The billionaire’s forced bride

Name: The billionaire’s forced bride
Availability: InStock
Author: Writingale Pen

Writingale Pen

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18+Age Gap Love Story Romance Steamy

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Introduction

Lola Nightwood had always been the kind of woman who lived to please others. She was silent when mocked, submissive when scorned, and obedient when treated like dirt. Her heart, her body, and her very existence were never her own. And in return for a lifetime of quiet endurance, she was left to burn in the ashes of sins she never committed. Her life shattered the day her parents died in what the world believed was a tragic accident. Orphaned at a young age, she fell under the guardianship of her uncle and his wife, who treated her less like family and more like a servant. While her parents had once treated them as equals, they now repaid the debt with cruelty. But her misery reached its peak the night her uncle announced she would be married off to Rome Ryder—the man feared like a devil in the business world. Known for his cruelty toward women, his cold heart, and his reputation for breaking anyone who dared to get close, Rome was a monster in every whispered story. Standing before her guardians, tears threatening to fall, Lola accepted her fate in silence. Yet deep inside, she made a secret plan: to end it all when no one was watching. But what happens when she realizes her parents’ deaths weren’t accidents? When she discovers her inheritance is the very reason she was sold off? And when she begins to see cracks in Rome’s cold mask—cracks that reveal obsession, pain, and a dangerous vulnerability? Who is the real monster? Rome Ryder, who cages her in cruelty but bleeds for her in secret? Smith Ryder, the charming half-brother who covets both his empire and his wife? Or Victor Ryder, the patriarch who orchestrated every tragedy that shaped their lives? Lola’s fate isn’t just about surviving a marriage to a monster—it’s about uncovering the truth, taking back what was stolen from her, and deciding whether to destroy the very forces that caged her.

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The birthday Betrayal

Lola's POV

It had started as a lovely day or one I imagined it was.

"Lola! Get down here this instant!"

I flinched at Aunt Ariel's shrill voice cutting through the morning silence. Twenty-three years old today, and she still made me feel like a terrified child. I set down the dust cloth I'd been using to clean my tiny attic room and hurried downstairs, my bare feet silent on the cold tiled steps.

Uncle Alexander sat behind his mahogany desk, phone pressed to his ear, his face red with anxiety.

"Yes, Mr. Ryder. Today. She'll be ready." His voice cracked slightly. "The debt will be settled."

Debt?

Aunt Ariel stood beside him, her perfectly manicured fingers grasping her designer bag.

Her cold eyes found mine the moment I entered the living room.

"Sit," she commanded, pointing to the armchair across from them.

I perched on the edge, hands folded in my lap like the miserable obedient little mouse they'd trained me to be.

"Happy birthday, Lola," Uncle Alexander said without looking up from his papers. His tone was anything but happy.

"Thank you," I whispered.

Aunt Ariel's laugh was laced with scorn "Don't thank us yet, darling. We have wonderful news." She pulled out a thick manila envelope. "You're getting married."

The words hit me like a physical blow. "I'm... what?"

"Married. Today. To Rome Ryder." She chirped.

Rome Ryder. I knew that name. The crippled billionaire heir to the Ryder Group empire. The man who'd been in a wheelchair since some terrible accident months ago. The man the tabloids called "The Ice King" for his cruel treatment of women.

"I don't understand." I croaked. "I don't even know him."

"You don't need to know him," Uncle Alexander snapped, finally looking at me. His eyes held no warmth, no love. Just calculation. "You need to marry him. Today."

The room spun. "But... but I wanted to go to college. I saved money from my cleaning jobs. I applied to universities..."

The slap came so fast I didn't see it coming. Aunt Ariel's hand landed on my cheek, sending me tumbling from the chair onto the floor.

"Ungrateful little bitch!" she snarled, standing over me.

"After everything we've done for you! We took you in when your precious parents died. Fed you. Clothed you. Gave you a roof over your head."

I touched my burning cheek, tears pooling in my eyes.

"I worked for everything. I cleaned your house. I cooked your meals. I never asked for anything—"

"Of course you didn't!" she snarled.

"You think keeping you was easy? You think we wanted some orphaned burden?"

Uncle Alexander stood, straightening his tie. "The car will be here in an hour. Pack your things."

"Please," I whispered from the floor. "I just want to go to school. I just want a normal life."

"Normal?" Aunt Ariel laughed that terrible laugh again. "Darling, normal girls don't come with your complications."

What complications?

"Your parents left debts," Uncle Alexander said quietly, not meeting my eyes. "Serious debts. To serious people. This marriage settles everything."

"What debts? They died in a car accident when I was eight. What debts could they have..."

"Pack. Your. Things." He said his voice turning deadly. "The Ryders don't like to be kept waiting."

I struggled to my feet, my legs shaking. "And if I refuse?"

Uncle Alexander and Aunt Ariel exchanged a look I couldn't read. Something passed between them. Something dark.

"You won't refuse," Aunt Ariel said softly. "Because you're a good girl, Lola. And good girls do what they're told."

The threat in her voice was unmistakable. I'd learned to read their moods over the years. This wasn't negotiation. This was a command.

"Why Rome Ryder? Why me?"

"Because," Aunt Ariel smiled, and it was the cruelest expression I'd ever seen, "you're exactly what he deserves."

I stood there in my faded jeans and oversized sweater, my cheek still stinging, my dreams crumbling around me. In one hour, I would leave this house forever. In one hour, I would become the wife of a man I'd never met.

A man who was supposedly crippled, hated women.

"Go pack," Aunt Ariel said again, her voice bored now that the drama was over.

I turned toward the stairs, dragging my feet . Behind me, I heard Uncle Alexander's phone ring again.

"Yes, Mr. Ryder," he answered immediately. "She's ready. The car can come now."

Now? The car was coming now.

I ran up the stairs, my heart pounding. In my tiny room, I grabbed my one small suitcase and threw in my few belongings. Three sets of clothes. A photo of my parents. The acceptance letter to State University I'd hidden under my mattress.

Through my small window, I saw a black luxury car pull into the driveway.

My hands shook as I folded my parents' photograph carefully into my jacket pocket. "I'm sorry," I whispered to their smiling faces, tears streaming down my cheeks

"I'm so sorry."

Aunt Ariel appeared in my doorway, her expression impatient.

"Time's up, princess." She grabbed my arm and yanked me toward the door. "Your new husband is waiting."

"Wait, I need..."

"You need nothing." She shoved me toward the stairs.

"Nothing but to remember your place."

At the front door, Uncle Alexander waited with a man in a suit. The stranger looked me up and down like I was strange.

"This is her?" he asked doubtfully.

"This is her," Uncle Alexander confirmed. "Lola Nightwood. Twenty-three today."

The man nodded curtly. "Mr. Rome Ryder is waiting."

As they pushed me toward the car, Aunt Ariel leaned close to my ear.

"One more thing, darling," she whispered, her breath hot against my skin. "You can't escape this. Try all you might".