"My name looks so small beneath the signature line. Like it doesn't even belong there. Like I don't belong here."

The contract lay flat on the polished mahogany desk, each clause screaming louder than the one before it. Silence wrapped around me like a noose.

"I assume you've read it all," Damien said, voice cool like untouched ice.

I nodded, my throat dry. "You've turned marriage into a transaction."

He leaned back, not even blinking. "It's always been a transaction, Miss West. I'm just not pretending otherwise."

My heart slammed against my ribs. "No touching," I said sharply, my fingers trembling as I tapped the clause I added.

"That's my one condition."

He raised an eyebrow. "I don't mix business with pleasure, so your virtue is safe."

The words stung more than I thought they would. I didn't want him, but his indifference burned hotter than desired. Still, I held my ground. "Then we agree."

"Temporarily," he said. "Until I secure full control of WestCorp. After that"

"You'll divorce me?" I cut in.

He didn't answer. His silence said more than his words ever could.

I signed.

He took the pen from my hand without touching me, signing with swift, final strokes like he'd just purchased a building instead of a bride.

Damien stood. "Our engagement will be announced tomorrow night at the Hawthorne Foundation Gala. Wear something decent."

I stood too. "This is humiliating."

He paused at the door. "No, Miss West. This is survival. Learn the difference."

"Is there a part where I get to feel like a human being again?"

"No. That wasn't in the terms you agreed to."

"You really are heartless."

"No. Just focused. And you're a means to an end. You knew that when you walked into my office."

"Maybe I did. But I thought you'd at least pretend to care."

"Pretending wastes energy. I'd rather invest it where it matters."

"Like running my father's company into the ground?"

"Like saving it from destruction your father caused."

"You don't know anything about him."

DAMIEN (quietly): "I know enough."

Aria's phone buzzes right as Damien walks out.

A new message flashes across the screen:

You signed your soul away. You just don't know it yet.

Her hands shook. Then another message appeared.

Ask him what happened to LUCAS.

Aria's stomach dropped. That nameLucaswas buried deep in a part of her past she'd been trying to forget.

She looked toward the door Damien had just walked out of.

Who the hell was she marrying?

My fingers hovered over the screen, pulse thudding in my ears.

Ask him what happened to LUCAS.

The name twisted something sharp in my gut.

Lucas.

He was the first person I ever trusted. And the first person to vanish without a trace.

I stumbled to the window, heart hammering against my ribs as the city lights blurred before me. The air in Damien's penthouse suddenly felt too thin.

I had no idea what kind of man I had just signed my life to.

I didn't even hear Damien return until his voice broke the silence behind me.

"You look like you've seen a ghost."

I turned slowly. He had shed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. The perfect image of control. Cold. Dangerous. Beautiful.

"Who is Lucas to you?" I asked, cutting to the chase.

His eyes didn't flinch but something in them flickered. "Why?"

"Someone just texted me. Said I should ask you." I showed him the phone. "And warned me I signed my soul away."

His jaw tensed as he took the phone. Read. Then handed it back like it burned.

"Who's sending these?" I demanded.

"I'll find out," he said simply, already reaching for his own phone.

"No." I stepped between him and the door. "Don't brush me off. Tell me who Lucas is to you."

He paused. His gaze locked with mine, and for a moment, the air between us felt combustible.

"Lucas was a mistake," Damien said, voice low. "One your father tried to erase. I tried to help him. But by the time I got involved, it was too late."

"What happened?"

"He disappeared."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one I have."

I stared at him, frustration boiling beneath my skin. "You keep saying you're saving my family's company. But all you do is speak in riddles, twist truths. If you know something about what happened to Lucas, you owe me the truth."

"Owe you?" He stepped forward, too close, voice razor-sharp. "I owe you nothing, Aria. You came into my office desperate and bleeding power. You handed me your signature like it was the last card in your deck. I took it. That's the deal. That's the truth."

"You're a monster," I whispered.

He leaned in, his breath brushing my cheek. "You don't want a hero. You want someone to blame."

My throat closed up. The wordsthe firethey lodged somewhere between pain and fury.

"You know what?" I spat. "You're right. This is a deal. A contract. So stick to it. Stay the hell out of my personal life."

He gave me the faintest smile. "You don't have one anymore. Not since you signed that dotted line."

I slapped him. I didn't even think. My hand just moved.

He froze, then slowly turned his face back toward me.

"Feel better?"

Tears blurred my vision. "No. But it's a start."

We stood there, chest to chest, breathing heavy. The tension between us cracked and flared like a storm about to break.

His gaze dropped to my lips for one dangerous second then he stepped back.

"Get ready for tomorrow night," he said quietly. "And delete that number. Whoever's sending those texts... they're playing a game you don't want to win."

He walked away again.

But before he reached the hallway, he stopped.

"One more thing," he added without looking back. "If you want to survive in my world, Aria... stay out of the past."

My hands trembled. I sat on the edge of the bed, heart pounding.

My phone buzzed again.

You shouldn't have signed.

He's not who he says he is.

I texted back, fingers cold.

Who are you?

The reply came instantly.

Someone who tried to warn Lucas.

My breath caught.

And failed.

The flash from the cameras felt like gunfire, but when his lips hit mine, the world really went off.

It looked like a dream when I was at the gala. If I walked on the marble floor, my heels would click. Damien would walk next to me, his hand on the small of my back. Maybe it was because his touch was so light that it burned through my dress.

He said in a low voice that only I could hear, "You're shaking."

I lied and said, "I hate crowds."

He smiled in a cold way. "It will get easier for you to act."

I looked at him. "Did you do that with Cassandra?"

His jaw moved.

I also said, "I've read the tabloids." "You liked her." Beautiful. Rich. Not touchable."

He said angrily, "She was a mistake." "One I won't do again."

I really wanted to ask more and find out more, but we were already in the spotlight.

A lot of people looked at us. Lights flashed like lightning. It got tougher to take each breath.

"Miss West, how does it feel to be engaged to the city's most powerful bachelor?" yelled a reporter.

I spoke up but didn't know what to say, but Damien spoke first. "She's right where she should be."

That sound was like a threat.

For the cameras, we smiled and looked like a picture-perfect pair. But I felt sick to my stomach, and my phone kept buzzing in my hand.

Caller Unknown: He's joking with you.

Find out about Lucas.

Leave while you still can.

I put my phone away and looked up. That's when I saw her.

To Cassandra.

It was hard to miss. It was tall, beautiful, and dressed in blood red. As soon as she walked in, the air changed. Damien's body tensed up next to me.

He said, "Don't react," with his teeth clenched. "She wants that."

"It's too late," I said quietly.

She came straight at us with a smirk on her face.

That's what she said, "Damien." "You've moved up." Does this only last for a short time?"

His hold on my waist got stronger.

He said, "Nice to see you again, Cassandra."

She looked at me. "And your name is Aria West." I think you signed a pretty strict deal.

I opened my eyes.

Damien spoke up. "This is not the right time, Cassandra."

"Oh, but it is," she said, her eyes shining. "Putting on a show was always your thing."

I tried to smile. "What a lovely night. "Let's not mess it up."

"Yes, of course," Cassandra replied. "Enjoy it while it lasts."

When she left, there was a faint smell of something valuable and dangerous.

I looked at Damien. "What the hell was that?"

"She doesn't matter."

"She didn't look unimportant." It seemed like she knew something I didn't.

It wasn't an answer. He instead led me to the stage where the host was thanking donors.

I said in a whisper, "This wasn't in the plan." "Why are we going up?"

"These words make it official."

I went cold. "You said to make an announcement. "You left the stage."

He said in a soft voice, "Smile, Aria." "This is the part where everyone thinks we love each other."

We went out into the light.

The host gave the mic to Damien. "Gentlemen and ladies, please welcome Damien Hawthorne and Aria West, who is his fiancée."

There was polite clapping from the crowd. Damien spoke about business, charity, and the city when he got the mic. I didn't hear any of it. Everything else was lost in the sound of my heart beating so loudly.

After that, Damien looked at me.

He then said, "Let me show you how much I love my fiancée."

He kissed me and cupped his hand around my cheek before I could ask what he meant.

Not even a peck. Not a nice lip brush.

It was on fire.

Fingers got caught in my hair. He touched my mouth with his like he owned it. People in the crowd laughed, cheered, and took pictures, but I wasn't there. I was on fire living.

I didn't know if I was going to push him away or pull him closer when I put my hands on his chest. I only knew he smelled like heat and danger, and for one scary second, I kissed him back.

The world went away. There was no more time. There was only Damien and this kiss.

Until he moved away.

I blinked, out of breath. "What was that?" I made a noise under my breath.

His lips didn't move much. "It worked." They think it's true.

I said, "That wasn't in the script."

He wasn't happy. It didn't bother him.

"Now it is."

Aria's phone rings again when she gets back to the car. Another word from an unknown sender flashes across the screen.

He kissed you to make you quiet down. Cassandra knew Charles. Do not wait, ask her.

While Damien sits next to her and stares out the window, she looks at him.

She takes a deep breath.

"What the hell is Lucas?"

I sat down in the back of the car just in time to look at him.

"That kiss!" I yelled. "Not in line with our agreement."

Damien turned away from me. "It made the story interesting."

"Who did you sell it to?" Who is the crowd or yourself?"

His eyes finally met mine. "Is it important?"

I hissed, "Yes." "For a second, I forgot it was fake."

He clenched his teeth. "Perhaps it wasn't after all."

I held my breath.

My phone rang again before I could answer. One more word. Same number we don't know.

He's not telling the truth. Lucas is known to Cassandra. Ask her before she goes away.

My heart beat fast. "Damien, who is Lucas?"

His eyes got smaller. "Where did you hear that name?"

I held on to the phone. "What makes you look like you saw a ghost?"

He leaned in close and spoke in a low, dangerous voice. "Don't dig where you don't want to get hurt."

The moment I opened my mouth to fight back, the car swerved.

screams. Tires that screech. The car shook to the side.

The glass broke.

And right before everything went dark, I saw the outline of a motorbike speeding off into the.

Someone didn't just want to warn me when they sent the message.

They wished I would leave.

Was it Damien or me who was being watched?

You kissed me to humiliate me," I hissed, pushing him away.

Julian didn't even look up. "No, I kissed you because you kept looking at me the way you wanted to."

A soft sound let the elevator doors open, and I shakily walked into Julian's apartment. The heavy quiet wrapped around me like a cold wind as my heels clicked on the marble floor.

He was already there, taking it easy on the couch like he owned the place. He most likely did.

Though he had a glass of scotch in his hand, he said, "I see you made it home, fiancée."

I mumbled, "This isn't my home," as I set down my small bag. "Just temporarily crazy."

He gave a soft laugh but still didn't turn to face me. "You can call it whatever you want, Aria." The news says it's not, though.

I meant to hit him with something. I took a slow breath in and looked around instead. It was sleek and modern, with black leather, steel, and glass. Power was everywhere. Everything yelled his name.

I blew my nose. "Where is my room?"

"Left the hall." The first door. "Guest suite." He got up and walked toward the kitchen. "Unless you want to sleep with me in the master."

"I'd rather sleep in a grave."

He turned a little, and that evil grin curled on his lips. "Be careful. I might think you care if you show that much emotion.

I didn't say anything back as I left.

The guest room was very big, even bigger than my old place. The sheets were fresh and clean. Not any special touches. Just cold, useful pleasure. Like the man I agreed to pretend to marry.

I leaned my back against the door and closed it. God. What did I do?

That night, I went into the kitchen late at night, hungry and not sure if I could touch anything. Julian was cooking while he stood at the stove.

Before I could stop, I asked, "Do you cook?"

He gave a shrug. "A man has to stay alive." Plus, my cook isn't working tonight. Are you hungry?"

"Yes."

He set down two cups of wine and a plate of pasta in front of me.

I told them, "This doesn't make us friends."

"All right. I already have enough friends. "Just a fake fiancée who can play the part."

There was more quiet between us. I nibbled on the food. He looked at me.

I asked Julian, "Why are you doing this?" I finally asked. "Why me?"

He leaned in. "Because you need help badly." And I plan ahead. You need cash. I need a wife. It's easy."

"No," I said with a stern tone. "You could have picked anyone." You picked me since you knew I'd say yes. You think you can control me.

His eyes were very hot on mine. "Don't be too nice to yourself." You were just... easy to reach.

I didn't want to accept how much the words hurt.

When I got up, the chair hit the tile and made a noise. "Okay, let's be clear." We only share a roof.

He smiled like the task was fun for him. "Okay. But that mouth of yours could make things harder.

"Who is it harder for?" I asked.

It wasn't an answer.

I stood in front of the full-length mirror in the guest bathroom that night. My dress was tight, and the makeup I used at the gala was still on. I seemed like a woman from another world. But my eyes told me the truth. Quite worn out. Mad. Not sure.

I put my lips together. His kiss was still there. Why did that happen to my body?

My phone rang. Julian's message: Tomorrow we'll have breakfast with the board. Put on something nice. Act like you're in love.

I looked at the screen. Act like you're in love. That's not funny.

We were both dressed like power couples and sat across from each other in his sleek dining room the next morning. As he passed the coffee, his hand touched mine.

"Too much?" he asked in a normal way, even though he knew it was on purpose.

I pulled my hand away. "Don't touch me."

He sipped his coffee and said, "You agreed to this, sweetheart."

"I agreed to do something." "Not my soul."

His eyes sparkled. "Are you sure?"

In the evening, when I walked into the living room, Julian was already there, with his shirt half-unbuttoned and a drink in his hand. Behind him, city lights were spilling out.

I put my arms down. "I found the picture."

He slowly looked up. "So?"

"You cared about her."

"She's gone." "Don't bother her."

"You keep things secret."

"And you keep going."

There were sparks of fire in the air as we looked at each other.

"Mary, why do I think you're keeping something big from me?" I asked.

He came closer to me by one step. "Because I am."

His voice was low and scary as he leaned in.

"Ariana, don't open doors you're not ready to walk through. What's on the other side might not be what you want.

As I walked by him in the hallway, I said, "You're impossible."

Julian took hold of my wrist. "Aria, you're the one who lives in that tiny robe." "Who is pulling a fast one here?"

I pulled free. "You believe everything is about luring people in." "Grow up."

He moved closer, and his eyes got dark. "You're on my top floor." "My rules."

I didn't give up as I looked up at him. "Okay. "First rule: don't touch me."

He laughed. "Take note... but not promised."

It hurt my heart so much that I turned to leave, but then I stopped.

His voice got weaker. "Never tell yourself that you didn't want that kiss," she said.

I turned around. "You kissed me to make me look bad" "No," he said in a rough, low voice. You looked at me like you were hungry, so I kissed you. "Because I was"

We were both very quiet.

I didn't like how my breath got caught. I didn't like how my body responded. I didn't like him.

He moved closer, but I didn't move. I didn't even blink when his hand touched my cheek.

He said in a whisper, "Say the word, and I'll stop."

I didn't say anything.

The front door buzzed right then. Julian's face turned serious.

He spoke in a stern voice, "Stay inside."

I asked, "Who is it?"

It wasn't an answer.

He did, however, grab his gun.