I MARRIED MY FATHER'S ENEMY, AND NOW I'M TRAP

“If you think this marriage makes me yours, you’re already mistaken.” That was the first thing I said to Adrian Voss on our wedding night.

The room was quiet. Too quiet. The kind of silence that presses against your chest and makes it hard to breathe. The ceremony had ended an hour ago. The guests were gone. The smiles were gone. Now it was just him and me.

Adrian stood near the window, his back straight, his hands calm at his sides. He did not look like a man who had just gotten married. He looked like a man who had just signed a business contract.

Slowly, he turned to face me.

“If you think this marriage makes you safe,” he replied, “you’re mistaken too.” I held his gaze. I refused to blink first.

This was not love. This was not destiny. This was war dressed in white.

Everyone believed I was the weak daughter of a powerful man. The quiet, obedient girl who did what her father wanted. They thought I married Adrian because my father arranged it. Because I had no choice.

They were wrong.

I chose this.

But standing here, alone with him, I felt something I did not expect. Not fear exactly. Something heavier. Something that made my heart beat in a strange, uneven way. Adrian walked closer. Not fast. Not slow. Controlled. “You don’t look like a woman in love,” he said calmly.

“I’m not.”

“Good.”

His answer should have made me feel relieved. Instead, it stung; I hated that.

I had studied him before this marriage. I knew about his past. I knew he blamed my father for destroying his family’s legacy. I knew this marriage was his revenge. He thought he was trapping Victor Vale’s daughter.

He had no idea I was trapping him, too.

Still, being in the same room with him was different from reading reports about him. He was sharper in real life. More present. His eyes didn’t just look at me. They studied me.

“You’re shaking,” he said quietly. I froze; I hadn't noticed.

“It’s cold,” I replied.

He stepped closer again. Now he was close enough for me to feel the warmth of his body.

“It’s not cold.”

My pride rose quickly. “You seem very confident for someone who just married his enemy.” A faint smile touched his lips. It did not reach his eyes. “You assume you’re the enemy.”

“I assume I’m not stupid.” That made him pause. For a second, something changed in his expression. Curiosity. Interest, Good. Let him wonder.

I moved away from him and walked toward the table where the wedding papers were placed. My name beside his looked strange. Seraphina Vale Voss. It felt like I had stepped into someone else’s life.

“You don’t have to pretend with me,” he said behind me. “I know this isn’t what you wanted.”

My chest tightened. If only he knew, I turned slowly. “And you think you know what I want?”

“I think you’re your father’s pawn.” The word hit harder than I expected.

Pawn. I had spent my whole life proving I was not that.

“You don’t know anything about me,” I said, my voice softer than I meant it to be.

His gaze sharpened. “I know enough. You grew up protected. You’ve never struggled. You’ve never lost.”

He was wrong. So wrong. But I couldn’t tell him that. Not yet.

“You married me to hurt my father,” I said instead. “Don’t act like you’re rescuing me.” He didn’t deny it, “That’s what I thought.” Silence fell again.

This was how it would be. Two people standing in the same room, hiding everything real.

I should have felt powerful. This was part of my plan. Being close to Adrian meant being close to the evidence I needed. He had resources. Access. Enemies.

But standing here, something unexpected grew inside me.

He didn’t look at me with pity. He looked at me like a challenge. And I didn’t know if that excited me or scared me. Suddenly, his phone buzzed.

He didn’t break eye contact as he answered it. “What is it?”

His expression changed. Just slightly. But I noticed. “When?” he asked. A pause.

“I’ll handle it.” He ended the call and looked at me differently now. Not cold. Not distant. Calculating.

“What happened?” I asked before I could stop myself.

“It seems,” he said slowly, “your father made a move faster than I expected.”

My stomach dropped. “What kind of move?” “A financial investigation into one of my companies.”

That didn’t make sense. My father supported this marriage. He acted pleased.

Unless,

“He wouldn’t do that without a reason,” I whispered.

Adrian watched me carefully. “Are you surprised?” I forced myself to nod. “Yes.”

He stepped closer again. “Then you’re either a very good actress… or you’re not as involved as I thought.” That small line shook me more than it should have.

He was starting to doubt his assumptions, that was dangerous. Before I could answer, my own phone vibrated.

A message from an unknown number. I opened it, one sentence.

You chose the wrong side. My blood ran cold.

I knew that message. I had seen similar ones before. Anonymous warnings whenever I asked too many questions about my father’s business.

Adrian noticed my face change. “What is it?”

“Nothing.”

He didn’t believe me. He reached out suddenly and took the phone from my hand.

“Adrian”

He read the message. The air shifted, “This isn’t about me,” he said quietly.

I swallowed. “I know.” He handed the phone back but didn’t step away. “Who sent that?”

“I don’t know.” “Don’t lie to me.” Anger flared. “I’m not lying.” He studied me again. Searching. Measuring, “You look scared,” he said.

“I’m not,” you are, I hated that he could see it. Because I was.

That message meant one thing. My father suspected something.

Not about Adrian, about me, my plan suddenly felt fragile. Adrian moved to the door. “Stay here tonight.”

I blinked. Excuse me? “I need to check something, you think I’m involved? “I think someone is.” He paused at the door and looked back at me. “If your father is playing a deeper game, I need to know whether you’re part of it or you’re another victim.”

Victim.

I didn’t want to be that word. But right now, I felt like one. He left the room. The silence swallowed me. I sat down slowly on the edge of the bed. My hands were shaking now, and I couldn’t hide it; this was moving too fast.

I had planned everything carefully. I would enter Adrian’s life slowly. Gain his trust. Use his power to expose my father. Piece by piece.

But now my father had made the first move. And that meant he felt threatened.

Which meant he knew something. A sudden knock at the door made my heart jump. I stood up quickly, “Who is it?” I asked.

“It’s Lucas.”

Adrian’s best friend, I hesitated, then opened the door slightly.

Lucas Kane stood there, tall and solid, his eyes sharp. He looked like a man who missed nothing. “Adrian's in his office,” he said calmly. “He asked me to stay near you.”

“Why?”

“Because if Victor Vale is making moves, this house isn’t as safe as it looks.” The words made my skin prickle, “Are you saying I’m in danger?”

Lucas held my gaze. I’m saying you might not be the only one pretending in this marriage. My breath caught. What does that mean?” He didn’t answer directly.

Instead, he said, “You should ask yourself something, Mrs. Voss.” I hated how that name sounded.

“What?”

“Why would your father attack Adrian tonight, unless he wanted something to happen?”

The question hung in the air, something to happen, A distraction, A setup, A trap.

Suddenly, I felt it. The pieces shifting, this marriage wasn’t just revenge, it wasn’t just strategy. It was bait.

And I didn’t know who the hunter was. Before I could think further, a loud crash echoed from downstairs. Lucas turned instantly, alert, another crash.

Then, Adrian’s voice, sharp, furious, Lucas looked at me. “Stay here,” he ordered.

But I was already moving. Fear, pride, and something else pushed me forward.

As I reached the staircase, I saw Adrian in the living room, holding a broken glass in his hand, his face pale for the first time. On the large screen behind him was a live news broadcast, and my father stood at a podium.

And beside him was a woman I had never seen before.

Smiling.

Wearing a diamond ring identical to mine.

Victor Vale leaned toward the microphone and said clearly,

“I am proud to announce my daughter’s engagement to Adrian Voss.”