The billionaire's hidden bride: The secret heiress

“You should thank me for the dress. No one else would waste fabric on you,” Maya’s new mother spat as they descended the grand staircase.The corset hugged her painfully, squeezing every breath from her chest. She had never worn anything like this in her life. The fabric shimmered, but it felt so hard to breathe. Music played around the ballroom and laughter filled the air. The house was alive with people celebrating Mr. Sterling’s birthday, her supposed father.Maya’s heels wobbled as she took another step down. She reached for the rail to steady herself, but her new mother hissed. “Don’t touch anything. It’s all worth more than your life.”Maya swallowed hard. She didn’t want to be here. A few weeks ago, she had been living quietly in her small countryside house, far away from all this glittering cruelty. Then men in dark suits showed up, claiming her father lived here.They made her take a DNA test which confirmed that Mr. Sterling was her biological father. And now, she was trapp

Maya stood there, watching as Mr. Ethan Ashford rolled away. The crowd parted instinctively for him.Mrs. Sterling’s called out. “Ella! Tina!”Two maids hurried over with a dustpan and brush, their heads bowed. They knelt and cleaned up the shattered vase. When they were done, Mrs Sterling gave Maya one last glare before turning away.Nelly followed after her mother, tossing her hair back dramatically, and soon the crowd moved, pretending nothing had happened. The music started again and laughter returned.Maya exhaled softly, stepping aside. As she moved, Anna— the same girl who had shoved her earlier, brushed roughly past her.“You’re lucky,” Anna hissed, “Nelly’s fiancé saved your ass. Otherwise, you’d be behind bars right now.”She scoffed and walked away, leaving Maya frozen in place.Nelly’s fiancé?Maya’s gaze travelled toward the tall man in the wheelchair, now deep in conversation across the hall.Just a few hours in this mansion, and she had already been humiliated, insulted

Maya held her burning cheek where Mrs. Sterling had slapped her. It felt hot, and she could swear it was red. Her fingers trembled as she pressed them against the sting, her eyes wide with disbelief.Mr. Sterling sighed in his seat. “That was too far, don’t you think?” he said quietly, glancing at his wife.Mrs. Sterling scoffed, flicking her hair back as though the matter was nothing. “Oh, please, darling you saw the way she spoke to me. Such insolence should be corrected.”She casually walked back to her seat, while Maya just stood there, still frozen, holding her cheek.Mrs. Sterling then turned toward Ethan, who had remained calm and silent through the entire scene.“Mr. Ashford,” she began sweetly, “I am so sorry for her uncouth behavior. You see, she’s from the countryside so she lacks manners, proper training, and basic social grace. I sincerely apologize for that.”Ethan didn’t respond. His expression didn’t change even a little. He simply dabbed his mouth with his napkin, as

As Maya sat in the back seat of the car, her fingers fidgeted nervously. The makeup felt like it was blocking all her pores, and the dress made it hard to breathe. Everything felt too overwhelming. Her heart raced, and her mind spun. Ethan’s best man drove silently, while Ethan sat in the shotgun seat.Did her mother know about this? Did she even consent? Why had she just let her go like this? Maya barely managed to think straight. She didn’t even know her way back home to the countryside. This city was huge. She took a shaky breath, trying to calm herself.The car finally came to a stop. The man glanced at her. “We’re here.”Maya nodded slowly. Her stomach formed knots as she opened the back seat door and stepped out. She kept fidgeting with the folds of her dress. She glanced up at the building in front of her, and her mouth hung open. It was massive, more grand than anything she had ever seen in her life.The best man moved to help Ethan out of the car, and Maya stared at the mans

“Because you’re my wife,” Ethan said.Maya’s eyes widened. That was it? She almost got killed by a stranger, and he answered her like he was simply saying ice is cold and fire is hot.“What… what do you—”But Ethan was already looking at her with that blank, unreadable expression he always wore.“You must be tired,” he said simply. “You should go to sleep.”“To… to sleep?” Maya stammered, confused.He raised a brow. “Oh? Did you want to do something else rather than sleep tonight?”Her cheeks flamed instantly. “No! I…I wasn’t saying…no!”Before she could gather her thoughts, a knock came on the door.“Come in,” Ethan said flatly.The butler entered quietly. He didn’t speak; he simply moved to Ethan and carefully lifted him to the bed.Once Ethan was lying perfectly straight, he spoke. “Leave.”The butler bowed and stepped out.Silence returned.Maya swallowed hard and walked to a seat beside his bed. Her fingers twisted together anxiously. She didn’t even know how to move properly.He