Aria felt her limbs grow heavier as a strange fog clouded her mind. She blinked slowly, her vision swimming, and tried to focus on the man who had just entered the dimly lit hotel room. Her supposed boyfriend, Ethan, leaned casually against the doorframe, an unsettling smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. The sight of him sent a chill down her spine, and despite the haze overtaking her thoughts, the primal urge to escape surged through her.She struggled to move, every fiber of her being fighting against the numbing sensation creeping through her veins. Ethan approached her slowly, his eyes gleaming with dark intent. He had drugged her. It was the only explanation for the dizziness, the way her muscles refused to obey her commands. "Don't fight it, Aria," Ethan murmured in a low voice, his fingers tracing her cheek in a way that made her skin crawl. "You'll be fine. Just relax."Panic surged through Aria's chest, She could barely lift her arms, but she clawed at the bedsheets, us
Aria's eyes fluttered open, the faint light streaming in through unfamiliar curtains making her blink in confusion. She groaned, her head still spinning from the events of the previous night. She slowly sat up, panic filling her as the memory of being drugged and chased by her ex-boyfriend Ethan flooded her mind. With shaky hands, she quickly checked her body for any signs of abuse. A sigh of relief escaped her when she realized her clothes were still intact, and there were no obvious signs that anyone had taken advantage of her while she was unconscious."Where am I?" she muttered, taking in her surroundings. The luxurious room she found herself in was nothing like the dingy hotel where she had struggled against Ethan. The bed was plush, the furniture modern and sleek.She glanced around the room, taking in the lavish decor—the silk curtains, the expensive art on the walls, and the faint scent of fresh flowers that filled the air. This was no ordinary hotel room; it was a suite fit f
Aria's heart pounded as she stood frozen in place, expecting the worst. She was certain she had been caught, her disguise as a maid failing her. But when she turned around, it wasn't the bodyguards glaring at her—it was the butler, Mr. Grayson. His stern yet composed expression briefly unsettled her before he spoke, his voice firm and unyielding."You two," Mr. Grayson said, pointing at Aria and the other maid she had bumped into. "The lady of the house has been waiting for assistance in the courtyard. Do not keep her waiting any longer."Relieved but cautious, Aria nodded and quickly followed the other maid, her mind racing with questions. She had narrowly escaped suspicion, but she wasn't safe yet. As they reached the sunlit courtyard, Aria's eyes immediately fell on an elderly woman seated gracefully on a plush chair surrounded by blooming flowers. The woman exuded an air of elegance and authority, her gray hair styled neatly, and her eyes sharp with wisdom that only comes with age
"Aria, the adoptive daughter of Samuel," Alexander Sinclair said, his voice cold and unwavering as he glanced down at the folder spread open on his desk. "Your adoptive father is a known gambler. He owes a substantial amount of debt, forcing him to borrow money from several dangerous sources. To pay off those loans, you've had to work multiple jobs at once, barely scraping by."Aria felt a surge of anger rise within her, her hands balling into fists at her sides. She had been through enough—working long hours just to survive—yet here was this man, sitting behind his desk with an air of power, throwing her past in her face as if it were nothing."You investigated me," Aria spat, her eyes narrowing with frustration. "You had no right to dig into my life like that."Alexander met her gaze without flinching, his expression unreadable. "My grandmother likes you," he said, his voice smooth and measured. "She believes you're someone important from my past. Regardless of whether that's true,
Bound By Fate: The Billionaire's Contract BrideChapter 5: The Unforseen EncounterThe morning sun was gentle, casting a golden hue across the city,the sun filtered through the large windows as Aria sat in the passenger seat of Alexander's sleek black car, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her blouse the material twisting between her fingers. She wasn't nervous, or so she told herself. After all, this wasn't a real marriage—it was just a contract. She couldn't believe how surreal her situation had become. Less than 48 hours ago, she had been running for her life from Ethan, and now she was on her way to the civil registry with Alexander Sinclair, one of the most powerful men in the country, to get a marriage certificate. She could barely catch her breathAlexander's eyes lingered on her for a moment before he returned his focus to the road. His expression was unreadable, calm, and calculated, just like always. The man was a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, and now she was bound to h
The hospital corridor felt endless as Aria walked down it, her mind still reeling from Grandma Sinclair’s words. Babies. The idea of being responsible for making someone else happy by giving them children hadn’t even crossed her mind when she signed the contract with Alexander. She signed up to be his fake wife, not to start a family. But how could she refuse Grandma Sinclair's innocent wish without raising suspicions?She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t notice the presence of someone as she bumped into him in the hallway. “I’m so sorry,” she mumbled, raising her head—she froze. Her breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening as she looked into the cold, familiar face of the man standing before her.Her ex-fiancé..** Ethan.**She felt a hand clamp around her wrist and, before she could scream, she was dragged into an empty hospital ward.Aria gasped as she was slammed against the wall, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.Ethan was in hospital clothes, his head
As the sleek black car pulled up to the sprawling Sinclair estate, Aria stared in awe at the grandiose mansion that loomed before her. It wasn’t her first time seeing the Sinclair home, but now, as she stepped out of the car with her new title as Mrs. Sinclair, it felt entirely different. She had entered into this contract thinking she would be able to keep her distance, to play her part while remaining emotionally detached. But the weight of her new role pressed down on her with each passing second.Alexander exited the car first, his tall frame exuding his usual cool confidence, but he paused to help his grandmother out of the backseat. Aria followed, feeling somewhat out of place in her simple dress among the luxury that surrounded her.The moment Grandma’s feet touched the driveway, she reached out, clasping Aria’s hands in her own. Her warm, wrinkled fingers squeezed gently as she smiled up at her. “Welcome home, Aria,” Grandma said, her eyes shining with affection. “This is your
Aria hummed softly to herself as she scrubbed the ground in the front yard, a task she had taken upon herself to please Grandma. Her mind wandered to thoughts of impressing Mr. Sinclair. "Maybe if I show how hardworking I am, he'll be pleased and might even consider raising my salary," she mused, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. The joy of potentially making things better for herself was evident in the way she moved, her steps light, and her energy boundless. She was so absorbed in her task and thoughts that she didn’t notice the figure standing a few feet away, watching her with smoldering anger.Jessica had arrived at the Sinclair estate in a fury. After receiving the call from the housekeeper, her chest had been tight with rage and disbelief. She couldn’t fathom how Alexander—"her" Alexander—could possibly marry another woman without her knowledge. Jessica, the daughter of the prestigious David family, had grown up believing she was the only suitable match for Alex
“What are you doing?” Aria whispered, her voice trembling as her palms rested against Alexander’s firm chest, their proximity sending a ripple of heat through her body.“You know exactly what I’m doing,” Alexander replied, his tone low, teasing yet filled with undeniable intent.Aria froze, her breath catching as Alexander reached up, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. His fingers grazed her cheek, lingering for a second longer than necessary, and the warmth of his touch ignited a storm of emotions within her.“I like your body massages, maybe we'll schedule some more in the future,” he said quietly. He took a deep breath so he could soak up her scent. “You do seem rather… relaxed.” Her voice trembled a bit. “I kind of get that feeling every time I’m around you whether you’re giving massages or just sitting there.” He whispered. Aria realized his face was getting closer to hers, he chuckled softly when he saw her close her eyes in expectation of the kiss to come. Alexa
On the drive back to the house, Lucas tried hard not to discuss his feelings with Alexander about Jessica and her mother. He got a call. “Hello.”“Sir, Ethan won the case. He’s been set free.” The voice on the other end of the call said. “How did that happen? That case was pretty straightforward. He should be in jail by now.” Lucas replied. Alexander listened in trying to pick off exactly what they were discussing. “Yes sir. He had a damned good lawyer. I was a bit surprised when the lawyer came in saying she was representing Ethan. You may know her, it’s Gabriella Cornell, the big leagues.” “He couldn’t have gotten someone like that without help. Try to figure out exactly why she would represent him.” Lucas said. “Okay, sir. I’ll get back to you with any information I find sir.” “Yeah. Thank you” Lucas said before dropping the call. “Who was that?” Alexander asked. “Sir, that was Carlton, our guy at the D.A.’s office. He says that Ethan got an exceptional and expensive lawye
Anderson and Jessica rushed Janet to the hospital, Anderson, frantic as he called nurses, doctors and interns to the aid of his wife. “Mom, what’s wrong? Are you having a heart attack?” Jessica asked, even as the nurses got her in a bed and rushed her into a hospital room. “I want my daughter with me..” Janet said, with a fake pain in her voice. Jessica went into the room with her. Watching as they placed an oxygen mask on her face to help her breathe better, she gripped her mother’s hands genuinely scared about what may be happening. “Mom, you’re gonna be okay… the doctors will make sure everything’s fine. They’ll do their jobs.” Janet squeezed her hand tightly but Jessica didn’t understand what was happening. As soon as the doctors plugged her into the machine, they realized that her vitals were stable. Medically, there was nothing wrong with her. They asked to take blood to run some tests. As soon as the last nurse was out the door, Janet took off the oxygen mask from her face
On the drive to Jessica’s family home, Lucas knew he would have to make sure that nothing like that happened again. He was going to put a stationed guard with Alexander at all times to keep Jessica and any females away. He couldn’t believe they were back to this time, when people were always triggering Alexander’s phobia. He also wondered what exactly Alexander had in mind for Jessica. “Young Master, if I may ask, why exactly are we going to Miss Jessica’s residence? I could just call the police and she’ll be arrested.” Lucas said. “No. Jessica is foolish, impulsive and everything wrong but they aren’t like the average family. Her father is also wealthy and they probably have their own assets to protect. I do not wish to cause any damage to her family’s image, at least for old times sake. We will use this to our advantage.” Alexander said. “If you say so, Young Master.” Lucas replied. ***Aria went back into the house to find Grandma, she found her at her reading spot. “Grandma,
Grandma couldn’t help herself, she had to ask. “What exactly happened? Who did this to my grandson?” Grandma panicked. Lucas knew that Grandma’s state would only add more worry to Alexander so he decided to take her out of the room leaving Aria and Alexander together on the couch. “Grandma Sinclair, I think we should let them have some space. Young Master Alexander will get better soon and then you can have a conversation with him.” Lucas said as he guided a visibly worried Grandma out of the living room. “Alex, what happened to you?” Aria asked, slowly rubbing his back.Alexander wasn’t yet himself, the allergy was one thing but also he was still feeling the effects of the drugs that had been in the juice he had drank. He couldn’t explain it yet but he knew as soon as he felt better. He would make sure to get to the bottom of this whole thing. ***Jessica immediately got home and called her mother, she almost dragged her into her room. She needed to explain what she had done and
Alexander had a meet up with his team to perfect the pitch for the meeting. By the time they were done, it was a bit late already. All he wanted to do was go to bed, he’d need to be up early as well. He got to the room and saw a complimentary bottle of orange juice. “Oh no alcohol this time. This is better, a cup might help with my fatigue.” Alexander thought. So he poured himself a glass and sat down to scroll through his phone. He hadn’t checked his messages during the meeting, he wondered if he had gotten any from Aria. Sure as night and day, there was a message wishing him a great meeting and to come home cafe… cafe? That can’t be right. “Why are the letters jumbling around?” Alexander asked himself. He felt queasy and weak, he needed sleep. This was probably due to his lack of adequate rest. He stood up to go to the bed, but he could smell a familiar scent. Was Aria here?? His vision got blurry and he felt soft hands touching him and that familiar scent except it wasn’t as str
“Sir, we have a meeting with the executives at Brightford Holdings tomorrow afternoon. The team is already at the hotel waiting, do I reschedule or are we still going?” Lucas stared at his boss Alexander who was still angry about the Jessica situation. “We’re definitely still going. Jessica doesn’t count as an emergency,” he said nursing his glass of whiskey. “I’ll get my bag. We should be out in thirty minutes.” Alexander said. He left Lucas and went up the stairs to the bedroom. Aria had been pacing, as he opened the door. She was a bit startled. “Is anything the matter? Why are you looking stressed? I couldn’t help but sneak a peek at what was happening downstairs.” Aria said. “Oh, it’s just Jessica’s parents trying to cause a scene. I want to truly apologize for everything that has happened. It turns out Jessica was the one that put nut powder in Grandma’s soup and also did a lot more but I promise I’ll trust you more although I suspected you were innocent but I just couldn’t
“Hello, my name is Jordan Smith, I am a journalist and I want to hire your services for the case of an Ethan Hawke currently in custody for an attempted kidnap and murder” Dr. Hensley said. He had devised the perfect plan, he would anonymously pay for representation for Ethan and when he was out, they would move on with the second phase of his plan. He had chosen one of the top lawyers in the city, no fee was too much for him to pay just to get his hands on what he needed. Dr. Hensley thought about what he stood to gain if his research was successful…“Okay, would you like to meet up to discuss the case of your – you didn’t mention who he was to you.” The lawyer’s assistant said. “Oh I’d prefer to be anonymous, I just want his case to be dismissed and he can be set free. I think he’s just being oppressed but that doesn’t matter. I’d like to make payments for his representation no matter the amount. Just make sure he gets out.” Dr. Hensley said. “That won’t be a problem sir, I’ll se
On the trip back to the house. Janet couldn’t help but wonder how exactly Alina survived that fire. Janet couldn’t dare ask the questions she needed answers to in the car while her husband was there, she would speak with Jessica soon. By the time they drove into the house, Jessica went in first leaving her parents to talk. “That boy doesn’t know who I am, does he? Treating my precious daughter as though she’s a common criminal. He’s lucky we already think of him as our future son in law, if not… he’d have heard from my lawyers.” Anderson towered as he walked into his house. “Honey, I think we should just take things easy. I mean there’s no need to worry much. He’s probably learnt not to do something like that again and…”Anderson interrupted. “Oh did you see how he was looking at us when we were leaving. That boy hasn’t learnt a thing. I have a mind to go there tomorrow.” Anderson continued, sitting down on his sofa. Janet immediately felt pangs of fear run down her spine. “No… h