"Marry him, and your fairytale continues."

That’s what Arabella Quinn’s father told her.
And for most of her pampered, glitter-dusted life, Arabella believed fairytales were real. After all, she lived one.

Daughter of a powerful billionaire. Owner of a walk-in closet bigger than some apartments. Pink convertibles, private island holidays, champagne breakfasts. No bills, no heartbreak, no effort.

Arabella never worked a day in her life.
She never had to.

She was pretty, privileged, polished—and perfectly content being the center of her own glamorous, soft-lit world.
Until one conversation flipped everything.

To honor a decades-old promise between two powerful families, Arabella is forced into marriage with the last man on Earth she ever imagined she'd say "I do" to:

Cassian Vale.

Her cold, unreadable childhood friend turned ruthless young CEO.
The boy who once crowned her with daisies and called her "princess."
Now the man who won’t even meet her eyes as he slides a wedding ring onto her finger.

At 23, Cassian is the youngest and most feared executive in the city. With a mind as sharp as his suits and a heart frozen in secrets, he doesn’t want love. He doesn’t believe in it. And he certainly doesn’t care about the silly little girl who once trailed after him in pigtails.

But Arabella isn’t a child anymore.

And she refuses to let the boy who gave her her first fairytale become the man who ruins all the rest.

Thrown into a marriage where feelings are forbidden and affection is cold currency, Arabella must learn how to survive in a world with no silk cushions and no one to catch her when she falls.

For the first time in her life, she’ll have to earn something.

But Cassian isn’t the only one hiding secrets.
And Arabella isn’t as breakable as she seems.

As she begins working—secretly—under a different name in one of his companies, she discovers the ice surrounding her husband might not be eternal…
And the prince she loved as a child might still exist beneath the frost.

But in a world full of public scandals, ex-lovers, family expectations, and whispered betrayals, one question keeps Arabella up at night:

Can a girl built to be admired ever be loved for who she really is?

And will Cassian Vale ever see her as more than a favor…
...but as the one woman who could melt his frozen world?

The press conference was held at Quinn International HQ.


Arabella wore ivory silk. Her hair was pinned high like a crown. And her heels? Hot pink. Statement made.


Cameras clicked wildly the moment she stepped onto the podium.


Behind her stood Cassian. Silent. Watchful. Letting her lead.


"Good afternoon. My name is Arabella Quinn Vale."


"I'm not here to clear my name. I'm here to make one thing clear."


"This was written by a woman who once dated my husband. She was hurting. And I understand that. But what she felt, and what is, are not the same."


"This marriage was arranged through family ties — yes. But the love? That was unexpected. And real."


"Someone tried to weaponize her grief against us. Someone inside V-Tech."


"A leak signed 'A.Q.' was meant to frame me. I'd like to clarify: I don't write my own initials on blackmail. I engrave them in diamond."


"I've made mistakes. I've been frivolous. But I'm not a liar. And I don't run from the truth."


"I have access to the full server logs. I've traced the breach. And in 48 hours, so will law enforcement."


After the conference, Cassian followed her to the rooftop.


"You hacked V-Tech?" he asked, eyes wide.


Arabella leaned on the rail. "Technically, I politely coerced your CTO during brunch."


She winked. "Turns out pink cardigans disarm most men."


He stepped closer. "You saved my company."


Cassian took her hand. "So… what are we now?"


Later that night, an email landed in Cassian's inbox.


> "The breach originated from a restricted access user:


Maya… had been by his side for five years.


Arabella walked in just as he closed the screen.


Chapter 16 - CHAPTER 16:Strike Back In Stilettos