The Billionaire's Hidden Bride
Chapter 1: The Offer She Couldn't Refuse
Ariana Blake had never imagined her life would collapse in a single evening.
The once-grand Blake mansion now felt like a dying monument. The chandeliers still glittered, but unpaid electricity bills were stacked on the marble table beneath them. The servants were gone. The laughter was gone. Even hope seemed to have quietly packed its bags.
She stood outside her father's study, her fingers trembling against the door.
Inside, voices were raised.
"Mr. Knight won't wait forever," a deep, unfamiliar male voice said calmly. "Your debt has crossed sixty million dollars."
Sixty million.
Ariana's breath caught.
Her father's voice cracked. "I just need time…"
"You've had three years."
Silence followed.
Then the stranger spoke again.
"There is… another option."
Ariana pushed the door open.
Inside sat her father—pale, exhausted. Across from him was a tall man in a black tailored suit. Sharp jawline. Cold gray eyes. Dominating presence.
Adrian Knight.
The youngest billionaire CEO in the country.
His gaze shifted to her, scanning her slowly. Assessing. Measuring.
"This is your daughter?" he asked.
Her father nodded weakly. "Ariana…"
Adrian stood up. He was taller than she expected. Intimidating. Powerful.
"I'll be direct," Adrian said. "Marry me."
The room froze.
Ariana blinked. "Excuse me?"
"I need a wife. Your father needs his debt cleared. I'm offering a contract marriage. Two years. Public appearances. No emotional involvement."
Her father gasped. "You can't be serious."
"I'm always serious."
Ariana's heart pounded violently. "Why me?"
Adrian stepped closer. His voice lowered.
"Because you're suitable."
That single word felt insulting.
"I'm not for sale," she snapped.
Adrian's eyes darkened. "Your father's company is already sold. I'm simply offering a way to protect your family name."
Her father suddenly dropped to his knees.
"Ariana… please…"
She had never seen him like that.
Tears burned her eyes.
Adrian pulled out a folder and placed it on the desk.
Inside was a contract.
Marriage duration: 2 years.
Monthly allowance: $500,000.
Debt cleared immediately.
No love. No interference in his personal affairs.
"This is a business arrangement," Adrian said coldly. "Nothing more."
Ariana's chest tightened.
If she refused, her father would go bankrupt. They would lose everything.
If she accepted, she would lose her freedom.
Adrian extended a pen toward her.
"Decide."
For a moment, she met his eyes.
Cold. Emotionless. Untouchable.
But for a split second…
She thought she saw something else.
A flicker.
She took the pen.
And signed.
Adrian smiled faintly.
"Welcome to your new life, Mrs. Knight."
Ariana had no idea that this contract would not just change her name.
It would change her destiny.
Chapter 2: The First Night Under One Roof
The wedding was quiet.
Too quiet for a billionaire like Adrian Knight.
No grand ballroom.
No media circus.
Just signatures, cameras for legal documentation, and a cold kiss on Ariana's forehead for the press.
By evening, Ariana found herself standing in front of the massive iron gates of the Knight Mansion.
Her new home.
No.
Her new prison.
The mansion was breathtaking—glass walls, marble floors, golden chandeliers. Everything screamed wealth.
But it felt empty.
Adrian stepped out of the car first. He didn't offer his hand.
"You'll stay in the east wing," he said calmly. "My room is on the west side."
"So we're not even sharing a room?" Ariana asked.
He looked at her, unreadable.
"This is a contract marriage. I don't mix business with personal indulgence."
That stung more than she expected.
Inside, the staff lined up and bowed.
"Welcome, Mrs. Knight."
The title felt heavy.
Later that night, Ariana stood alone in her new bedroom. It was larger than her entire childhood house. The bed was enormous, silk sheets neatly arranged.
She stared at her reflection.
Mrs. Knight.
She barely recognized herself.
A sudden knock broke the silence.
Her heart skipped.
"Come in," she said softly.
Adrian entered, still in his suit, tie loosened slightly. He looked less like a ruthless CEO and more like a dangerously attractive stranger.
He walked in without hesitation.
"We need to set rules," he said.
"Rules?"
"Yes. No falling in love. No interfering in my work. Publicly, we act like a perfect couple. Privately, we remain strangers."
Ariana crossed her arms.
"And if I break a rule?"
His eyes darkened slightly.
"You won't."
The air between them felt charged.
He stepped closer.
Too close.
She could feel the warmth of his body, the faint scent of his cologne.
"Are you scared?" he asked quietly.
"I don't scare easily."
A faint smirk touched his lips.
"Good. Because the world I live in is not gentle."
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Her heart was racing.
His expression was unreadable.
Then suddenly—
He stepped back.
"Lock your door at night if it makes you comfortable," he said calmly.
And turned to leave.
At the door, he paused.
"One more thing."
She looked up.
"If anyone asks… tonight was unforgettable."
Her cheeks burned.
The door closed.
Ariana exhaled shakily.
Why did it feel like he was hiding something?
And why did she feel… disappointed?
Across the hallway, in his private study, Adrian loosened his tie completely.
He opened a drawer.
Inside was an old photograph.
A younger Ariana.
Smiling.
Unaware.
He traced her face gently.
"This time," he murmured,
"I won't let you slip away."
And for the first time that night,
the cold billionaire smiled.
Chapter 3: The Boy He Used to Be
The city lights flickered beneath Adrian Knight's office window.
It was past midnight, yet he was still awake.
Sleep had never come easily to him.
He poured himself a glass of whiskey but didn't drink it. Instead, his gaze drifted to the old photograph on his desk.
Ariana.
Sixteen years old.
Laughing under the summer sun.
That was the first time he had seen her.
Back then, Adrian wasn't the feared billionaire CEO.
He was just a quiet scholarship student in an elite private school — surrounded by children of powerful families who looked down on him.
His father had been a loyal employee in the Blake company. Loyal… until the day he was falsely accused of financial fraud.
The scandal destroyed everything.
Adrian still remembered that night.
Police cars.
Flashing red lights.
His mother crying.
His father shouting that he was innocent.
No one believed him.
The Blake board of directors wanted a scapegoat. And Adrian's father was perfect.
Within weeks, the shame consumed his family.
His father took his own life.
Adrian was seventeen.
Alone.
Angry.
Determined.
Years later, he built Knight Group from nothing.
Cold deals.
Ruthless decisions.
No mercy.
He became untouchable.
And eventually…
He bought the Blake company.
Not out of greed.
But out of revenge.
Yet when he saw Ariana again at a charity event months ago, something unexpected happened.
She wasn't arrogant like the others.
She didn't recognize him.
But he remembered her clearly.
She had once offered him a handkerchief when other students mocked his worn-out shoes.
"Here," she had said softly. "You're bleeding."
That small kindness had stayed with him.
Now she was his wife.
A contract wife.
Adrian leaned back in his chair, eyes dark.
Was this revenge?
Or something else?
Meanwhile, across the hall, Ariana couldn't sleep either.
She stepped onto the balcony for fresh air.
And from the opposite wing, she saw a faint light still on in his study.
Why was he awake?
Why did she feel like this marriage wasn't just about money?
Back in his office, Adrian finally picked up the whiskey and took a slow sip.
"I didn't save your father," he whispered to the empty room.
"I destroyed him."
Silence swallowed the confession.
For the first time in years…
Guilt crept into his heart.