Married to My Enemy Billionaire

The rain poured relentlessly against the floor-to-ceiling windows as Ava Lawson sat in the waiting room of Blackwood & Pierce Law Firm. Her hands trembled around a worn leather folder containing the last documents her father had left behind. She had barely slept in three days. Ever since her father's funeral, creditors had been calling nonstop. Employees from Lawson Interiors kept asking when they would receive their salaries. The company that had taken her father thirty years to build was collapsing before her eyes. "Miss Lawson?" A young receptionist smiled politely. "Mr. Harris will see you now." Ava stood, took a deep breath, and followed her into an elegant office. An elderly man in a gray suit rose from behind his desk. "I'm sorry for your loss," he said gently. "Thank you." He motioned for her to sit. "I'll get straight to the point." He placed a thick brown envelope on the desk. "Your father left specific instructions that this envelope should only be opened after his death." Ava frowned. "My father never mentioned another will." "It's not another will." Mr. Harris slid several documents toward her. "It contains the final conditions for the future of Lawson Interiors." Her heart pounded. She opened the first page. The color drained from her face. Transfer of Ownership... She quickly scanned the document. No... This couldn't be happening. "If certain financial obligations are not settled within thirty days," Mr. Harris explained quietly, "ownership of Lawson Interiors will legally transfer to Blackwood Holdings." Ava's hands clenched into fists. "No." "There has to be a mistake." "There isn't." She slammed the papers onto the desk. "Damien Blackwood planned this!" "He bought our debts just to steal my father's company!" Mr. Harris remained calm. "You haven't read the final page." With shaking fingers, Ava turned to the last document. Her eyes widened. Marriage Agreement "What is this?" Mr. Harris folded his hands. "There is one way to prevent the transfer." Ava looked up. "What way?" "You must marry Damien Blackwood." Silence filled the room. She stared at him, unable to process what she had just heard. "...What?" "A legal marriage." "For one year." "If you agree, the company's debts will be cleared immediately, ownership will remain in your family, and all employees will keep their jobs." Her breathing became uneven. "You expect me to marry the man who destroyed my family?" "The decision is yours." Ava stood so quickly that the chair nearly fell over. "I would rather lose everything." She turned toward the door. Mr. Harris spoke again. "Your father requested that I give you one more letter." She froze. "A letter?" He handed her a white envelope with familiar handwriting. Her father's handwriting. Her fingers shook as she opened it. > My dearest Ava, > If you're reading this, then I'm no longer with you. > I know you're angry. > I know you believe Damien Blackwood is your enemy. > But I need you to trust me one last time. > Marry him. > There are truths about our families that you don't know yet. > Damien is not the man you think he is. > Please... > Trust your father. Tears blurred her vision. "No..." Her father would never ask this of her. Would he? She remembered the nights he stayed awake worrying about the company. The employees. Their families. Everyone who depended on Lawson Interiors. If the company collapsed... Hundreds of people would lose their jobs. Mr. Harris quietly slid one final document across the table. "You have thirty days." "If you refuse, Blackwood Holdings takes possession of everything." Ava looked out the window. Rain covered the city. Thirty years of her father's work... Gone. She closed her eyes. "I'll meet him." Mr. Harris nodded. "I've already arranged it." "He's waiting." "What?" She looked up in shock. "Where?" "The penthouse." "Top floor." Ava swallowed hard. Her pulse raced as the private elevator carried her upward. Each floor felt like another step toward a future she never wanted. The elevator doors opened. A luxurious office stretched before her. Dark wood. Marble floors. A breathtaking view of the city. Standing with his back to her was a tall man in a perfectly tailored black suit. Without turning around, he spoke. "I was beginning to think you'd refuse." His deep voice sent an unexpected chill through her. He slowly turned. Damien Blackwood. The youngest billionaire in the country. Cold gray eyes. Sharp features. A face that newspapers loved to photograph. He looked at her without a hint of emotion. "So..." His voice was calm. "Have you come to marry me?" Ava stared at the man she had hated for years. Then she lifted her chin. "If I marry you..." "It will never be because I love you." A faint smile appeared on Damien's face. "I wouldn't expect you to." He reached into his desk drawer... ...and placed a diamond ring between them. Ava's eyes never left his face. So this was the man everyone admired. The man business magazines called a genius. The man her father had warned her never to underestimate. She had imagined meeting him a hundred different times. In every version, she pictured herself shouting at him, demanding answers, blaming him for everything that had gone wrong. But standing in front of him now, she couldn't find the words. Damien walked toward the glass wall overlooking the city. "Do you know why you're here, Miss Lawson?" She folded her arms tightly. "I know exactly why." "You bought my father's debts." "You waited until he died before making your move." "You've already won. Why humiliate me with this marriage?" He remained silent for a moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm. "If taking your company was my goal, I wouldn't have offered you another option." She laughed bitterly. "You expect me to believe this is generosity?" "No." "I expect you to believe facts." He pressed a button on his desk. Within seconds, his assistant entered carrying another folder. Damien handed it to Ava. "Read it." She hesitated before opening it. Inside were financial statements, bank transfers, and legal documents. Most of it meant nothing to her, but one name appeared again and again. Victor Lawson. Her uncle. "What is this?" "Evidence." "Evidence of what?" "Someone inside your family has been stealing from Lawson Interiors for years." Her heart skipped a beat. "That's impossible." "Uncle Victor helped my father build the company." Damien looked directly into her eyes. "Did he?" His confidence unsettled her. She flipped through more pages. Millions of naira had disappeared through shell companies. Suspicious contracts. Forged signatures. None of it made sense. "This has to be fake." "It isn't." "You can verify every document yourself." Ava closed the file. "I don't trust you." "I know." "And I don't intend to." "I know that too." For the first time, something flickered across Damien's face. Not anger. Not arrogance. Regret. "If I wanted to destroy your family, I could have done it years ago." "So why now?" she demanded. He looked away. "Because someone is trying to destroy both of us." Before she could ask another question, his phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen. His expression hardened instantly. Without another word, he strode to the window. A black SUV had stopped outside the building. Several men stepped out. They weren't employees. They wore dark suits and earpieces. Damien's jaw tightened. "They found you faster than I expected." Ava frowned. "What are you talking about?" He turned toward her. "For the next few hours, you're safest if you stay with me." She laughed. "Safe?" "You think I'm safer with the man I blame for ruining my life?" A loud bang echoed from somewhere below. The building's alarm began to ring. Damien looked toward the office door. "They're here."