Aria Morgan's world was unraveling, and the sound of it crashing down was deafening.
She stood alone in the dimly lit practice hall, the last note of her violin lingering in the cold air like a ghost. Her heart hammered painfully beneath her ribcage as her trembling fingers loosened their grip on the bow. Her breath came in short, shallow bursts, and for a moment, the silence was louder than any applause could have been.
But there was no applause.
There was never applause anymore.
The once-proud Morgan Academy of Music was dying around her. The paint on the walls was cracked, the grand piano in the corner had long since lost its luster, and the ceiling lights flickered like a dying heartbeat. Outside the stained glass windows, the Chicago skyline glowed in sharp contrast, a city alive while her parents' legacy withered beneath her feet.
She rubbed her hands over her face, trying to breathe past the lump in her throat. Thirty days. That's how long the bank had given her to settle the debt or lose the school for good.
A voice cut through the silence.
"You play beautifully."
Aria's head whipped toward the open doorway. A tall figure leaned casually against the frame, the dim light casting his face in sharp, shadowed angles. He was dressed in a tailored black suit, his white dress shirt open at the collar. The fabric hugged his broad frame like it had been made for him which, of course, it probably had. His dark hair was swept back in that effortless way that screamed money and power.
Theo Kingston.
Aria's breath caught. Her pulse stuttered violently, though it wasn't from attraction. It was from the sheer weight of his presence. Everyone in Chicago knew who Theo Kingston was the youngest billionaire to sit at the helm of Kingston Enterprises, a man whose name was spoken in reverence and fear. He was ruthless in business, cold in the media, and untouchable in every possible way.
"What are you doing here?" Aria's voice was sharp, but her eyes were wary.
Theo stepped into the room, his polished shoes clicking against the wood floor. "I came to make you an offer."
Aria narrowed her eyes. "If you're looking to donate to the academy, there's a website for that."
Theo's mouth twitched, not quite a smile. "I'm not interested in donating."
"Then what do you want?"
Theo moved closer, the space between them shrinking until she could smell the faint trace of expensive cologne. His gaze locked onto hers with a quiet intensity that made her throat tighten.
"I need a fiancée."
Aria's heart slammed against her ribs. "Excuse me?"
Theo's expression didn't shift. His eyes storm-gray and cutting remained fixed on her. "I'm negotiating a merger. My father's terms require that I appear… settled."
"And you thought I'd be desperate enough to help you?" Aria snapped, heat rushing to her cheeks.
Theo's gaze flicked toward the violin in her hand. "Your school is in debt. The bank is prepared to seize the property in thirty days." His tone was measured, deliberate. "I'm prepared to make that problem disappear."
Aria's breath hitched. "What are you saying?"
"If you agree to be my fiancée for the next three months," Theo said smoothly, "I will settle the debt and ensure that your school stays open indefinitely."
Aria's stomach twisted painfully. "Why me?"
Theo's mouth curled at the edges. "Because you're not from my world. You're not tied to my family's business interests or politics. That makes you… safe."
"Safe?" she echoed.
His gaze sharpened. "You won't expect more from me. You won't confuse this arrangement for something it's not."
Aria's heart hammered painfully beneath her ribs. The offer was ridiculous offensive, even beneath the anger was something worse. Temptation.
Theo Kingston wasn't just offering to save her music school. He was offering to save the last piece of her parents' legacy, the part of her life she was failing to protect.
Her silence stretched between them like a live wire.
"I won't sleep with you," Aria said finally, her voice steel-edged.
Theo's eyes flashed. "That's not part of the deal."
"And when this is over?"
"You walk away with the academy paid off in full and a new start."
Aria's hands curled into fists at her sides. Every instinct screamed to run to reject him and find another way. But there was no other way. She had tried for months. The banks wouldn't help. The donors wouldn't answer her calls. This… this was survival.
And Theo Kingston knew it.
"Why would you trust me?" she asked.
Theo's mouth curved slightly with a cruel, knowing smile. "Because you have more to lose than I do."
Aria's chest tightened.
This was dangerous. This was reckless. This was everything she had promised herself she would never become dependent on someone else's wealth and power.
But it was also a lifeline.
Theo extended his hand toward her. His eyes burned with quiet challenge.
"Do we have a deal?"
Aria's fingers trembled as she looked down at his outstretched hand. Her heart screamed in protest but her mind, that cold, desperate part of her, knew this was the only way.
Slowly, her hand slid into his.
Theo's grip tightened, firm and controlled. His eyes didn't soften, but something flickered beneath the steel.
"It's a deal," Aria whispered.
Theo's gaze darkened. "Good."
As he pulled his hand away, the warmth of his touch lingered on her skin, a quiet promise wrapped in a dangerous lie.
And as Theo Kingston's footsteps echoed down the hall, Aria's heart pounded with the sick realization that she had just made a deal with the devil.
A deal that might cost her more than just her school.
It might cost her heart.
Aria stood frozen long after Theo Kingston's footsteps had faded down the hall. Her hand still burned from where his fingers had wrapped around hers, and the lingering chill in the room felt like the aftermath of a storm.
"I need a fiancée."
The words looped in her mind like a haunting refrain. Cold. Sharp. Deceptively simple.
What the hell had she just agreed to?
Her violin slipped from her hand, the bow clattering to the floor with a sharp crack. Her breath hitched, and she bent down to retrieve it, her trembling hands struggling to grasp the polished wood.
"Aria?"
Leo's voice snapped her head up. He stood in the doorway, brows furrowed, his gaze shifting between her and the empty hallway behind her.
"What was he doing here?"
Aria's mouth was dry. "Nothing."
Leo's eyes narrowed. "That didn't look like nothing."
She stood, clutching the violin against her chest as if it could shield her from the weight of what had just happened. "It's… complicated."
Leo's jaw tightened. He stepped into the room, his gaze hardening. "Tell me."
Aria's eyes flicked toward the hallway, where Theo's presence still seemed to linger like smoke. "Theo Kingston just offered to pay off the school's debt."
Leo's mouth fell open. "What?"
She forced herself to meet his gaze. "If I agree to be his fiancée."
Leo's expression darkened. "You're joking."
"I wish I were."
"You said no." His voice was sharp.
Aria's lips parted but nothing came out.
Leo's eyes widened. "You didn't."
"I didn't have a choice." Her voice cracked on the last word, and the vulnerability beneath it made her chest burn.
Leo ran a hand through his blond hair, pacing in a tight circle. "Aria, you don't owe him anything. You can figure this out another way."
"What way?" Aria's voice was brittle. "The bank is ready to take the building. The donors stopped returning my calls. There's no one left."
"You could come to me," Leo said quietly.
Aria's heart squeezed. "Leo…"
He shook his head, the hurt clear in his eyes. "I could've helped."
"No." Her voice was sharp. "This is my fight. My family's legacy. You don't get to carry that."
Leo's jaw tensed. "But Theo Kingston does?"
Aria closed her eyes. "It's not like that."
Leo's laugh was hollow. "Of course it is."
He took a step toward her, lowering his voice. "You know his reputation. He doesn't help people out of kindness, Aria. He's dangerous."
"I know." Her voice was soft.
Leo's gaze burned into hers. "Then why did you say yes?"
Aria swallowed. "Because I don't have a choice."
Leo's mouth tightened. His shoulders sagged, like he knew there was nothing left to say.
"This is going to end badly," he said finally.
Aria's chest ached. "Probably."
Leo's gaze softened, but the tension between them didn't fade. "I don't trust him."
"Neither do I."
Leo hesitated for a long moment. Then he nodded stiffly and backed toward the door. "Just… be careful."
Aria watched him leave, the quiet echo of his footsteps swallowed by the vast emptiness of the room.
She was alone again.
Aria lowered her head, her eyes fixed on the violin in her hands. The polished wood gleamed beneath the dim light, but her reflection in it was distorted, blurred and fractured.
A reflection of what was coming.
The truth was, Leo was right. Theo Kingston didn't offer help without strings attached. His offer was calculated not an act of charity, but a transaction.
And now, she was part of the deal.
The next evening, Aria stood in front of the Kingston Enterprises building, the chill of the Chicago night biting at her exposed skin. The glass tower stretched into the sky, so high it seemed to pierce the low-hanging clouds. Its sleek, sterile design radiated cold power.
She wrapped her coat tighter around herself, her breath fogging in the frosty air. Her heels clicked sharply against the marble floor as she crossed the expansive lobby.
"Miss Morgan?"
She turned to find a woman in a tailored gray suit waiting beside the elevator. Her sleek ponytail and sharp eyes immediately marked her as someone who belonged in Theo Kingston's world.
"Mr. Kingston is expecting you," the woman said briskly.
Aria's mouth went dry. "Right."
The elevator ride to the top floor was swift and silent. Aria's heart hammered as the doors slid open to reveal a cavernous office lined with glass walls overlooking the glittering city below.
Theo stood near the window, his back to her. His dark suit blended with the night sky beyond the glass, his posture controlled and effortless.
"I wasn't sure you'd show." His voice was low, smooth as dark silk.
Aria stepped forward, the heels of her boots echoing against the marble floor. "I don't back out of deals."
Theo turned, his gaze cutting straight through her. His face was carved from shadow and light, his gray eyes gleaming beneath the low office lights.
"Good," he said.
Aria crossed her arms. "So what happens now?"
Theo's mouth curled slightly, not a smile, exactly. More like a quiet acknowledgment of control. "Now we make it official."
He stepped toward his desk and opened a sleek black folder. Aria's stomach tightened as he slid a contract toward her.
"This outlines the terms of the arrangement," Theo said. "Three months. Public appearances at scheduled events. Your role is to play the part of my devoted fiancée."
Aria's fingers brushed the edge of the contract. "And in return?"
"The academy's debts will be cleared within twenty-four hours of you signing."
She glanced up at him. "You've really thought this through."
Theo's gaze sharpened. "I don't make impulsive decisions."
Her eyes narrowed. "And what happens if I change my mind?"
Theo's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "You won't."
Aria's pulse spiked. "Confident, aren't you?"
Theo's eyes darkened. "Always."
Her hand hovered over the contract. Every instinct screamed to walk away to find another way out.
But there was no other way.
Aria picked up the pen.
Theo watched her with unwavering focus as she signed her name at the bottom of the contract.
When she set the pen down, the weight of what she'd done settled in her chest.
Theo picked up the contract, his gaze flicking over the signature. "It's done."
Aria's heart hammered painfully beneath her ribs.
Theo's eyes locked on hers. "You belong to me now."
Aria's breath hitched. "No," she whispered. "I agreed to a deal. I don't belong to anyone."
Theo's mouth curled. "We'll see about that."