Chapter 1

The music was loud enough to shake the crystal glasses.

Golden lights danced across the massive ballroom while wealthy guests laughed, drank, and exchanged fake smiles beneath chandeliers worth more than most people’s houses.

She felt out of place.

Ariana Wilson stood quietly near the balcony doors, smoothing down the simple black dress her stepmother had almost refused to buy for her.

“Smile more,” her step-sister, Vanessa, said sweetly while fixing her diamond bracelet. “You look like someone forced you to come.”

Ariana forced a small smile.

“I’m fine.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes dramatically before grabbing two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter.

“Tonight is important,” she said. “Rich people. Investors. Important families. Don’t embarrass Dad.”

The mention of her father tightened Ariana’s chest.

Everything she did was for him.

Ever since her mother died, she spent years trying to earn his love again, but after he remarried, things changed. Slowly… painfully… she became invisible in her own home.

Vanessa handed her a glass.

“Drink. Relax for once.”

Ariana hesitated before taking it.

She didn’t notice the small victorious smirk on Vanessa’s face.

...----------------...

Across the ballroom, Alessandro De Luca stood surrounded by businessmen, his expression colder than ice.

Powerful.

Untouchable.

At only thirty-one, he was already feared in the business world. Women chased him endlessly, but none lasted long enough to touch his heart.

Tonight had already irritated him.

A business partner betrayed him. The media wouldn’t stop following him. And his grandfather kept pressuring him to marry.

He wanted silence.

Instead, he got another glass of whiskey shoved into his hand.

“Relax, Alessandro,” his friend laughed. “You look ready to kill someone.”

“I might.”

......................

Thirty minutes later, Ariana’s vision blurred.

The room spun.

Her breathing became uneven as heat rushed through her body.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

She grabbed the edge of a table.

“Vanessa…” she whispered weakly.

But Vanessa only stared at her with fake concern.

“Oh no,” she murmured dramatically. “You don’t look well.”

Ariana tried walking toward the restroom, but her legs felt heavy.

The lights became blurry streaks.

The music sounded distant.

Then suddenly—

She crashed into someone.

Strong hands caught her waist before she hit the floor.

Dark eyes met hers.

Sharp. Dangerous. Intense.

Alessandro frowned immediately.

“You’re drunk.”

Ariana shook her head weakly.

“N-no…”

But her body burned hotter by the second.

His jaw tightened as he noticed how pale she looked.

Drugged.

He had seen this before at elite parties.

His expression darkened.

Before he could speak again, Ariana clutched his suit desperately, her body trembling.

“Please…” she whispered brokenly. “Help me…”

And for the first time in years—

Alessandro De Luca felt his control begin to crack.

Ariana tried pulling away , embarassed by how tightly she was holding onto him, but her knees nearly gave out again.

Alessandro cought her instantly.

His grip around her waist tightened as his sharp eyes scanned the crowded ballroom.

Nobody noticed her condition.

Nobody cared.

His expression turned colder.

“Who did this to you?” he asked quietly.

Ariana could barely think straight anymore.

Her head rested weakly against his chest while the scent of his expensive cologne surrounded her.

“I… I don’t know…”

Across the room, Vanessa watched everything unfold.

A slow smile spread across her lips.

Perfect.

That man was Alessandro De Luca.

The Alessandro De Luca.

The billionaire CEO every woman in the city dreamed about.

And now Ariana was walking straight into ruin.

Vanessa quickly pulled out her phone and secretly snapped several pictures of them together.

By tomorrow morning, the entire family would believe Ariana threw herself at a rich man for attention.

Exactly what Vanessa wanted.

Meanwhile, Alessandro glanced down at the trembling woman in his arms again.

Something about her felt different.

Unlike the women constantly chasing him, her fear looked real.

Pure.

His jaw hardened.

Without another word, he removed his suit jacket and wrapped it around her shaking body before leading her away from the ballroom.

Neither of them realized—

That single decision was about to destroy one life…

And bind two strangers together forever.

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