The Billionaire’s Emergency Bride
She was a girl with a debt she couldn't pay. He was a king with a throne he couldn't lose.
Talia Jett is 48 hours away from losing everything. After her brother’s "sure-thing" investment turned out to be a scam involving the city’s most dangerous loan sharks, she’s been given an ultimatum: pay back two million dollars or pay with her life.
Desperate, she takes a high-stakes catering gig at the Vane Plaza to scout a way out. But a wrong turn leads her into the penthouse of Soren Vane—a man whose heart is as cold as the steel towers he owns.
Soren is facing his own execution: a corporate coup. If he doesn’t clean up his "playboy" image before the merger of the century, he’ll be stripped of his empire. When a rival socialite corners him with the paparazzi in tow, Soren sees Talia—hidden in the shadows, trembling and beautiful.
He doesn't ask. He claims.
With one bone-melting kiss in front of a dozen cameras, he makes her the most famous woman in the world.
"Meet my fiancée," he tells the flashing bulbs.
The Deal: Soren pays off her debt to the loan sharks and provides her brother with a round-the-clock security detail.
The Price: Talia belongs to him for one year. She must live in his house, share his bed for the cameras, and sign a contract that forbids her from ever leaving his side.
Talia thought the loan sharks were the most dangerous men she’d ever met. She was wrong. Because while the sharks wanted her money, Soren Vane wants something much more expensive.
He wants her soul. And in this marriage of convenience, the fine print might just break her heart.
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Chapter: Chapter 11Midnight LinesTALIAI didn’t sleep.I lay there pretending, eyes closed, breathing slow and even like I’d seen in movies. Every shift of the sheets felt too loud. Every breath Soren took beside me registered like a touch.The room was really dark. The only light came from the city outside. It was shining through the windows. The bed in the room was huge. It felt big. At the same time it felt too small. Hours crawled by. My mind kept replaying the gala, the stranger’s hot whisper, Vera’s cold smile, Soren’s hand pulling me tight against him like I actually belonged there.Eventually his breathing deepened. The snores are almost gentle. I waited for another ten minutes just to be sure that he was really asleep then I carefully slid out from under the covers.For a moment I just stood there looking down at him.Soren Vane, the Ice King, looked… different asleep. The sharp lines of his face had softened. No calculating stare. No guarded mask.Just a man with dark lashes against his chee
Last Updated: 2026-07-03
Chapter: Chapter 10Clause 17 ActivatedSORENThe drive back to the estate was quiet, but the silence wasn’t empty. It crackled. Talia sat across from me in the car, her hands folded tight in her lap, the black dress still somehow perfect despite the chaos of the night.I kept seeing that moment in the crowd the second she’d disappeared from my grip. The waiter’s face, the muttered threat. Dex’s reach had grown longer than I’d calculated. That changed things.By the time we stepped inside the house, the decision had already hardened. No more gradual progression. No more careful distance. Clause 17 was no longer a future contingency. It was now.Petra met us in the foyer, her expression carefully neutral. I gave her a short nod. “Move Talia’s things into the main suite. Tonight.”Talia’s head snapped toward me. “What?”I didn’t stop walking. She followed, heels clicking sharp against the stone. Good. Let her be angry. Anger was useful. Predictable.In my bedroom the lights were already turned down low, th
Last Updated: 2026-07-02
Chapter: Chapter 9The Intended BrideTALIAThe gala was what I thought it would be and a bit more disappointing. The crystal chandeliers shone brightly over the marble floors.The air was filled with the smell of perfume and old rich people. People were chatting around us in a smooth way. Everyone was saying one thing. Thinking of another.I felt eyes on me the second we stepped through the doors. Not the casual glances you get when you’re carrying a tray of champagne. These were assessments. Weighing. Calculating how I fit into the picture beside Soren Vane.His hand rested at the small of my back as we walked through the crowd. It was a touch that seemed casual to other people but I could feel it all over my body. The warmth of his hand went through the fabric of my dress.His fingers were spread out enough to make me feel like he owned me. I told myself this was all part of a plan, it was strategic. Part of the performance.Still, my body didn’t seem to care about the difference. Every step we took
Last Updated: 2026-06-29
Chapter: Chapter 8Terms of SurvivalTALIAI woke up with the taste of last night still bitter on my tongue and decided I wasn’t going to spend the day waiting for Soren’s next move.The estate felt different when the sun was out; it was still really pretty. It was still cold too. I put on my jeans and a plain sweater and went out of my room.I really wanted to find something that felt like it belonged to me. I wanted to find a part of the house that was not perfectly arranged by someone. A door that didn’t feel locked from the inside.It didn’t take long for the place to push back.The first hallway was fine. Sunlight came through the windows and made the light stone floors look almost warm.The doors that went out to the east terrace were glass. I tried to open them but the handle wouldn't move. A soft red light blinked on the discreet panel beside it.Authorization required. I tried another corridor that looked like it led toward the kitchen wing. Petra appeared at the end of it like she’d been summo
Last Updated: 2026-06-26
Chapter: Chapter 7Controlled EnvironmentsSORENSleep was never a given, but tonight it was impossible.I stood at the tall window in my room, the grounds below swallowed by darkness except for the precise lines of security lighting cutting through the trees. The glass was cool against my fingertips.I kept seeing the moment Talia looked up from that folder, her face pale, eyes wide with the particular shock of someone realizing the game had started long before she stepped onto the board.No regret on my part. Just recalibration. I had expected her to find it eventually. Sooner than projected, though. That interested me more than it should.She was sharper than the profile suggested. That complicated things. I didn’t dislike the complication.My phone vibrated on the desk. Desmond. Of course. The man had the instincts of a bloodhound and the sleep schedule of a machine.“Talk,” I said, keeping my voice low.“Minor breach attempt on the perimeter feed at the south gate,” he reported, crisp and unhurried
Last Updated: 2026-06-25
Chapter: Chapter 6 Rule Number TwoTALIAI didn’t step back.My body was telling me to move from this person to get the desk behind me and the door in front of me so I could leave. If I step back now it will feel like I am quitting. I have already shared much of myself with this person tonight.Every muscle in my body was still screaming at me to put some space between us.So I just stood there with my head high. The folder I had just opened was still warm, in my hands.Soren filled the space around me without touching me. It wasn't his height or the wide line of his shoulders that caught my eye.The air in the room seemed to get tighter when he was around. It was like the room was making space for him and for whatever he was thinking. I could see it in his ice- eyes.I was next to him and could smell cedar on his skin. I also caught something with a sharper scent. It smelled like whiskey.. Maybe it was just leftover from the night before.“Rule number two,” he said, voice low, almost conversational, “
Last Updated: 2026-06-22
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