The Billionaire’s Secret Obsession-Contract Bride

PROLOGUE: The final bell rang, echoing down the crowded hallways of Riverside High. Seniors drifted from one locker to the next, sharing secrets and laughter, savouring the last days of their high school years. But to Damian Sinclair, the sound of that bell held a different weight. This was it—the last chance he’d have to reach her. Amelia Harrington stood across the hallway, completely absorbed in her locker as she stacked books she’d need for the weekend. As usual, she had on a plain sweater and simple jeans, her hair tied back in a neat ponytail. She was always in the school’s quiet spaces: the library, the far tables in the cafeteria, always at the edge of his vision, yet seemingly out of reach. In a world filled with shallow popularity games and loud parties, she stood apart. She wasn’t trying to impress anyone or gain favour. She was just... herself, a mystery, wrapped in studious silence. And it was that silence that had captivated him since the start of freshman year. She was reading the note; Damian had slipped a note in that exact book in her locker and he was watching from afar as she glanced round trying to figure out who had dropped the note there. Damian smiled, finally he'd be able to tell her how he felt about her all this time. “You’re staring again, Sinclair,” Lucas laughed, one of his friends from the football team, nudging him in the ribs. “What, that nerd girl got you all twisted up?” Damian forced a smirk, giving Lucas a shove. “Shut up, man. Don’t you have better things to do?” “Oh, I get it.” Lucas grinned. “The popular jock falls for the nerdy bookworm—sounds like one of those bad movies my little sister watches. Don’t let Vanessa hear about it; she’ll have your head.” At the mention of Vanessa, Damian paused. Vanessa Whitmore was the queen bee of Riverside High. Popular, outgoing, and beautiful in a way that caught everyone’s eye the moment she entered a room. She was his girlfriend, technically—though it was a recent development. Vanessa had claimed him at a party, and he’d allowed it to avoid the inevitable drama. She seemed to relish the title, always draping herself over him in public, making sure everyone thought they were together. But Damian had barely thought about Vanessa since the day they’d started “dating”. All he could think about was the quiet girl across the hallway. “She’s different,” he muttered, more to himself than to Lucas. “You wouldn’t get it.” “Oh I get it,” Lucas said, raising his hands in mock defense. “I just don’t know why you’re wasting time on her when you could have anyone in the school.” As his friends wandered off, Damian’s gaze drifted back to Amelia. She was focused, lost in her own world, carefully packing her textbooks. She didn’t notice his glances, didn’t seem to care who watched her or what they thought. And in a school filled with people constantly vying for attention, that made her stand out. It was real, and it was rare. Damian had always been the golden boy of Riverside High—star athlete, class president, the one everyone knew. But with Amelia, his popularity didn’t seem to matter. She didn’t even glance his way. To her, he might as well have been invisible. And it drove him mad. He needed to be seen by her, for her to acknowledge that he wasn’t just another guy in school. Graduation was approaching, and his chances were slipping away. He took a deep breath, For days he’d gone over the words in his mind over and over. He had written her a note—a simple, hopeful message. Meet me behind the school’s west block after the last period. I have something I want to tell you. —————————————————————————— Damian paced behind the west block, his heart in his throat, he glanced at his watch for the tenth time in as many minutes. A steady ache was building in his chest a mixture of excitement and nerves. He had never been this nervous, not even during championship games or student council speeches. This was different. This was Amelia. He could already picture her walking up, could imagine the way her quiet gaze would finally meet he’s, and he would have the chance to tell her what he’d been feeling for so long. When he heard footsteps approaching, his heart started pounding. But as he looked up, his heart dropped. Vanessa was standing there, not Amelia. She wore a knowing smile, her head tilted as she took slow, deliberate steps toward him. “Hey, Damian,” she started, folding her arms as she leaned against the brick wall beside him. “Surprised?” Damian’s stomach twisted in confusion. “Vanessa... what are you doing here?” He frowned, glancing past her, expecting to see Amelia trailing behind. But there was no one else. His face showed his disappointment. “Oh, don’t be silly,” she said with a sly smile, batting her lashes. “I got your note.” She held up a crumpled piece of paper, the note he’d written for Amelia. His heart sank. No... I didn’t—” His voice trailed off as he looked down at the note in her hand. “Of course you did,” Vanessa laughed, tossing the note aside. “We’re meant to be, Damian. Everyone knows that.” A surge of disappointment hit him hard, coupled with a wave of anger that he couldn’t quite place. He felt... humiliated. Amelia had seen the note and chosen to ignore it. Had she read the note, laughed it off, and decided he wasn’t worth her time? Did she know he was waiting here and had simply decided she had better things to do? Maybe she thought he wasn’t worth her time. He’d let himself believe she was different, that she’d understand him in a way no one else could, and yet here he was, alone with Vanessa. He clenched his fists, struggling to keep his composure. If Amelia thought he wasn’t worth noticing, he’d make sure she regretted it. If she wanted to pretend he didn’t matter, then fine—he’d make sure she couldn’t ignore him forever. He’d make sure of it. “Well,” Vanessa said, closing the distance between them and sliding her hand into his, “at least now you can be with someone who appreciates you.” “You know I've always cared, Damian, always been there for you. I’m pretty sure you know how long I've loved you for. There's no need holding out for someone who obviously doesn't care” Vanessa continued looking and searching for Damian’s eyes. Damian looked down at her, his mind reeling with anger and hurt. Vanessa was smiling up at him, clearly pleased with herself, and for the first time, he found that he didn’t care. He didn’t care about her, or his friends, or his reputation. The one person he wanted to notice him hadn’t even bothered to show. “Yeah,” he muttered, forcing a tight smile. “Guess you’re right.” END OF PROLOGUE Ten Years Later Damian stood in the front hall of the Sinclair estate, the invitation clenched in his hand: Congratulations, Class of 2005!. Riverside High’s class reunion was in two weeks. High school was long over and Damian had taken every opportunity to grow his family’s business but Amelia was still there, always lingering at the edge of his mind. He’d heard Amelia had graduated with honors and gone off to college on a scholarship. She was thriving, still completely detached from the world around her. The anger from that day still lingered. A constant reminder that she had dismissed him, ignored him without a second thought. He’d built himself up in the years since, inheriting his father’s company and taking on the Sinclair name with pride. He slipped the invitation into his pocket and straightened his suit. She hadn’t acknowledged him in high school, never looked his way. One day, they would meet again, of which he was certain and this time, he would make sure things went his way and she knew exactly who he was.