Married to my Father’s Enemy

I stared at him, sure I had heard him wrong, but the calm look on his face told me I hadn’t.

“Marry you?” I said slowly, my voice rising in disbelief. “Are you serious right now?”

“I am,” Adrian replied, like it was the simplest thing in the world.

A short, disbelieving laugh escaped me as I shook my head. “No, wait, hold on. You want to get married? Adrian, you don’t even know me. What is this supposed to be? You just want to use me?”

His expression didn’t change, but the air around him felt colder instantly.

“You benefit from this too,” he said. “You will be under my protection. No one will touch you.”

I stepped back slightly, trying to process how calm he was. “And how do I know I can trust you?” I shot back. “How do I even know I’m safe here?”

His jaw tightened for a second, like my question irritated him, but he controlled it quickly.

“If I hadn’t stepped in when those men had you, you wouldn’t be standing here right now, Aria,” he said firmly.

The memory flashed in my mind before I could stop it, and I hated that it made my stomach twist.

He stood up and took a slow step away, then another, as if he needed movement to keep his thoughts in control.

“Those men weren’t playing games,” he continued. “And they won’t stop.”

Silence fell between us.

I felt my thoughts scatter, nothing making sense anymore. Everything was moving too fast, too dangerous, too unreal.

“I…” I exhaled sharply, rubbing my forehead. “I need to go.”

I turned toward the room immediately and started grabbing my bag.

“Where are you going?” Adrian asked behind me, his voice steady but closer now.

“I need to see my dad,” I said without turning. “I think he’s involved in this. I need answers.”

I zipped my bag and finally faced him again.

“And your proposal?” I added. “No, Adrian. I don’t know you. I’m not marrying you.”

A silence followed.

Then he spoke.

“Fine,” he said quietly. “Go.”

I frowned slightly at how easily he said it.

But then he added, softer but sharper, “I hope you don’t regret it.”

I ignored him and walked out.

A black SUV was already waiting outside.

“The boss doesn’t want you ordering a taxi,” David said, opening the door for me.

“Tell your boss he doesn’t have to worry about me,” I replied, stepping past him.

I walked away from the SUV and flagged down a taxi myself.

Within minutes, I was on the road again.

~ ~ ~

I paid the driver and stepped out in front of the gate, and for a second I just stood there, looking at home as a strange wave of relief hit me, but it didn’t last.

It felt heavy instead. Wrong. Like I was walking back into something I didn’t understand.

I beeped at the gate, and the security recognized me and immediately opened it for me. I stepped inside, and I saw my father in the living room on a phone call. The moment he noticed me, he ended the call immediately.

“Where have you been?” he snapped.

His voice was sharp, almost like he had been waiting to attack me.

I let out a dry laugh. “Where have I been?” I repeated. “That’s the first thing you’re going to ask me?”

His expression hardened instantly.

“You are nothing but an ungrateful child,” he barked. “You ruined the wedding arrangement with Daniel, and now everything I worked for is falling apart because of you.”

My chest tightened, but I forced myself to stay still.

“I did everything you asked me to,” I said, my voice shaking despite my effort. “Everything. He cheated on me with Bella, Dad. And somehow this is still my fault?”

He started walking toward me slowly, his steps controlled.

“He cheated?” he said coldly. “So what?”

I froze.

It felt like the world stopped for a second.

“So what?” I repeated, my voice barely stable.

“You ran away,” he continued like I hadn’t spoken. “And now you expect to inherit the Collins empire acting like this? I told you business comes before emotions. But you never listen.”

Something inside me cracked.

I took a step forward.

“Sometimes I wonder if I’m even your daughter,” I said, my voice breaking. “Or just a tool you use when it suits you.”

Silence fell between us, and for a second he didn’t respond. I didn’t wait. I turned and ran upstairs.

My room door shut behind me, and everything came crashing down. I sank onto the bed as tears broke out again, uncontrollable. “Why…” I whispered. “Why is this happening to me?”

A knock came, soft and careful. I quickly wiped my face and stood. “Who is it?” I asked, but there was no reply. Only silence.

I walked to the door slowly, my heartbeat rising for no reason, and when I opened it, no one was there. Only a small envelope lay on the floor.

My stomach dropped as I picked it up and opened it. Inside was a single line: “You were never supposed to come back home.”

I froze, reading it again, my mind refusing to accept it.

I stepped into the hallway and called out, “Hello? Is anyone here?” but there was no answer.

I moved further in, each step heavier, until I noticed something under the staircase.

I bent down and picked up a small black device. A tracker.

My hands went cold.

My phone vibrated. Unknown number.

A message appeared: “They already know you are back.”

I slowly looked up, scanning the house, but the silence felt different now, like someone was still there, watching me without making a sound.