chapter 4

CHAPTER 4: MRS. COLE

The next morning, Mia woke up in a bed that was not hers.

For one second, she forgot. She forgot the rain. She forgot Daniel. She forgot Lily's smirk.

Then she saw the black folder on the table beside her, and it all came back.

She was married. Or about to be.

She was Mrs. Cole.

Mia sat up slowly. The guest room in Adrian's penthouse was bigger than her old apartment. White walls. Soft carpet. A window that showed the whole city waking up under a grey sky.

The city that had laughed at her yesterday.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Mia said, her voice still rough from crying.

A woman in her fifties walked in. She was wearing a neat black uniform, her hair tied back, her face kind but serious.

"Good morning, Miss Hayes," she said. "I am Martha. Mr. Cole sent me to help you get ready. Your wedding is in two hours."

Mia blinked. "Two hours?"

"Yes, ma'am. Small wedding. City Hall. Just you, Mr. Cole, and his lawyer. No guests. No cameras. Not yet."

Mia's heart started beating fast again. "I... I don't have anything to wear. My dress is ruined."

Martha smiled a little. "Mr. Cole already thought of that."

She clapped her hands, and two girls walked in carrying a long white box.

Inside the box was a dress. Not a big, puffy wedding dress like the one she wore yesterday. This one was simple. Elegant. A white silk dress that hugged the body, with long sleeves and a high neck. Quiet. Powerful. Not a dress for a girl who begs for love. A dress for a woman who has come to take what belongs to her.

Beside it was a small black box. Inside was a diamond ring. Cold. Heavy. Beautiful.

Mia touched the ring with shaking fingers.

"This is real?" she whispered.

"Everything Mr. Cole does is real, ma'am," Martha said. "Even when it is fake."

An hour later, Mia stood in front of the mirror.

Her hair was pulled back. Her makeup was light, but it hid the redness in her eyes. The white dress fit her perfectly, like it was made for her.

She did not look like the bride who was left in the rain.

She looked like a different woman.

The door opened again, and Adrian walked in.

He stopped when he saw her.

For a long moment, he said nothing. He just looked at her. His eyes moved from her face, down to her dress, then back to her face. And for the first time since she met him, the cold billionaire looked... surprised.

"You look..." He cleared his throat. "You look presentable."

Mia almost laughed. "Presentable? That's all?"

Adrian walked closer. He took the ring box from the table and opened it. He took her left hand in his. His hand was warm. Strong. Steady.

"Rule 3," he said quietly. "No touching unless it is for the cameras. But there are no cameras here."

"Then why are you touching me?" Mia asked.

"Because I have to put the ring on," he said. "It's part of the contract."

He slid the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly.

Mia looked down at it. It sparkled under the light.

"Mia," Adrian said, his voice low. "Once we sign this paper at City Hall, there is no going back. Your father will hear about it by tonight. Daniel will hear about it by tonight. They will all come for you."

Mia lifted her chin. "Let them come."

Adrian stared at her for a second, then a small, dangerous smile touched his lips. The same smile she had seen last night.

"Good," he said. "Then let's go and make you my wife."

At City Hall, it took only ten minutes.

No flowers. No music. No "I do" with tears of joy.

Just a pen. A paper. Two signatures.

Adrian Cole.

Mia Hayes-Cole.

The clerk stamped the paper and said, "Congratulations."

Mia looked at the paper in her hands. She was married. To a stranger. To a billionaire who wanted revenge.

She should have felt fear. She should have felt trapped.

But as Adrian opened the car door for her, and as the rain started to fall again outside, Mia felt something she had not felt since yesterday.

She felt free.

She looked out of the car window at the city rushing past. Daniel and Lily were probably celebrating somewhere. Her father was probably sitting in his office, thinking he had destroyed her.

They had no idea.

The bride they left in the rain was gone.

Mrs. Cole had arrived.

And she was coming for all of them.