JoseMary

Synopsis

Ella Carter never imagined her name would be tied to scandal, secrets, or a billion-dollar empire. Forced into a sudden marriage to the cold and commanding Xavier King—heir to a powerful legacy—she believes she’s just a pawn in a game she doesn’t understand. But behind Xavier’s icy gaze lies a man battling shadows of his past, and behind Ella’s quiet strength is a truth even she doesn’t fully know.

When old family secrets begin to surface—secrets involving mental institutions, betrayal, and a child erased from history—their marriage of convenience turns into something far more dangerous. As enemies close in and lies unravel, Ella and Xavier must decide whether their fragile alliance can survive... or transform into something real.

In a world where love was never part of the plan, can two broken hearts fight for a future they didn’t choose—but might desperately need?

Married to a Billionaire Stranger

Chapter 21: Paper Cuts and Bloodlines

Ella returned to the penthouse with more questions than answers — and one truth she couldn't shake.

> Her mother had a past with Anthony King.

And that past wasn't just personal.

It was buried. Hidden. And possibly deadly.

Xavier was waiting in the study when she arrived. Not in the cold, distant way she had once grown used to — but in the new, quiet stillness he only showed around her now.

He rose the moment she stepped in.

Ella closed the door softly behind her.

"She said my mother worked for your uncle. Briefly. Then left when she got pregnant."

They stood in the center of the study like the ground beneath them might shift.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked.

Ella hesitated. "That I might be related to the Kings?"

His jaw clenched. "That you might be Anthony's daughter."

The silence that followed wasn't the heavy kind.

It was sharp. Clean. Like glass waiting to break.

"I didn't come into this to tear your family apart," Ella whispered.

Xavier's eyes darkened. "You didn't tear anything. They did. Years ago."

She sat on the edge of the desk, running her hands through her hair.

"If this is true, Xavier… if I really am part of your family… then this marriage isn't just complicated. It's chaos."

"Would you leave me… if it meant avoiding the truth?"

Ella stared at him for a long, aching second.

That night, Xavier unlocked something she never thought she'd be allowed to see.

They descended two levels into the private office beneath the penthouse — a cold vault lined with cabinets, safes, and dusty black binders marked with initials and dates.

"This is where he kept everything," Xavier said. "Every backdoor deal. Every bribe. Every ruined legacy. If your mother crossed paths with my uncle here, we'll find it."

Ella's heart raced as she reached for a file.

Inside: an old King Global employee ledger. 1996.

She flipped pages until she found the name:

Katherine Carter — Executive Assistant. Temporary Contract. Terminated.

"Personal conflict with Anthony King."

Xavier looked over her shoulder. "Conflict?"

"I think he was obsessed with her," Ella said softly. "Maybe even violent."

"And my father knew," he said. "He didn't fire Anthony — he just buried her."

They didn't find much else that night.

But what they did find was enough.

Enough to confirm that Ella's mother had been silenced.

That her daughter — Ella — might have been born with more King blood than anyone in that boardroom ever suspected.

At dawn, Ella stood by the window of the penthouse, wrapped in Xavier's coat.

She felt him come up behind her, his warmth solid and steady.

"For not asking sooner. For not protecting you sooner."

"You protected me the moment you said no to them."

His brow creased. "I want to give you more than just defense, Ella. I want to give you something real. Something… safe."

But her fingers curled into the front of his shirt.

And for the first time, she let herself lean into him without bracing for disappointment.

But as the sun rose over Manhattan, a private number dialed Xavier's phone.

But the voicemail it left chilled him to the bone.

> "You're digging into things that should stay dead. You married a problem, Xavier. Don't let her become your downfall."