Married to the Man Who Hates Me

The slap echoed through the restaurant. Aria Bennett stared at the man she'd been dating for three years. Three years. Three years of promises, late-night phone calls, and whispered plans about the future. Now he was sitting across from another woman with a diamond ring in his pocket. For her. Not Aria. The woman wrapped her hand around his arm possessively. "You should leave," she said with a smug smile. Aria laughed. Actually laughed. Because if she didn't, she might cry. "Trust me," she said, grabbing her purse. "You can have him." She turned and walked away before either of them could see the tears threatening to fall. Rain greeted her outside. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Her phone rang before she reached her car. "Dad?" His breathing sounded uneven. "Aria... come home." Fear tightened her chest. "What happened?" "Just come home." The line went dead. --- An hour later, Aria stood frozen in the living room. The bank documents were spread across the coffee table. Debt notices. Foreclosure warnings. Legal papers. Her father's face looked ten years older than it had that morning. "We've lost everything," he said quietly. The words hit like a truck. "What do you mean everything?" "The house. The company. All of it." Aria sank into a chair. "No..." "There might be one way out." Her father slid a single document toward her. She frowned. At first she thought it was some kind of joke. Then she saw the signatures. And the date. Ten years ago. "What is this?" Her father's eyes filled with shame. "A contract." "A marriage contract." The room spun. "What?" He swallowed hard. "When your company was failing, I borrowed money from a powerful family." Aria's hands trembled as she read. "If the debt was not repaid..." Her voice cracked. "Their son would have the right to claim my hand in marriage?" "This can't be legal." "It is." She looked up. "Who?" The silence felt endless. Then her father spoke a name she recognized immediately. A name every newspaper in the country seemed obsessed with. A billionaire. A monster in a tailored suit. A man rumored to destroy anyone who crossed him. "Damian Blackwood." Aria's blood ran cold. "No." "I'm sorry." "No." Her father looked away. "He's already agreed." A knock sounded at the front door. Three slow, deliberate knocks. Aria felt something instinctive and dangerous crawl down her spine. Her father paled. "He's here." The door opened. And Damian Blackwood stepped inside. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Devastatingly handsome. His dark eyes landed on Aria. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The air between them crackled with something sharp and electric. Then his gaze hardened. Like he already hated her. Like he had been waiting years for this moment. He pulled a marriage license from his jacket and placed it on the table. "You have twenty-four hours to decide." Aria forced herself to meet his eyes. "And if I refuse?" The corner of his mouth lifted. Not a smile. A warning. "Then your family loses everything." He turned and walked toward the door. But before leaving, he glanced back. His eyes locked onto hers. "You should know something before you make your choice, Aria." Her pulse stumbled. "What?" His voice was cold enough to freeze the room. "I don't believe your family deserves saving." And then he left. Leaving Aria staring at the marriage license... ...and wondering why the man who held her future in his hands looked like he wanted revenge more than a wife.