The Billionaire's Contract Bride

Kiara's Pov Tonight was supposed to be perfect. Everything around me looked like something from a dream. The giant hall sparkled with golden lights hanging from the ceiling like tiny stars. White roses covered every table, and the soft music playing in the background made everything feel even more magical. I stood at the entrance of the ballroom, holding the edge of my silver dress so I wouldn’t trip. My heart was beating so fast it almost hurt. Tonight was my engagement party. Tonight, Daniel was supposed to ask me to marry him in front of everyone. At least, that was what he told me. I looked around the room and saw so many important people. My parents’ business partners, family friends, people from school, and even strangers I had never seen before. Everyone was dressed in expensive clothes and shiny jewelry. They all turned to look at me as I walked in. Some smiled, some whispered. I forced myself to smile back. “Kiara, sweetheart, you look beautiful,” my mom said as she walked up to me with a bright smile on her face. “Thank you, Mom,” I said softly. She fixed a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. “Tonight is going to change your life." I nodded, trying to ignore the strange feeling in my stomach. Something didn’t feel right. Daniel had barely spoken to me all day. He had been acting weird for the past few weeks, always busy, always distracted, always making excuses. But I told myself I was overthinking. Maybe he was just nervous. I mean, who wouldn’t be nervous before proposing? “Where’s Daniel?” I asked. Mom looked around. “He should be here by now.” I glanced toward the stage at the center of the room. There was a beautiful flower arch behind it, with our names written in gold letters. Seeing it made me blush. This was real. Or at least I thought it was. A few minutes later, the lights dimmed. Everyone turned toward the stage. My breath caught in my throat. Daniel walked onto the stage in a black suit, looking as handsome as ever. His dark hair was perfectly styled, and that confident smile I had fallen in love with was on his face. But then I noticed something. He wasn’t alone. Standing beside him was Chloe. My best friend At first, I thought maybe she was helping with the proposal or she was there for support. But then Daniel reached for her hand and held it. The entire room went silent. My heart dropped so hard it felt like it shattered inside me. No, this couldn’t be happening. Daniel looked straight at me. “Kiara,” he said into the microphone, his voice calm, almost cold. “I’m sorry you had to find out like this.” I stared at him, unable to move. Chloe gave me a fake sad smile. My hands began to shake. Daniel took a deep breath. “I can’t marry you.” A gasp spread through the room. I felt everyone’s eyes on me. Every single person. “What?” My voice came out as barely a whisper. Daniel looked at Chloe, then back at me. “Because I’m in love with her.” For a second, I couldn’t hear anything. Everything around me disappeared. All I could hear were those words. “I’m in love with her.” I stared at Chloe and she looked away. “How long?” I asked, my voice trembling. Neither of them answered. Tears burned in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not in front of everyone. “You both lied to me,” I said. Chloe finally spoke. “Kiara, it just happened.” I laughed a broken, shaky laugh. “It just happened?” I repeated. “You were my best friend.” She looked guilty for half a second before hiding it. Daniel sighed like I was the problem. “Don’t make a scene.” Those words hurt more than the betrayal. Don’t make a scene? At my own engagement party? The whispers around the room got louder. “Did you know?” “I can’t believe this.” “How embarrassing.” I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole. My face burned with humiliation because I could feel everyone staring. I turned to leave before the tears could fall. But just as I took a step, the large doors at the entrance opened. The room went silent again. A man walked in. He looked like he didn’t belong in the same world as everyone else. His black suit fit him perfectly, and his dark eyes were cold and unreadable. Every step he took made the room feel smaller. People moved out of his way without him even asking. I had never seen him before. But everyone else clearly knew who he was. “Ethan Blackwood.” Someone whispered the name behind me. He stopped right beside me. I looked up at him, confused. His eyes moved from my tear filled face to Daniel and Chloe on the stage. Then his jaw tightened. He turned to face the room. And then he did something that made my heart stop. He wrapped one arm around my waist and pulled me gently to his side. A gasp spread across the hall. I stared at him in shock. His voice was deep and calm when he spoke. “She won’t be needing that engagement anymore.” The room went silent. Daniel frowned. “Excuse me?” Ethan’s expression didn’t change. He looked at Daniel like he was nothing. “Because Kiara is with me now.” I blinked. Every eye in the room turned to us. My mind was spinning. I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out. Ethan looked down at me, his expression still unreadable. Then he said the words that changed everything. “I claim her." The room exploded into whispers. “What does he mean?” “Since when?” “Is this real?” Ethan’s arm remained around my waist, firm but not painful. For some strange reason, I felt safer than I had all night. Daniel stepped forward angrily. “Kiara, what is this?” For the first time, I saw fear in his eyes. I lifted my chin. “I think you heard him." Daniel’s face darkened. Chloe looked furious. Ethan gave them both one cold look. “If either of you embarrass her again,” he said quietly, “you’ll regret it.” He turned to me. “Come with me.” It wasn’t really a question. I hesitated for a second, then nodded. What else did I have left?Everything had already been destroyed tonight. As Ethan led me toward the doors, I could still feel everyone staring. But this time, it felt different. They weren’t looking at me with pity anymore. They were looking at me with shock and maybe a little envy. Outside, the cool night air hit my face. I finally let the tears fall. Ethan stopped walking. For a moment, neither of us said anything. Then he handed me a clean white handkerchief. I stared at it. “Why did you do that?” I asked. His dark eyes met mine. “Because they don’t deserve your tears.” My breath caught. No one had ever said anything like that to me before. I wiped my eyes. “You don’t even know me.” A strange look crossed his face. “Who says I don’t?” I frowned. Before I could ask what he meant, a sleek black car pulled up in front of us. Ethan opened the door for me. “Get in, Kiara.” I hesitated. Everything in me said this was crazy. But another part of me knew one thing. The girl who walked into that ballroom tonight was gone. And somehow, the man standing in front of me was about to change the rest of my life. I took a deep breath. Then I got into the car. The door shut behind me. And as Ethan slid in beside me, his voice was low and serious. “This is only the beginning.”