Chapter Two The Stranger Who Claimed Me

The ballroom stilled—like someone had sucked the oxygen straight out of it.

It wasn’t the music. That had faded. It wasn’t the champagne flutes pausing midair, or the whispers silencing one after the other.

It was his voice.

“Ava is not a low life nor a liability. Such a pity a fool like you doesn’t know the value of what you had but well…the damage is already done,” the man beside me said, calm but cutting. “And I don’t share.”

The sound wasn’t loud, but it moved through the crowd like lightning does a quiet sky—sudden, direct, impossible to ignore.

A hush fell over the room, not just from curiosity, but from tension. Everyone turned toward us with the same question written across their faces: Who the hell is he?

Even Caleb’s expression twisted.

The smirk he wore so proudly evaporated. His brows drew together, like someone had upended the script he’d prepared for tonight.

“I’m sorry,” Caleb said sharply, “Who the hell are you?”

The man didn’t blink, didn’t step back. He took a slow step forward, keeping his hand at the small of my back—steady, confident, intentional.

“Dominic Vale,” he replied.

And I froze…a reaction which mirrored everyone else’ in the room like the name was a detonated bomb.

Dominic who now?!

“Wait. Did he say Dominic Vale?”

“That’s not possible.”

“He doesn’t show up to anything. Not in person.”

“I thought he didn’t exist.”

I stood completely still, like my bones no longer belonged to me. I knew that name. Everyone in business did. It was the kind of name people whispered over conference tables, the kind reporters speculated about, the kind venture capitalists prayed to partner with.

Dominic Vale didn’t do press. Didn’t take photos. Didn’t speak at panels or show his face in glossy magazines. But his name still made men sweat in boardrooms.

He has never for once showed up for the public to see…and now apparently he was standing next to me, and for whatever reason - claiming me in public too.

Oh dear…

“You’re bluffing,” Caleb said, voice rising just enough to sound uncertain.

Dominic didn’t shift. “Would you like me to send you a copy of your board’s merger paperwork?” he said smoothly. “I believe my name’s listed at the top. Or perhaps you’d prefer to call your father and ask why he pulled his big contract last week.”

Caleb opened his mouth, but nothing came out. The color drained from his face as the weight of those words settled.

Meanwhile, I couldn’t stop staring, even though my head was reeling with shock and confusion at the same time.

About a million questions was going through my mind even as I tried to keep my expression neutral.

What on earth was Dominic doing here?!

He was literally showing his face to the world for the first time ever so a better question was… WHY, was he doing this for me? 

What business does he have with me?

Without asking, he slipped his fingers through mine.

Caleb noticed. “You’re using her,” he spat trying to make himself feel better. “Just like I did.”

The words stung, but I didn’t flinch. Neither did Dominic.

“No,” he said calmly. “You used her and threw her away like the fool you are. Me on the other hand? I recognize a gem when I see one and I don’t discard what belongs to me.”

His words wrapped around me like velvet and fire and I knew it was crazy because this man was practically a stranger.

Dominic turned to me then, his face unreadable. “Come with me.”

He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t beg. He didn’t even touch me beyond our joined hands.

He just waited.

I looked at Caleb—at the man who emptied my accounts, crushed my dreams, and humiliated me in front of an audience. He was still standing on that stage, clinging to the spotlight, but the room no longer cared about him.

Not the way they had minutes ago.

Their attention had shifted.

And so had mine.

Without another word, I let Dominic lead me out.

I didn’t look back.

Not when we crossed the ballroom, not when the whispers followed, not when the crowd parted for him like they were afraid to be in his way.

By the time the doors closed behind us, the noise had vanished completely.

A black Jaguar waited at the curb and as we approached, The driver opened the back door without being told.

Dominic motioned for me to get in first.

I hesitated. Just for a moment. I didn’t know him. I didn’t know why he was doing this. And yet… I felt safer with him in that moment than I had with Caleb in months.

So without asking questions, I slid into the car.

The leather interior was cold against my legs. Expensive cologne lingered in the air—earthy, dark, restrained.

Dominic followed, shutting the door behind him with a quiet finality that made my heart thud once in my chest.

I turned toward him. My voice was low, but steady. “Now talk.”

He didn’t rush. He rolled back his cuff sleeves, unfastened a pair of cufflinks, and placed them neatly in the center console.

Then his eyes found mine.

“I know what Caleb did to you,” he said calmly. I could swear I saw pity in his eyes but it was only for a brief moment 

My jaw clenched. “You saw it happen.”

“I did.”

But there was something more in his eyes that made me realize he wasn’t just talking about the scene that unfolded earlier.

“You KNEW what he was up to.”

The beautiful stranger nodded with a grimace.

“How? How long have….I don’t understand. If you really knew why didn’t you do anything to stop it?”

He didn’t react. “If I’d interfered too early, he would’ve found a way to spin it. I needed him to fall—publicly, thoroughly. With you standing where he couldn’t twist the narrative.”

I stared at him. “You knew I’d show up?”

“I counted on it.”

The anger in me simmered, but I didn’t lash out. Not yet.

“Let’s cut the theatrics,” I said, sharper now. “You humiliated him. Congratulations. What do you want from me?”

Dominic leaned slightly toward me. His voice dropped, but it carried more weight than ever.

“I want to offer you a deal.”

I folded my arms. “What kind of deal?”

He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a slim, matte-black folder. He opened it slowly, revealing a marriage contract.

I stared at it, blinking, then looked up at him, “What the hell is this?”

“A marriage contract.” He said with a nonchalant shrug.

I laughed, “I figured but what is it doing on my laps?”

“I want us to get married. For a hundred and nine days. That’s all I need.”

My mouth went dry. “You want to fake marry me.”

“Yes. In exchange, I will give you back everything Caleb stole, including the power to destroy what he has left.” 

“And what do you get out of this arrangement?”

His expression didn’t shift. “Leverage. Exposure. An alliance. And you.”

The last part landed with deliberate pause.

“You don’t know me,” I said, my voice quiet.

“I know what kind of woman stands in the middle of a ballroom and doesn’t cry,” he replied. “I know what kind of woman builds something from the ground up only to have it ripped from her hands. So I know you enough to know that you want to bring the bastard to his knees.”

I swallowed hard. “Why one hundred and nine days?”

His lips curved slightly. “Because that’s exactly how long it took him to break you.”

I looked away without a word. I knew he was right but I didn't want to accept 

Dominic leaned in, close enough for me to feel the heat of his breath near my cheek.

“I’m not just offering revenge,” he said, voice quiet and dangerous. “I’m offering resurrection, Ava. You have nothing left so this is your chance to have it all back and rise like the queen you are.”