The headlines came before the sun.
BLACKWOOD HEIR SECRETLY MARRIED?BILLIONAIRE AIDEN BLACKWOOD WEDS FORMER FIANCÉE OF YOUNGER BROTHER!SCANDAL OR STRATEGY? A WEDDING WAR IN THE BLACKWOOD FAMILY!
By the time I woke up, my name was everywhere.On news tickers. On social media. In texts from people who had never spoken to me before.
From ghosted high school friends to nosy coworkers I hadn't seen in months — everyone suddenly wanted to know who I really was, and why the hell I was now Mrs. Aiden Blackwood.
And I couldn't even get a moment of peace to process it.
A soft knock came at my bedroom door. I jolted upright.
"Come in," I croaked, voice dry from a night of dreamless sleep.
It wasn't a maid or assistant.
It was him.
Aiden.
Wearing a crisp black shirt with sleeves rolled up just enough to reveal a tattoo curling around one forearm — something sharp and dark and unfamiliar.
He looked like a man who had never once second-guessed a single thing in his life.
"Get dressed," he said. "We have breakfast with the board in thirty minutes."
I blinked. "Breakfast with who?"
He tossed a garment bag onto the bed. "You're a Blackwood now. That means showing face. They need to believe this marriage is real."
"Real?" I scoffed. "You proposed with less emotion than a parking ticket."
His eyes narrowed just slightly. "Then pretend I made your heart race."
I wanted to throw a pillow at him.
Instead, I opened the garment bag.
Inside was a designer dress. Black. Sleek. Expensive.
My size.
Of course.
"You had this tailored overnight?"
"I don't sleep," he said. "And neither will the press. Hurry."
—
The private dining hall in the Blackwood Enterprises skyscraper had twelve chairs, three chandeliers, and more tension than an entire season of a courtroom drama.
I walked in beside Aiden like I belonged — chin high, makeup flawless, wedding ring catching the light.
Half the board looked like they wanted to kill me. The other half looked terrified of him.
"Gentlemen," Aiden said, sliding out my chair like a prince, "I'd like you to meet Scarlett Blackwood. My wife."
The words still felt foreign. Sharp.
But the weight of them? Real.
"Mrs. Blackwood," one of the men said, blinking behind his glasses. "We… weren't aware of any engagement."
"That was the point," Aiden replied smoothly, sipping his black coffee. "It was a private ceremony. Minimal guests. Maximum efficiency."
Another board member — older, with hawk eyes — leaned forward.
"And does your brother know about this… union?"
Aiden didn't smile. "He does now."
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from grinning.
Let him stew in it.
Let them all stew.
Because while they whispered behind their cups, I sat next to the most powerful man in the room — and he didn't flinch once.
—
After the meeting, I finally exploded.
"You didn't warn me I'd be paraded in front of executives like a trophy!"
Aiden barely glanced at me as we walked to his car. "You said you wanted this."
"I said I wanted revenge. I didn't say I wanted to be a headline."
He stopped.
Turned.
His jaw was tense. "You are a headline now. You married me. You stepped into this world. It doesn't go quiet just because you're tired."
"I didn't know it would be like this!"
"No," he said, voice like frost. "You just knew it would hurt Travis. And that was enough."
I froze.
He wasn't wrong.But it still stung.
"You think I'm weak?" I asked softly.
He blinked. "I think you're learning."
—
Later that day, I found a new room waiting.
It wasn't the guest wing anymore. It was next to his.
Bigger, brighter, with a walk-in closet already filled with clothes I hadn't picked but secretly adored.
The ring on my finger no longer felt heavy.It felt like armor.
Until my phone buzzed.
Blocked Number:You really married him? After everything? You're sick.
Another ping.
Travis:I need to talk to you. Please.
And then:
Jasmine:He doesn't love you. He never could. You're just a joke between brothers now.
I stared at the screen.
Fury bloomed in my chest.
They cheated.They lied.And now I was the villain?
Not today.
Not ever again.
—
That night, Aiden found me in the balcony lounge, staring out over the city lights with a glass of wine in hand.
He didn't ask how I was.
He never did.
But he stood beside me, silent, watching.
"You know what I realized today?" I said quietly.
"Hm."
"That no one ever really knew me. Not even him. I was just… convenient."
Aiden didn't respond right away.
Then he said, "People use what they can control. What they understand. The moment you surprise them, you become dangerous."
I turned to look at him. "And what about you? Are you dangerous?"
He tilted his head.
Then, with a whisper of a smirk: "Ask my brother."
I should've laughed.
Instead, I drained my wine.
—
The next morning, everything came to a boil.
I was in the middle of a wardrobe fitting with Aiden's assistant when the front door slammed.
Voices shouted.
And then:
"Where is she?!"
Travis.
His voice.
I froze, heart lurching.
Aiden's voice followed — low, cold, slicing through the air.
"You're trespassing."
"I need to speak to her!"
"You lost that right the moment you took your pants off in front of my staff."
I stepped out of the dressing room just in time to see Travis grab Aiden's collar.
Aiden didn't flinch.
He didn't even blink.
"If you touch me again," he said calmly, "you'll need a new set of fingers."
Travis turned to me.
"Scarlett," he said, eyes wild. "What are you doing? You can't mean this. You can't honestly think marrying him is the answer."
My heart thudded.
"I'm not answering to you," I said.
"Scar—"
"You cheated on me," I said, stepping forward. "You humiliated me. And now you're angry I moved on faster than you expected?"
"It was a mistake!"
"No," I said. "A mistake is forgetting an anniversary. What you did? That was a choice."
His face crumbled. "You were supposed to be mine."
I felt Aiden step beside me.
Not touching.
But near.
Protective.
"She's not yours," he said softly. "She never was."
Travis lunged.
Security grabbed him before he got within five feet.
He shouted something as they dragged him out.
I didn't care.
Because for the first time in a long time, I felt safe.
Not happy.
Not healed.
But safe.
And sometimes, that was enough.
—
That night, I stood outside Aiden's study, unsure if I should knock.
Eventually, I did.
He looked up from a pile of contracts. "Yes?"
"I just wanted to say… thank you."
"For what?"
"For not letting me fall apart in front of him."
He studied me for a moment.
Then said, "You never would have."
I smiled. "Still."
He went back to his work.
I started to leave.
But then—
"Scarlett."
I turned.
"Next time you want revenge," he said, eyes glinting under the golden lamplight, "you don't have to do it alone."
And for some reason…
That felt more like a promise than our vows ever did.