His Rivals virgin Bride

Chapter One: The Wrong Man

Aria Vale stood still in her ivory wedding gown, hands clenched at her sides as the heavy doors of the Alari estate's private suite closed behind her with a soft, final click.

This wasn't the chapel.

This wasn't the ballroom.

This wasn't where Dante was supposed to be.

The room was dimly lit, all sleek marble and masculine luxury - a low fire crackling in the hearth, floor-to-ceiling windows casting shadows across the silk-draped bed.

And the man seated in the armchair across from her was not her fiancé.

He didn't even stand when she entered. He just looked up slowly, one long leg crossed over the other, a glass of dark scotch in his hand.

"Hello, Mrs. Alari," he said.

Aria's heart stuttered. Her lips parted. "You're not Dante."

"No," he agreed. "I'm the one you're actually marrying."

She stared at him - at the tailored black suit, the sharp cut of his jaw, the shadow of a scar beneath his left eye. Luca Alari. Dante's older brother. The one they whispered about at charity galas. The one who disappeared from the family business after a scandal and a boardroom war.

"You're lying," she whispered, voice trembling. "This isn't funny."

Luca stood, tall and controlled, like a panther stretching after a long nap. He walked toward her with slow, deliberate steps, each one louder than the last on the marble floor.

"I don't do jokes, Aria." He stopped just in front of her. She could smell the scotch on his breath, feel the heat of him through layers of lace. "The papers were signed this morning. Your father agreed. Your mother witnessed it."

"No." She backed up a step. "No, I was marrying Dante. This was about love."

He smiled - cruel, beautiful, merciless.

"No, sweetheart. This was about a debt. And I'm the one collecting."

Aria's chest tightened. "This isn't legal. I didn't agree-"

"You don't need to," he cut in. "Your father signed for you. You were promised to the Alari family. He just changed the name on the contract."

Tears stung her eyes. "Dante-he wouldn't let this happen."

"Dante tried," Luca said calmly. "But he doesn't run the family anymore. I do. And I wanted you."

She tried to turn toward the door. His hand shot out and caught her wrist.

"No," he said softly, dangerously. "You don't walk away from me."

Her breath hitched. His grip wasn't cruel, but it was unmovable. Like everything else about him - cold, hard, final.

"You're mine now, Aria. Not just in contract. In every way that matters."

She looked up at him, defiant even as her body betrayed her with shivers.

"You think I'll let you touch me? You think I'll let you have me like some-some trophy?"

Luca's expression didn't change. He brought her hand to his mouth, pressed a slow kiss to the inside of her wrist.

"I don't think," he murmured, lips grazing her skin. "I know."

Her heart pounded so loudly she could barely hear her own thoughts.

Then he dropped her hand and stepped back.

"But not tonight," he said.

She blinked, breathless. "What?"

"I want you desperate," he said, loosening his tie, walking past her. "I want you to come to me. On your knees. When you've stopped pretending and started needing."

He disappeared behind the door to the master bedroom, leaving her standing there - stunned, furious, and shaking.

Aria Vale had just been stolen like a pawn in a family game.

And now she belonged to the wrong Alari brother.