Married to My Rival

Start Reading

My sworn enemy had been acting weird lately. Hangovers, chain-smoking, ignoring my usual jabs.

Diagnosis: unrequited love.

So I gloated. I eagerly offered my terrible advice.

Oh? Haven't you read those possessive billionaire romance tropes? North American girls eat up that pure testosterone energy right now. If you want her, just pin her against a wall and take her.

Julian scoffed. "Are you sure?"

He flipped me over and pinned me down.

"What are you doing?"

His long fingers slowly slipped under the hem of my skirt. "Taking what I want, baby."

Chapter 1

When I woke up that morning, I was still tangled in Julian's arms.

My heart slammed to a halt.

What could possibly be worse than waking up in bed with my sworn enemy? Julian and I were notoriously toxic in our social circle.

When we were kids, I snitched on his secret girlfriends, and he reported my fistfights to the headmaster. As adults, it only got worse.

Whenever he hosted a top-tier charity gala, I hired a fleet of garbage trucks to block the gates of his estate. The moment I took over a new startup project, he launched a hostile takeover of my favorite French bakery and shut it down permanently.

We literally wanted to strangle each other.

So last night, when I heard the rumor about his little unrequited crush, I gloated way too hard. I was so thrilled I popped open a whole row of limited-edition Macallan whiskeyand drank myself right into his bed.

"Awake?" Julian intimately tucked a messy strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers brushing against my earlobe.

I dragged my gaze up. Abs, pecs, a sharp Adam's apple. Damn it, the man was objectively gorgeous. He looked even better stripped down than he did in a tailored suit.

In just five seconds, my entire body flushed hot. My mouth literally watered.

I swallowed back a string of curses and yanked the duvet up to my chin.

"Last night we had way too much to drink. Total misunderstanding."

"Let's just forget about it. Erase it. Gone."

Julian let out a low scoff, the gravelly sound dripping with danger. "Baby, you definitely didn't have that attitude last night when you were begging your sweet husband for round two."

My brain short-circuited.

I stuttered. "N-no way."

"I recorded it." He anticipated my denial. He lazily swiped his thumb across his lock screen, his tone totally unbothered.

What?

Julian was a certified psychopath. If this got out, I would socially combust on the spot.

I threw my entire body forward, straddling his lap, and slapped my hand flat over his screen.

For the first time in my life, I plastered on a fake, flattering Hollywood smile. "Julian, let's talk this out like adults."

I rambled. "But right now, I have a massively important emergency to deal with."

"I have no idea what it is yet, but it's life or death."

"I gotta go. See you. Actually, no, bye."

Hopefully, never again.

My mind spun like a blender. I scrambled off him, snatching my clothes off the floor and yanking them on.

But my skirt was torn at the seam. My top was stained with questionable watermarks, and one of my brand-new designer stilettos had a snapped heel.

His white dress shirt was tossed over the armchair, the collar smeared with my lipstick.

Absolute madness. I didn't even want to picture how intense last night actually was.

Julian leaned back against the headboard, a picture of relaxed arrogance. He arched an eyebrow, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest. "You were just too enthusiastic. I barely kept up."

Heat exploded across my cheeks. In sheer panic, I grabbed Julian's tailored suit jacket and wrapped it around myself. Thank god he was tall and built with broad shoulders. The jacket swallowed me up, dropping right down to my mid-thigh.

My dignity was in shreds. I shoved my feet into the hotel slippers and bolted out the door.

The second I hit the pavement outside the hotel, my dad's rapid-fire calls blew up my phone.

"Where the hell have you been? You ignored my calls all night."

"I set up a blind date for you. You are going this time."

"If you ditch, I'm cutting off your cards!"

"I texted you the address. Clean yourself up and do not be late."

I checked the text. I had exactly thirty minutes until the reservation. Damn it.

Thirty minutes later, with my hair a mess and still buried in Julian's oversized jacket, I slid into a booth at the restaurant.

Chapter 2

The guy stared at me for a long moment before muttering, "Miss Marlowe, you certainly have a unique perspective on fashion."

I rubbed my temples, forcing a painful smile. "Haha, you noticed."

I racked my brain, trying to salvage whatever dignity I had left. The harsh screech of a chair dragging across the floor cut me off.

Julian brazenly pulled out a chair and sat down, his long legs spread wide. He lounged back like he owned the place.

"What a coincidence, Brooks." Julian smirked.

"Since you haven't ordered yet, you wouldn't mind adding another set of silverware for me, right?"

"Uh, actually, we're in the middle of a blind date."

"Glad you don't mind."

Brooks's already awkward expression darkened.

I glared at Julian, utterly baffled. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"At a restaurant? Eating, obviously." Julian gave me a mockingly tight smile. His tone begged for a punch to the face.

I knew exactly what he was doing: sabotage.

I took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to throttle him, and turned back to Brooks.

"Let's continue. Ignore him. Brooks, what exactly is your type?"

"Family-oriented. Independent." His good upbringing was the only thing keeping Brooks from walking out right then. He gave me a strained smile.

Before I could even open my mouth, Julian let out a long, exaggerated sigh. He propped his elbow on the table, resting his chin in his hand as he stared at me.

"Then she's a terrible fit. Brooks, you clearly don't know her."

"Marlowe recently cleared out Parisian haute couture and maxed out three of my Amex Black Cards. My dad thought I got kidnapped and held for ransom in Europe."

"And as for independent? Not a chance."

"Just last night, she cried mm, maybe five, six, seven times?"

The implications of his words hung in the air, thick and blatantly sexual. I maintained my stiff smile, desperately trying to ignore Julian.

"I'm actually incredibly financially responsible. Don't let him mislead you."

"After all, our family is a prominent, old-money establishment on the East Coast. My mother raised me to standard socialite perfection."

"I know how to behave."

Julian nodded as if he completely agreed, then drawled, "Behave? But you kicked the sheets off last night."

"Julian, you cross a line." I snapped.

I slammed my fist onto the tabletop.

"I cross a line?" Julian's eyes went glacial.

"Marlowe, who gave you the nerve to wear my jacket on a date with another man?"

I choked on my words. A second later, I realized I had zero reason to feel guilty.

I fired back, puffing out my chest. "So what?"

"Since when is it any of your business?"

Brooks had already slipped away the moment I slammed the table. The date was over. There was no point sticking around.

I shot Julian a vicious glare, spun on my heel, and marched out.

I barely made it to the underground parking garage.

A heavy hand clamped around my bicep, yanking me straight into the back seat of a dark SUV.

Julian's eyes were pitch-black pools of fury.

He grabbed both of my wrists with one hand, slamming them above my head against the tinted glass window.

"Marlowe." His voice was a dangerous, raspy scrape against the enclosed silence.

"I texted you all morning, terrified you were hurting, and all I get is a blocked notification? You've got some nerve, baby."

"Did you really just treat me like a top-tier male model billed by the hour? Three times last night."

"I forced myself to hold back because I was terrified I'd break you. Yet here you are, energized enough for a blind date."

"Clearly, I was way too gentle. You didn't learn a damn thing."

His solid frame trapped me against the seat. His hot, mint-laced breath brushed against my ear, sending a violent shiver down my spine. The pure predatory hunger in Julian's dilated pupils spiked my adrenaline.

I panicked, forcing out a weak defense. "II don't remember."

Julian let out a dark, breathless chuckle.

With his free hand, he ripped off his silk tie and expertly knotted it around my wrists.

"You don't remember?"

Chapter 3

He sank his teeth into my collarbone, scraping his canines against the delicate skin with deliberate cruelty.

A soft whimper tore from my throat.

Only then did he ease up, his large hands gripping my waist, his thumbs tracing the curve of my hip. "Baby," he rasped. "Let me refresh your memory."

The car windows were tightly sealed. The oxygen in the confined space thinned out with our erratic movements.

Condensation fogged up the tinted glass. My lungs burned for air.

"Julian, you psycho!"

"Yeah, I'm a psycho." Julian agreed with rare, infuriating docility. But the lazy smirk playing on his lips ruined the concession. He hit the lever, dropping the driver's seat flat, and pinned his heavy frame over mine.

The tips of my toes barely grazed the steering wheel. I had zero leverage to push him off.

Julian let out a low, breathy laugh and clamped a hand around my ankle. "Miss Marlowe, I highly recommend you stop making useless struggles. After all, it only turns the psycho on."

When I finally scrambled out of the SUV, my knees practically liquefied. The moment my feet hit the concrete, I stumbled. My legs felt disconnected from my body.

Julian hooked a strong arm around my waist, hauling me flush against his chest. A smug grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You're welcome. Anytime."

Blood rushed to my face. I shoved him away.

"I wasn't going to thank you, you arrogant prick."

"Doesn't matter." He popped an eyebrow, his tone infinitely punchable. "I just wanted an excuse to hold you."

Unbelievable. Since when did he become this shameless? I had no defense against this new level of thick skin, so I spun around and stalked away.

But Julian stuck to me like a stage-five clinger. I marched to my designated parking spot and dug out my keys. "Are you done? Stop following me."

"Wow, so heartless?" He leaned lazily against the hood of my car, throwing me a dramatic, wounded look like a jilted housewife.

"Are you addicted to this act?" I swung my Chanel bag by its chain strap and whacked him in the arm.

"I'm injured. It hurts. I need a kiss from my wife to heal." He instantly clutched his chest, hunching over and blinking with fake, glassy eyes.

My jaw ticked. Damn it. I really wanted to punch him in the throat.

"My car is temporarily out of commission. The least you can do is give me a ride."

He dropped the act, straightening up. His eyes trailed over me, perfectly controlled.

"After all, you're fifty percent responsible for the mess in the backseat."

"Not a chance." I hit my absolute limit.

Looking at his smug, victorious face, I decided it was payback time.

We had been at war for years, and this was the first time he had utterly steamrolled me.

It was a humiliating defeat. A fire burned in my gut.

I stretched my lips into a sickeningly sweet smile. "Brother-in-law, I don't think we should be doing this."

I pinched my throat, hiking my pitch to a sickly-sweet, theatrical whine.

"My sister is still at home. If you insist on leaving with me, what if she catches us?"

In an instant, the bustling parking garage seemed to hit a 0.5x speed setting. Passersby collectively slammed on the brakes, their steps slowing to a crawl.

I batted my eyelashes, layering on the innocent victim act.

"Brother-in-law, why are you always in such a rush? You better not be lying to me."

"You promised you were going to divorce her. Wait, what?"

"You still haven't signed the papers? So you've been playing me this whole time?"

"Boo-hoo"

Chapter 4

The pedestrians gazes toward Julian morphed into disgust.

An old lady pushing a stroller quickly clamped her hands over her grandchilds ears, muttering loudly about the decay of modern morals. A delivery guy on an electric scooter literally circled us three times, entirely abandoning his route just to rubberneck.

The toll booth security guard marched over, his face dead serious. "Ma'am, do you need assistance?"

"Yes, absolutely. This deadbeat won't leave me alone."

Julians jaw clenched tight, the muscles ticking under his skin. "Marlowe, you're unbelievable."

The guard stepped squarely between us, puffing out his chest with righteous justice.

My stomach cramped from holding back a burst of laughter. "Brother-in-law, I'm heading out. Don't miss me too much~"

The moment I pushed through the heavy front doors of my family's estate and slipped off the oversized suit jacket, my fathers booming voice echoed through the grand foyer.

"Marlowe! You ungrateful idiot, what do you think you are without this family!"

He didn't even ask about my disheveled state. He just marched down the curved staircase.

"You blew the blind date again, didn't you? How many times is this?"

"You worthless brat!"

Seeing that I was still resisting, he suddenly smashed his heavy crystal whiskey glass onto the floor right at my feet.

Flying shards of glass viciously sliced open my calf. Caught off guard, I crashed onto the freezing marble floor. The impact knocked the wind straight out of my lungs. A sharp sting flared up my leg.

I planted my palms against the cold stone and slowly forced my spine straight. "Dad, I just don't want a corporate marriage."

Acid burned the back of my throat. I bit down on my lower lip so hard I tasted copper, forcing back the moisture gathering in my eyes.

I had repeated it a thousand times. I refused to be a bargaining chip for boardroom negotiations.

But he kept pushing. My autonomy, my worthnone of it ever factored into his spreadsheets.

He stepped closer, his shadow falling over me.

"Ive funded your lavish lifestyle with the familys massive trust fund for years. Shouldn't you sacrifice something for the interests of the family empire?"

"Your brother has been busting his ass running the family corporation, and right now is the critical period for our Nasdaq IPO. He needs secure backing!"

"Old Chester, from that old-money Wall Street syndicate, has taken a liking to you."

"As long as you marry him, he'll inject massive capital into your trust fund and back the company's M&A deal. The wedding is set for the family gala next month."

My fingernails dug into my palms until the skin turned white.

Old Chester. Sixty-five years old. Just buried his fourth wife.

Word on the street was that after his young, beautiful wives signed draconian NDAs, they all met bizarre "accidents" on his private island.

"You're feeding me to a monster?"

"Older men know how to spoil a wife. Besides, he already has heirs."

"Haven't you been whining about never wanting kids? This is perfect."

"You step in as a stepmother, and you don't even have to ruin your body with pregnancy."

A violent tremor wracked my entire body. "Are you even listening to yourself?"

"My grades in college were just as good as his. The portfolios I managed for the firm these past few years never had a single flaw."

"I generated revenue that crushed projections every single quarter. I can manage the corporation alongside him."

"Why do I have to be sold off?"

A sharp crack split the air.

His palm cracked across my cheek.

"Still talking back." He adjusted his bespoke cuffs, his expression detached.

"The company will eventually belong to your brother. No matter what, you're not in the line of succession."

"Am I supposed to rely on a daughter instead of a son? Ive already accepted the preliminary investments from Chester's team."

"You sit here, wait for the wedding, and stop causing trouble."

The force of the slap threw my head to the side. A high-pitched ringing echoed in my ears. The chill from the marble floor finally seeped straight into my bones.

"So that's how it is." I dragged the back of my hand across my split lip, wiping away a smear of bright red blood.

Chapter 5

I used to think I just didn't work hard enough. I thought that was why I could never measure up to my brother, why I was always sidelined and starved for affection. But the fog finally cleared. Even if I was flawlesseven if I had forced the entire board of directors to acknowledge my competence in just two short yearsmy father was never going to give me a seat at the table.

In his eyes, I was just a beautiful doll, ready to be traded for Wall Street resources and stock options at a moment's notice.

"I'm not marrying that old widower!" I glared at him, my fingernails digging so hard into my palms they almost broke the skin.

I spun on my heel.

"Lock her in her room," my father ordered, his voice cold. "She doesn't step foot outside until the wedding."

He waved a hand. Several massive bodyguards immediately lunged forward, grabbing my arms. I thrashed and kicked, but their iron grips didn't loosen a fraction of an inch. They dragged me upstairs.

The heavy mahogany door slammed shut. The deadbolt clicked. They had confiscated my phone, my Apple Watch, every single piece of tech on me.

I collapsed onto the edge of the mattress.

The dam broke. Hot, pathetic tears streamed down my face, choking my breathing. I hadn't eaten all day, and the violent sobbing drained whatever energy I had left. I curled into a tight ball, hugging a silk pillow to my chest, the room spinning in dizzying circles.

I was so out of it, I didn't even hear the lock click open or realize Julian had slipped into the room.

A cool, calloused finger flicked against my forehead. "Get up and eat." His voice was low.

I stared at him blankly, my brain lagging for several long seconds. "How did you get in here?"

A lazy, arrogant smirk tugged at the corner of Julian's mouth. "To watch you make a fool of yourself, obviously."

I hurled the silk pillow straight at his face, my teeth grinding together. "Julian!"

He caught it effortlessly with one hand and tossed it right back onto my lap. "Not bad. You still have the energy to hit someone. Your aim is just as garbage as always, though."

Julian completely ignored the murderous glare I was shooting him. He casually unpacked the sleek takeout boxes, setting them out on the small table by the window.

"You brought me food?" I threw a quick glance at the spread. It was every single dish I obsessed over.

"What does it look like?" He handed me a pair of custom chopsticks.

Of all the people in the world, the only one who actually checked on me at my lowest point was him. A sharp sting hit the bridge of my nose, but I aggressively blinked it away and shot him a sideways glare. "A wolf in sheep's clothing. You've definitely got an ulterior motive."

Julian casually dragged a chair over, sitting entirely too close to me. He reached out, his thumb and forefinger pinching my cheek.

I had just shoved a massive spoonful of rice into my mouth. The sudden squeeze almost made me choke and spit it everywhere.

"Baby, how can you be so heartless?" His tone was its usual slow, infuriating drawl, dragging out the last syllable. But he let the first word roll off his tongue with a heavy, deliberate rasp that made the air suddenly thick.

"Why are you suddenly acting like a dog in heat?" The tips of my ears burned, but I snapped at him, faking a fierce glare.

"I take one look at you and lose my self-control. What am I supposed to do?" Julian rested his chin on his hand, watching me with dark, amused eyes. "Want to help me take care of it?"

How the hell did he say things like that with a totally straight face? I started coughing hard, my face flushing scarlet. "W-we just slept together once. Do you have to keep bringing it up?"

He patted my back, smoothing out my erratic breathing, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest. "Just making sure you don't dine and dash."

I took a quick sip of water, staring at him like he was a live explosive. "I'm literally backed into a corner right now."

"I don't have a single cent to my name. My projects are gone."

"What else do you want from me? I'm penniless now, at worst you can have your legal team sue me into bankruptcy."

"You think I'm using that night to mess with you? To blackmail you?" The amusement vanished from Julian's eyes. His face went dead cold.

"What else?" I shrank back slightly, the pure aggression in his stare making my stomach drop.

Julian irritably yanked at the knot of his tie, popping the top button of his shirt. He let out a harsh scoff.

"Yeah. Right. Absolutely."

"I just have way too much free time, so I hunt you down every single day."

He leaned in, his dark eyes locking onto mine, his voice dropping into a dangerous, gravelly register.

"If that's what you want to think, fine. You have no money? Then pay me back with yourself."

Chapter 6

The muscles in his jaw ticked, jumping visibly under his skin. But I had zero mental capacity to figure out why Julian was suddenly so pissed off. Because a crazy, desperate survival plan had just clicked in my head.

I stared at him, my pulse picking up. "Really?"

"Let's go. We can go to City Hall and sign the papers right now, and fly to Vegas tomorrow for the wedding."

"What?" Julian froze. He reached out, pressing the back of his cool hand against my forehead.

"Didn't you just tell me to pay you back with myself?" I swatted his hand away, flashing him an excessively eager smile. "We already slept together, so you definitely have to take responsibility for me. Besides, don't tell me you're actually too scared to do it?"

Right now, I didn't have the leverage to go to war with my father. I needed time to build my own empire.

Julian's family was the top-tier syndicate controlling the economic lifeline of the Upper East Side. My bloodsucking, profit-driven dad would be absolutely thrilled.

If I married Julian, I could buy my freedom. Once I was completely financially independent, I could just divorce him.

We had been sabotaging each other for years anyway. Using him this one time was just par for the course.

Instead of being sold to that crusty old widower, I'd rather latch onto Julian. After all cough he was young, gorgeous, and his body was objectively top-tier. Plus, he had been backing me into a corner and taking advantage of me for days over that one night. It was the perfect opportunity to collect some interest.

Julian let out a low laugh, snapping out of his shock. "Then let's go home."

Now it was my turn to freeze. Did I push the reverse psychology too far?

Julian wrapped his fingers around my wrist. With a light tug, he hauled me flush against him.

His large hand cupped the back of my head, pressing my face into his solid chest.

The intoxicating scent of his expensive cologne and clean mint invaded my senses. My cheeks heated up.

"We're moving in together today?"

"Yeah. Before your sister gets back." His chest rumbled with amusement. "We need to hurry up and have our affair