Chapter 2 – A Signature Away
Aria's POV
She shouldn't be here.
Aria stood outside the quiet marriage bureau, heart hammering as if it were trying to talk her out of it. A sleek black car pulled up just behind her, its engine a low growl before it stilled.
Kade Vale stepped out.
Sharp suit. Sharper eyes. Unbothered. Confident. As if marrying a woman he barely knew was simply another business transaction.
Maybe to him, it was.
To Aria, it was a storm.
He walked past her, opening the door as if he owned the air around them. "Are you coming in?" His voice was low, impatient.
She followed him in.
The interior was clean, government-sterile. The kind of place where people signed papers that changed their lives forever. Papers that said forever—even when they didn't mean it.
The receptionist looked up from her screen. "Appointment?"
"Vale and Lode," Kade said smoothly.
"Room 3."
Aria walked stiffly beside him, their steps echoing on the tiled floor. When they entered Room 3, the notary barely looked up. Just gestured to the seats and pushed two clipped pages toward them.
"Marital registration form. Fill, sign, fingerprint."
No one asked why they were marrying so suddenly. No one asked if they were in love.
Because this was the kind of thing money made disappear. Suspicion. Emotion. Truth.
Kade picked up the pen first, signing at the bottom of the page with quick, elegant strokes. As if his hand had done this before. As if it meant nothing.
She stared at her own line.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she took the pen. Her eyes skimmed the words again, even though she already knew what they said.
Spouse A: Kade Sebastian Vale.
Spouse B: Aria Lode.
That was her. Spouse B. A name beside his.
Her name would change. Her life already had.
She signed.
No one clapped. No one smiled. The notary just slid the documents into a tray, pulled out a stamp, and pressed down hard on both sheets. Once. Twice. Done.
"Congratulations," he said blandly. "You are now legally married."
Aria exhaled quietly.
Kade stood and turned to her. "Let's go."
"Where?" she asked, throat dry.
"To the penthouse."
Of course. The contract included living together—for appearances. She followed him out, numb, her thoughts spinning too fast for her heart to catch up.
Outside, his driver opened the door. Aria slid in, clutching her bag as if it could anchor her. Kade joined her, stretching his legs like he hadn't just bound himself to a stranger for twelve months.
"I'll have the contract delivered to your email," he said. "It's already notarized."
She stared at him. "So that's it?"
He looked at her, those cold blue eyes unreadable. "Did you expect something else?"
No. But maybe a part of her had. Maybe she'd expected a flicker of... anything.
Affection. Regret. Human warmth.
Instead, he pulled out his phone and started replying to emails.
Minutes passed. The city blurred by. Aria stared out the window but didn't see anything.
When the car finally pulled up in front of a towering building in the heart of the city, Kade stepped out without waiting. The doorman nodded to him, already used to his presence, his power.
But today, Kade had a wife.
Aria trailed behind as they stepped into the elevator. It rose fast, too fast, like her life was speeding into something she couldn't stop.
The penthouse doors opened into a sleek, silent space. Minimalist. Beautiful. Cold.
"This is home now," he said, stepping aside to let her in.
Home.
She wasn't sure what that word meant anymore.
Kade moved to the kitchen, poured himself a glass of water, then looked back at her. "There are rules, Aria."
"I know," she whispered.
"No public arguments. No scandals. Appearances must be maintained. We sleep in separate rooms. And," he paused, "no falling in love."
Her breath caught. "What?"
He met her gaze, unflinching. "You heard me."
She let out a shaky laugh, half bitter. "Don't worry. You're not my type."
His lips curved, not into a smile, but something darker. "Good. Keep it that way."
She turned away from him then, needing distance. Her suitcase sat by the door where she'd left it. She dragged it down the hall, opened the first door she found, and closed it behind her.
Her new bedroom.
Empty. Quiet. Expensive.
Aria sat on the bed, the silence crashing over her all at once.
She had signed the papers. Worn the ring. Moved into the castle. She was now Mrs. Aria Vale.
But none of it felt real.
She opened her bag and pulled out the ring box he'd handed her earlier.
Inside was a diamond that sparkled like it knew it was lying.
She slid it on.
Then stared at her reflection in the mirror across the room.
The woman staring back looked calm.
But something inside her cracked open.
Because tomorrow, she'd have to play the role of a wife.
But tonight… tonight she still had questions.
And one of them whispered through her chest like smoke.
Why did he need this marriage so badly—now?