Reborn Into The Billionaire Ex’s Contract Wife

The First Strike

Aria

The wedding was smaller than I remembered. Intimate, Kael had called it. Strategic, I knew better. Only fifty guests, carefully selected. Business partners who needed convincing of Kael's stability. Society pages reporters who would spread the right narrative. No one who actually cared about either of us.

I stood in the bridal suite, adjusting my dress. Simple, elegant, expensive. Everything chosen by Kael's assistant without my input.

"You look beautiful." Maya squeezed my hand, her eyes worried. "Are you sure about this?"

I looked at my best friend, seeing her with new eyes. In my past life, she had abandoned me when the scandal hit. But that was five years away. Right now, she was still here, still loyal.

"I'm sure." I squeezed back. "Trust me, okay?"

"Aria, if you're having doubts..." She bit her lip. "It's not too late to back out. Your dad would understand."

No, he wouldn't. And besides, backing out wasn't the plan.

"I know what I'm doing." I turned to face her fully. "Maya, I need you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"No matter what happens in the next few years, no matter what you hear about me, remember this moment. Remember that I chose this with my eyes open."

Her frown deepened. "You're scaring me."

"Don't be scared." I pulled her into a hug. "Just remember."

The ceremony passed in a blur. Kael's hand was cold when he slipped the ring on my finger. His kiss was brief, perfunctory, meant only for the cameras.

"Smile," he whispered against my lips. "You're supposed to look happy."

I smiled. Bright and radiant and fake too. The reception was held at Morrison Tower's rooftop garden. String lights and champagne and people who measured their worth in zeros.

"Mrs. Morrison." A hand extended toward me. The man attached to it had kind eyes and salt-and-pepper hair. "Daniel Reeves. I work with your father occasionally."

I shook his hand, mind racing. Daniel Reeves. I knew that name. In my past life, he had been one of the few people to publicly defend me during the scandal. Had called it a setup, had insisted I deserved a fair investigation.

He had lost clients because of it.

"Mr. Reeves. It's nice to meet you."

"Congratulations on your marriage." He glanced toward Kael, who was across the room speaking with board members. "I hope it brings you happiness."

Something in his tone made me look closer. He didn't sound convinced.

"You don't approve?" I kept my voice light, curious.

"It's not my place to approve or disapprove." Daniel sipped his champagne. "But I've known your father for twenty years. He's a good man who built his company with integrity. I hope that same integrity runs in the family."

A warning. Subtle but clear.

"My father taught me well, Mr. Reeves." I met his eyes. "I know the difference between a good deal and a bad one."

His expression shifted, surprise flickering across his features. "I'm glad to hear it. If you ever need advice, business or otherwise, my door is open."

He walked away, leaving me with a strange sense of possibility. An ally, maybe. If I played this right.

"Making friends already?" Victoria Lang appeared beside me, her red dress like a bloodstain against the white decorations. "How sweet."

"Victoria." I kept my tone neutral. "Thank you for coming."

"Oh, I wouldn't miss it." She watched Kael across the room, hunger in her eyes. "It's not every day you get to witness a business transaction disguised as a wedding."

"Is that what you think this is?"

"That's what I know it is." She turned to me, smile sharp. "Kael told me himself. This marriage is temporary. A necessary inconvenience for his board's outdated morality standards."

My fingers tightened on my champagne glass. "He discussed our marriage with you?"

"We discuss everything." She leaned closer, voice dropping. "We have for years. Did you really think you were special, sweetheart? You're a placeholder. I'm the real prize."

She walked away, leaving poison in her wake. I wanted to scream. To throw my glass. To march over to Kael and demand answers.

Instead, I smiled and nodded at passing guests. Because Victoria had just given me information. Kael confided in her. Trusted her. Which meant she might know about his plans for my father's company. Which meant she was a target too.

"Ladies and gentlemen." Kael's assistant tapped a microphone. "Mr. Morrison would like to say a few words."

Kael stood, commanding attention effortlessly. The room fell silent.

"Thank you all for joining us today." His voice carried across the rooftop. "Marriage is a partnership, a merging of two lives toward a common goal."

I watched him speak, remembering every word from the first time. The pretty lies about partnership and future.

"My wife brings something valuable to this union." Kael's eyes found mine across the room. "Her father's company has potential, and with proper guidance, it could thrive."

Proper guidance. Code for hostile takeover.

"Aria herself is young, eager to learn." He smiled, and the guests chuckled knowingly. "I look forward to teaching her how the real world works."

Heat crawled up my neck. The condescension in his voice was deliberate, meant to establish hierarchy. To show everyone that I was beneath him. In my past life, I had smiled through it. Had convinced myself he didn't mean it the way it sounded.

Now I know better. I pulled out my phone, careful to keep it hidden in my lap. Found the voice recording app. Hit record and slipped it back into my clutch, microphone facing outward.

"Come, darling." Kael extended his hand as he reached our table. "We should greet the Harrington Group representatives. They're considering a major investment."

I stood, taking his offered arm. His grip was firm, possessive. The Harringtons were an older couple, wealthy and traditional. Mrs. Harrington smiled warmly at me.

"What a lovely bride. You must be so excited to start your life together."

"She is." Kael answered before I could speak. "Though she has much to learn about running in our circles. Her background is quite... modest."

Mr. Harrington laughed. "We all start somewhere, Morrison. I'm sure she'll adapt."

"With the right guidance, perhaps." Kael's hand tightened on my waist. "Though I worry sometimes. Just yesterday, she confused a quarterly report with a monthly projection. Simple mistakes, but in business, they can be costly."

I had made that mistake. Five years ago, in my first week working at Morrison Industries. A mistake he had mocked me for privately, then used publicly to justify removing me from any real responsibilities.

But I hadn't made it yet. Wouldn't make it for another month. He was lying. Setting the stage early to paint me as incompetent.

"I'm still learning," I said sweetly, playing my part. "Kael is very patient with me."

"Patient is one word for it." Kael's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Though sometimes I wonder if she has the capacity for this world. Earlier today, she asked if the Dow Jones was a person."

The Harringtons laughed. I felt my face burn.

I had never asked that. Never would ask that. But the story would spread. By tomorrow, half of their social circle would know it. Would see me as an ignorant child.

"Excuse me." I pulled away from Kael. "I need to powder my nose."

His fingers caught my wrist. "Don't be long. We have more guests to greet."

I nodded and walked away, keeping my pace steady when I wanted to run. In the bathroom, I locked the stall door and pressed my forehead against the cool metal. Breathed deeply. Counted to ten.

The door opened. Voices echoed.

"Did you hear what Morrison said about his wife?" Someone laughed. "Asking if the Dow Jones was a person. How embarrassing."

"I heard she barely graduated college. Gold digger who got lucky."

"Give it six months. He'll be done with her."

I waited until they left, then emerged from the stall. My reflection looked back at me, cheeks flushed, eyes bright with unshed tears.

But I was smiling. Because my phone had recorded everything. Every condescending word. Every deliberate lie. Every public humiliation. I pulled it out, stopped the recording, and saved it to three different cloud services.

Kael Morrison thought he could control the narrative. Thought he could shape everyone's perception of me while planning to destroy my family. He had done it once before, and I had been helpless to stop it.

Not this time. I had evidence now. Not enough to ruin him yet. But it was a start. I fixed my makeup, straightened my dress, and walked back to the reception.

Kael was waiting, his expression impatient. "There you are. The photographer wants pictures."

"Of course." I took his arm, leaning close like a devoted wife. "Whatever you need, darling."

His eyes narrowed slightly, as if sensing something different.

Good. Let him wonder. Let him start to question whether I was the naive girl he thought he married. The photographer positioned us by the railing, city lights glittering behind us.

"Look at each other," he instructed. "Like you're in love."

Kael turned to me, his expression softening for the camera. But his eyes remained cold.

I gazed back at him, letting him see something new in my face. Not adoration. Not fear.

Challenge. His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.

"Beautiful," the photographer said. "Perfect."

But it wasn't perfect. And Kael knew it. Something had shifted. Some balance had tilted. And as the night wore on, as more guests congratulated us and Kael made more subtle digs at my expense, I recorded every word. Built my arsenal one insult at a time.

By the time the reception ended, I had three hours of audio. Three hours of evidence that Kael Morrison, the city's golden boy, was a calculating manipulator who married me to destroy my family.

Not enough to take him down yet. But enough to make him bleed when the time came. We drove to his penthouse in silence. At the door, he finally spoke.

"You were quiet tonight. Subdued."

"I was observing."

"Observing what?"

I met his eyes. "How the game is played."

Something flickered in his expression. Interest, maybe. Or warning.

"This isn't a game, Aria."

"No," I agreed. "It's war."

I walked inside, leaving him in the doorway. And somewhere in the darkness, I smiled.