All Chapters of The CEO'S Vengeful marriage: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

“Sign it, Elara. Or watch your father die.”The words didn’t just hang in the air. They cut through it, sharp and final as a guillotine blade.I stood frozen in the middle of his office. My hands were shaking so hard I had to clutch the strap of my worn-out handbag just to keep them still. The room was cold, too cold. It smelled like expensive leather, old money, and rain, a scent that used to make me feel safe. Now, it just made me sick to my stomach.Damian Thorne didn’t even look up. He sat behind his massive black desk, scrolling through his phone like he hadn’t just sentenced my family to death. He looked bored. Detached. As if my life was nothing more than a minor inconvenience in his busy schedule.*Tap. Tap. Tap.*His pen hit the desk. Over and over. A steady, mocking rhythm that echoed in the silence.“You’re insane,” I whispered. My voice cracked. I hated how weak I sounded. I hated that he could see my fear. “You can’t force me to marry you. That’s… that’s illegal. You can

Three days.That was how long I survived in the gilded cage.For seventy-two hours, I lived like a ghost in Damian’s penthouse. I ate meals alone in the massive kitchen. I avoided the master bedroom. I jumped every time the intercom buzzed, terrified he was going to change his mind and throw me out. He barely spoke to me, only leaving notes on the counter or sending texts about schedule changes. It was cold. It was lonely. And it was exactly what I deserved.But the clock had run out. Today was the day of the engagement party.And Damian was not going to let his fake wife show up looking like a charity case.“The dress feels like armor,” I muttered to myself, staring at my reflection in the full-length mirror. “But it also feels like a cage.”The stylist, a severe woman named Claire who had arrived at the penthouse at 6:00 AM with three rolling racks of clothes, stepped back to admire her work. She had spent four hours turning me into a billionaire’s wife.The gown was emerald green.

The laptop screen glowed in the dark room, casting a pale blue light on my face. It was 2:00 AM. The penthouse was silent, save for the hum of the refrigerator and the distant wail of a siren far below.I rubbed my tired eyes. I had been scrolling through news articles, financial reports, and gossip blogs for hours. My head throbbed, but I couldn’t stop. Information was power. And right now, I had none.*Thorne Industries.* The name appeared everywhere. Real estate. Tech. Media. Pharmaceuticals. They owned half the city. Damian wasn’t just rich; he was untouchable.But every empire has cracks.I clicked on an article from three years ago. *“Thorne Industries Faces SEC Investigation.”* It was old news, buried under newer scandals. The investigation had been dropped quietly. No charges filed. But the article mentioned a key witness who had disappeared before testifying.A man named Arthur Vance.My father.My breath hitched. I scrolled down, my heart pounding against my ribs. The articl