Chapter One: The Proposal
The grand ballroom glittered with gold and diamonds. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting dazzling lights over the crowd of high-society elites. Laughter, clinking glasses, and sweet piano music filled the air.
It was supposed to be Mabel Stone's happiest night. Her engagement party. Her chance to step into a bright future with the man she thought she loved.
But fate had a cruel sense of humor.
Across the hall, her fiancé—ex-fiancé, she corrected bitterly—was standing with his arm wrapped possessively around her younger sister, Lydia. His gaze was gentle, his smile tender, the kind Mabel had begged to see for years.
And he gave it to her sister.
The whispers started softly at first, but soon they spread like wildfire.
"Did you hear? He dumped her at her own engagement party."
"I always thought he had feelings for Lydia."
"Poor Mabel… this is humiliating."
Her fingers trembled as she clutched her champagne glass, forcing herself to stay upright. Every pair of eyes in the hall felt like daggers piercing through her pride.
The man she had given her heart to… had betrayed her in the cruelest way possible.
"Miss Stone," a cold, velvety voice cut through her storm of thoughts.
Mabel turned sharply, her breath catching in her throat.
Standing beside her was Adrian Kane. The name alone was enough to send chills through anyone in the city. He was the ruthless CEO of Kane Enterprises, a man known for crushing his rivals without mercy. Her family's greatest enemy.
Tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in an immaculate black suit, Adrian radiated dominance. His dark eyes locked onto hers, sharp as blades, and his presence seemed to silence the chaos around them.
"What… what do you want?" she managed to whisper, her pride refusing to crumble even in front of him.
Adrian tilted his head, studying her like she was a puzzle he intended to solve. "You don't look very happy, Miss Stone. Shouldn't a bride-to-be be smiling?"
Her heart twisted. He was mocking her. Of course he was. Why wouldn't he? She was a walking scandal.
"Leave me alone," she snapped, trying to turn away.
But his hand shot out, firm and commanding, catching her wrist. The warmth of his touch sent an involuntary shiver down her spine.
"I can save you," he said, his voice low, dangerous, almost seductive.
Mabel froze. "Save me?"
Adrian's lips curved into a cruel smile. "From this humiliation. From tonight's disgrace. From the whispers that will haunt you tomorrow." He leaned closer, his breath brushing against her ear. "But it comes at a price."
Her pulse raced. She should walk away. She should scream at him. But something in his tone—something dark, promising, and certain—rooted her to the spot.
"What do you mean?" she forced out, though her voice shook.
Adrian's gaze deepened, his eyes like endless shadows. "Marry me."
The words hit her like a thunderbolt.
Mabel blinked at him in shock. "What did you just say?"
"Marry me," he repeated, calm and deliberate, as if it were the simplest solution in the world. "A contract marriage. Three years. In public, you'll be Mrs. Kane. In private, you'll belong to me. Together, we'll destroy the people who betrayed you."
Her lips parted in disbelief. This had to be some kind of sick joke. "You… you must be insane. You're my family's enemy!"
Adrian smirked. "Exactly. Which makes me the perfect man for you right now. Do you really think your family will protect you after this scandal? Do you think that man will beg for your forgiveness? No. They've chosen your sister over you. But me… I can give you power, protection, and revenge."
Her chest heaved as she tried to steady her breathing. Everything inside her screamed to refuse. To walk away. To cling to the last shred of dignity she had left.
And yet…
The image of her sister smiling triumphantly, of her parents avoiding her gaze, of her fiancé whispering sweet words that used to belong to her—burned into her mind like poison.
Adrian's hand tightened slightly on her wrist, pulling her back from the spiral of despair. His eyes glinted with something sharp and possessive.
"Think carefully, Miss Stone," he murmured. "This is your only chance to rise from the ashes. Accept my proposal, and I'll make the world bow at your feet. Refuse…" His gaze flicked toward Lydia and her ex-fiancé. "…and you'll watch them live happily ever after while you fade into nothing."
Mabel's heart pounded violently in her chest. She hated him. She hated his arrogance, his ruthlessness, his cold smile.
But more than anything, she hated how tempting his offer sounded.
Her lips trembled as she whispered, almost to herself, "A contract marriage… with my enemy."
And Adrian Kane's smirk widened like a predator who had just captured his prey.