HIS SECRET HEIR: THE BILLIONAIRE’S HIDDEN BRIDE

Ava Lawson woke to a blinding ache behind her eyes. The first thing she noticed was the ceiling—high, white, trimmed with gold. The second was the bed—too soft, too large, too expensive. The third was the man sitting at the edge of it. He wasn’t touching her. He wasn’t even looking at her. He just sat there, elbows on his knees, fingers steepled under his chin, staring at the floor like he was calculating the next move of a global war. Ava’s breath snagged. She knew him. Everyone knew him. Adrian Knight. Youngest billionaire in Knight Industries history. CEO. Tech genius. Global icon. Untouchable. Cold. But why was he sitting on a bed she woke up in? She shot upright—instantly regretting it as her vision spun. “What—what happened? Why am I here?” Adrian finally lifted his eyes to her. Grey. Icy. Unreadable. “Good. You’re awake.” His voice was smooth, but with an edge that made her skin prickle. “We need to talk.” Ava pulled the sheets higher, panic bubbling through her. “Did you bring me here? Did something happen last night?” He reached to the nightstand, picked up a document, and held it out. Ava stared. Her chest went cold. It was a marriage certificate. Her name. His name. Both signed. Stamped. Filed. Her voice broke. “This is—this is impossible. I would remember something like this. I don’t even know you!” Adrian’s jaw clenched. “I’m aware of your memory loss. It’s from the sedatives they gave you.” “Who gave me what?!” He stood. Tall. Imposing. Too close. Too calm. “You saved my life last night, Ava,” he said quietly. “And in doing so, you became a target. The people who tried to kill me will come for you next.” Ava shook her head. “No. No, this doesn’t make sense. Why would I be a target?” “Because they think you know something.” He stepped even closer. “And because they saw you with me.” Her pulse thundered. “So you—so we… got married?” “It was the only legal protection available.” He paused. “Your life depends on it.” Ava’s world spun violently. She was married. To a billionaire. To a stranger. To a man the whole world feared. And she couldn’t remember a single second of it.