MARRIED BY MISTAKE のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 30

Aria woke Leon at 4:15 AM."I know who The Architect is."He sat up instantly, sleep vanishing. "Who?""Think about it. Who benefits most if both of us are destroyed? Who's been in the perfect position to watch everything? Who knew about the dinner, the trap, every move we've made?"Leon's mind was already working. She could see it in his eyes."Someone close. Someone we trusted completely." He paused. "Vanessa?""No. She's too obvious. Too easy." Aria pulled out her laptop, opening files she'd been reviewing all night. "The Architect said I was 'always the endgame.' That the marriage was unexpected but useful. That they've been planning this for years.""So someone who's known me for years. Who had a plan that I disrupted by marrying you.""Exactly." Aria turned the screen toward him. "Someone who was there from the beginning. Who pushed us together. Who encouraged the relationship even when it seemed insane."Leon's face went pale."No. That's impossible.""Is it?" Aria pulled up fi

Elena arrested. Tyler captured. Michael’s family is safe. The companies are secure. No more threats. No more attacks. No more wars. Just… silence. Leon appeared beside her, two glasses of whiskey in hand. “Torres said to give you this. Said you’d need it.” Aria took the glass. Drank it in one swallow. The burn felt real. Grounding. “How do you feel?” Leon asked. “Numb. Relieved. Terrified that it’s not actually over.” She looked at him. “What if Tyler was telling the truth? What if there are more?” “Then we’ll handle them. Together. Like we’ve handled everything else.” Leon took her empty glass, set both on a nearby table, and pulled her into his arms. “But right now, tonight, we’re going to believe it’s over. We’re going to go home, sleep for twelve hours, and wake up tomorrow without looking over our shoulders.” “Can we do that? Just… stop fighting?” “We can try.” He kissed her forehead. “We’re good at trying impossible things.” Aria leaned into him, letting herself believ

The lawyer's office was unnecessarily fancy.Mahogany furniture. Original artwork. Views of Central Park.Aria tried not to giggle at the ridiculousness as she sat across from the lawyer managing Elena's estate—yes, even supervillains left behind paperwork. The attorney started, "Your grandmother-in-law," but corrected himself immediately. "Specific directions were left in the late Mrs. Mercer's bequest. These records were supposed to be given directly to you upon her passing."He reached across the desk and slipped her an envelope.Heavy. Expensive. Sealed with wax like some Gothic novel."What is it?""I don't know. My instructions were only to deliver it after her passing. Which occurred last week."Elena had died in prison. Seventy-six years old. Alone. Unvisited except by lawyers.Exactly as she'd lived, really. Surrounded by power but empty of love.Aria took the envelope home.Waited until that evening, until Leon was home, until Sophie and their son Marcus—named for her father

The Chen-Hale Industries annual gala was the event of the New York social season. Aria Chen-Mercer stood at the edge of the ballroom, champagne in hand, watching her husband work the crowd with the ease of someone who'd been doing it for three decades.Even at fifty-nine, Leon Mercer was devastating. His dark hair was now interwoven with silver, and the corners of his eyes had smile wrinkles, yet he still commanded attention with the same quiet assurance and barely controlled power that he had at thirty-one."He's going to give himself a heart attack if he doesn't retire soon," someone next to her remarked.Aria turned to see her son, Marcus Leon Mercer, looking ridiculously attractive in his personalized tux. At twenty-eight, he was the ideal combination of his parents: Aria's strategic mind and Leon's intensity. Devastating looks with a brain that could dissect a company's financials in minutes. Additionally, he was currently her worst enemy. Your dad isn't prepared to retire."Marc

Monday, 2:47 PMMarcus looked like he’d survived a war when he returned from lunch.His jaw was clenched, tie loose, hair mussed from running his hands through it.Zara had been organizing his terrible calendar on her computer when she looked up. "How was lunch with your sister?"Because she signed a contract without reading it, she is being sued for $2 million. If she doesn't make a profit within eighteen months, the investor who backed her fashion line will receive 70% of the business.She's at month seventeen and hemorrhaging money." Marcus paused at Zara's desk, clearly worn out. "And when I suggested she let the business fold and take a job at Chen-Hale, she accused me of never believing in her dreams and stormed out." "Did you tell her that you didn't think she had dreams?" I advised her to prepare a backup plan because the fashion industry is harsh.That seems to be the same thing." He massaged his temples. "I don't understand why everyone thinks honesty is cruelty."Because bein