Rejected by my Billionaire Husband.

"One year. No love and no questions. Do you agree, Ms. Sinclair?"

His voice was sharp, cold like the steel in his office walls.

Ava Sinclair swallowed hard, her fingers trembling as she stared at the papers in front of her. A contract marriage. And across the table sat Damien Thorne, billionaire CEO of Thorne Enterprises. A ruthless,heartless and dangerous man every woman in New York whispered about.

She was just a secretary. He was her boss.

This wasn't love. It wasn't even lust. This was a deal.Her brother was dying and Damien knew it.

"I just... I don't understand why me," Ava said softly, trying to keep her voice steady. "You could have anyone."

His gaze didn't flicker. "Exactly. I want someone no one will miss."

Her heart broke in places she didn't know existed on hearing his response.

That's what she was to him.A nobody,just a pawn.

Ava looked down at the contract again. A cold wave of nausea rolled through her.

It states- One year of marriage.No touching.No public affection.

No emotional expectations.Compensation: $1.2 million.

"This money... it'll pay for Levi's surgery?" she whispered, her throat tightening.

Damien's eyes didn't waver. "In full. But only if you marry me today."

She clenched her fists. Her little brother, Levi, was all she had left. She couldn't lose him.She has no other choice left for her.

She looked at Damien again. His face was unreadable. Handsome, yes. But Cold like a statue carved from ice.

"Fine," she whispered. "I'll marry you."

He leaned forward, passed her a pen.

"Then sign."

And with one signature, Ava Sinclair gave herself away not just her name but her freedom and her heart.

The wedding happened hours later in a private office. No flowers. No music. Just a judge, two signatures, and silence.Damien didn't even taje a glance at her as they exchanged vows.

---

Later that night, Ava stood alone in the massive guest room of his penthouse.

She wasn't even allowed to sleep in the same room as her husband on her own wedding night.She was alone.She sat on the bed, staring at the untouched gown she wore. Her hands were still shaking. Her eyes swollen from holding back tears.

How did my life become this?

A knock came at the door.She jumped.To her surprise,It was Damien.Still in his suit and still emotionless.

"There are rules," he said bluntly. "I don't want surprises. You don't speak to the media. You don't embarrass me in public. You don't enter my room without permission."

Ava nodded slowly, every word sinking like a blade into her chest.

"And one more thing," he added, stepping closer. "You're nothing more than my business partner. Don't start thinking you're anything else."

Ava bit her lip. "I wasn't planning to."

His jaw clenched. "Good."

He turned and walked out.

The door clicked shut and Ava fell to the floor in silence, her body shaking with quiet sobs.

One week later...

Ava stood in the elevator, heading to Thorne Enterprises for her first public appearance as Damien's "wife."

But she wasn't dressed like a wife.

She was dolled up like a trophy. Hair curled. Lips red. A tight black dress that barely let her breathe.She had begged to wear something else. Something simple and professional.But Damien had said:

"You're not here to think. You're here to look good."

As the elevator doors opened, dozens of eyes turned toward her. Some full of curiosity while others full of disgust and envy.A whisper rippled across the room.

"Is that her?"

"The new wife? She looks cheap."

"Didn't he have a fiancée last month?"

Ava kept walking, her heels trembling beneath her.Damien stood across the room, dressed in black, commanding every soul in sight. His fiancée,ex fiancée who is a tall and elegant woman approached them.

"Wow," the woman drawled, stepping up to Ava. "So you're the new charity case. I must say... Damien always did love strays."

Ava's face flushed with shame.

"That's enough, Clarisse."

Damien's voice sliced through the room. He pulled Ava to his side and kissed her on the cheek.

The crowd gasped.But when he leaned in, he whispered in her ear:

"Smile. Or I cut Levi's funding tonight."

Ava froze and her heart shattered.

She smiled and inside... she died a little more.

That night...

Ava stared at herself in the mirror.Makeup smeared. Eyes red. Hands shaking.

She pulled off the necklace Damien gave her and threw it on the floor.She opened her purse to get a tissue and saw the hospital bill again. Levi's name. The amount due.

$84,000 left.

She had to survive this.She had to endure for her brother.No matter what Damien did.No matter how much he humiliated her.She had to endure until it was over.

But as she looked out the window of the penthouse, a single thought struck her - sharp as a knife.

What if I don't make it through this year?

Just as Ava turns off the lights to sleep, she sees Damien's silhouette standing outside her room watching her through the glass.

The morning sun was harsh as it poured through the tall windows of the penthouse. Ava hadn't slept. Her eyes were sore and her body still tense from holding back the tears. But she didn't cry now. She couldn't afford to.

She had spent the night staring at the ceiling, wondering how much more she could take. Every word Damien had said echoed in her mind. "Smile or I cut Levi's funding tonight."

That man,her husband by law, her captor by reality had made it clear she was nothing but a tool. And today, she was expected to be by his side again, smiling like everything was perfect.

When she walked into the dining room, Damien was already at the table, reading a newspaper and sipping black coffee like he hadn't threatened her life the night before. He didn't look up when she entered.

She stood there awkwardly, unsure whether to sit or speak. Her dress from the night before still hung off her like a punishment. She hadn't even changed. What was the point?

He finally spoke, not looking at her. "We have a charity gala tonight. You'll be wearing what my assistant picked for you. Be ready by six."

No greeting,no eye contact and obviously no care.

Ava took a slow breath and nodded. "Okay."That one word was all she allowed herself. Anything more would break her.

Damien folded the paper and stood up. He adjusted his cufflinks with quiet precision. "Don't speak unless spoken to. Don't touch me and do not embarrass me in front of the press again."

Ava blinked. "Again? When did I ever-"

His eyes snapped to hers, sharp and unforgiving. "Yesterday. You hesitated when I kissed you."

"That wasn't a real kiss," she muttered before she could stop herself.

He stepped closer, towering over her, his voice low and dangerous. "Exactly. Nothing between us is real. Don't forget that."

Her jaw clenched, but she said nothing. What could she say? He had all the power.

That evening, the dress his assistant sent was gold, tight, and covered in crystals that scratched her skin. It wasn't her style - too loud, too flashy but she knew better than to argue. She wore it like armor, even though it felt like chains.When she walked down the stairs, Damien looked her up and down with a blank expression. Then he turned and left without a word. She followed, like a shadow.

The charity gala was held in a glass-walled ballroom overlooking the city. Every elite in New York was there - celebrities, CEOs, politicians. Paparazzi lights flashed like lightning as Damien stepped onto the red carpet with Ava on his arm.She felt everyone's eyes on her judging her or mocking her. She forced a smile.

Beside her, Damien didn't speak. His hand gripped her waist with perfect control, as if reminding her she didn't belong in his world.

They walked inside, greeted by applause. Ava blinked at the sudden attention. Why were people clapping?

Then she saw it, a massive screen behind the podium, displaying a slideshow.

Photos of Damien and his charitable work.

Photos of them popped up after.Their wedding photo flashed onto the screen. Ava froze.

And then came the lie.

The announcer onstage said, "And now, Mr. Damien Thorne and his lovely wife, Ava, will take the stage to say a few words about their journey together and what marriage has taught them."

Ava's heart stopped. Her hands went numb.

Words? Marriage? He never said anything about speaking!

She turned to Damien, panic in her eyes. He leaned down slowly and whispered through clenched teeth.

"Get on that stage, Ava. Or I'll pull Levi's breathing machine by midnight."

She looked at him, stunned. "You're joking..."But the smile on his face didn't reach his eyes. And she knew that he wasn't joking.

Ava's legs moved without thinking, her heels clicking against the floor like hammers. She walked up beside him, facing hundreds of people, cameras, and flashing lights.

A microphone was handed to her. Damien took the other.

He went first.

"Our marriage..." he said, voice like honey, "...was unexpected. But sometimes, life surprises you. Ava is... a light I never saw coming. She's brave, kind, and full of fire."

Applause.

Ava stared at him, confused. Was this the same man who had told her to disappear? Who called her nothing?

He turned to her and gave her a gentle smile - for the cameras.

"Your turn, darling."

She took a shaky breath. She wanted to scream, to cry, to run.But Levi's face flashed in her mind so she smiled.

"I... I didn't expect any of this," she said, her voice soft. "But I've learned that love comes in strange ways. And sometimes, even the coldest hearts... can be warmed."

The crowd clapped again. Ava swallowed the lump in her throat.

As they stepped off the stage, Damien pulled her aside behind a curtain.

His hand gripped her chin, hard enough to bruise.

"That wasn't bad," he said, his breath hot against her face. "But next time, say I'm the love of your life. Do you understand?"

She nodded, blinking back tears.But then he did something she didn't expect.

He kissed her.The kiss was hard,deep and invasive.

And for a second, the world spun.Her heart stuttered. Her body froze. Her mind screamed.But when he pulled away, his smile was cruel.

"Now everyone thinks you're mine."

She stared at him, her lips burning, her soul shaking.

"You kissed me just to prove a point?"

"Exactly."

That kiss wasn't affection.It was power and punishment.

Ava turned away, humiliated, humiliated to her bones.As she walked back into the crowd, her legs barely holding her up, her eyes locked with someone unexpected across the ballroom.

A tall man in sharp suit was watching her with strange curiosity.He raised a glass to her and smirked.

She had no idea who he was. But something in her gut twisted.Something told her that he was going to change everything.

As Ava reaches the car, her phone vibrates. A message appears from an unknown number:

"We need to talk. Your husband isn't who you think he is."

The message was still glowing on her phone screen.

"We need to talk. Your husband isn't who you think he is."

Ava read it twice. Her fingers trembled around the phone. She looked around the dark parking lot, but there was no one suspicious in sight. The driver opened the car door for her, and she quickly slid into the backseat beside Damien, forcing her face into a neutral expression.

She couldn't afford to look shaken. Not around him.

Especially not after what he'd done to her that night using a kiss as a weapon in front of hundreds of people, humiliating her in a room full of strangers just to maintain an image.

Damien didn't speak on the ride home. He stared out the window, his jaw tight, as if the world had offended him. Ava sat quietly beside him, her mind racing with questions. Who sent the message? Was it a threat or warning?

She couldn't ask him. She couldn't bring herself to telling him either.He'd never admit anything and she couldn't reply. What if he was tracking her phone?

Back at the penthouse, Ava excused herself quickly and locked the guest room door. Her heart wouldn't slow down. She re-read the message under her blanket, trying to make sense of it. She thought about everything she already knew about Damien - which wasn't much. He never talked about his family. He avoided personal questions. And he never let anyone see him vulnerable.

Who was the man she had married? What was he hiding?And more importantly,why did someone think she needed to know?

---

The next morning, Ava barely had time to breathe before Damien's assistant, a woman named Cara, showed up at her door with a large garment bag and a fake smile.

"Mr. Thorne has a family dinner tonight. You're expected to attend. Wear this."

Ava looked at the dress and felt her stomach twist. It was blood red, backless, and tight enough to cut off her breathing. Again, not her style.But she nodded and took it anyway. "Thanks."

Cara didn't leave. She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "Let me give you some advice, Ava. Don't try to get comfortable. You're not part of this family. You're just passing through."

Ava's hand tightened around the dress. "Thanks for the advice," she said quietly, "but I didn't ask for it."

Cara smirked. "You'll wish you had."

That evening, Ava stepped into the mansion Damien called his "family home." It looked like a palace - marble floors, gold chandeliers, glass stairs, and oil paintings of people who looked equally cold and powerful.

Damien's mother, Eleanor Thorne, was the first to greet them. She didn't smile. She didn't speak. She just looked Ava up and down like she was inspecting a stain on her silk curtains.

"So this is the charity wife," she said coolly, sipping her wine.

Ava froze.

Damien didn't defend her. He just handed Eleanor a gift box and said, "Don't start."

Eleanor raised a brow. "Why? She knows it's not real. You told her, didn't you?"

Ava swallowed her shame like acid. She didn't respond. She couldn't.

Another voice joined them - male, older, sharper.

"Be nice, Eleanor. If Damien married her, she must be useful."

Ava turned to see Damien's father, Conrad Thorne, walking toward them. His hair was white, his posture military-straight. He looked powerful in a terrifying way, like he could crush people with a glance.

"Welcome to our home, Ava," he said smoothly. "Do sit down. We've been waiting."

The long dining table was filled with relatives and corporate allies - some Ava recognized from news headlines. Billionaires. Investors. Politicians.

And here she was, in their world, feeling like an insect under a microscope.Dinner was a storm of subtle insults and fake smiles.They asked her questions she wasn't prepared for. About art, finance, politics - things she hadn't studied. She answered politely, but the mocking glances never stopped.

Eleanor leaned in halfway through dessert. "You know, dear, Damien used to be engaged to a senator's daughter. Now he's with... well, whatever it is you do."

Ava forced a smile. "I was a secretary. At Thorne Enterprises."

The table went quiet. Some coughed awkwardly. Others chuckled.

"A secretary," Eleanor repeated, amused. "How romantic."

Damien said nothing. Not once did he defend her.Ava kept her eyes on her plate, trying not to crumble.

That was when the doors opened and someone unexpected stepped inside.

A sliver haired man in sharp suit. The same man who raised his glass to her at the gala.He walked in like he owned the place, every eye turning toward him.

"Mr. Gray," Damien's father said, standing up to shake his hand. "Didn't think you'd make it."

"I wouldn't miss it," the man replied, his eyes landing on Ava. "Especially after seeing such a lovely new addition to the family."

Ava felt her skin tighten.

Mr. Gray sat across from her, smiling kindly. "And you must be Ava."

She nodded politely. "Yes. It's nice to meet you."His eyes held hers for a little too long.

Then he said, with a slight smirk, "Have you checked your phone lately?"

Her heart stopped.

The voice. The message. It was him.

Damien looked between them, his expression unreadable.

Mr. Gray lifted his glass. "To family," he said.

Ava lifted hers.Her hands were trembling slightly. "To family."But her thoughts were far away.

What did he know? Why was he warning her?And how deep did Damien's secrets go?

As dessert is cleared, Ava's phone buzzes again beneath the table. Another message.

"He's not just cruel. He's dangerous. You need to protect yourself "