MARRIED BY MISTAKE のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 11 - チャプター 20

The detention centre smelled like disinfectant and desperation. Aria sat in a grey visiting room, her hands clasped tight in her lap. Leon stood behind her, one hand on her shoulder. Marcus waited by the door with his recording equipment, ready to document everything. The door buzzed. Opened.Ariana entered the room wearing an orange jumpsuit that, for some reason, looked good on her. She had her blond hair pulled back into a ponytail.No makeup. But her smile was as sharp as ever. "Hello, little sister." Ariana sat across the table, her cuffed hands resting on the metal surface. "Thanks for coming. I know you're very busy playing house with your billionaire.""What do you want, Ariana?" Even though Aria's stomach was churning with anxiety, her voice remained steady. "What is so important that you'd use our dying mother as leverage?""Dying?" Ariana pretended to be surprised as her eyes grew wide."Oh no. Is Mother unwell? How tragic." "You knew. You planned this." Leon's voice was ic

The paparazzi were waiting outside the penthouse at dawn.Aria woke to the sound of camera shutters clicking like machine guns. She moved to the window and immediately retreated—dozens of photographers lined the street below, telephoto lenses aimed at every window."Don't go near the glass." Leon appeared behind her, already dressed in a suit. "Marcus hired extra security overnight. They're keeping them at the perimeter, but they're relentless.""How did they find us so fast?""The arrest warrant is public record. Claire's death certificate was filed. Your name is on both." He handed her a phone showing the morning headlines.MURDER, LIES, AND BILLIONS: THE HALE-CHEN SCANDAL EXPLODESSecret Daughter. Dead Lover. Murder Confession. The Story That's Rocking New York's Elite.Who Is Aria Chen-Mercer? The Heiress Who Brought Down An EmpireBelow the headlines were photos. Aria is leaving the hospital. Leon is holding her. James is in handcuffs. Claire's body is being removed from the hosp

The Wall Street Journal reporter was not what Aria expected.Jennifer Park was in her thirties, sharp-eyed, wearing a blazer and jeans. The movers had just finished with stunning efficiency, removing all traces of James in under two hours. Now, Aria sat across from Jennifer in the newly cleared office, adjusting to both the silence and the presence of a journalist."Thank you for making time, Mrs. Mercer," Jennifer said as she set up her recording device."I know your first day has been... eventful.""That's one word for it." Aria made herself calm down. She didn't have the time to analyze the ripple consequences of the canceled Singapore deal, so Leon had to deal with his own issue.Jennifer leaned forward. "Let's begin with the obvious question. You are twenty-four years old."You discovered your parentage three days ago. You became CEO yesterday. Some people are calling this the most dramatic rise to power in corporate history. Others are calling it a disaster waiting to happen. Wh

The headlines hit before dawn.HEIRESS CEO FOILS KIDNAPPING PLOTKatherine Webb Arrested in Dramatic Sting OperationTitan Holdings Exposed: Corporate Conspiracy UnravelsAria stood at the penthouse windows, watching the sun rise over Manhattan, her phone buzzing with calls she didn't have the energy to answer.Her reflection stared back at her.Dark circles under her eyes.Her hair hadn't washed in two days.The jade pendant catches the light.She looked like someone who'd been to war.Because she had."You should sleep." Leon appeared behind her, his voice rough from lack of rest. "You've been up for forty hours straight.""So have you.""I'm not the one who charged into a warehouse to rescue my grandmother."Aria looked up at him.He had bloodshot eyes. His beard cast a shadow over his jaw. He wore his shirt for too long, causing it to wrinkle.Both of them were destroyed.Both are barely standing.She questioned, "Elena's still sleeping?""The doctor advises she should rest for at

Torres had them in a safe house within two hours.Aria sat on a worn couch in a nondescript apartment in Queens, watching Leon pace like a caged animal."We can't live like this," he said for the third time. "Hiding. Running. Waiting for the next attack.""Then we don't." Aria's voice was calm. Too calm. "We go on offense."Leon stopped pacing."How?""We make them think we're broken. Scared. Ready to give up." She pulled out her phone. "And while they're relaxing, thinking they've won, we dig. We find them. We destroy them.""That's risky.""Everything's risky now." Aria stood. "But I'm not hiding anymore. I'm done being their target."Her phone buzzed.Rebecca."The board wants an emergency meeting. Tomorrow. They're panicking about the shooting. Some want to pull the merger." Rebecca's voice was tight. "David Chen is fighting them, but he's one vote against six.""Tell them I'll be there. In person.""Aria, you were just shot at—""Which is exactly why I need to show up. If I hide,