Married to the Enemy Billionaire

The Offer

"You don't get to say something like that and walk away."

Lucien paused, but he didn't turn back immediately.

He stood so still that for a second, Aria thought he might ignore her entirely- leaving her standing there like what he'd just said was nothing more than a mundane, passing conversation.

But slowly, he glanced over his shoulder.

"Then I suggest you make up your mind on whether you intend to follow me, and do it quickly," he said, after which, he didn't wait for her to give an answer. He simply started walking away.

Aria stared at his tall, retreating figure, her heartbeat racing, his words ringing over and over in her head.

"Marry me."

It still sounded just as ridiculous in her head as the first time she'd heard it. She knew she shouldn't have followed him: even considering this was insane and completely out of the question.

And yet, her feet began moving before her thoughts could catch up.

He led her to the edge of the grand hall, past clusters of guests who were pretending not to watch but clearly were. The music and chatter as they stepped into a quieter corridor, the polished marble giving way to softer lighting and an eerie, hushed silence.

By the time they reached the far end of the corridor, the noise of the event was nothing more than a distant hum.

Suddenly, Lucien halted, nearly sending Aria running into him.

She caught herself just in time, her breath uneven, her frustration bubbling back to the surface.

"What sort of game are you playing?" she demanded.

He finally turned to face her now, his expression as cold and composed as ever.

"I didn't know we were playing games now," he responded, almost looking amused.

Aria's laugh was sharp and sarcastic. "Right. Because completely destroying someone's life and then turning around to propose to them is normal human behaviour."

"I didn't propose," he said flatly. "I simply made you an offer."

"An offer?" she repeated. "You think this is something I can just... consider?"

"I think," he muttered, taking a few steps closer to her, "that you came here to see me for a reason."

Aria stiffened.

"I came to confront you."

"Confront me you did," he continued calmly. "Yet, you didn't leave me after you did."

She felt her jaw tightening.

"That doesn't mean anything," she protested, but she felt her voice starting to shake.

"It means you're not as indifferent as you'd like to pretend," he stated. "Especially about me."

The quiet certainty in his voice unsettled her more than anger would have.

She crossed her arms and straigtened her back, forcing herself to hold his gaze. "Then explain it. Explain why you think I would ever agree to something like that."

Lucien studied her for a moment, as if trying to measure how much to say. Then finally-

"Because I can give you back what you lost."

Her breath hitched. He said it so simply, like it was nothing. Like everything she'd suffered through and survived in the past few years can be handed back just as easily as it was taken from her.

"You don't get to say that," she said, her voice lower now. "You don’t get to pretend you can fix what you broke."

"I'm not pretending," he replied.

She wanted to snap back, but there was something about his tone—quiet, absolute—made her hesitate. So she listened.

"I will clear your family’s debts."

Her fingers tightened against her crossed arms.

"I will restore your family's name."

Her heart skipped a bit.

"And," he added, monitoring her face closely, "I will ensure that what happened two years ago never touches you again."

Silence fell between the two of them, enveloping the air Aria started to struggle to breathe.

Could I really trust him? she thought. But then she quickly stopped herself before she allowed herself to believe it.

She forced out a long breath, shaking her head.

"You expect me to believe that you suddenly care?" she said.

"This has nothing to do with me caring."

She let out a shallow laugh. Of course he didn't care. What did she expect?

"Then what does it have to do with?" she asked.

"You," he replied simply.

She frowned. "That doesn't make any sense."

"It doesn't need to," he replied. "It only needs to be enough for you."

"For what Lucien?" she shot back. "For me to agree to marry you? You really think I'm that desperate."

Lucien didn't answer immediately. He just looked at her with the blank, cold expression Aria hated so much.

At first he looked at her face. Then slowly, his eyes drifted lower. Taking in the worn edges of her dress. The imperfections of her makeup, no doubt because they were cheap products. The tension in her posture. The faint shadows beneath her eyes she hadn't quite managed to hide.

"You're struggling," he said finally.

Her stomach dropped. "You don't know anything about me."

"I know more than enough."

Her pulse quickened as something defensive rose in her chest.

"Then you already know, Mr Blackwood," she said, stepping closer, trying desperately to keep her voice steady despite the angry storm building inside her. "I would rather lose everything all over again than tie myself to you like that."

She stood there facing him, trying to gauge his reaction. She noticed a slight change in his expression. But it wasn't anger, or shock, or anything that you would expect from a man who just got rejected. Rather, he seemed to be amused at her outburst.

"Would you now?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered instantly. She hoped it came out more firm than she felt inside.

Lucien nodded once, as if accepting her response.

"Then we're done here, Miss Vale."

Relief flooded through her system. She couldn't believe how easy it was, but she was happy to get away.

She turned, starting to make her way towards the exit.

"Aria."

His mention of her name stopped her dead in her tracks. Slowly, she looked back.

Lucien's cold gaze held hers, steady and unreadable.

"You should be careful about what you refuse," he said flatly.

A chill slid down her spine.

"I'm not afraid of you, you know," she replied with more conviction than she felt.

What now?

"I'm not saying you should be afraid of me, Aria. I'm saying you should be afraid of your reality."

Her brows drew together. "What do you mean by that?"

For a moment he said nothing. Then he reached into his jacket, pulling out his phone.

He tapped the screen the few times, then held it out to her.

"Come take a look."

She hesitated, every instinct within her telling her not to, that he was just trying to make her afraid. But still, she pushed herself forward to see what he had to show her.

When she took the phone, her eyes dropped to the screen. On it, she saw a document. An official notice.

Her breath caught.

"No..." she whispered. It wasn't just any type of notice.

It was a notice of eviction.

Effective immediately.

Her grip tightened around the phone.

"That’s not possible," she said, her voice unsteady now. "We still have time. They said—"

"They said many things, indeed," Lucien interrupted quietly.

"This is wrong," she insisted, shaking her head. There has to be a mistake."

"And what mistake could there possibly be, Aria?" he mused.

She looked up at him, panic beginning to set in within her.

"My sister...," she began.

"Won't have a place to live by tomorrow morning," he finished.

Aria stared at him, her chest tightening, her thoughts scattering.

"No," she said again, softer this time. "They can’t do that. Not without notice-"

"They just did." The calm certainty in his voice made it impossible to deny.

Her fingers trembled as she lowered the phone.

Everything she had been holding together—barely, carefully—started to c***k.

"You did this," she breathed. "You knew about this!"

Her mind raced though all of her options- none of it enough, none of it fast enough for tomorrow morning.

"What are you trying to say?" she asked, even though she already knew.

He stepped closer to her.

"I'm saying," he said quietly. "That your situation might be more urgent than you'd like to admit."

Aria's chest rose and fell unevenly.

"And I'm offering you a solution."

She still managed to shake her head even as doubt began to creep in. "I already gave you my answer."

"That was before you understood the consequences."

Lucien held her gaze for one long, unbroken moment. Then, calmly, he reminded her:

"Your sister will be evicted by morning."

As the words hung in the air like a verdict, Aria realised that this offered marraige, was in fact, never her choice to begin with.