Oshidele_Oladunni

Ava Sinclair, once the cherished daughter of a wealthy family, finds her world in ruins after her father's mysterious death and the collapse of their company. Now struggling to pay for her younger brother’s life-saving treatments, Ava is drowning in debt with no options left. Just when she’s about to break, Damien Blackwood — a cold, calculating billionaire with a reputation for cruelty — offers her a deal: marry him for one year in exchange for money, protection, and complete financial support. But the contract comes with strict conditions — no intimacy, no emotions, and no freedom.

What Ava doesn’t know is that Damien has a hidden agenda. Years ago, he was destroyed by her family’s betrayal — and he believes Ava played a role in that downfall. What started as a calculated move to humiliate her turns unexpectedly complicated when the woman he wants to break turns out to be stronger than he imagined.

Living under the same roof, Ava quietly endures Damien’s cold stares and sharp words, facing humiliation from his staff, his social circle, and the media. But she never bends. Her quiet strength and fierce loyalty begin to unsettle him. Damien, expecting a spoiled heiress, instead finds a woman with fire buried beneath the ashes of her broken life.

As Damien plays puppet master, controlling parts of Ava’s life from behind the scenes, Ava begins to uncover pieces of the past — the truth behind her father’s fall, and Damien’s connection to it. Meanwhile, Ava’s ex-fiancé resurfaces, hoping to exploit her vulnerability again. But this time, Damien intervenes, destroying the man publicly in a savage business move that stuns everyone.

Ava, tired of being controlled, begins to fight back. She focuses on building something of her own — perhaps a fashion brand, legal service, or business startup — proving she’s not just a pawn in a man’s world. Her newfound independence draws attention, and even Damien starts seeing her as an equal rather than a tool for revenge. But as their icy dynamic begins to melt, one stolen kiss, one accidental moment of vulnerability, sparks something far more dangerous than hatred — desire.

Their passion simmers beneath the surface as both try to pretend it means nothing. But Damien is losing control. His long-held anger starts to unravel as he realizes Ava may have been innocent all along. When the truth finally surfaces — that Ava was manipulated just like him — the weight of his guilt crushes him. Ava, devastated by his betrayal and manipulation, leaves him.

Without her, Damien crumbles. For the first time, he’s forced to confront his own demons — the pain of the past, the lies he believed, and the woman he pushed away. Meanwhile, Ava begins investigating her father's death in earnest, uncovering a darker conspiracy that links back to the real person who destroyed both their families.

When this hidden enemy targets Ava directly, Damien risks everything to save her. Together, they expose the truth, reclaim what was stolen from them, and take revenge on the ones who once broke them. In the end, Ava’s brother is saved, her business thrives, and she no longer needs a man to survive.

But when Damien asks her to marry him again — this time without a contract — Ava makes her own choice. She chooses him not out of desperation, but out of love.

Their story closes with redemption, healing, and a future built not on revenge, but on hard-earned trust and desire — perhaps with a wedding vow renewal, a pregnancy reveal, or a quiet moment of peace between two once-broken souls who now belong only to each other.

Married to the Cold-blooded CEO

The rain came down in sheets the next morning, soaking the windows of the estate in silver-grey streaks.

Ava sat at the long dining table alone, cradling a steaming mug of coffee as Lisette's betrayal replayed over and over in her mind. The knife. The calm in her voice. The utter certainty that she had been doing the right thing.

When Damien entered the room, he was already dressed in black — a custom-tailored suit that made him look like he belonged in shadows. His hair was slicked back, eyes unreadable.

He slid a folder across the table toward her.

It was a contract.

Her eyes scanned quickly. Legal jargon. Specific clauses. Immunity protections. A payout.

"Mutual Termination of Marriage Contract – Voluntary Dissolution."

Damien didn't blink. "You don't belong in this world. Not with the threats closing in. Not with Helena watching everything we do. If you walk away now, no one will stop you. You'll be protected. Paid. Safe."

"I'll deal with the consequences."

"You think this is what I want?" she whispered. "After everything—"

"You deserve peace," he said, almost gently. "Not this war I was born into."

She stood up, slow and deliberate, moving toward him.

"Peace without you," she murmured, "would be worse than anything Helena could do to me."

His jaw ticked. She saw the conflict behind his eyes — the desire to protect her, and the deeper fear of what it would cost him to keep her close.

"What if I said I wanted to stay?" she asked.

"I'd say you're insane," he murmured, "and then I'd kiss you until you forgot how to breathe."

A small smile curved her lips. "Then kiss me."

As if the weight of the world might shift with every press of his mouth to hers.

Later, Damien revealed the real reason for the contract.

"She'll expect you to leave," he explained. "When you don't, she'll see it as weakness on my part. Emotion. Attachment. She'll strike faster — and harder."

Ava arched a brow. "And that helps us… how?"

"Because she'll make mistakes," Damien said. "She'll act rashly. She'll expose her hand. And when she does…"

He opened a drawer and placed a thin USB drive on the table.

"This," he said, "is the real insurance. Every dirty secret Helena's tried to bury for the last ten years. Blackmail. Bribery. Death certificates with no bodies."

"Where did you get it?" Ava asked, stunned.

"From the same man who wants her gone as much as I do." Damien's smile was ice. "My father."

Damien's expression darkened. "Then I deal with him next."

That night, Ava sat by the bedroom window, staring into the downpour beyond the estate gates.

Damien came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

He buried his face in her neck, voice low.

"Good," he murmured. "Only fools aren't."

She turned in his arms. "What happens if we win?"

His eyes softened. "Then we find out who we are without all the blood and secrets."

He kissed her forehead. "Then I'll die knowing I finally had something worth protecting."

The thunder rolled outside, distant and foreboding.

But in that moment, Ava didn't care.

And no matter what came next, she would not run.

15. The Proposal