Married to a Billionaire Stranger

Chapter 15: The Quiet Before the Storm 

Ella woke to the soft murmur of rain brushing against the tall windows of the manor. The scent of pine, damp earth, and faint wood smoke still lingered in the room. The space beside her in bed was empty but warm, telling her Xavier had only recently gotten up.

She sat up slowly, letting the robe fall around her shoulders, trying to hold onto the fragile peace that had existed between them since they arrived. But the quiet felt different this morning. Not peaceful — tense.

She found him standing by the living room window, staring out at the trees. One hand in his pocket, the other holding his phone tightly like he was squeezing something back.

"You're up early," she said softly.

He didn't turn around. Just held out the phone in silence.

Ella approached slowly, taking it from him.

Her heart sank.

> "Is the King Marriage Real or Just PR Gold?"

A glossy headline. And beneath it — photos of the estate. Of her, captured mid-laugh, walking among the trees. Candid. Vulnerable. Too real for how cruel the article felt.

She felt a rush of heat and embarrassment creep up her neck.

"Someone leaked this?"

Xavier nodded, jaw tight. "Only a handful of people knew we were here. Which means someone close — someone I trust — gave them that information."

He finally turned to face her, eyes darker than usual. "I've spent my life building walls to keep people out. Now it turns out someone slipped through anyway."

Ella didn't know what hurt more — the invasion of privacy or the way he was retreating again, curling inward like he always did when something went wrong.

"You don't think I—"

"No," he said quickly, firm. "Not for a second."

That should've comforted her, but somehow it didn't.

Because beneath his defense, he still looked like he was preparing to be disappointed.

---

The ride back to Manhattan was quiet. Neither of them said much, and Ella didn't know how to break the silence without shattering the thin layer of trust they'd begun building.

The moment they stepped into the penthouse, Ava was waiting.

"Damage control is already moving," she said without preamble. "The article hasn't gone viral, but it's picking up traction. I've flagged it for takedown where I can."

"Any leads?" Xavier asked.

Ava hesitated. "No names yet, but… there's more. Marla's back in the city."

Ella looked between them. "Who's Marla?"

Xavier's posture shifted — subtly, but enough to feel it.

"My ex," he said after a moment.

"The last one before you," Ava added, eyes flicking to Ella. "And she's doing interviews."

---

Ella saw it later that night.

Marla — striking, poised, and clearly playing to the camera — sat across from a talk show host, painting her words with charm and sharp edges.

> "Xavier King is brilliant at two things," she said, smiling thinly. "Business and image. So no, I don't believe for a second this marriage is anything more than strategic."

She paused. Tilted her head.

> "But if it turns out he really let someone get close? That would be… very unlike him."

The smile that followed was thin as a blade.

---

Ella didn't go to him that night. She couldn't.

It wasn't jealousy that had her lying awake — it was the slow-burning realization that she still knew so little about the man she shared a home with. A life with.

A marriage with.

And the woman on that screen had known him in ways Ella hadn't even been allowed to approach.

Not yet.

---

The next morning, she didn't wait.

She found him in the kitchen, coffee untouched, phone in hand.

"You could've told me about her," she said.

Xavier looked up, eyes tired. "I didn't think she mattered anymore."

"She does. Not because you care about her now — but because you were real with her. Even if it ended."

"She left," he said flatly. "Because I couldn't give her the version of me she wanted. I thought that was the end of it."

Ella crossed her arms. "And now?"

"Now…" He rubbed the back of his neck, frustrated. "Now she's a distraction I never asked for. And you're caught in the middle."

"I'm not afraid of the headlines," Ella said softly. "But I'm starting to wonder if I'm just another piece of your life that fits the narrative. Something convenient. Strategic."

Xavier stepped closer, voice quieter. "You're not."

"Then let me in," she said. "Not with answers. Just with honesty."

He looked at her for a long moment.

Then said, "I don't know how."

---

Later that day, Ava texted Ella with an address and a message:

> Meet me at 4. It's important.

Ella arrived at a quiet rooftop restaurant uptown, confused but curious — until she saw Marla seated at the corner table, perfectly poised.

"What is this?" Ella asked.

"I asked her to come," Ava said, standing. "You deserve clarity."

Then she left them alone.

Marla offered a small, amused smile. "I figured you might want answers from the source."

"I didn't come here for games."

Marla shrugged. "Then here's the truth — Xavier is terrified of love. Of anything that asks him to put himself second."

Ella sat slowly, watching her carefully.

"I don't want him back," Marla said. "I just... wanted to see what he'd become after me. And now that I've seen, I think maybe you've gotten further than I ever did."

Ella didn't reply.

"But be careful," Marla added, voice lower now. "Because when Xavier runs, he runs hard. And if you're not holding on, he'll leave you behind before he even knows he's doing it."

---

When Xavier returned home that night, he found Ella in the study, curled on the armchair with a closed journal in her lap.

He stood in the doorway for a moment, watching her.

"I'm not here to apologize," he said.

"Good," she said quietly. "Because I don't want apologies. I want to know if you're willing to stop hiding."

He walked in slowly, sat across from her.

"I've been careful my whole life. That's how I survived. That's how I built everything."

"I'm not asking you to tear it all down," she said. "I'm just asking for a door. A window. Something."

He didn't promise anything.

But he didn't retreat either.

Instead, he leaned back in the chair and said, "This was Julian's favorite room. He used to pretend he was the king of a castle."

Ella smiled faintly. "Sounds like someone else I know."

For the first time in hours, Xavier almost smiled.

Almost.