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

Not just wrong—deeply, disturbingly wrong.

Ella had spent days trying to get answers. But every time she pushed, she was met with the same thing—silence.

And that terrified her more than any truth could.

Because if two men who despised each other were keeping the same secret, it meant one thing.

And it had something to do with her.

The Phone Call at Midnight

Ella sat in the dimly lit penthouse, staring at her phone.

Adrian was still at his office—or so he claimed.

Liam had left town without warning.

And the only thing Ella had was a growing sense of dread.

Her fingers hesitated before she answered.

Ella's breath caught. "Who is this?"

"You're asking the wrong questions."

She gripped the phone tighter. "What do you mean?"

"Look deeper, Ella. Before it's too late."

She turned to check the call history, but—nothing.

It was as if it had never happened.

She should have waited for Adrian.

She should have done anything but what she did next.

But Ella had never been one to sit still.

If no one would give her answers, she would find them herself.

She moved through the penthouse with quiet determination, searching.

And then, in Adrian's office, she saw it.

A small, almost invisible indentation on the bookshelf.

A section of the bookshelf slid open, revealing a hidden door.

The moment she either turned back—or stepped into the unknown.

The air inside was cold, untouched, filled with the scent of old secrets.

Ella's eyes adjusted to the darkness, scanning the room.

She picked it up with trembling fingers.

And when she saw the image, her heart stopped.

Because it wasn't just a photograph.

Before she had ever met Adrian Blackwood.

Before she had even heard his name.

Yet here she was, frozen in time, in a picture that should not exist.

And why had Adrian been watching her long before she ever knew he existed?

Chapter 37: The Silence That Screamed