When struggling artist Aria Lane accidentally ruins a priceless sculpture belonging to cold, ruthless billionaire Dominic Blackwell, she thinks her life is over-until he offers her a strange deal: become his live-in "fake" fiancée for one year to secure a merger, and in return, he'll pay off all her debts and fund her dream gallery. But the more she plays his perfect partner, the more she learns about the shadows behind his empire... and the secrets he keeps even from himself.
Chapter 1 Accidental Encounter
Aria Lane didn't belong in places like this.
Blackwell Tower soared above the city like a monument to power, every surface polished to a mirror shine, every step she took echoing against marble floors she was pretty sure cost more than her entire annual income.
She adjusted her rain-slicked coat, clutching a wrapped canvas in her arms like a shield. This was supposed to be a quick drop-off. One of her clients-an assistant to someone high up-had commissioned an abstract piece for an office wall. The building receptionist directed her to the thirty-second floor, and that was supposed to be it.
But now she was lost.
She wandered down a hallway that screamed "restricted," but no one had stopped her yet. Her boots clicked nervously with each step until she found a large room at the end of the corridor. It was sleek, modern, and painfully sterile. One massive piece of artwork stood at the center-an abstract sculpture made of glass, steel, and something polished black like obsidian. Aria paused, drawn to it.
It was breathtaking. Sharp, chaotic, and yet... controlled.
She stepped forward, forgetting where she was. Her artist's eye traced the curves, the lines, the tension within the form. She had no idea what it meant, but it made her feel something-and that was the whole point of art, wasn't it?
Then her bag shifted.
She turned.
And the bag's strap snagged a jagged edge of the sculpture.
CRASH.
The sculpture fell, shattering into pieces so loudly the sound echoed like gunfire.
Aria froze. Her lungs stopped working. Panic clawed at her chest.
"Oh my God," she whispered. "Oh no, no, no-"
Her fingers trembled as she reached out instinctively, as if she could put it back together. Her stomach twisted into knots. That wasn't just modern art-it was money. Real, horrifying amounts of money.
And then she heard him.
"Do you always destroy things you don't understand?"
His voice was deep. Calm. Controlled like a blade against skin.
She turned slowly. And there he was.
Dominic Blackwell.
In the flesh.
She knew the face. Everyone did. Billionaire. CEO of Blackwell International. Infamous for being both brilliant and cold. Headlines called him "The Ice King." Aria had once joked that if you stood too close to his photograph, you'd get frostbite.
Now he was standing a few feet away, dressed in a black suit with subtle silver trim, his dark hair perfectly tousled, and those storm-gray eyes locked on her like she was something under a microscope.
"I-I'm so sorry," Aria stammered. "It was an accident. I didn't mean-"
"You didn't mean to cause seventy-two thousand dollars in damage?" His tone was so smooth it was cruel.
Her jaw dropped. "That's how much it cost?"
"That's how much it's worth. But that's not what bothers me," he said, stepping forward. "What bothers me is your lack of spatial awareness... and how you managed to wander into my private office."
Her face flushed. "I didn't know-I was supposed to deliver a painting and got turned around. I thought-"
"You thought," he repeated, cold amusement in his voice. "That explains everything."
Aria took a deep breath. "I'll pay for it. I promise."
Dominic tilted his head. "With what? Your art degree?"
She flinched, then straightened. "I'll work. I'll do whatever it takes. I'm not some thief."
A long silence passed. His eyes stayed on her. Calculating. And then-surprisingly-he smiled.
Not kindly.
Not warmly.
But like a man who'd just found something very interesting.
"I believe you," he said.
"You do?" she asked cautiously.
"Yes. Which is why I'm offering you a way out."
She blinked. "What do you mean?"
"I have a business merger that hinges on my image. Investors like clean reputations. Family men. People with roots. I'm offering you a contract."
"What kind of contract?" Her voice was wary.
"You'll be my fiancée."
Aria blinked again. "Your what?"
"Fake, of course. Public appearances only. Press events. Family dinners. You'll play the role I need, and in return, I'll forget today happened. I'll even pay you."
Aria opened her mouth. Then closed it. What?
"This is insane," she whispered.
"Is it?" Dominic said smoothly. "You're an unknown artist with no formal gallery. You can't afford seventy thousand dollars. You don't have connections. But what if I told you I could give you all of that?"
Her heart raced. "Why me?"
"Because you're no one," he said coldly. "Which means I can make you into anyone."
Aria stared at him, furious, humiliated... and intrigued. Her gut screamed to run.
But her wallet whispered: this is your only shot.
And her pride? That burned most of all.
"What happens if I say no?" she asked quietly.
Dominic took a step closer, his voice dropping to a near-whisper.
"Then I make sure you're sued, blacklisted from every gallery in the city, and left with a bill you'll never pay off."
Chapter 1 Accidental Encounter
20/04/2025
Chapter 2 Ultimatum from a Billionaire -
20/04/2025
Chapter 3 The Fake Proposal
20/04/2025
Chapter 4 A Deal Sealed with Ice
20/04/2025
Chapter 5 Lies in Designer Dresses
20/04/2025
Chapter 6 Red Carpets and Cold Shoulders
20/04/2025
Chapter 7 Secrets Beneath Silk Sheets
20/04/2025
Chapter 8 Temptation in the Boardroom
20/04/2025
Chapter 9 A Kiss Meant Nothing-Until It Did
20/04/2025
Chapter 10 Rivals in the Shadows
20/04/2025
Chapter 11 Lines in the Sand
20/04/2025
Chapter 12 Beneath the Masks
20/04/2025
Chapter 13 A New Kind of War
20/04/2025
Chapter 14 Twisted Loyalties
20/04/2025
Chapter 15 The Storm They Called Love
20/04/2025
Chapter 16 Fire in the Boardroom
22/04/2025
Chapter 17 Old Ghosts, New Scars
25/04/2025
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