Chapter 15: The Golden Certificate

The car ride back from the registration bureau was filled with a thick, loaded quiet. Aria sat in the passenger seat of the dented sedan, her fingers lightly tracing the raised gold seal of the official marriage certificate resting on her lap. Her mind was a chaotic blur of disbelief and racing thoughts. She was married . To the world, she was still just an unwanted, illegitimate maid dressed in plain clothes. Nobody else knew about what had just transpired inside the high court bureau. Her father, her cruel stepmother Victoria, and her arrogant sister Chloe were completely in the dark, believing she was still a disposable servant they could manipulate at will.

When the car pulled up to the curb outside their small apartment building, Damian turned down the engine . He shifted his towering frame toward her, his piercing dark eyes locking onto her anxious face with a calm, unyielding warmth.

"Stay inside, Aria," Damian instructed softly, his deep voice carrying a protective weight that anchored her racing thoughts . "Keep the door locked from the inside. I am going to the Grand Imperial Hotel to meet your father and see what kind of game he is trying to play. You are safe here."

Aria looked at him, her heart doing a frantic, fluttering dance against her ribs as she nodded weakly. "Please be careful, Damian... My father is a ruthless man when he thinks someone owes him money ."

"He can't collect a debt from a shadow," Damian murmured, a subtle, cold smirk playing on his sharp lips before he leaned across the console to gently squeeze her hand

Once Aria climbed out and snuck safely back up the narrow stairs to the empty apartment, Damian waited until the front door clicked lock . Instantly, his gentle expression dissolved into a mask of freezing, absolute dominance. He tapped his earpiece, connecting directly to his assistant. "Leo. I am heading to the hotel now . Let Arthur Hayes think he is dealing with a broken, broke loser for just a little bit longer . I want him to lay out his entire trap contract before I strip his arrogance away ."

A short while later, the dented old sedan pulled up to the grand, pristine driveway of the Grand Imperial Hotel, looking completely out of place amidst the rows of multi-million-dollar sports cars and luxury vehicles . Damian stepped out of the vehicle, intentionally altering his posture . He lowered his head slightly, slumping his broad shoulders to project the heavy, exhausting aura of a ruined man who had lost his empire to bankruptcy .

He took the private elevator up to the restricted penthouse level and knocked quietly on the double doors of Suite 902 .

The door was violently thrown open by Marcus, who glared down at Damian with a look of supreme, arrogant satisfaction . "Well, well, look who finally decided to show up," Marcus sneered, stepping aside to let him pass.

Damian walked into the lavish, velvet-lined living room with slow, hesitant steps, keeping his eyes cast downward to play his humble part perfectly . Arthur Hayes stood by the massive mahogany desk, his face a dark, malicious mask of fury as he adjusted his gold spectacles . On the sofa behind him, a heavily bandaged and bruised Chloe let out a sharp, vindictive hiss the moment she saw Damian enter .

"Mr. Hayes," Damian spoke, his voice laced with a carefully manufactured layer of deep humility and submission, matching the tone he had used over the phone . He bowed his head slightly toward the furious tycoon . "I am deeply, truly sorry for what happened to Chloe . My family has fallen on such terrible, ruined times... our frozen accounts left us completely helpless to defend against those monsters . Please tell me how I can make this right and take responsibility for this disaster ."

Arthur smirked—a cold, ruthless grin of absolute corporate dominance . Seeing Damian acting so broken and submissive completely validated his arrogance . He aggressively slid the thick leather folder containing the trap indemnity contract across the desk .

"You're damn right you will take responsibility, Damian!" Arthur barked, his voice dripping with venomous superiority . "My multi-billion-dollar shipping empire is an empty shell because of your pathetic family alliance ! You will sign this debt indemnity document immediately, or I will use every remaining ounce of my influence to ensure you spend the rest of your life rotting in a high-security prison !"

Damian stared down at the documents, his face maintaining its quiet, trembling facade of fear while his mind cataloged every single rogue lawyer standing in the corner of the room . He was letting them dig their own graves deeper, completely unbothered by their hollow threats .

Back inside the quiet, modest apartment, Aria paced around her small guest room, her hands trembling violently as she held a glass of water. She still couldn't wrap her mind around the reality of what had happened today . I am married to him... legally married, she thought, her eyes wide with a beautiful, chaotic mix of shock and utter disbelief . The gold-embossed certificate lay on her bed, a constant, undeniable proof of her new reality .

As the afternoon sun began to dip below the horizon, casting long, warm amber glows across the linoleum floors, a sudden, heavy realization hit her chest, making her breath catch completely in her throat

Tonight was their wedding night

A deep, vivid flush of crimson red crept up her neck, completely consuming her bare, makeup-free face . Aria became exceptionally hyper and nervous, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird . She had spent her entire life working as an isolated maid, completely hidden away from the world of romance or intimacy under Victoria’s cruel roof . She had absolutely no idea what she was supposed to do now

How was a wife supposed to behave? What would Damian expect when he returned from the hotel ?

She looked down at her simple, plain cotton dress, her fingers frantically smoothing out the wrinkles as her thoughts raced in circles . She felt completely overwhelmed, her body trembling with a mixture of raw, intoxicating anticipation and absolute fear. She walked over to the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face to try and calm her erratic breathing, but the image of Damian’s broad chest, his powerful arms wrapping around her in the hallway, and the intense, possessive warmth of his gaze kept flashing behind her eyelids.

She was completely hyperactive with anxiety, waiting in a daze of nervous energy for her mysterious new husband to step back through that front door.