THE BILLIONAIRE'S UNKNOWN HEIR

Amelia Hart never meant to ruin anyone’s wedding. She was only supposed to deliver a hundred white lilies to the Bellavista Hotel, arrange them near the altar, and quietly disappear before the ceremony began. That was her job. She worked hard for her tiny florist shop, taking every order, every client, and every event seriously. But everything went wrong the moment she stepped into the grand ballroom. She hadn’t seen such wealth up close before. Golden chandeliers sparkled above her, huge floral arches lined the aisle, and white satin draped from ceiling to floor like something out of a fairytale. She felt out of place, like a weed in a garden full of roses. Dressed in her worn jeans, her shirt stained from handling flowers, she tried not to draw attention. But nerves got the better of her when one of her workers called her, asking where to drop the backup orchids. Amelia turned too quickly, her hand catching the edge of a towering crystal vase. The vase wobbled, tilted, and before she could stop it, it came crashing down. The sound of shattering glass echoed through the hall like thunder. Everyone turned. Amelia’s heart froze. It wasn't just the vase. Somehow, the impact had pulled part of the draped fabric loose, which knocked over another arrangement. A domino effect began—flowers falling, petals flying, and in one horrible moment, the entire floral arch collapsed right across the aisle. Silence. Then came the sound of heels clicking hard against the marble floor. “Who the hell is responsible for this?” a deep, cold voice demanded. Amelia turned slowly. The man approaching was tall, sharp in a black tailored suit, and dangerously calm. His dark eyes narrowed as they locked onto her. His expression was unreadable, like stone, but it held fury beneath it. She didn’t need to ask who he was. Everyone knew Alessandro De Luca—billionaire CEO, known for building empires and destroying anyone who crossed him. And now, she had ruined his wedding. “I’m... I’m so sorry,” she whispered, trying to gather the scattered lilies from the floor. “It was an accident. I swear. I was—” “You were careless,” he interrupted coldly. “And this isn’t just any event. You ruined the most important day of my life.” “I’ll fix it,” Amelia said quickly, though her hands were trembling. “I can set up the flowers again, bring replacements, I—” “No. It’s too late.” His voice dropped lower. “The guests are arriving. The press is outside. And thanks to your little disaster, my fiancée is hysterical and refusing to walk down the aisle.” Amelia’s stomach sank. She hadn’t just dropped flowers—she had ruined a multi-million-dollar event. She looked around, seeing hotel staff trying to clean up the mess, bridesmaids whispering, and someone comforting a crying bride in the corner. “I’ll pay for the damage,” Amelia offered, though her account was nearly empty. “Please, just tell me how much—” “Pay?” Alessandro’s laugh was humorless. “You couldn’t afford a single broken vase in this room.” His words cut deep. She felt small and humiliated, standing in the middle of chaos with everyone watching. “I’m truly sorry,” she said again, softly. “It wasn’t intentional.” He stared at her for a long, silent moment. Then he looked away, eyes scanning the mess, the crowd, the destroyed aisle—and suddenly, he smiled. But it wasn’t a kind smile. It was the smile of a man who had just thought of a solution. One that didn’t involve forgiveness. “You said you want to fix this?” he asked. Amelia nodded slowly, not trusting the shift in his tone. “Then marry me.” Her breath caught. She blinked. “I’m sorry… what?” “You ruined my wedding. My bride has run off. The media is outside. Investors are waiting to see me walk down that aisle. If I cancel this wedding, I lose not just a deal, but the trust of people who’ve put millions on the line. So, if you want to fix this, you’ll stand beside me and pretend to be my wife for the next thirty days.” Amelia stared at him like he was mad. “That’s insane. You want me to fake a marriage with you?” He stepped closer, lowering his voice. “You owe me, Miss Hart. And I always collect debts.” Her mind spun. This man was serious. He didn’t care about her life, her shop, her reputation. To him, she was a tool to fix a broken image. Just a poor florist who had messed with the wrong man. “I can’t marry a stranger,” she said, her voice cracking. “Then prepare to face the full weight of my lawyers,” he said calmly. “For the damages, the emotional distress of my guests, and the collapse of a corporate merger tied to this event. You might not survive it, financially or emotionally.” Amelia felt like she couldn’t breathe. She had no one to call for help. No savings. No lawyer. Her shop was already on the edge of closing down. And this man was giving her two choices—fake a marriage and survive… or drown under the weight of his revenge. Her silence gave him his answer. “I’ll have the contract ready in one hour,” he said. “You’ll move into my penthouse. You’ll wear my ring. Smile for the cameras. And after thirty days, we part ways. Simple.” She couldn’t even speak as he walked away, already pulling out his phone to speak with his assistant. The world around her felt like a dream, like someone else’s nightmare. And somehow, she had just become the main character in it. But what Alessandro didn’t know—what he couldn’t know—was that she wasn’t a stranger at all. Not really. Three years ago, they had met once. She had been heartbroken, lost, and drunk at a charity event she had crashed while delivering flowers. He had been charming that night, mysterious, nothing like the cold man she saw today. They had shared one night, one moment. He had vanished the next morning. And she had been left with a piece of him that changed her life forever. Their son.