The Billionaire's Revenge Pact: Married to My Father's Enemy.

PROLOGUE The hospital alley was unusually quiet, heavy with a silence that didn’t belong in a place meant for healing. A little girl sat alone on a cold bench, trembling as soft sobs escaped her lips. Her small hands covered her face like she could hide from the pain swallowing her whole. From the far end of the alley, a young boy, about twice her age, noticed her. He hesitated briefly before walking over and sitting beside her. “Hey,” he said gently. “Why are you crying?” The girl slowly lifted her tear-stained face. “My… my mom…” she whispered before breaking down again. Without asking more questions, the boy pulled her into a warm embrace. “It’s okay,” he murmured softly. “You’re not alone. She clung to him tightly while he held her steady. As he held her, his eyes briefly caught sight of a strange birthmark on her shoulder. He stared at it for a second longer than necessary. But he said nothing. Instead, he tightened his hold slightly, as though silently making a decision even he didn’t fully understand. CHAPTER ONE ARIA’S POV The first thing I touched when I woke up was the necklace. I didn’t even open my eyes first. My fingers moved on instinct, sliding across the bedsheet until they found the thin silver chain resting against my collarbone. There it was. Still there. Still mine. I exhaled slowly, eyes opening to the soft morning light spilling through the tall windows of my bedroom. The Brooks mansion always looked peaceful in the morning, like a painting frozen in time. White curtains swayed gently in the breeze. Sunlight glowed across the marble floor. Somewhere downstairs, staff moved quietly, preparing the house for another day of perfection. But inside my chest, a storm lived. My thumb rubbed the tiny teardrop pendant, tracing its familiar edges. “Good morning, Mom,” I whispered. The words came out softer than breath. This necklace was the only thing my father had never taken from me. The only thing from my mother that still felt real. When she died, the house swallowed her existence as if she had never lived here. Her paintings disappeared. Her clothes vanished. Even her favourite piano was removed from the music room within a week. Mortimer Brooks didn’t like reminders. But he couldn’t erase this. He had tried once. I still remembered the way he stared at the necklace when I wore it to dinner at thirteen. The way his jaw tightened. The way he told me it looked "cheap". I never took it off after that. Because it was the one thing that was mine My eyes drifted to the clock. 8:03 AM. I stared at the numbers for a long time before the realisation fully settled. Today. A slow breath left my lips. “I’m twenty,” I murmured. The words sounded strange. Too grown. Too important. Like stepping into a role I had spent years rehearsing for. Today was supposed to matter. I pushed myself up into a sitting position, the silk sheets slipping from my shoulders as excitement and nerves twisted together inside my stomach. For years, I had worked for this day. For years, I had worked for him. Late nights at Brooks Enterprises while other teenagers went to parties. Business courses before I even finished high school. Internships, meetings, presentations, contracts. I learnt how to negotiate before I learnt how to relax. Every achievement. Every sacrifice. Every sleepless night. All for one thing. My father’s acknowledgement. My gaze drifted to the skyline visible beyond the mansion grounds. The city stretched endlessly in the distance, glass towers catching the morning light like promises waiting to be claimed. Brooks Enterprises stood among them. Our empire. One day, it would be mine to protect. At least… that was the dream. I pressed my lips together and shook the thought away before doubt could creep in. Tonight, my father was hosting a gala in my honour. His first public event centred around me since my mother died eight years ago. Eight years of distance. Eight years of silence. Eight years of trying. Tonight had to mean something. It had to. Because if it didn’t… I didn’t want to think about what that would mean. My phone buzzed loudly on the bedside table, pulling me from my thoughts. The screen lit up with a name that instantly made warmth spread through my chest. Sophie 💕. A smile broke across my face before I even answered. “Good morning, birthday girl!!” she shouted the moment the call connected. I laughed, the sound spilling out of me freely in a way it rarely did inside this house. “You’re way too energetic for this early.” “It is not early. It is your twentieth birthday. This is a national holiday. I am already dressed. I am already caffeinated. I am already on my way.” “You’re not…” “I am fifteen minutes away.” I groaned, flopping back against the pillows. “Sophie…” “No arguments. Today you are the main character.” My chest tightened at the words. The main character. I wasn’t used to being the centre of anything. Not in this house. Not in this family. But today… maybe. “Thank you,” I whispered. Her voice softened immediately. “You deserve today, Aria. You’ve worked harder than anyone I know. Your dad would be blind not to see it.” I stared at the ceiling. Blind. Yes. That was one word for it. Still, hope flickered stubbornly in my chest, refusing to die. Tonight, my father would stand in front of the city’s elite, the press, the board of directors… And announce the future heir of Brooks Enterprises. My fingers tightened around the necklace. “This is it,” I whispered. “What is?” Sophie asked. I swallowed, heart pounding harder with every beat. “Tonight… my father announces who will inherit the company.” Silence filled the line. Then Sophie screamed so loudly I had to pull the phone away from my ear. “I am sure you don't have plans of impairing my hearing.” “Oh my god… I'm not, I'm not.” I heard her chuckle from the other end. “Look, you have worked your ass out for this day. You put everything on the line…and finally it is here.” She squealed. “So yeah! Permit if I try to impair your hearing, b***h!” I rolled my eyes and burst into laughter. Yeah, she can be extra sometimes. Suddenly, the door to my bedroom burst open without warning. “Where is the birthday girl?!” I yelped and sat upright as Sophie marched in like a hurricane of energy, shopping bags dangling from both arms and sunglasses perched dramatically on her head. “You scared me! Geez!” I huffed loudly and hung up. She dropped the bags on my bed and gasped loudly. “No, you scared me. Why are you still in pajamas? We have a gala to prepare for! This is a red-carpet event! This is an heir-announcement night! This is…” “Sophie.” “Yes?” “It’s nine in the morning.” She blinked. Then waved her hand dismissively. “Time is a social construct.” I burst out laughing again. That was Sophie. Loud, dramatic, fiercely loyal Sophie. The only person in this enormous mansion who ever made it feel warm. She suddenly grabbed my shoulders and stared at me intensely. “Okay. Serious moment.” My smile faded slightly. “What?” “You are going to walk into that gala tonight and own that room. You hear me?” Emotion tightened my chest again. I nodded slowly. “I hear you." She frowned. “I can't hear you…” I rolled my eyes. “Oh my god, Soph, don't…” “Say what?” She leaned closer, playing dumb. “I said I hear you.” I half-yelled and burst out laughing. She relaxed instantly. “Good. Now let’s make you look like the future CEO.” We spent the next hours sprawled across my bedroom floor surrounded by dresses, heels, makeup palettes, and half-eaten pastries Sophie had smuggled in from a bakery. Sunlight filled the room as laughter echoed off the walls. For a few precious hours, the Brooks mansion felt less like a museum and more like a home. Until the intercom chimed. “Miss Brooks,” the head housekeeper’s voice said politely. "Mr Brooks has returned.” My heart jumped. Sophie noticed immediately. “He’s early.” I nodded slowly. My father was never early. He was never home before evening unless it involved business or appearances. And tonight involved both. I stood and smoothed my dress unconsciously. A nervous habit I’d never been able to break. “Let’s go downstairs,” I said. We stepped onto the upper balcony overlooking the grand foyer. The massive front doors swung open below us as security held them wide. Mortimer Brooks entered like he owned the world. Which, in many ways, he did. Tall. Impeccably dressed. Every step is precise and controlled. Staff straightened the moment he walked past them, like flowers turning toward sunlight. My chest filled with a strange mix of longing and dread. He didn’t look up. He never looked up. But tonight would be different. Tonight he had to see me. Then someone stepped in beside him. A man. Young, tall and confident. Wearing a tailored suit like he belonged in it. His posture radiated effortless arrogance as he walked beside my father. Not behind him. Beside him. My stomach tightened. “Do you know him?” Sophie whispered. I shook my head slowly. Below us, my father laughed at something the man said and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. A proud gesture. A fatherly gesture. A gesture I had spent years trying to earn. Something cold slid into my chest. No. I was overthinking. It was probably a business associate or a partner or a board member’s son. Yes. That had to be it. It had to be. Because tonight was my night. Tonight, everything changed. My fingers curled tightly around my mother’s necklace. And for the first time that morning… Hope trembled.