Mag-log inAriannaThe 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
I knew something was wrong the moment I stepped into school and felt the shift in the air.Whispers.Eyes. Glaring at me.Phones lifted slightly too quickly when I passed.At first, I told myself it was nothing. School always had its own strange rhythm—rumors, gossip, temporary fascinations that never lasted more than a day.But today felt different.Heavier.Like something had already been decided without me.Chloe caught up to me near the corridor, her face tense. “Arianna… have you seen the news?”My steps slowed. “What news?”She hesitated, then turned her phone toward me.My stomach dropped before I even read it.“HEIRESS TIED TO BUSINESS EMPIRE THROUGH CONTRACT MARRIAGE SCANDAL”My name wasn’t written clearly, but it didn’t need to be.The story was already shaped.Already sold.My fingers tightened around my bag strap. “This is fake, it can be true.”Chloe shook her head. “It’s everywhere. Social media, blogs… even local news outlets are picking it up.”I scrolled down quickly.
Arianna's Pov The room felt smaller than it had a moment ago.Maybe it was just me.Aiden still stood near the door, not moving closer, not pressuring me, but his presence alone made it difficult to think clearly. I had asked for answers, yet now that I was finally about to get them, my courage felt like it was slowly dissolving.I swallowed lightly. “That night… when I first met you.”His eyes narrowed slightly, as if already understanding where I was going.I forced myself to continue anyway. “You got injured. You helped me. And then everything after that… it doesn’t make sense in my head anymore.”Silence stretched between us.I hated how loud it felt.“You said you’d answer honestly,” I reminded him softly.Aiden exhaled through his nose, stepping further into the room for the first time since entering. Not close enough to overwhelm me, but close enough that I had no choice but to fully face him now.“I will,” he said.My fingers tightened slightly. “Then tell me… do you remember
Arianna’s POVI didn’t move.Even when I knew I should have.Standing that close to him made everything feel… different. The air felt warmer, heavier, like something invisible had settled between us and refused to move. I could hear my own heartbeat, steady at first, then gradually losing its rhythm the longer I remained there.Why wasn’t I stepping back?Why wasn’t he?I swallowed lightly, forcing myself to look away before my thoughts could spiral any further. “I think I should go back upstairs,” I murmured, though my feet stayed rooted to the spot.Aiden didn’t respond immediately. I could feel his gaze on me, steady and unreadable, like he was trying to figure something out.“Then go,” he said at last.But his voice was lower than usual.Softer.And for some reason, that made it harder to leave.I nodded anyway, taking a small step back, creating distance between us. The moment I did, the strange tension eased slightly, and I found myself breathing more freely.What was that?I d
Stepping out of the car was a pretty young lady in an exquisite dress, her skin glittering like a diamond. The color of the gown was a bright gold combined with yellow, designed to resemble a phoenix. The bodice clung to her body, accentuating her curves, while the skirt flowed in delicate, layered
The ever heavily dressed Mrs Young stood at the grand entrance of her home, welcoming guests with a shiny, overly rehearsed smile. She was glammed to the nines, sparkling from head to toe like someone who had just been plucked out of a reality show and placed on a red carpet. Her gown was layered w
Aiden was dumbstruck, frozen in a rare moment of disbelief as the weight of the truth settled heavily on his shoulders. He blamed himself entirely—blamed his arrogance, his calm confidence, his underestimation of the Shadows. For years, they had preferred silence. They lurked in darkness, observing
Before the shock from Arianna’s call could fully settle in, Aiden shifted into saviour mode with a level of sharpness that would intimidate most grown men. His heart was still reacting to her unexpected voice—soft, breathy, almost trembling—yet his mind had already begun working, dissecting her wor







