The Tycoon’s Surprise Bride

Chapter 5

~Aria's POV~

The next morning, the vibration of my phone jolted me awake, piercing through the haze of my hangover. I groaned, rolling over to grab the phone, and my head pounded in protest.

Every movement felt like an effort, and the ache in my temples threatened to split my skull open. I squinted at the screen — it was Richard, my father.

I answered with a weak, "Hello?" My voice was hoarse, and my throat felt like it was lined with sandpaper.

Richard's urgent voice came through the line, and with each word, a sense of dread coiled in my stomach.

"Aria, where are you? I've been by trying to reach you for hours!" He didn't wait for my response. "The family's facing ruin because of Ethan's actions. We need you home, now! It's critical!"

My head was spinning, and I tried to process the words, but they felt like they were coming from underwater.

"Slow down, what's going on?" I attempted to speak, to ask for clarity or apologize for not being available, but before I could form a single coherent word, my father spoke again, his tone clipped and strained.

"Aria, I need you to come home ASAP. Don't delay!"

The line went dead in my ear. I lay there, phone still pressed to my ear, as the silence pounded in my head alongside the ache.

I slowly sat up, surveying my surroundings, and my confusion deepened. I was in a luxurious hotel suite — plush carpet, elegant furnishings, and a sprawling view of the city through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Panic crept in as I tried to remember how I got here. I scrubbed my memory, but it was a blur. A stinging pain throbbed in my head, like my brain was protesting the effort.

Fragments began to resurface — the bar, drinking whiskey, a man stopping me... and then kissing me. A stranger.

I covered my eyes with my hand, mortification washing over me. I blushed fiercely, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"What in the hell happened last night?" I muttered to myself, shaking my head. But I couldn't dwell on that now.

Richard's words echoed in my mind — the family was facing ruin because of Ethan. I threw off the covers, urgency cutting through my hangover and humiliation. I needed to get to my father's mansion. Now.

I stumbled out of the hotel suite, still trying to piece together the fragments of the previous night, and hailed a taxi to my father's mansion.

The familiar gates loomed ahead, and a mix of dread and guilt settled in my stomach as I paid the driver and stepped out.

The maids greeted me with worried expressions, ushering me into the house with hushed hellos.

"Lady Aria, your father is in his study. He wants to see you immediately," one of them said, leading me to the familiar wood-paneled door. I nodded, my heart sinking, and pushed the door open.

I stepped inside, and my father, Richard, was seated behind his massive desk, papers scattered before him. He turned in his chair, and to my surprise, a grin stretched across his face — it was cold and didn't touch his eyes.

"Aria," he said, his voice light but edged with accusation. "What are you and Ethan planning? Why didn't I know you'd signed off the company's name to him?" His smile twisted. "Now I'm been kicked out — the board doesn't want me or you anywhere near the business. What did you do?"

I took a step forward, shaking my head frically. "I don't know, Father. I don't know what happened with the company, I didn't mean —"

Before I could finish, Richard slammed his fist on the desk, his face turning red with anger.

"How could you, Aria? How could you do this to me? After all I've done for you? You became so blinded by love, that you signed us off! You know, I never liked Ethan. I was always against you marrying him. But you never listen! Now look what happened." His voice thundered through the room. "You let our family's business get ruined because of your foolishness!"

I felt the sting of his words like slaps. Panic overwhelmed me, and I rushed to him, dropping to my knees beside his chair. I grabbed his hand, begging.

"Father, please don't abandon me. I need your help. I know I was wrong, I've learnt my lesson. Please, I need you."

Tears streamed down my face as I sobbed, humbling myself. Richard looked down at me with an unyielding expression, his eyes hard. When he spoke, his voice was cold and calculating. "There's only one way to solve this issue, Aria."

I clenched his hand tighter, my heart racing with anxiety. "What?" I began, my voice cracking with desperation.

Richard's words hung in the air, and I felt a chill run down my spine.

"The only escape is an immediate arranged marriage to the reclusive Tycoon, Kaden Sterling," he said, his expression unyielding. "He's stinky rich, famous, and he's willing to bail us out. Get everything ready to get us back on our feet. You have to do this, Aria."