Married To The Dangerous Billionaire

The text came through at 4:47 p.m. Aria had just stepped out of the studio, still buzzing from the high of her first live interview. Three years of building her design brand from a tiny flat in Shoreditch, three years of late nights and i********: posts and tiny victories, and today she had finally made it onto television. She had smiled on camera. She had been witty and composed and professional. She pulled out her phone to text Justin, still riding the wave. Then she saw it. "Hey, Aria! I have been meaning to tell you this all along. I no longer see a future in our relationship. You are holding me back, and I don't love you enough to continue. Don't bother reaching out to me. I have already moved on with someone bigger and better, who understands me. Congratulations on your first LIVE interview by the way." She read it once. Then again. Then a third time, as if the words might rearrange themselves into something that made sense. Five years. Gone. Discarded like a sample sale reject. Her vision blurred. She felt like she had been punched in the gut. The memories, the laughter, the plans they had made, the flat they had looked at in Camden, all of it shattered by a text message. He had not even bothered to call. He had not even given her the dignity of hearing his voice. How could he do this to her? She dialed his number. It rang once and went straight to voicemail. She tried again. Same result. Again. Same result. He had blacklisted her. Before she could process it, her phone rang. Agatha. Her best friend's name flashed on the screen. She answered immediately, her hand shaking. "Aria, I have something to tell you," Agatha said, her voice tight. "Justin's getting engaged to Becca tonight. Susu congratulated them on her i********: story. You know, that influencer I told you about?" Aria's world tilted. Engagement? Tonight? She had known Becca was capable of many things. Her half-sister had spent years taking what was hers, opportunities, attention, their father's affection, but never had she taken a person. Aria had never imagined even Becca would go that far. But the breakup text suggested otherwise. The nerve of him. To two-time her. To pick her sister, of all people. To send her a breakup text while he was already preparing to get engaged. That bastard. Aria ground her teeth. "Where is the location?" she demanded, already on her feet and grabbing her bag from the vanity table. Her reflection stared back at her, pale and shocked, still wearing the dress she had designed herself. The one she had been so proud of an hour ago. "Garden City Hotel Ballroom, downtown. But Aria, please, don't do anything stupid…" Aria hung up. --- Twenty minutes later, she arrived. The Garden City Hotel Ballroom was everything she had expected. A red carpet. Crystal chandeliers visible through the glass doors. Security guards with earpieces, checking invitations and waving the wealthy inside. Aria walked toward the entrance. Her path was blocked. "Why won't you let me in?" she asked the two men in black. They stood tall, barely glancing at her. "Don't you know who I am? Becca is my sister." The word tasted sour in her mouth. Sister. As if Becca had ever acted like one. Just as she was about to plead again, her stepmother stepped out through the doors. Caroline Sinclair was dressed in expensive attire from head to toe. Not a single strand of her perfectly styled hair was out of place. The lack of frown lines on her face was a testament to the botox injections and facelift treatments she had invested in over the years. "You are not welcome here," Caroline said, her voice cold. "Your presence is a nuisance. Go back to whatever council estate you crawled out of." Aria's hands clenched. She had come here for the benefit of the doubt. She had told herself there was an explanation. That Agatha was wrong. That Justin would never. But the adulterous couple were really having a feast behind those doors. And there was her stepmother. The headline sponsor of the greatest betrayal that had befallen her. "Did you know about Becca dating my boyfriend?" Aria asked through gritted teeth. "Yes, I did." Caroline's lips curved into a smirk. "I encouraged her to snatch him from you. Now, get lost." She turned to the bodyguards. "If this woman causes trouble, drag her out and call the police." Aria watched in frustrated misery as Caroline disappeared back into the hall. Her heart bled. Her stepmother had never been kind to her, but this was beyond anything she had ever done. "Would you like to go in with me?" The voice came from behind her. Low. Calm. Kind. Aria turned. The man was tall. Dark-haired. Piercing blue eyes that seemed to see straight through her. He was dressed in a black suit that fit him like it had been made for him, which it probably had. He was stunning in a way that made her forget, for just a moment, the pain in her chest. "Yes, please," she heard herself say. She moved to stand next to him. "She's with me," the man said to the security guards. The younger man who had come with him passed their invitation card to the guards. The doors opened. Not even a glance. Not even a word. The same men who had obeyed her stepmother's instruction to keep her out now let her through without question. Aria stepped inside, her mind racing. Who was this man who seemed to have so much authority in the palm of his hands? --- The ballroom was a blur of gold and white. Loud cheers. Clapping. Aria's attention was drawn to the stage, where her boyfriend of five years was cupping her half-sister's face. Justin kissed Becca softly. Aria's breath caught. Justin had never kissed her like that. He had always attacked her lips without mercy, as if he was at war with them. Yet he held Becca as though she was a delicate flower. A hot tear slipped from the corner of her eye. She was too late. They were already engaged. She could do nothing about it. She watched as they separated and stared into each other's eyes. She felt her heart tear into a million pieces. Pain and anger coursed through her veins. She could not stand it any longer. She backed away. And collided head-on with a waiter carrying two trays of champagne flutes. The crystal toppled. Golden liquid spilled. Glass shattered on the floor. Instantly, all heads turned in her direction.