Married for Vengeance, Pregnant with His Secret
ChapteThe soft click of the camera lens echoed louder than a gunshot in Aria's ears.
She stood backstage at the hotel ballroom, heart pounding, her palm resting protectively over her slightly rounded belly.
Today wasn't about love.
Or revenge.
Or even survival.
It was about voice hers.
And for the first time since she walked into Damien Voss's life… she intended to use it.
Three Days Earlier
Aria had watched as the world ripped her apart online. The leaked contract, the old family scandals, the whispers about her pregnancy.
She saw strangers dissect her worth, reduce her to headlines and hashtags.
And she stayed silent.
But then Harrison Voss walked into her home.
Mocked her. Threatened her child. Smiled like he owned the future.
That was the final straw.
"I'm done hiding," she told Damien that night. "I want to speak. Not as your wife. Not as a victim. As me."
Damien hesitated. "If you go public, they'll tear into you harder."
She met his gaze, unwavering. "Let them. But this time, I'll be ready."
Now, the ballroom was packed with journalists, flashing cameras, and a dozen murmuring voices.
Marcus had arranged everything under strict security.
Damien stood in the shadows, watching her quietly, but this moment belonged to her.
Aria stepped to the podium, microphone adjusted for her voice.
She took a breath.
The room fell silent.
"Good morning. I won't waste your time.
My name is Aria Lawrence Voss, and I'm here to speak not as a headline, but as a human being.
Much has been said about me these past few weeks.
That I married for money.
That I trapped a billionaire with a pregnancy.
That I'm nothing more than a well-dressed scandal."
She paused, then smiled coldly.
"Let me correct the narrative."
"I married Damien Voss under a contract yes. One written not by greed, but grief. My sister died under mysterious circumstances connected to Voss Holdings. I wanted justice. He wanted control. We both thought we could manipulate each other."
Gasps rippled through the room.
"But something changed."
"We stopped being enemies. And started becoming… something real."
"I'm pregnant. I didn't plan it. He didn't expect it. But this child is not a business transaction. This child is a heartbeat. A future."
"And I won't let anyone whether it's an ex-lover, a board member, or a father-in-law use me or this baby as a pawn ever again."
"So here I am. No script. No filters. Just truth."
"And if the world can't handle that, too bad. I'm not here for their comfort anymore."
She stepped back from the mic to stunned silence.
After a long beat, applause erupted. Not polite. Not staged. Real.
Damien stepped onto the stage, proud but quiet, wrapping a hand gently around her waist.
"You sure you're okay?" he whispered.
She nodded. "For the first time… yes."
Hours later, the internet exploded.
"Aria Voss Breaks Silence: Raw, Real, and Unapologetic"
"#JusticeForAria trends worldwide as fans rally behind her courage"
"Public Now Demands Investigation Into Harrison Voss"
Damien's phone buzzed with dozens of messages. Editors. Board members. Journalists. Investors.
Marcus stepped into his office with a grin. "Sir, damage control is no longer needed. She just turned the narrative in your favor."
Damien smiled to himself. "No. She just made history."
But in a shadowed office across town, Kieran Maddox slammed his glass into the wall.
"She's smarter than I thought."
Vanessa smirked beside him. "Told you."
He turned to her. "No more games. If we're going to bring her down, we go nuclear."
Vanessa raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"
Kieran dropped a folder onto the table.
Subject: Elena Lawrence – Confidential Autopsy Addendum
Vanessa blinked. "You've been sitting on this?"
He grinned. "Let's see what happens when Aria finds out her sister didn't overdose... but was murdered."