MARRIED TO THE BILLIONAIRE STRANGER

Isabella’s POV........... Today was perfect—at least, that’s what I kept telling myself as I sipped on my third glass of champagne. My bridal shower was everything I’d imagined and more. The hotel suite was lavish, the kind of place that only the ultra-rich could reserve for a weekend celebration. Plush white couches, velvet cushions, sparkling chandeliers, and rose petals strewn across the marble floors made me feel like a princess—or at least like the bride-to-be I was supposed to be. Aurora, Vivienne, and Valentina, my three best friends, were already sprawled on the lounge with oversized sunglasses, laughing so loud I worried the entire hotel floor could hear them. I couldn’t help smiling at them. These girls had been with me through thick and thin, and tonight, they were determined to make sure I celebrated my last night of “freedom” in style. “You look like a bride already, Bella,” Aurora said, waving her champagne flute at me. Her fiery red curls bounced as she spoke, and

Isabella’s POV…I barely had the strength to lift my head as the car pulled up to the Monroe estate. My body felt heavy, and tired—not just from the night before, but from the emotional wreckage that had been thrown at me. Every throb in my temples reminded me of Sebastian, of the club, of the stranger, of the humiliation I’d endured.The sprawling estate looked beautiful as always, the sun glinting off the marble pillars and polished black driveway. And yet, the sight of it only made me feel trapped. It had been my sanctuary, my home, my palace of comfort—and now it felt like a prison that I was stepping into.I barely had a chance to step out of the car before my mother appeared at the front doors, her heels clicking against the marble with a precision that could slice the hardest of things, even glass. Her eyes were blazing, her posture rigid, her lips pressed into a thin line that spelled trouble. I froze.“Isabella Monroe!” she barked before I could even breathe. “Where have you

Isabella's pov…..I slammed the front door so hard, I'm sure the whole street heard me and the best part is I don't care. My parents were forcing me into a marriage against my will to save their reputation and I was supposed to just sit and be obedient. My head ached, my body trembled, I was so angry and hurt, I tried calling Sebastian but he didn't pick up. I was walking to my room when my phone buzzed WE HAVE TO DO THE PROPOSAL TONIGHT, LAWYER'S ORDERS SO MEET ME AT A RESTAURANT I'LL TEXT YOU THE ADDRESS__RI resisted the urge to throw my phone to the ground, who does he think he is and what stupid proposal is he talking about, I went into my room and slammed the door before typing out a reply IM NOT COMINGJust then I heard a knock at my door, I opened it and saw my dad staring at me “Dad” “Isabella, why did your fiancee call to say you're not coming for the proposal dinner” “I don't want to marry him dad, I don't know him I want Sebastian” I said tears streaming d

Isabella’s POV …..The car finally stops, and the driver opens the door for us, Rafael steps out before I do, and when I step out I'm attacked with flashes of light from cameras and so many questions “Miss Monroe is the information true?“ “Are you really in love with Mr Ashford?__ I ignored them and Rafael lead me to the conference hall, “Are you ok?“ He asks suddenly “I'm fine” I grumble and we take our seats “Welcome miss Monroe and Mr Ashford,I am your host, Miss Bellatrix” The host smiled widely, she was blonde haired with plump lips and looked like she was in her mid fifties “You can call me Isabella” I said She smiled widely “Of course” She looked at Rafael expecting the same reply but he just gave her a blank expression, I stifled my laugh. “Welcome to Talk with Bellatrix, I'm glad you accepted our invitation” “We're glad to be here” I told her putting on a fake smile “So let me see the ring” Bellatrix said and I flashed her my ring, she gasp

Isabella's pov….The sound of my bedroom door closing behind me felt final, a punctuation mark on a day that had already ripped my life apart. I leaned against it, my shoulders slumped and exhaled shakily. Every fiber of my body ached—not from physical exertion, but from the weight of the choices being forced upon me. Today, my life was no longer my own. It belonged to contracts, headlines, arrangements, and… him. Rafael Ashford.I moved slowly to my wardrobe, staring at the rows of clothes I had to pack, because my parents’ plan was clear: I was moving. Not just moving—into his world, into a space that was entirely alien, entirely controlled, entirely humiliating.My hands trembled as I selected what to take. Not the entire wardrobe, of course. But enough to so I wouldn't use Rafeal's black card he forced me to tak I folded, packed, and repacked. Each cloth felt like a memory, a fragment of my life before all of this madness.The room felt suddenly too large, too empty. I sank onto