To save her crumbling family legacy, Selena Hart signs a deal with the devil-cold, ruthless billionaire Damien Blackthorn. One year of marriage. No love. No intimacy. Just a contract. But behind Damien's icy façade lies a man driven by secrets and vengeance, and behind Selena's fire hides a heart that refuses to break. As the lines between hatred and attraction blur, Selena is pulled into a world of luxury, lies, and slow-burning obsession. She thought she could play his game without losing herself. She never expected to crave the very man she vowed to hate. A contract brought them together. But what happens when real feelings break the rules?
THE BILLIONAIRE'S RELUCTANT BRIDE Chapter 1 The Price of Her Name
Selena Hart's heels echoed like gunshots on the gleaming marble of Blackthorn Tower's top floor, each step fueled by the fire burning in her chest. The receptionist had tried to stop her. Two suited guards had stepped in her path. But no one truly knew how far a desperate woman could go until they had everything to lose.
Her grip tightened on the folder in her hand-legal documents, contracts, and a crumbling legacy. The Hart family name used to command respect. Now, it was currency slowly losing value.
And Damien Blackthorn-her father's rival, the man who bled their empire dry-was about to become her husband.
She didn't wait to be announced. The polished double doors to the CEO's office swung open beneath her push, revealing a world of luxury wrapped in ice.
The man behind the glass desk didn't so much as blink.
Damien Blackthorn stood as if carved from the very steel that shaped this skyscraper. Impeccably dressed in a tailored black suit, his jacket was buttoned, his cuffs crisp, his power undeniable. The skyline stretched out behind him, but his storm-grey eyes were fixed on her like a sniper's scope.
"You're late," he said smoothly, his voice low and deadly calm.
"I wasn't aware I needed your permission to barge into hell," Selena said coldly.
His lips twitched, but it wasn't a smile. "Still dramatic, I see."
"And you're still a vulture in a suit." She dropped the folder on his desk with a snap. "That's everything you wanted. Shares. Assets. Silence. My family's name on the dotted line."
Damien didn't touch it. "You came all this way to surrender?"
"I came to propose a deal."
He leaned back in his chair, temple resting against his fingers, interest flickering in his eyes. "I'm listening."
Selena took a breath, feeling her pulse hammering against her skin. Her voice was steady, though her world was collapsing.
"I know what you want. Public trust. The illusion of partnership. You've already taken the company. But if you want the Hart name without a PR nightmare-without a lawsuit or a scandal-you need me."
"You think I care about public perception?"
"I think you care about control. And right now, a hostile takeover would spark too many questions. But a merger? A marriage? That's cleaner. Safer. Smarter."
Damien's gaze was unreadable, but the temperature in the room seemed to drop.
"You're offering yourself?" he asked, voice quieter now. "Like a pawn?"
"No," Selena said, lifting her chin. "I'm offering you a contract. One year. Marriage. No emotions. No expectations. You get the Hart name-and I get what's left of my family's reputation."
His silence was sharp enough to cut.
Selena forced herself to hold his stare. Her father's debts had buried them. Her mother had retreated into grief. Her sister was barely holding on. This was the only way out.
"I'll sign the agreement tonight," she said. "On one condition."
"And what's that?"
"No touching."
The air shifted.
Damien stood slowly, rounding the desk. His presence was suffocating-too tall, too close, too composed. When he stopped in front of her, Selena's breath caught. Not out of fear-but something darker, more dangerous.
"Marriage without touching?" he repeated. "You insult me."
"I'm protecting myself."
His eyes flicked over her like a brand. "You want my name. My money. My power. And yet, you put up a wall the second I get close?"
She held her ground. "This isn't about desire."
"You sure about that?"
The question hung in the air like a storm cloud.
Selena's mouth parted-to argue, to curse him-but her words faltered. Because no matter how much she hated him, her body remembered the last time they were this close. His hand on her waist at that gala three years ago. His whisper in her ear. The kiss that never happened, but still haunted her.
Damien stepped back before she could gather herself.
"I accept," he said.
She blinked. "You do?"
His lips curved. "We'll sign the contract tonight. You move into my penthouse tomorrow."
Her stomach tightened. "What about... people?"
"They'll believe the fairytale," he said, voice cool. "A powerful merger born of passion. That's what they want to see."
She hated how easy it was for him to lie.
"And when the year is over?"
"You'll walk away with your name intact," he said. "And I'll own every piece of what you tried to protect."
A chill licked her spine.
Selena turned toward the door. "Then we have a deal."
But just as her fingers brushed the handle, Damien's voice stopped her.
"Wear something white," he said.
She looked over her shoulder.
"For the photos," he added, smirking. "Let the world believe you came willingly."
She left without a word, but the weight of what she'd done settled like ice in her veins.
Tomorrow, she'd become his bride.
And there'd be no turning back.
/0/75274/coverorgin.jpg?v=7fc393bb8e8e9361f6e854ba1733676c&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/74591/coverorgin.jpg?v=b5be151844562261d9e8c7a3916b9b1b&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/74082/coverorgin.jpg?v=dcab09abd1755701a7c4bfddd5bb8a2d&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/1/100111/coverorgin.jpg?v=e850e95497c801aebc8533c91eee1448&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/1/107097/coverorgin.jpg?v=06dd229827a1b17c04ebda9d22ff1e3c&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/1/101922/coverorgin.jpg?v=85446ccd5cc7810ecc42f10e6e51a892&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/77277/coverorgin.jpg?v=a86bff6b59d20bdaf60c7f33dd496c80&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/93317/coverorgin.jpg?v=894f37d5dec6308bb30cfbec252f3d97&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/91958/coverorgin.jpg?v=3bc7aa01127cd1a8b7a38ab967e884ec&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/74893/coverbig.jpg?v=6631c3ae341c469788bc990940e68e06&imageMogr2/format/webp)
THE BILLIONAIRE'S RELUCTANT BRIDE
Amelia E.
Others
Chapter 1 The Price of Her Name
11/04/2025
Chapter 2 The Contract of No Return
11/04/2025
Chapter 3 Headlines and Lies
11/04/2025
Chapter 4 The Fine Print of Power
11/04/2025
Chapter 5 Lines in the Sand
11/04/2025
Chapter 6 Dangerous Curiosity
11/04/2025
Chapter 7 The Price of Desire
11/04/2025
Chapter 8 The kiss that could break us
11/04/2025
Chapter 9 The Consequences of Desire
11/04/2025
Chapter 10 Breaking the illusion
11/04/2025
Chapter 11 The Descent into Chaos
11/04/2025
Chapter 12 The Unraveling
11/04/2025
Chapter 13 The Breaking Point
12/04/2025
Chapter 14 The Dark Turn
12/04/2025
Chapter 15 Secrets and Betrayals
17/04/2025
Chapter 16 The confrontation
17/04/2025
Chapter 17 The breaking point
17/04/2025
Chapter 18 The Secrets Unveiled
18/04/2025
Chapter 19 The Enemy Within
18/04/2025
Chapter 20 Into the fire
18/04/2025
Chapter 21 Blood and Betrayal
18/04/2025
Chapter 22 Bound by blood and fire
18/04/2025
Chapter 23 Beneath the crossfire
23/04/2025
Chapter 24 Shattered shadows
25/04/2025
Chapter 25 Danger escalates
25/04/2025
Chapter 26 Safe house
25/04/2025
Other books by Amelia E.
More