LOGINAriannaThe walk out of the principal’s office felt different.Arianna noticed it immediately.Students who had once whispered openly now stepped aside the moment she passed. Conversations dropped mid-sentence. Even the boldest ones who had laughed earlier now avoided eye contact entirely.Respect.Or fear.She wasn’t sure which one it was.Aiden walked beside her, calm as ever, his presence quiet but overwhelming. He didn’t look at anyone. He didn’t need to. The effect he had already lingered in the air around them.So much for trying to keep slow profile. They reached the car without interruption.The driver opened the door quickly, bowing slightly. “Young master.”Aiden nodded once before gesturing for Arianna to get in first.She slid into the seat, her fingers still slightly tense from everything that had just happened. Aiden followed, the door closing softly behind him.Silence settled almost immediately.The car began to move.Arianna stared out the window at first, watching t
Arianna knew Principal Fitzgerald was many things.Polished. Deceptive.Careful.Selective with his tone depending on who stood before him.But she had never seen him like this.Not until now.The moment his eyes landed on Aiden, something in his entire demeanor shifted so abruptly it almost felt unnatural. His posture straightened, his expression stretched into a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, and even the way he adjusted his tie carried a strange urgency.“Mr. Smith… what an honor,” he said, stepping forward quickly.Arianna stood beside Aiden, suddenly aware of how different the atmosphere had become. The same man who had once brushed off student complaints with vague reassurances was now practically radiating politeness.Aiden didn’t return the smile.He didn’t move forward either.He simply looked at the principal.And that alone seemed to make the older man hesitate.“I… I was just about to call Miss Arianna to my office,” Principal Fitzgerald continued, his voice smoot
Aiden’s POVI hadn’t planned to come to the school. I told myself it was unnecessary. Arianna could handle herself. She always did, even when she shouldn’t have to. But the moment I saw the early reports on my phone—grainy images, exaggerated headlines, students gathering around her name like it was entertainment on the school's—my patience ran out.So I went to her school.And the moment he stepped onto the campus grounds, I knew it had been the right decision.Because there she was.Arianna.Standing in the middle of a group of male students.Smiling.Holding flowers in her hands.For a brief second, I stopped walking.It felt like I couldn't breathe, my chest tightening by the second.Not because i was confused.Because something in my chest tightened in a way i didn’t like.Too many of them.Too close.One of the boys said something to her, leaning slightly forward like he had every right to be in her space. Arianna tilted her head politely, listening.That was all it took.Aiden
AriannaThe morning after the news broke, Arianna had expected things to be worse.She had prepared herself for whispers, for judgmental stares, maybe even avoidance. What she hadn’t prepared for was the opposite.Attention.Too much of it.As soon as she stepped into the school compound, she noticed it immediately. Students who once walked past her without a second glance were now waiting near the corridors, almost as if they had been stationed there. Some held phones, others small paper bags, and a few even stood awkwardly holding neatly wrapped flowers.Arianna slowed her steps slightly, unsure of what she was walking into.Chloe, walking beside her, muttered under her breath, “This is not normal.”“It’s fine,” Arianna replied softly, though she wasn’t entirely convinced.Before she could take another step, a group of boys from her year stepped forward. They looked nervous, but determined. One of them, taller than the rest, cleared his throat.“Arianna…” he began.She blinked, slig
Arianna's Pov Arianna tried not to look at her phone again, but it was useless. Even when she kept it face-down on the desk, she could still feel the weight of it, like the news itself had somehow seeped into the air around her. By the time afternoon classes resumed, the atmosphere in school had completely shifted. It wasn’t loud chaos, not yet—but it was worse in a quieter way. The kind of tension that sat behind eyes and lingered in half-finished conversations. She could feel it as she walked through the corridor, as students who once barely noticed her now watched her every movement with renewed interest. Some whispered openly. Others didn’t bother hiding their stares anymore. “That’s her.” "She's the girl in the news." “The contract marriage girl.” “So she really did it for money?” "She's just eighteen." "She's so shameless." Arianna kept walking. She didn’t stop. Didn’t react. Didn’t give them anything to feed on. Chloe caught up with her near the stairca
Aiden’s POV The news didn’t reach me in fragments. It hit all at once. My secretary Mr Marcus didn’t even knock properly before entering the office, which was already enough to tell me something had gone wrong. I looked up slowly from my desk, expression calm, but the moment I saw his face, I knew this wasn’t a minor issue. “Speak,” I said. He hesitated. “Young master… the story is out.” I didn’t move. Not immediately. Because “the story” could mean many things in my world. But the way he said it—careful, tense, slightly reluctant—already narrowed it down. I leaned back in my chair slowly. “Which story?” He swallowed. “The contract marriage.” Silence. The room didn’t change, but the atmosphere did. My gaze dropped to the tablet he was holding. I didn’t need to take it from him to know what was on it. The headlines were already predictable. He still placed it on my desk anyway. I looked. “HEIRESS IN CONTRACT MARRIAGE SCANDAL WITH BUSINESS HEIR.” Another article beneath
The guests were thrown into another round of shock, their gasps rising through the shimmering hall like a sudden wave.This was the event of the century.A scandal wrapped in glittering chandeliers and designer gowns.By this time, Arianna’s stepmother’s face had turned an alarming shade of red, al
The slap shut the entire hall up.For a moment, the grand ballroom froze as if someone had sliced the air clean in half. Conversation died mid-sentence, champagne flutes hovered suspended in stunned hands, and even the overly dramatic orchestral music faltered into irrelevance. What was supposed to
Arianna looked at the expressions on their faces, disgusted by their actual expectations. The shock, the insult, the quiet outrage — it all blended into a single offensive smear she refused to ignore. Did they truly think she would simply be married off to any man bold enough to ask? That she was s
Arianna paid no attention to their glares and judgment.About his gift, she felt certain it could never outshine the dress she wore, a radiant creation that clung to her curves and shimmered like molten gold under the chandeliers’ glow. The party itself, although extravagantly tailored to impress,







