BOUND BY HIS NAME

Chapter 1: The Day Everything Fell Apart The rain had a way of making the city look expensive. Glass towers shimmered beneath a grey sky, headlights reflected on rain-soaked roads, and people hurried past in tailored suits as though they had somewhere important to be. Aria Bennett wasn't one of them. She stood beneath the narrow shelter of a bus stop, clutching a worn leather folder to her chest as the rain seeped through the sleeves of her blazer. A cold breeze swept across the street, carrying the smell of wet asphalt and coffee from the café across the road. She glanced at the time on her phone. 8:47 a.m. Thirteen missed calls. Five from the landlord. Three from the hospital. The rest from numbers she didn't recognise. Her stomach tightened. She silenced the phone before it could ring again. For a brief moment, she closed her eyes. Just one good day, she prayed silently—one day without another bill, another apology, another door closing in my face. The vibrating in her pocket returned almost immediately. This time, it was her younger brother. She answered before the second ring. "Liam?" His voice was soft but cheerful. "Morning, Ari." She smiled despite the knot in her chest. "Morning." "You forgot to eat breakfast again." She laughed quietly. "You called just to scold me?" "You always tell me breakfast is the most important meal." "I also tell you to finish your medication." "I did." There was a pause. Then he asked the question she had been dreading. "Did the newspaper call back?" Aria looked across the street, watching people disappear into polished office buildings where careers were built and futures planned. "No," she answered gently. "But they will." Neither of them believed it. Three months ago, Aria Bennett had been one of the most promising investigative journalists in the city. She had uncovered a corruption scandal involving one of the country's most influential business groups. The story never reached print. Instead, she was accused of fabricating evidence. She lost her job. Her reputation. Almost every professional contact she'd spent years building. The people she had tried to expose walked away untouched. She became the villain. "I'm okay," Liam said, though his voice betrayed him. "Don't worry about me." Aria swallowed hard. He was seventeen. He should have been worrying about exams, football, and annoying classmates—not pretending to be brave so his sister wouldn't cry. "I'll visit after work." "If you get the job, celebrate first." She smiled. "I'll celebrate with you." They ended the call. For several seconds, Aria stared at her reflection in the dark screen of her phone. She barely recognised herself. The woman staring back looked exhausted. Dark circles beneath her eyes. Hair tied into a hurried ponytail. A blazer she'd ironed twice because she couldn't afford another one. Once, she'd believed talent was enough. Now she knew survival required much more. The office building across the street towered over the city like a monument to power. Sterling Media Group. One interview. One chance. She adjusted her folder and crossed the road. Inside, polished marble floors gleamed beneath crystal lights. The receptionist barely looked up. "Interview?" Aria nodded. "Name?" "Aria Bennett." The woman's fingers paused over the keyboard. For the first time, she looked directly at Aria. Recognition flickered across her face. Then pity. "I'm... sorry." Aria's heart sank. "Your interview has been cancelled." She frowned. "What?" "The editor received instructions this morning." "What instructions?" The receptionist hesitated. "We're not allowed to hire you." Silence. "I'm sorry." Aria blinked. "There must be a mistake." "There isn't." She felt every eye in the lobby drifting toward her. "I've already been invited." "The invitation was withdrawn." "By who?" "I don't know." It was a lie. They both knew it. Aria tightened her grip on the folder. "So no one will even let me explain?" "I'm really sorry." The words felt rehearsed. Empty. She stood there for a moment longer before turning away. As the revolving doors carried her back into the rain, the city suddenly felt much colder than before. Somewhere, someone was making sure every door stayed closed. She didn't know who. The rain intensified. Across the street, a sleek black luxury sedan rolled to a smooth stop. Its tinted windows concealed the passenger inside. From where he sat, Lucien Devereaux had witnessed the entire exchange. He had seen the receptionist's expression. He had watched the young woman walk away with quiet dignity rather than cause a scene. Most people begged. She hadn't. Interesting. His assistant adjusted his glasses. "Sir, should we leave?" Lucien's gaze remained fixed on the woman disappearing into the rain without an umbrella. "No." There was something about the way she carried herself. Broken... ...but not defeated. He had spent years reading people. Power. Fear. Greed. Ambition. This woman carried none of those. She carried something far more dangerous. Nothing left to lose. Lucien rested one hand against the leather armrest, his expression unreadable. "Find out who she is." His assistant looked surprised. "The woman?" "Everything." Outside, Aria disappeared into the crowd. Neither of them knew it yet. But within a few weeks, their lives would become bound by a contract that neither of them would ever forget. CHAPTER 1:PART2 The rain had become relentless. Aria stepped onto the pavement without knowing where her feet were taking her. Around her, the city carried on as if nothing had happened. Cars honked impatiently. Office workers hurried beneath umbrellas. A little girl laughed as she splashed through a puddle, her mother chasing after her with a scolding that dissolved into laughter. Life moved on. Only hers seemed to have stopped. She tightened her grip on the leather folder until the edges dug into her fingers. Inside were copies of her résumé, recommendation letters from former editors, and newspaper clippings of stories that had once made her proud. Now they were nothing more than reminders of a life that no longer belonged to her. A cold gust of wind swept through the street, sending droplets of rain against her face. Her phone vibrated. Landlord. She let it ring. It stopped. Then rang again. With a tired sigh, she answered. "Mr Dawson." "I've been trying to reach you all morning." His voice was stern, but not unkind. "I know." "You promised you'd pay half the rent today." "I... I just came out of an interview." "And?" She looked back at the towering building behind her. "They changed their minds." Silence lingered on the other end. "I've given you three extensions already, Aria." "I know." "I can't keep doing this." Her eyes closed briefly. "Please. Just one more week." "You said that last week." "I'll find a way." "I hope you do." The line went dead. She stared at the screen until it faded to black. One more week. Seven days. After that, she and Liam would have nowhere to go. Several blocks away, inside the back seat of the black sedan, Lucien Devereaux watched the city blur behind rain-streaked windows. His assistant, Nathan Cole, tapped steadily on a tablet. "I found her." Lucien didn't look up. "Go on." "Aria Bennett. Twenty-four years old. Award-winning investigative journalist until three months ago." Nathan paused. "She was fired after accusations of fabricating evidence in a corruption investigation." Lucien's expression remained unreadable. "And?" "Most companies have quietly blacklisted her." "Interesting." Nathan continued scrolling. "No criminal record. Lives with her younger brother. Parents deceased." Another pause. "There are overdue hospital bills." Lucien finally lifted his eyes. "Hospital?" "Her brother suffers from a congenital heart condition." Silence settled inside the car. Nathan had worked for Lucien for six years. He knew that silence. It meant Lucien was thinking. Not about sympathy. About possibilities. Aria ducked into a small café to escape the rain. Warm air wrapped around her immediately, carrying the comforting aroma of roasted coffee and freshly baked bread. She checked her wallet. Enough for one cup of black coffee. Nothing else. She ordered the cheapest drink and chose a seat beside the window. Steam curled gently from the mug. She wrapped both hands around it, letting the warmth seep into her cold fingers. Across the room, a television mounted on the wall played the afternoon business news. "...Devereaux International announces another record-breaking quarter under the leadership of CEO Lucien Devereaux..." A photograph of a sharply dressed man appeared on the screen. Tall. Dark hair. Piercing grey eyes. His expression gave nothing away. The reporter praised his latest acquisition and described him as the youngest billionaire to dominate the country's financial market. Someone at the next table scoffed. "Rich people just keep getting richer." Another customer laughed. "I heard he's impossible to work for." "They say he fired a vice president during a board meeting." "Imagine having him as a husband." The group burst into laughter. Aria barely listened. To her, billionaires existed in another universe. Their problems weren't hers. She finished her coffee, gathered her folder, and walked back into the rain. Neither she nor the man on the television knew how soon fate would place them on the same path. That evening, Lucien stood alone in the penthouse office overlooking the glittering skyline. The city stretched endlessly beneath him, beautiful and distant. A knock came at the door. "Come in." Nathan entered with a sealed envelope. "It arrived from your grandfather's attorney." Lucien opened it without emotion. His eyes moved across the page. Then stopped. For the first time all day, something flickered in his gaze. His grandfather's final condition. To retain full control of Devereaux International, Lucien must be legally married within six months of his thirtieth birthday. Failure to comply would transfer executive control into a family trust managed by the board until further notice. Nathan watched him carefully. "I assume that's... not good news." Lucien folded the letter with deliberate precision. "My grandfather never believed I should lead alone." "And now?" Lucien walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window. The city lights reflected in the glass, turning his face into a shadow. "Now," he said quietly, "he's trying to choose my future from beyond the grave." Nathan hesitated. "You could simply marry." Lucien let out a humourless laugh. "If it were that simple, I wouldn't have spent the last ten years avoiding it." His phone buzzed. Another board member. Another reminder that powerful people were already circling, waiting for him to fail. He silenced the call without answering. Miles away, Aria unlocked the front door of the tiny apartment she shared with Liam. The lights were off. She smiled. "Liam?" "I'm in the kitchen." She followed the sound of his voice. He stood over a pot of soup, stirring it with exaggerated concentration. "You cooked?" "I tried." She looked into the pot. "It's... edible." He laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment." For the first time all day, she laughed too. A real laugh. The kind that eased the weight pressing against her chest. As they sat down to eat, Liam noticed the forced smile lingering on her face. "You didn't get the job." It wasn't a question. Aria lowered her spoon. "No." "I'm sorry." She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. "You have nothing to be sorry for." "What if..." He hesitated. "What if things don't get better?" She looked at him for a long moment. Then she smiled again. This time with quiet determination. "They will." She didn't know how. She didn't know when. But she refused to let hope die before she did. Outside, the rain finally began to ease. Neither Aria nor Lucien realised that this ordinary evening was the last moment of peace either of them would have. By the end of the week, one desperate decision... ...and one impossible proposal... would set their lives on a course neither could ever