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this is a story about a young architect that wanted to build her dad's company but in the process have to marry but not by love. however life has its own plans.
View MoreChapter 1
The night that changed everything
(Aria’s POV)
The chandeliers glittered like frozen constellations above my head, each crystal reflecting light and luxury in a way that mocked the trembling in my hands. I didn’t belong here—every breath I took reminded me of that. The Hale Foundation Gala was the kind of event where deals were signed with smiles and fortunes exchanged over champagne. I was just an architect with a dying company and a borrowed dress that cost more than my monthly rent. “Relax,” Lena whispered beside me, her perfectly painted lips barely moving. “You’re not crashing a wedding. You’re here to save your firm.” Her words should’ve calmed me. They didn’t. My father’s firm—Collins Design—had been my home, my identity, my legacy. Until debt, scandal, and bad luck took it all apart. The Hale Corporation’s new real estate expansion was our last hope. If I could just talk to Damon Hale, convince him to give us a design contract… maybe we’d survive. But how do you talk to a man like him? Damon Hale. The billionaire no one really knew. Half the business world called him a genius, the other half called him a machine. I’d seen photos—tall, lean, always in black, his expression unreadable. A man who seemed allergic to warmth. I scanned the glittering crowd. Politicians. Celebrities. Investors. And somewhere among them—him. Lena nudged my elbow. “There. By the stage.” I followed her gaze—and froze. He stood under the low amber light, surrounded by power like it was his natural element. Damon Hale looked like sin carved into human form—black tuxedo, sharp jawline, eyes the color of a storm trapped in glass. He wasn’t talking; people talked to him. And he listened with that unnerving stillness, like he was always a few steps ahead. My throat tightened. What was I even doing here? Before I could lose my nerve, Lena handed me a flute of champagne. “You’re going to walk over there, smile, and introduce yourself like you belong here.” “I don’t belong here,” I muttered. She smirked. “Then fake it. Everyone else is.” Her words lit a small spark of courage. I squared my shoulders and walked toward him, my heels clicking on marble, the crowd’s laughter fading behind me. He noticed me before I even reached him. His gaze flicked up—steady, assessing, a single raised brow that nearly stopped me in place. “Mr. Hale,” I managed, extending a hand I hoped wasn’t shaking. “Aria Collins. I—uh—I wanted to speak with you about a potential project.” His eyes swept over me, not in the usual male way, but as if he was reading my entire story in one glance. “Collins Design,” he said, voice smooth, low, unhurried. “Your firm was involved in the Cresswell collapse two years ago.” I flinched. “We were cleared of fault. The subcontractors—” “I know,” he cut in. “But reputation doesn’t rebuild as quickly as steel.” Heat crawled up my neck. He was right. And cruelly calm about it. “I’m not asking for sympathy, Mr. Hale,” I said quietly. “Just a chance.” For a second, his expression flickered. Curiosity? Amusement? I couldn’t tell. Then someone called his name, and the moment broke. He turned slightly, as if to excuse himself, but I blurted— “Your next project. The new Hale Tower. I’ve seen the preliminary designs. You could do better.” The air shifted. Conversations around us dimmed, though I wasn’t sure if it was real or just my pounding pulse. Damon looked back at me—really looked this time. “Better?” he repeated. “Yes,” I said, finding my courage somewhere between fear and pride. “Bolder. More human. You’re building the future, Mr. Hale, but it shouldn’t look like a fortress.” Silence stretched between us. His lips twitched—the ghost of a smirk. “Interesting,” he murmured, taking a slow sip of his drink. “You’re either brave or foolish, Miss Collins.” “Maybe both.” Something like amusement sparked in his eyes. Then, before I could say more, a commotion rippled near the stage. Cameras flashed. Someone bumped my shoulder hard, spilling champagne across my borrowed dress—and right onto Damon Hale. “Oh my God,” I gasped, grabbing a napkin. “I’m so sorry—” He caught my wrist mid-motion, his touch cool and controlled. “Don’t.” The photographers turned instantly—snapping, shouting. From a distance, it probably looked like something far more intimate than it was: my hand in his, our faces inches apart, his gaze locked on mine. And in that instant, I knew. The picture would go everywhere. The billionaire and the unknown woman—caught under the chandeliers, dripping champagne and scandal. Damon’s expression hardened as realization dawned. He released my wrist slowly, his voice low enough that only I could hear: “You’ve just made things very complicated, Miss Collins.” “I didn’t—” “Too late,” he said, eyes glinting with dark calculation. “You’d better be ready for what comes next.” I didn’t know then that “next” meant waking up to headlines calling me the billionaire’s secret wife. Or that within twenty-four hours, Damon Hale would ask me to sign a marriage contract. And that I’d say yes. Latest chapter
Married by mistake, loved by fire Echoes of the past
(Aria’s POV)For a few quiet days, it almost felt like peace.The world outside still buzzed with speculation — headlines, interviews, social media storms — but inside the penthouse, life settled into something close to normal. Damon worked late, I ran my foundation meetings, and for brief, ordinary moments, we shared space without speaking and somehow understood each other anyway.But normal, I was beginning to learn, was a fragile thing around him.It was Wednesday night when I noticed it first. Damon had come home late again, the raincoat still damp on his shoulders, his tie loosened but not removed. He didn’t say much, just nodded when I asked if he’d eaten and disappeared into his study.It wasn’t unusual. He’d always kept part of himself locked away, a world of secrets that had nothing to do with me. But lately, that door stayed shut longer. The calls he took were quieter. The tension in his shoulders, heavier.That night,
Last Updated : 2025-10-16Married by mistake, loved by fire The cost of care
(Damon’s POV)The morning after the storm was deceptively calm.Sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my penthouse, catching the faint sheen left on the marble from where we’d tracked in rain the night before.Aria was still asleep in the guest room — though calling it that felt wrong now. The door was slightly open, a sliver of quiet light spilling through. For the first time in a long while, I didn’t want to leave for work.But the world wasn’t pausing just because I wanted to.I’d defied my board. I’d told a room full of men who had backed me for a decade that my marriage wasn’t their business. That Aria wasn’t disposable. That she wasn’t part of a plan.And now, they were calling.By the time I reached the office, the damage was already spreading.“Sir,” Michael, my assistant, said as soon as I stepped out of the elevator. “The Laren Group has postponed the merger discussions. Two of your investors request
Last Updated : 2025-10-16Married by mistake, loved by fire rumors and rain
(Aria’s POV)The rain hadn’t stopped since dawn.It drummed against the windows in a rhythm that matched my heartbeat—steady, relentless, unyielding.Outside, the city blurred into silver and gray. Inside, the world had grown too quiet.I sat curled on the edge of the sofa, half-watching the morning news. Damon’s name appeared again and again in bold letters:“Hale Defies Board in Emotional Defense of Wife.”“Billionaire Risking Empire for Love?”“The Power Couple That Broke the Internet.”Each headline twisted my stomach a little tighter.I’d told myself I could handle this—the whispers, the judgment—but watching the storm unfold in real time was something else entirely. They didn’t just talk about him. They talked about me. About the girl who didn’t belong in his world, the woman who must have been bought, the imposter who’d somehow fooled them all.When my phone buzzed, I almost didn’t look. But the name flashing on the
Last Updated : 2025-10-16Married by mistake, loved by fire collateral damage
(Damon’s POV)The storm hit faster than I expected.By the time I reached the office the next morning, the interview clip had already circled the globe twice. My name trended in every market report; Aria’s in every gossip column.Half the world was praising us, the other half tearing us apart.Mara followed me into my office, tablet in hand, her expression unreadable. “The board’s called an emergency meeting for ten.”“Of course they have.” I dropped my briefcase on the desk, loosening my tie. “Let me guess — they’re not congratulating me.”“They think you’ve compromised the company’s image.”“By defending my wife?”“They’re calling it an emotional lapse.”I laughed once, low and sharp. “They should be careful throwing words like that around.”She hesitated. “Damon… they’ll ask you to step back from the spotlight. To separate your personal life from the brand.”Meaning: from her.The word separate sat like a stone in m
Last Updated : 2025-10-16Married by mistake, loved by fire under fire
(Aria’s POV)The morning began with silence.Not peace — silence. The kind that holds its breath before a storm.I’d been awake since before dawn, sitting by the wide windows of Damon’s penthouse, watching the city crawl to life beneath the fog. My reflection stared back at me from the glass — hair curled neatly, eyes outlined carefully, but inside I felt anything but composed.Today wasn’t just another public appearance. It was the interview — the one that would decide whether the world believed our marriage was real or a headline fantasy.My phone buzzed with another message:“You don’t owe them anything. Just breathe. – Mara”I tried to. But the air felt heavier than usual, full of everything we hadn’t said.Behind me, I heard Damon’s low voice. “You’re up early.”He was standing in the hallway, dressed in a charcoal suit that looked like it had been made for him — because it probably had. His tie was undone, hanging loose around
Last Updated : 2025-10-16Married by mistake, loved by fire Fractures
(Damon’s POV)The office was quieter than usual when I arrived that morning. Too quiet.Silence had never bothered me before — I built my empire on it — but today it felt like a weight pressing against the walls. I could sense it before I saw it: the shift in the air, the hesitation in the staff, the way my assistant avoided eye contact. Something was wrong.When I stepped into my office, Mara was already waiting, a tablet clutched in her hand like a shield. “You need to see this,” she said.I took the device from her. The screen was filled with a headline, flashing across every major gossip outlet:“Fake Love? Damon Hale’s Mysterious Marriage Under Scrutiny.”Below it were photos from last night’s gala — Aria and I smiling, standing too close, too perfect. The article called it a convenient union, a PR stunt, a billionaire’s calculated distraction.I felt the pulse in my jaw tighten. “Who leaked this?”“We don’t know ye
Last Updated : 2025-10-16
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