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The Gala
Last Updated:
2025-12-24 17:05:16
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MARRIED BY MISTAKE The Truth
Aria could not sleep.Surrounded by papers, phone logs, and digital forensics software, Sophia's contact delivered at three a.m., Aria spent the night in Leon's penthouse office—the one he'd told her never to visit.She was still wearing the emerald necklace.A reminder. A weapon. A promise.By sunrise, she had proof.The messages Vanessa showed were fake. The metadata was altered. The phone number listed as Aria's belonged to a burner phone registered in New Jersey, where Ariana had been hiding for the past month.But it was the financial records that made Aria's blood run cold.Ariana had been systematically draining Aria's trust fund since she turned eighteen. Small transfers at first, then larger ones. Hidden behind shell companies and fake investment accounts. Over seven years, she'd stolen nearly $40 million.Forty million dollars that could have changed Aria's life. That could have saved her from student loans, from roommates, from wearing thrift store clothes while her sister
MARRIED BY MISTAKE The Gala
The Metropolitan Museum's Great Hall glittered like something out of a fairy tale.Aria stood at the entrance beside Leon, her hand tucked into the crook of his arm, and tried to remember how to breathe. Crystal chandeliers cast prisms of light across marble floors. Women in designer gowns dripped with jewelry. Men in tuxedos talked business over champagne that probably cost more than her monthly rent.This was Leon's world.And tonight, she had to convince everyone it was hers, too."You are shaking," Leon murmured, his thumb stroking her hand where it rested on his arm. "Breathe.""There are at least three hundred people in there." Aria's voice came out thin. "All of them are judging. Whispering. Waiting for me to fail.""Let them wait." Leon turned to face her fully, his hands cupping her face. "Look at me."She did.His gray eyes were firm, unwavering, rooted in the maelstrom."You are Aria Mercer," he firmly declared. "My wife. Like everyone else, you belong here. And everyone in
MARRIED BY MISTAKE The Inspection
Leon's face was inches from Aria's when she awoke.With a yelp, she sprang back and almost fell off the bed. "What are you doing?""Watching you sleep." She probably had drool drying on her chin, while he looked maddeningly perfect—fresh-pressed white shirt, dark tailored pants, not a single hair out of place."You snore.""I do not!""You absolutely do. It's cute." He sat on the edge of her bed like he'd done it a hundred times before. "My mother will be here in two hours. We need to talk strategy."Aria rubbed her eyes, her brain still foggy. "Strategy? For meeting your mother?""My mother is not a person. She is a tactical operation."Leon gave her a cup of coffee, brewed to her exact preferences. When had he learned that? "With just one chat, Catherine Mercer has ruined three of my past relationships. She is cold and cunning, and she will take advantage of every weakness you have.""You are really selling this meeting.""I am preparing you for what is to come." His hands found her
MARRIED BY MISTAKE The Grandmother
Aria was elbow-deep in work emails when the penthouse elevator chimed.She looked up from her laptop, confused. Leon wasn't supposed to be back until seven, and Sophia had left hours ago. The security system should have alerted her if someone was coming up.The elevator doors opened.A tiny woman dressed in a Chanel suit stepped out, followed by two men carrying luggages.She had white hair styled in an elegant up-do, her sharp blue eyes scanning everywhere, and the kind of posture that suggested she'd been trained to walk with books on her head. Diamonds glittered at her throat and wrists—not flashy, just casually worth more than most people's houses."Well," the woman said, her voice crisp and carrying. "You must be the girl who finally trapped my grandson."Aria's mouth fell open. "I—what—I didn't trap—""Relax, dear. I'm teasing." The woman waved the luggage men toward one of the guest rooms. "I'm Elena Mercer. Leon's grandmother. And you're Aria, the accidental wife who has my gr
MARRIED BY MISTAKE The Agreement
For a glorious moment, Aria forgot where she was when she woke up to sunlight pouring through windows that reached the ceiling.Then reality set in.Leon's penthouse. Leon's rules. Leon's world.It was 7:47 AM on her phone. Throwing in sheets that most likely cost more than her security deposit, she had hardly slept at all. Every time she closed her eyes, she heard Leon say, "People don't love you more when you're small," and saw his face across the dinner table.Her stomach rumbled. Coffee. Before confronting whatever new nightmare this day had in store, she needed coffee.When she came out of her room in her pajamas—worn cotton shorts and an oversized college t-shirt—the penthouse became silent. On the chilly marble flooring, her feet were bare. She followed the aroma of something dark and delicious as she padded toward the kitchen.Leon was already wearing another flawless suit as he stood at the espresso machine. This time, it's navy, a clean white shirt, and no tie yet. The showe
MARRIED BY MISTAKE The Penthouse
Aria only had one suitcase. In the apartment she shared with two roommates, she sat on her small bed and gazed at the open luggage as if it could provide answers. Her phone buzzed. What did you bring when you moved into your unintentional husband's penthouse? Business casual, pyjamas, a weapon? An unknown number sent a text. In twenty minutes, the car will arrive.Be ready 2PM, type yes if you are seeing this." Just an order.Without checking, Aria tossed clothes into the suitcase. Pants. Sweaters. The lovely blouse she wore during her job interview. Underwear that was undoubtedly intended only for her eyes. She reached for her phone charger, laptop, and the little wooden box containing her grandmother's only pictures.After nineteen minutes, she watched a black Mercedes pull up to the curb while holding her pitiful suitcase on the sidewalk. Another vehicle. Same motorist. He gave her a nod, picked up her bag as if it were light, and held the door open."Miss Hale." Apparently, it's n
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