She didn't even have the energy to respond to his question-her mind was filled with one thought only: he really shouldn't be here, not tonight. It was their wedding night for god's sake, and yet he came to her... leaving Fiona alone like that felt too cruel.

She pushed him off with all her strength, breath coming out in sharp bursts as she snapped, "Seriously? Don't you feel guilty to Fiona? If you don't love her, then don't marry her. But you did, and now you ditch her on your wedding night? That's just low!"

Lucian didn't force her. He just stood there quietly, watching her closely like he was trying to read her mind-figure out what exactly was going through that little head of hers.

"So, are you jealous or just feeling bad for her?" he asked, calm as ever.

"Jealous? Who am I to be jealous? I'm just the bonus prize thrown in with your investment in FortuneRise Inc.. What right would I have to be jealous of your wife? I just... I feel sorry for Fiona. She's always had everything-spoiled like a real princess. This will break her heart."

He smirked, lips curling with that familiar sarcasm. "And aren't you a pampered princess too? Still ended up being my secret lover, didn't you?"

Ariella's eyes dimmed. That word-lover-hit like a slap. He wasn't wrong. That's exactly what she was. She just didn't want to admit it.

"I did this because I had no other choice. I had to save my dad... But Fiona doesn't owe you anything. Treating her like this-it's not right. She's..."

Her voice faltered. She couldn't even finish.

Something about her words irritated Lucian more than he expected. To hide the mood swing, he frowned and cut her off.

"You've always been obedient these past two years. So why are you pushing back tonight, and twice? Is this about me not marrying you? Still mad over that?"

"No!" she snapped, shaking her head hard. She already looked pathetic as it was, no way she'd let him see the hope she'd once had.

"If you weren't aiming for the Sterling name, why send someone to crash my wedding?"

"I didn't!"

"You want me to spell it out for you, huh? Show you proof? Do you really need me to?"He paused, gaze sharpening.

"Let's just say - if the right people saw the evidence, FortuneRise Inc. might start reconsidering their investment."

He didn't break eye contact, his stare cold and sharp.

And just from the flicker in her gaze, he knew it-it really had been her. A scheming, restless little thing.

"...Fine. I did it. It was me. Please, just don't mess with FortuneRise Inc.'s investment."

"Well, at least you admitted it. Since you messed up, you gotta pay the price," he said slowly, like he was already thinking of how to make her pay.

"What do you want then? You said if I admitted it, you'd keep your hands off the FortuneRise Inc. investment!"

"Chill, I won't touch FortuneRise Inc.," he said, all casual.

"I just want you to have my baby." He said it like it was no biggie, like asking someone to pass the salt.

Ariella just stared at him, totally thrown. She repeated it, not sure she even heard him right.

"You said... you want me to have your baby?"

"Yeah."

"But our deal only has three months left. Babies aren't exactly express delivery. Or are you planning to keep this thing going even after that?" Ariella knew there was no point pushing him, so she kept her voice calm, trying to stay logical.

"Time's not the issue. You have the baby, maybe I can make you the second Mrs. Sterling. Not as high up as Fiona, of course, but mother of my kid, you'll still get respect in the Sterling family. Endless pocket money, fancy status."

Ariella looked at him like she didn't even know who he was anymore. The way he made it sound, like she was just in it for money or status, was seriously insulting.

Forget being any kind of Sterling-wife, mistress, whatever. She didn't even want to be in the same room with him.

She scoffed, the anger bubbling up as she forced a smile. "Should I be thanking you for such a 'generous' offer?"

That smile, the one he thought was her true self. He was convinced she'd been scheming from day one, eager to stick around for the perks.

"What do you think, babe? Women would kill for a spot in the Sterling family. I'm giving you the chance to live the dream. Of course you should thank me," he said, smirking.

"Too bad, Lucian. I don't want to live in your dream." Her voice was scornful now.

"I crashed the wedding because I didn't want my friend marrying a hypocrite. As for me, I'd rather marry a beggar, or stay single for life, than tie myself to you." There was no mistaking the disgust in her tone.

The look on her face said it all-pure rejection. Lucian couldn't believe it.

Was she really that repelled by him? Or maybe it wasn't hate...it was just him not being able to figure her out. That was what hooked him. Maybe she was playing the long game-aiming for the top spot.

"So, having a baby's off the table?" he said flatly.

"Absolutely."

"Fine then," he replied coolly.

"But you broke our deal today. That comes with a price-I'm adding another six months to our agreement." His voice made it clear-no discussions, no negotiations.

Ariella opened her mouth, wanting to apologize, trying to earn a reduction on the six-month sentence.

But pride got the best of her. Rather suffer a few more months than say one soft word to that hypocrite.

"As you wish!" she ground out the words through clenched teeth.

"You don't sound thrilled. Shouldn't you be thanking me for giving you more time to make me fall for you?" Lucian lifted her chin, locking eyes with her, his gaze piercing.

Truth was, extending the deal wasn't just about wanting more time with her body - though that was part of it. What really got under his skin was how this girl had been at his side for nearly two years, and he still couldn't catch her slipping.

No way he was gonna let that stand. As the new head of the Sterling family, he couldn't lose to a rookie like her.

Lucian lived for this kind of game. His plan? Make her hate him to the core, make her fall stupid in love, and then get all her secrets.

And in the end... crush her. Make her pay for every bit of deception.

"I used to be grateful to you..." Ariella's eyes were clear, no sign of lying.

She wanted to explain herself, but only got halfway before the look in his eyes shut her up.

"Go on. Why stop now?"

"You wanted me just to satisfy your appetite, didn't you? There's no point in talking-we both know words don't mean anything between us." Her tone was flat, even a bit dismissive.

That triggered something in him. Again.

He shoved her onto the bed, hands rough as he started yanking at her thin nightgown.

Ariella grabbed his wrist tightly, panicked. "Easy! Stop tearing my clothes-I gotta pay for those."

"Oh? You broke because I didn't give you cash?" He suddenly froze, staring at her like he'd caught her red-handed.

He'd given her a card before, set a spending limit-yet she never used it. Even the slippers, towel, toothpaste, and toothbrush she used, she paid for herself.

He'd assumed she had some pride, but now... maybe not?

Ariella looked at him like he was speaking another language. Honestly, it felt like they operated in different realities. Or maybe he was just clinically insane. Guy twisted everything she said.

Her reaction made Lucian lose his cool again. This time, with a sharp tear, her nightgown went, followed by her silk underwear.

"Can we not do this tonight? I don't want Fiona to hate me," she muttered.

"You don't get to say no!"

She bit her lip hard, refusing to give in, no matter how much it hurt.

Just hold on...

She shut her eyes tight, enduring everything in silence.

When it was over, she slowly got up to take a long shower.

But before she could, Lucian zipped up and shoved her back down on the bed.

She was naked. He looked completely put-together.

The world was never fair.

Her face was flushed from their intimacy, but there was no joy in it-only misery. It annoyed him more than he expected.

He'd meant it as punishment, but seeing her that way made something twist in him. He'd wanted her to feel good in the end. Too bad she clearly didn't care.

"Was it really that awful for you? Then why try to seduce Ryan? You know the guy only thinks with what's below the belt."

"When did I ever seduce him?" she shot back, frowning.

"I saw it! Don't play with fire. Stay the hell away from him!" His voice was low and threatening.

They had a deal: during the agreement period, even holding hands with another man was off-limits-because he had a cleanliness thing.

Yet he could mess around with his wife and still treat Ariella like this? She had boundaries too!

"Don't worry," Ariella replied coolly.

"If there's nothing else, I'm taking a shower and going to bed. You can see yourself out." As she stood, he caught her and pushed her back down again.

"Let me finish, alright? Getting close to him won't do you any good. First off, the guy's a player-you don't wanna mess around and end up with something nasty. Second, sure, he's loaded, but he doesn't lift a finger for our family's businesses. He's not gonna keep up with your high-maintenance lifestyle. So..."

Before he could go on, she cut him off with an eye-roll.

"Save your breath, okay? I'm not into Sterling men, whether it's you or him. Now let me go. I've already given you what you wanted-it's my time now."

She pushed him, trying to leave, but he stayed put, still talking.

"Oh right, I forgot. You're probably still hung up on that Forrest guy? Or maybe someone else?"

"This - this has nothing to do with you." She jabbed a finger at her chest, eyes blazing.

The air went still, heavy with silence.

Only their unyielding breaths tangled in the space between them - shallow, tense, unwilling to give in.

Ariella thought the conversation was finally over. But then, his voice cut through the quiet, cold and sharp as glass.

"You think you're so pure?" he said, his tone laced with disdain.

"Your first time... was already gone when you turned eighteen."

Her whole body stiffened. She looked up at him, stunned.

"That's not true!" she shot back, her voice trembling with fury.

"I never begged you to love me, so why look for excuses to doubt me? Don't you think I'd know my own body? We met when I was twenty. How the hell would you know what happened when I was eighteen?"

"I just..." Lucian clamped his words shut midway.

One day she'd figure it out-why rush that?

He didn't even glance at her before turning on his heel and walking off.

Ariella grabbed a full set of pajamas and underwear before heading to the shower. Water trickled down, warm and steady, but her mind was stuck on his words.

She'd been in a car crash at sixteen and spent two years in a coma. If he was talking about that time, he had to be lying. Still, the unease wouldn't leave her, especially remembering how familiar he'd felt when they first met.

If that was their first meeting, then why did it feel like déjà vu?

She stayed up all night thinking, but this wasn't something she could figure out alone. So in the morning, she made up her mind-she'd go home and ask Dominic.

*****

At breakfast with her parents, things were easy and cheerful. Ever since Lucian invested in FortuneRise Inc., they'd been visibly relieved, chatting and laughing like old times.

Lucian handled everything flawlessly. Her parents never once suspected anything, thinking it was just a sound business deal, not realizing what their daughter had sacrificed.

She'd been raised like a little princess-sheltered, carefree. Until the day she overheard them saying she wasn't their biological daughter... just someone they found and took in.

Even so, they'd loved her like their own. And that's why she felt so grateful-these two people, with no blood bond, gave her everything.

Seeing them happy made her feel like what had happened last night, no matter how rough it was, had been worth it.

"Is Dylan Rivers treating you well? If anything's bothering you, just tell Dad."

"Huh? Yeah, of course! You both know how I am. If anyone's getting the short end of the stick, it's him-not me!" Ariella chuckled.

Back when Dad's factory was in trouble, he hid away and mumbled to himself about how he couldn't go on without the business-but more importantly, he worried about her, his daughter, who hadn't even gotten married yet.

So Ariella agreed to Lucian's terms. To put her parents at ease and have an excuse to move out, she staged a fake wedding. The groom? Dylan, Lucian's assistant.