MARY_OMONOWA

Married by Mistake to the Ice-Cold CEO

Ella Carter is at rock bottom. Broke, jobless, and desperate to pay off her debts, she agrees to a shady but simple deal—sign a fake marriage contract in exchange for a life-changing sum of money. It’s supposed to be a harmless formality, just a few signatures, and she’s free.

But when she wakes up the next morning, she’s no longer a fake wife. She’s legally married to Adrian Blackwood, the ruthless billionaire CEO with a heart of ice and a glare that could freeze fire. Worse, he believes she’s nothing more than a conniving gold digger who trapped him into this marriage.

Determined to end their arrangement as soon as possible, Adrian is cold, cruel, and utterly unshaken by Ella’s protests. He wants her gone. But there’s one problem—she refuses to be intimidated. Unlike everyone else in his life, she fights back, and to his shock, she actually wins their battles.

The more they argue, the more their tension ignites. And the more Adrian tries to push her away, the more he finds himself drawn to her defiant spirit, her fire, her ability to see the man behind the icy mask.

But when secrets come to light and enemies lurk in the shadows, their marriage of convenience becomes a battlefield of trust, passion, and betrayal.

Will Adrian let down his walls and accept the one woman who dares to stand by his side? Or will Ella walk away before she loses her heart to a man who never planned to keep her?

One mistake. One contract. One marriage neither of them saw coming.

Married by Mistake to the Ice-Cold CEO

Ella woke up to the scent of expensive cologne and the unfamiliar weight of silk sheets against her skin.

Her eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the dim morning light spilling through towering windows. This wasn't her apartment. The ceiling stretched impossibly high, with intricate molding, and the bed—God, the bed—was bigger than her entire living room.

Panic clawed at her chest. Where am I?

She sat up too quickly, her head spinning. That's when she saw it—the gold wedding band glinting on her left hand.

Her breath hitched. No. No, no, no.

Memories from last night rushed back. The contract. The signature. Lena's smug grin.

She had agreed to a fake marriage. A business deal.

So why did it feel terrifyingly real?

Before she could process it, the door swung open.

A man stepped inside. Tall. Cold. Dangerous.

Even in a crisp white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, he radiated untouchable power. His jet-black hair was still slightly damp, as if he had just stepped out of the shower. But it was his eyes—icy steel, calculating, unreadable—that made her stomach knot.

For a long, suffocating moment, neither of them spoke.

Then, with a voice as smooth as a blade, Adrian finally broke the silence.

Ella's fingers curled into the sheets. "What the hell happened?"

A flicker of amusement—dark, knowing—passed through his gaze. "You signed a contract, sweetheart. You're my wife now."

The words sent a sharp jolt through her. Wife.

Her pulse pounded. She had agreed to this. But now, staring at Adrian Blackwood in the flesh, it felt like she had made a deal with the devil.

She swallowed hard. "That was supposed to be just paperwork. A formality. We weren't even supposed to meet."

Adrian took a step closer, his presence suffocating. "And yet, here you are."

Ella's heart hammered against her ribs. "Why am I here? Why am I in your—" She gestured around at the penthouse.

Adrian tilted his head, studying her like she was an equation he had already solved. "Because my lawyers finalized the contract faster than expected. As of midnight, you became legally mine. And a wife should be with her husband, don't you think?"

She gritted her teeth. "This isn't a real marriage."

He smirked, slow and lethal. "No, it's not. But for the world, it has to look like one."

Her stomach twisted. This was a mistake. A massive, irreversible mistake.

Adrian watched her carefully, then leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a chilling whisper.

"You got what you wanted, Ella. Now, let's see if you can handle what comes next."

She had walked straight into a trap. And Adrian Blackwood was about to prove that he never lost control.

Chapter 3: Waking Up Married