Aria Cole stood rigidly in the center of the ultra-modern office, her heart pounding against her ribs. The city lights outside glimmered like diamonds, mocking the desperation she felt inside. Her family's company—her father's life's work—was collapsing, and she had been dragged into this glass tower of steel and power to beg the one man who could save them.
Damian Blackwood. The name alone sent chills down her spine. CEO. Billionaire. Untouchable. A man whose reputation for ruthlessness was whispered across boardrooms, whose presence alone commanded obedience. And now he was the man who held her family's fate in his hands.
He didn't stand to greet her. He didn't need to. Damian remained seated behind his massive mahogany desk, his posture perfect, his hands steepled, and his dark eyes scanning her like a predator sizing up prey. Every inch of him radiated control, wealth, and danger.
"I've reviewed your family's finances," he said, voice calm, precise, and frighteningly smooth. "The debt is catastrophic. Your company cannot survive without immediate intervention."
Aria clenched her fists. "So… what? You're going to lend us money?" Her voice, though controlled, carried an edge of desperation she couldn't hide.
Damian's eyes sharpened, a flicker of amusement in the corner of his lips. "Lending money would be… inefficient." He leaned back slightly, giving her a long, deliberate look. "I have a proposal."
Aria's stomach tightened. She braced herself. "A proposal?"
"Yes," Damian said, the smirk barely noticeable. "I will erase your family's debts entirely. All of it. In exchange…" He paused, letting the weight of the words settle. "…you marry me."
The world tilted. Her knees threatened to buckle, her hands trembled. "What?!" The word was barely audible, a mix of disbelief and outrage.
He didn't flinch. "You heard me correctly. A marriage. Temporary. Strategic. A contract." His voice was flat, cold, but every word was a knife twisting in her chest.
Aria opened her mouth to protest, but no words came. She felt heat rise to her face, anger and fear mixing with sheer disbelief. "You can't be serious," she managed. "I—no! I can't!"
"Think of it as a business transaction," Damian said smoothly. "No love. No entanglements. You fulfill the terms. Your family is saved. End of discussion."
Her hands shook, but it wasn't from anger alone. The air around him was intoxicating. A single glance could make her forget her own name. Every word, every precise movement, screamed control. And yet… she hated herself for noticing.
Her father's voice cracked through the tension. "Aria…" His eyes were pleading, desperate, haunted. "We don't have a choice. Please."
Aria turned to him, seeing the man who had always been her pillar now broken under the weight of failure. How could she say no? How could she leave him to watch everything he built crumble? She took a shaky breath.
"Fine," she whispered, almost inaudibly. "I'll do it."
Damian's smirk widened, subtle but victorious. "Good. The contract will be prepared. One signature, and your family's debt is erased."
Papers were slid across the desk, heavy with significance. Terms and conditions, clauses, words she would normally skim, now felt like chains around her life. Words like marriage, contract, terms, obligations stared at her accusingly.
Her fingers hovered over the pen. One swift motion. One signature. One irrevocable decision. Her mind screamed against it, but her heart… her heart felt strange, trembling with a mix of fear, defiance, and… something else. Something she wasn't ready to admit.
Damian's gaze was fixed on her. Cold, dark, yet oddly attentive. There was an intensity in his eyes, a challenge. "Don't take too long," he said softly. "I don't like hesitation."
Aria swallowed hard. Her eyes traced his sharp jawline, the slight furrow of his brow, the way his lips pressed into a straight line. He was infuriating. Infuriatingly magnetic. Her pulse quickened, and she hated herself for noticing.
Her hand finally closed around the pen. She signed her name, each letter a hammer blow to her own independence. The paper slid back to him, and Damian leaned forward, inspecting the signature like a master marking a victory.
"Congratulations," he said, voice low and smooth. "You're officially married… to me."
Aria's stomach turned. Married. She forced herself to stand taller, refusing to let her fear—or the strange pull she felt toward him—show. "Don't think this means anything," she said, her voice steady, though her heart betrayed her. "I won't… fall for you."
Damian's eyes darkened. A flash of something unreadable passed across his expression—amusement? Intrigue? A warning? "We'll see about that," he murmured, almost to himself.
Her father exhaled shakily, relief washing over his features. "Thank you, Damian… thank you."
Damian merely nodded, his gaze returning to her. "Remember the terms," he said, voice a command. "This is a contract. Nothing more."
Aria clenched her fists at her sides. She would survive this. She had to. No matter the man, no matter the mansion, no matter the icy world he would drag her into—she would endure.
But even as she told herself this, she couldn't shake the thrill, the danger, the undeniable electricity that lingered whenever their eyes met. And for the first time, Aria Cole understood that surviving Damian Blackwood would be far more complicated than she ever imagined.