive twelve months with you, I’m demanding extra money for emotional damage.”Adrian laughed, and Isabella hated how attractive the sound was.Inside, a woman in her fifties approached them.“Welcome home, sir.”Her gaze shifted to Isabella.“This must be your bride!”“Isabella Hart,” Adrian corrected. “She'll be staying here.”“I’m Mrs. Bennett, the housekeeper. We’ve waited a long time to see our master bring someone home.”“Don't encourage her,” Adrian muttered.Isabella smiled. At least someone in this house seemed normal.“Your room is ready,” Mrs. Bennett announced.“Her room is beside mine,” Adrian added.Isabella turned sharply. “Beside yours?”“We're getting married tomorrow. My family will visit, and I need them to believe our marriage is genuine.”“So?”“We'll share a bedroom when they're around.”“You cannot be serious.”“I am.”She folded her arms. “I agreed to marry you, not surrender my entire life to you.”Adrian stepped closer.“I won't touch you without your permission.”His voice was unexpectedly gentle.“Then why insist on sharing a bedroom?”“My grandmother notices everything. Separate bedrooms would raise questions.”“And if I refuse?”“I'll find another way.”His answer surprised her. For a moment, neither looked away.“Your room is upstairs,” he finally said. “Dinner is at eight.”Isabella walked past him.This man was going to be a problem. A handsome, infuriating problem.---At dinner, Isabella wore a simple black dress. Adrian looked up from his phone and paused.“What?” she asked.“Nothing.”“You're staring.”“I’m wondering whether you own anything that isn't black.”“And I’m wondering whether you own anything that isn't arrogance.”His lips twitched.Dinner arrived, but Isabella barely touched her food.“Eat something,” Adrian said.“I'm not hungry.”“You haven't eaten properly since this afternoon.”She frowned. “Were you watching me?”“I was sitting opposite you.”“That doesn't answer my question.”He pushed a plate toward her.“Please eat.”Isabella blinked. She hadn't expected the word please from him.She took a bite.“Happy now?”“Very.”“You're still annoying.”“And you're still eating.”She tried not to smile, but he caught her.For a moment, his gaze softened, and the tension between them changed. He wasn't looking at her like a business arrangement anymore.Then his phone rang.He answered and suddenly stood.“What do you mean someone accessed her mother's medical records?”Isabella froze.Adrian lowered his voice. “Find out who did it. I want answers tonight.”He ended the call.“What happened?” she demanded.“Someone requested your mother's medical records using false identification.”Her stomach tightened. “Who?”“We don't know.”“I need to see her.”“I'll arrange a visit tomorrow.”“Tonight.”“Isabella—”“She’s my mother!”Her voice cracked.Adrian studied her before picking up his keys.“Get your coat.”She stared at him. “You're taking me?”“I won't make you wait until morning.”“Thank you,” she whispered.“Don't thank me yet. I'm still an unpleasant man.”“At least you're self-aware.”---They returned from the hospital shortly before midnight. Margaret was stable, but Isabella remained worried.At her bedroom door, she turned to Adrian.“Why are you helping me?”He frowned. “What do you mean?”“You could have married someone who would follow your rules without arguing. Why choose me?”“Because you don't look at me like I'm a billionaire.”“How do I look at you?”“Like I'm an arrogant idiot.”She laughed. “That's because you are.”His smile faded.“But you also look at me like I'm a man who can make mistakes. Most people are too afraid to do that.”For the first time, Isabella noticed the loneliness behind his confidence.“Maybe you should give people a reason to see something good in you,” she said.His gaze dropped to her lips.“And what would you suggest?”“Start by being less irritating.”“That sounds difficult.”“Then suffer.”He laughed softly before reaching for her hand.“Tomorrow, my family will try to discover whether this marriage is real,” he said. “Some of them won't be happy about it.”“Why?”“They think I'm making a mistake.”“And are you?”His fingers tightened around hers.“I haven't decided yet.”Her heart raced. For one dangerous moment, she wondered what it would feel like if he kissed her.She quickly withdrew her hand.“Goodnight, Adrian.”“Goodnight, Mrs. Blackwood.”Inside her room, Isabella leaned against the door.She couldn't afford to develop feelings for a man who had forbidden them.Her phone vibrated.An unknown number.HOW WAS YOUR FIRST NIGHT WITH YOUR FUTURE HUSBAND?Another message appeared.ENJOY HIS ATTENTION WHILE YOU CAN. ADRIAN BLACKWOOD HAS NEVER LOVED ANYONE WITHOUT DESTROYING THEM.A photograph followed.Adrian stood beside a beautiful blonde woman. Her hand rested against his chest, and he looked at her with a tenderness Isabella had never seen.On the back, someone had written:ASK HIM WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS LAST FIANCÉE.A knock sounded.“Isabella?” Adrian called.She hid her phone and opened the door.“I need to tell you something about tomorrow,” he said.She studied his face.“First, tell me something. Who was the woman you almost married?”Adrian's face went pale.For the first time, the billionaire looked genuinely afraid.And Isabella wondered whether marrying him had been the biggest mistake of her life.