Married to the Enemy CEO

I never thought silence could scream this loud. The news anchor’s voice still echoed in the background, but my ears had stopped listening the moment my father’s name flashed across the screen. “BREAKING: Reyes Corporation Declares Bankruptcy Amid Fraud Allegations—Chairman Under Investigation.” Fraud. As if my father—the man who spent his whole life building his company—would ever stoop to that. I stood frozen in our once-grand living room. The lights had been cut hours ago. Our staff? Gone. The estate? Already crawling with press and creditors. The air smelled of stale perfume and panic. My phone vibrated with a text. Another message from a so-called “friend.” “So sorry for your loss 💔 Hope you land on your feet.” My loss? I wasn’t dead. Not yet. But I might as well be. Because standing on the doorstep of our ruined mansion, was the man who buried us. And he was wearing a damn smile. “Hello, Alina.” His voice was smooth. Controlled. Like this was just business to him. Like he hadn’t just set fire to everything I ever loved. I blinked at him. “What the hell are you doing here?” Jace Thorn—CEO of Thorn Enterprises. Billionaire. Media darling. Devil in a tailored suit. “I came to offer you a lifeline,” he said simply, as if he were offering me a ride—not dragging my pride through the mud. I laughed bitterly. “You destroyed us.” He shrugged, unbothered. “Your father’s company was collapsing long before I touched it. I simply let gravity do its job.” “You leaked the reports,” I hissed. “I revealed the truth.” I wanted to slap him. I wanted to scream and cry and beg. But I stood still. Because behind him, a black car waited. And I knew—somehow—that what he was about to say would change everything. “You have two options,” he said, stepping closer. “Watch your father go to prison… or marry me.” My heart stopped. “What?” “Marry me. Publicly. Immediately.” He looked down at his watch like we were discussing dinner reservations. “It’ll be a one-year contract. No love, no strings. Just a temporary arrangement to silence my board—and save your family from ruin.” I stared at him, thunderstruck. “You can’t be serious.” “I am. Deadly so.” He leaned in. His breath was warm against my cheek. “Choose wisely, Alina. Because you only get one offer.” And with that, Jace Thorn turned and walked away. Leaving me drowning in silence—one I was starting to realize had always belonged to him.