Married To My Anonymous Enemy

Wedding Night

Ruby's Pov

The heavy oak door of the penthouse clicked shut, locking out the blinding flashes of paparazzi cameras that had followed them all the way to the elevator.

Ruby unclasped the diamond collar necklace, a heavy piece borrowed from the Victor family archive and set it on the marble console. She kicked off her satin heels and unzipped the trailing lace gown that had been plastered across every social media feed all evening.

"Married," Ruby said, stepping barefoot onto the cool hardwood floors. She ran a hand through her pinned-up hair, letting it tumble down. "Six hundred guests, three news crews, and a four-tier cake later, my father's corporate debt is officially off the market."

Victor unbuttoned his tuxedo jacket and threw it over the back of the couch. He unfastened his cufflinks, tossing them onto the tray with a soft metallic clatter.

"The board sent their congratulations before we even left the reception," Victor replied, his voice quiet in the vast, still living room. "The public spectacle did exactly what it was supposed to do. As far as the press is concerned, it's the high-society match of the year, not a financial rescue package."

Ruby looked down at the sleek gold band on her ring finger, contrasting sharply with the plain skin she was used to. "So the contract is executed. Your CEO seat is secure, my family’s name is clear, and we’re officially locked in."

Victor walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out over the city skyline. "Now comes the hard part, convincing everyone who lives outside these walls that we're actually a couple, while keeping our distance inside them."

The digital clock on the oven glowed 12:47 AM.

Between answering endless questions from board members and posing for photos, Ruby had barely touched her plate at the reception. Driven by a hollow ache in her stomach, she crept out of the guest bedroom and padded barefoot down the dimly lit hallway toward the kitchen.

She had tossed her heavy gown aside hours ago, throwing on a sheer, dust-rose silk nightie. In the soft moonlight spilling through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the thin fabric offered little coverage, subtly highlighting every line of her silhouette as she moved.

She didn't expect to find anyone up.

When she stepped into the vast, shadow-draped kitchen, a figure stood motionless near the marble island. Victor was leaned against the counter, still in his unbuttoned dress shirt, slowly swirling a glass of scotch. He was sitting completely in the dark, bathed only in the pale blue ambient light of the city skyline.

Ruby froze, her hand hovering over the refrigerator handle. "Victor?"

Victor turned his head slowly, his dark eyes adjusting to her presence. The moment his gaze landed on her, his movement stopped entirely. His eyes tracked down the delicate lace of her slip, lingering on the sheer outline of her waist before rising back to meet her face. The air in the room shifted instantly, growing thick and quiet.

"Couldn't sleep?" Victor asked, his voice low and raspy in the dark.

"I didn't get to eat a single bite of dinner," Ruby said, trying to maintain her composure despite how acutely aware she was of how little she was wearing. She reached into the fridge, grabbing a small plate of leftover fruit and cheese. "Every time I lifted a fork, another one of your board members wanted a photo."

A faint, shadowy smile touched Victor’s lips as he set his tumbler down on the marble. "Occupational hazard of being the main attraction."

"Is that why you're sitting in the dark like a villain?" she countered softly, taking a step toward the island.

"I was thinking," Victor said, his tone softening. He pushed off the counter and took a slow step toward her, closing the distance between them until the cool air was replaced by the heat radiating off him. "About how thoroughly you played your part tonight. And how hard it was to keep my hands to myself."

Ruby’s breath hitched. She set the plate down on the island behind her, refusing to back away. "It was all for the crowd, Victor."

"Was it?"

He stepped directly into her space, his warm fingers coming up to rest lightly against the side of her neck. The contrast of his calloused hand against her bare skin sent a sudden electric shiver straight down her spine. Ruby looked up, her pulse racing as she caught the uninhibited fire in his dark eyes.

"Tell me to go to bed, Ruby," he murmured, his thumb gently tracing her jawline, pulling her just a fraction of an inch closer.

Instead of stepping back, Ruby reached up, her fingers sliding into the collar of his unbuttoned shirt. "why?" she whispered.

Victor didn't answer. He closed the remaining space, capturing her mouth in a slow, possessive kiss that wiped away every sharp edge of their negotiated truce.

A quiet gasp escaped Ruby's lips, and Victor used the moment to deepen the kiss, his other arm sliding around her waist and pulling her flush against his chest. The thin silk of her nightwear did nothing to block the heat of his body. Ruby leaned into him completely, her arms winding around his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair as she returned the kiss with equal intensity.

He lifted her easily, setting her down on the edge of the high marble island. Victor stepped between her knees, his hands trailing up her thighs, catching the hem of the thin gown as his lips slid from her mouth down to the sensitive arch of her throat. Ruby tilted her head back, her hands gripping his shoulders, completely lost in the quiet heat of the dark kitchen.

She pulled back sharply quietly gasping for air, the realization of what they were doing sinking fast . She just had an intense make out session with her newly married stranger of a husband. "Goodnight" she sheepishly said in a hurry , jumping down and walking hurriedly back towards her room completely forgetting her food all the while blushing hard.

Victor's Pov

Victor stood alone in the quiet darkness of the kitchen, the soft hum of the stainless-steel refrigerator the only sound breaking the silence. He raised his hand, resting his knuckles against his jaw where the warmth of her breath still lingered, before slowly letting his arm drop to his side.

He looked at the high marble island where she had been sitting just seconds ago. Her untouched plate of fruit and cheese sat near the edge, a small, forgotten reminder of why she had walked out here in the first place.

With a low sigh, Victor picked up his glass, swirled the remaining drop of scotch, and drained it. He picked up her plate, covered it, and placed it on the top shelf of the fridge so she wouldn't have to look for it in the morning.

He walked back toward the sinks, unbuttoning the rest of his dress shirt and tossing it over the back of a barstool. Standing in the soft moonlight, he leaned his hands against the edge of the counter, his shoulders tense, staring out over the sleeping city skyline.

For months, every decision had been calculated, a balance sheet of leverage, board votes, and corporate survival. But as he looked down the quiet hallway toward the guest room door, the lines weren't so clear anymore.

He walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows, shirtless. Looking down at the sprawling, silent city grid, his mind drifted back eighteen months, long before board meetings, debt buyouts, or contractual marriages were ever discussed.

He had seen her for the first time at an art gallery fundraiser in the city center.

Ruby hadn't noticed him. She had been standing near a towering abstract canvas, completely oblivious to the room full of high-society elites mingling around her. She was wearing a simple, sharp emerald dress, her dark hair pinned loosely up, her expression entirely unbothered by the performative luxury around them.

What caught Victor’s attention wasn't just her presence, but the subtle, sharp way she observed people. While everyone else exchanged polite pleasantries, he watched her subtly roll her eyes at a boastful real estate mogul, taking a quiet, deliberate sip of her drink with an air of complete, unshakeable confidence. She moved through the venue like someone who knew exactly who she was, unfiltered, unguarded, and striking.

For a man accustomed to calculated conversations and transactional relationships, her natural composure was magnetic.

The next day, Victor had his team run a quiet background check, not out of malice, but out of sheer curiosity.

That was when he discovered the cracks beneath the surface. Her family's heritage company was sinking under severe mismanaged debt, spiraling toward a hostile takeover by predatory lenders.

Rather than letting an outside firm gut the company, Victor saw an opening. He quietly began acquiring small debt blocks, steering the creditors away from liquidation while positioning his own holding firm as the sole buyout candidate.

When his board began pressuring him for a stable, high-profile public image to secure his CEO confirmation, the final piece fell into place. He didn't force her family into a corner; he simply built a golden bridge out of it. He structured an arrangement so airtight that her pride wouldn't let her refuse, guaranteeing her family's total financial safety in exchange for a partnership that brought her directly into his world.

Victor refocused on his reflection in the glass.

Everything had gone according to plan, the acquisition, the press, the wedding, the vows. But as he remembered the sudden heat between them on the kitchen island tonight and the lingering scent of her perfume in the quiet hallway, Victor realized the one variable his calculations hadn't accounted for:

He had successfully brought Ruby Hart into his home, but keeping his distance from her was going to be an entirely different challenge.