LOGINThe sun didn't just rise; it invaded. It cut through the floor-to-ceiling glass of the master suite, exposing every inch of the messy, forced intimacy Ariana had tried to ignore all night. She woke up heavy. Lucas’s hand was still locked with hers, their fingers tangled like a knot that had tightened while they slept. He was still out, his face turned toward her. Without the "Ice King" mask, he looked younger. Vulnerable. For a split second, she saw the boy from the lake house—the one who’d promised to protect her before he became the man who tried to own her. Then his eyes snapped open. The ice was back instantly. He didn't pull away. He checked the silver Patek Philippe on his other wrist. "Three more minutes," he rasped, his voice thick with sleep. "The sensor doesn't care about three minutes, Lucas," Ariana whispered, her pulse thumping. "I do," he countered. His grip tightened. "Consistency is everything. If the data shows a break in the pattern, security flags it as a distu
Ariana felt a spike of sharp, icy panic. This wasn’t protection—it was a deliberate, intimate punishment designed to break her down.“You’re insane,” she whispered, facing Lucas in the dimly lit study. “I’m not sleeping in your room. The contract guarantees separate quarters.”“The contract is irrelevant when my wife is actively sabotaging my security measures,” Lucas replied, his voice dangerously soft. He held the small, faded photograph of their past—the only weapon he truly had against her—and his grip tightened around it. “You’ve proven you can’t be trusted alone. You stay where I can watch you. You’re my wife now, and the master suite is your post.”He slipped the photograph into his pocket, a quiet, decisive move that felt like a blade sliding between her ribs. “Don’t worry. The room is large enough. We’ll be separate… in very close quarters.”He didn’t wait for her response. He simply strode out, fully expecting her to follow. With a strangled gasp of rage, Ariana snatched her
Lucas had just claimed her with a brutal, possessive kiss—a kiss meant for the camera and the legal record. Yet, it left Ariana feeling branded, her lips stinging. He didn't spare her a second glance, immediately returning to signing documents, as if she were a chair he'd moved.An hour later, the news exploded.Lucas’s team released the announcement: "Hill Global and Carter Media accelerate merger with surprise wedding." The story they fed the media was simple: the original engagement was a distraction; the real power move was always Lucas and Ariana. The corporate world gasped, the tabloids went crazy, and Simon Vance was instantly old news.“Phase one complete,” Lucas announced, walking into her wing. He found her staring out the panoramic window. “Now, phase two. You need to perform tonight.”“Perform?”“The investor dinner. Mr. Harrington, a key stakeholder we need on our side, is hosting. You will be on my arm. You will smile. You will act like my adoring, happy bride. And you w
Ariana’s phone went black the moment the study door slammed open. The sound cracked through the room like a gunshot.Lucas stood framed in the doorway, chest rising and falling with barely contained fury. His usual composure—the infamous ice—was gone. What stared back at her was something sharper, primal.The forgotten pizza lay overturned on the floor outside. Inside, she faced a man who looked capable of tearing through the world for control.“Start explaining what you’re doing with classified information,” Lucas said, his voice low and razor-edged.Ariana didn’t flinch. She kept her phone raised, meeting rage with her own fire.“I was looking at your documents. Project Titan. You labeled me Strategic Collateral. Collateral has the right to know the size of the bomb you’re sitting it on.”He stalked toward her, every step radiating lethal control.“This is a breach of security. You’re going to regret this level of intrusion.”“And this is my family’s entire future!” she shot back. “
The next few hours blurred into a whirlwind. The moment Ariana signed the Contract of Control, Lucas Hill’s corporate machine snapped around her like a steel cage. Shock slowly melted into something sharper—a fierce, reckless clarity. If she was going to be Strategic Collateral, she would be the most gloriously unmanageable asset Lucas had ever tried to control.While Lucas, Trevor, and an army of lawyers barricaded themselves inside a glass-walled strategy room, Lucas’s chief of staff, Eliza—whose resting expression suggested she’d never once smiled voluntarily—took charge of Ariana.“Mr. Hill requires you to remain within the penthouse until the initial media response is stabilized,” Eliza recited while overseeing the unpacking of Ariana’s pathetically small wardrobe. “We must project unity. Your presence is non-negotiable.”Ariana tugged on soft jeans and a black sweater, ignoring the lineup of stiff, society-perfect dresses Eliza had deemed “appropriate.”“So I’m a high-value pris
Ariana woke abruptly to a silence so deep it felt like a vault. The guest suite was massive, all white leather, cold marble, and floor-to-ceiling glass that offered a dizzying, contemptuous view of Manhattan. She bolted upright. Her body ached, but the memory of Simon’s betrayal and the alley terror was worse. She wasn't wearing her ruined dress; she was in soft silk pajamas that smelled impossibly clean and expensive. The door clicked open, and Lucas Hill entered. He didn't walk; he commanded the space, making the huge room feel instantly smaller. He was in dark, tailored chinos and a crisp white shirt that emphasized the sheer, controlled power of his build. He carried a silver tray—coffee and a bowl of fresh berries—and the simple, domestic gesture felt bizarrely intimate coming from a man who looked like he belonged on a throne. “You’re awake,” he stated, his voice flat. “Take the coffee. You have a meeting in forty minutes.” “Don’t you dare tell me what to do!” Ariana snappe







