As they openly say, 'life isn't fair'! Well for me, that's exactly the definition of my own life. Not until i reached the age of 18, where i signed the most stupid arrangement and contract in my life. Do you know what consist of that so called arrangement? Well, let me tell you... it's just me and my name who and which is going to be tied 'contractually' by the end of the name of my 'jerk' (so called ) of a husband. You heard that? Contractually? Yes. We're just going to be 'contractually married' for five years... for five long years. And since it's only for five years, we don't need to act like those typical husband and wife or a lovey-dovey-couple that you can see everywhere, holding each other's hands while walking, hugging, kissing.. and ohh.. eating each other's face, because that's exactly the opposite situation of our marriage. He hates me with all his guts and same with me.. although i don't knowthe reason why and where his hates coming from. So here i am, Arrianna Angela Kelley-Smith, married to Alexander Jonathan Smith who is known to be one of the successful and richest bachelor --slash--womanizer in the whole business state of California. Hmmp! Little did they know, he was already married to me four years ago...
It's only 7:30 am on my bedside clock, but here I am getting ready for my 10:00 am appointment with our president and some higher officials in the publishing company where I am currently working as an editor in chief.
But today's appointment is actually a contract signing for me as one of their romance and fiction writer. Well, you can't blame me for seeking another job..it's not that I am in need of so much money, but writing is actually my passion aside from singing of course. I already finish two stories and when I tried to pass it to one of my bestfriend --- Gavin who is also an editor, he said I must try to give it on board because we are currently in need of professional writers. So, that's the story behind this contract signing.
"Good morning." I greet my friend and apartment mate Cari when I walked to the kitchen to grab some breakfast.
"Good morning. It's Saturday... you're going to work?" she has a furrowed eyebrows while getting her bottled water. She probably comes from jogging based on her outfit and sweats on her forehead.
"Nope. I'm actually going to the office but not for duty." I take my seat and open the cover of my favorite chocolate pancakes on the table. Thank you for this girl for being my breakfast maker.
"But for what?"
"Guess what?" I shoved the first pancake in my mouth.
" Wait--- for higher position?" she's already seated beside me.
"No, but for another position. Uhm... additional position."
"What? What do you mean?" her eyebrows were almost knitted in line.
I grab her water bottled water and take a drink before answering her question.
"It's actually a contract signing of me being one of the writer of our company."
"Wow, really? Congratulations." she said in a wide eyes and hug me. "But how about your current position? It's not easy having two jobs in the same company. How are you going to balance that?" she take her seat again while waiting for my answer.
"Don't worry, I already have plans for that and besides, my job is in the morning and since I go out at four in the afternoon, I always have time and plenty of time to write." I answered her with a wink.
"Okay. All I can say for now is good luck. But I'm warning you, Rian. I want to be the first one to have the copy of your books." she playfully narrowed her eyes on me.
"Of course, you'll always be my priority."
"Oh, you make it sure ah."
"I'll promise." I said with a giggle while hugging her.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
"By the way, what's you're planning for today after your contract signing?" We're now going back to the living room.
"I don't know maybe going to the supermarket and buy some stuffs. Why?" I look at her with a raised eyebrow because she has this familiar grin on her face.
"Well, it's Saturday today...and..."
"And?"
"And...it's time to have some fun again! You know Saturday nights with girls and the boys!" she said excitedly while I just rolled my eyes. See? That type of grin on her face... I knew it.
"What can you say? We're going to invite our girlfriends Jenny and Sierra. You can also invite Gavin and Nick. Ahh... I'm so excited."
"Oh, don't forget Sierra's boyfriend."
Yeah, one of our friends have already been engaged. It's Sierra whose boyfriend is one of the top model in California's time magazine. While Jenny, Cari, Gavin and Nick are still single. And me... I'm married. Although not the typical marriage that everybody knows but I'm still married. And only Cari and Gavin knows it among the group.
We're not living in one roof since our wedding. I still lived with my parents, while him... he already had his own penthouse back then because he was already the CEO of their family's company. We never had a date or a formal meeting until I graduated in college and decided to live on my own, although only here around California.
"Of course! You know Paolo is so possessive with Sierra!" I was back in trance when I heard Cari's voice. "As if his girlfriend was made of crystals and diamonds. Hello!" she said with disgust expression on her face.
And that is the time for me to laugh. I really love Cari. She's always more a sister to me than a friend sometimes. It's a different story with Gavin, because he's one of my workmates and he's gay. But that's a big secret that me and our friends only know about it.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
After the contract signing with Gavin on my Side, we decided to go to the supermarket where Cari is already waiting for us. We didn't take so much time in buying groceries, actually we spent all our precious time shopping on some dresses, shoes, makeups and accessories for our girls and gangs night's out tonight. And of course for the following occasions that needs formal dresses and accessories. As for Gavin, we accompanied him to some men's boutique as you all know his real him is still unknown to others.
After our long hours of shopping, we just stopped by to a pizza's store inside the mall for our lunch and then we headed our way home.
"Girls, I'm going to pick you up at 8 tonight. Be ready." Gavin said while kissing our cheeks.
" Sure. Take care, Gav." I also copied his gesture.
"Okay. Make sure with your style and outfit, you're going to turn the club upside down tonight."
Me and Cari just shook our heads and said our goodbyes to him.
When it's already 6 pm, Cari and I were both rushing in our each room taking a bath, because for sure we're going to use our remaining time on putting our dress and facial accessories----you know----makeups.
Well, not for me...but for Cari, yes. I'm not really a fan of it. It's just Cari who always insisting on putting some colors on my face. If it's just me, I will only put mascara, foundation and lipstick, but since it's her...you need to shut your mouth when she's in front of the mirror doing magic on your face.
"Okay done." I let out a long sigh of relief after almost an hour waiting for her to finish whatever she's doing on my face.
"Wow!" that's all I can say. She made my eyes alive by the eyeshadows she put on it, that also compliment to the dress I'm going to wear tonight.
"See? You know, you really are beautiful. You just don't know how to appreciate your beauty and use it sometimes." I don't know if she's really scolding at me because her tone is a little bit softer than scolding.
"Ouch." I jokingly place my right hand on top of my left chest.
"No. Seriously. You're beautiful. How can you explain those numbers of men who want to pursue you if you just really want to give them a chance."
-'haist...this conversation again'-
I thought while rolling my eyes and shaking my head.
"Well, because I don't want to. And I still can't feel the spark, the electricity that runs down my spine whenever they touch me." see... I'm a hopeless romantic.
Now it's her turn to roll her eyes on me.
"And besides, you and Gavin knows that I'm married. That I'm still married." I show her again my finger with my engagement ring...not my wedding ring because I already took it off and put on my favorite necklace as a pendant.
"Married? Forgodsake! Arrianna Angela! Your marriage was just on papers!"
Whoa..she almost screamed while throwing her hands on the air. She's not pissed by that.
"Yeah, I know. But still it's legal----"
"Legal? Spell legal, Rian?"
-'seriously? she want to spell the word legal...'
"What I'm just saying is that you're only married to him on papers and nothing more! Four years of being married for nothing! I mean look a him, still having the bachelor's title while the truth is... he's already been married to you. For christ sake!"
...ding...ding...
-'Oh! Thank God!'- I can't help myself not to let a silent prayer. Thank you for whoever is on the front door for saving my life.
"What time is it?" she suddenly stopped her tracks when she also heard the doorbell ring.
-'time for you to stop your preaching because its only Saturday today and not Sunday'-
I want to answer her that, but of course being me I won't do that.
"Well, it's 10 minutes before 8."
"Oh, I think that's Gavin. Let's go." she already headed to the door.
"Okay." I just got my purse, containing my first thing accessories...phone, lipstick, foundation, extra cash and my credit card.
I am currently heading downstairs when I realized that I haven't sprayed my favorite cologne. How did I forget that? So I climbed up again and go back to my room. After spraying some amount on my neck and some parts of my dress, I put it on my purse and decided to go back to the living room where Gavin, Nick, Jenny and Cari were already seated on the couch.
"What took you so long? I thought you're already behind me." Cari asked me with a crunched eyebrow.
"I forgot to spray some cologne, you know."
She just rolled her eyes.
"Hi, Rian." Nick kissed me on my cheek while Gavin on my forehead. And Jenny, we hugged each other.
"I missed you girl. I missed this night out." she excitedly throws her hands in the air.
"Me too."
"Come on guys, let's go. We're not going to our usual club tonight." Nick stated while standing up and walked towards the front door.
"What? Why?" all us girls asked in unison.
"Well, Paolo suggested that we can try to this newly opened bar not far from our usual night place." Gavin was the one who answered.
"Oh, okay. Let's try something new tonight."
A great marriage doesn't happen when the "perfect couple" gets together. It happens when an imperfect couple gets together and learns to enjoy each other's differences. Six individuals with different personalities. Three imperfect couples who have been asked to be together... let's find out their stories. Will they fall in love with each other or will they eventually abandon their marriage? ~~~~~~°~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~ Cold, rude, arrogant and narcissistic. This is how Sophia Yzabelle describes the man she married, Daniel Kelley. Due to her traumatic past and seeking justice, she agreed to marry him despite his rude personality. They hate each other from the very beginning but have had no choice but to get married as they both need the agreement for their own benefits. The question is how long could they stand facing each other? Will they eventually admit their feelings or will they continue to be stubborn towards each other? * * * Despite having everything she needs in life, it doesn't stop Madielyn Davis for completing her bucket list of dreams. So she applied for a job as a Personal Assistant to the CEO. Little did she know that her rude yet handsome boss, Gabriel Wilsons, will offer her a life-changing deal and that is to become his wife for a year. Uhm... marrying someone who doesn't love you back is hard, but how about marrying someone for an agreement and the reason---he just wants to get his ex-girlfriend back, isn't it more painful. Yes, it is, but she still agreed to marry him because she believed she could still change his mind for the revenge he's planning for his ex-girlfriend. But something happened during the process as she ended up falling in love with him. Will Gabriel be able to return Madi's love or will he prefer the person he loved first? * * * When she turned 18, a free-spirited young woman, Arrianna Angela, signed the most stupid contract and arrangement in her life. And that's marrying her brother's best friend and first love, Alexander Jonathan Smith. But here's the twist... he's rich, handsome but one of the certified womanizers in town. But what they didn't know is not only the contract they signed can be called stupid, but so is she, who still found herself deeply in love with him even though he left her alone in their marriage for four years. And now that he's back, can she still believe the man who made her feel worthless for a long time or like the past years she's been waiting, she would still accept and continue to love him despite everything that's happened?
A SEQUEL of CONTRACTUALLY MARRIED *Arrianna Angela/Rian and Alexander Jonathan/Alex *Sophia Ysabelle/Sophia/Belle and Daniel/Dani ~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~ Sophia Ysabelle, 26 years old, accepted the life changing deal of marrying the famous billionaire, Daniel Kelley, not for his money but for his name. They have different reasons for marrying each other. Daniel needs a woman to pretend as his wife to get the biggest investment for their company, that will lead them to the top grossing company in the whole state of California. While Sophia needs someone 'powerful' on her back while still seeking justice for what happened to her in the past. But there is a big problem between the two of them, they couldn't stand alone in one place facing each other. Daniel is a cold and arrogant billionaire with a smile as precious as diamond, and who already put her under his judgement from the very first time they met. And Sophia is a stubborn yet resilient woman who never backs down from anyone's judgement, not even from her future husband's rudeness. But in the end, will she tell him her real reason for marrying him? When he finds out the truth, will he continue to judge her? Will he be able to protect her from her dark past or he will just remain cold and arrogant husband towards her? "Never judge someone without knowing the whole story. You may think you understand, but you don't" *Rian* ~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~
He has all the traits that you wished for your dream man to have. Power, money, perfection, handsomeness and a body like a Greek God. But he's inlove. He's inlove with her. For him, she was the completion of his dream, a perfect wife and a mother to be with his children. He would give her everything including his own life. He would sacrifice his world for her. But she left him. She betrayed him. She broke his heart into pieces. And he turned into a cold, heartless, rude and an arrogant billionaire, who would do everything to show her that she's no longer important into his life. Even though the truth is the opposite of what he is doing. His heart still aching for her. And that's when he met me. I applied as his Personal Assistant to fulfill my bucket list of dreams. To explore my life and experience everything. He offered me a deal. He asked me to marry him just to show his ex that he already moved on. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "She's pregnant." He blurted out and i almost stumbled on where i am standing. I just gripped the backrest of the couch to support my weight. The pain creeping in my heart is unbearable but i managed to stay calm. "Wow! Congratulations!" I said faking my excitement as i remembered him saying... -cheating would not be the reason to break our marriage- of course i couldn't accuse him of this as 'cheating' because she was the real reason why we are pretending as a couple. He still love her. He's still inlove with her. And that's when i made the biggest decision in my life. Taking all my strength and a piece of my heart that still hanging on a thin rope... I left him. Taking also my biggest secret in me... that i've already fallen inlove with him. And somehow i learned a lesson; 'Loving someone who doesn't love you back isn't as hard as loving someone who still inlove with his ex and who only uses you to get her back again into his life..'
Life was perfect until she met her boyfriend's big brother. There was a forbidden law in the Night Shade Pack that if the head Alpha rejected his mate, he would be stripped of his position. Sophia's life would get connected with the law. She was an Omega who was dating the head Alpha's younger brother. Bryan Morrison, the head Alpha, was not only a cold-blooded man but also a charming business tycoon. His name was enough to cause other packs to tremble. He was known as a ruthless man. What if, by some twist of destiny, Sophia's path were to intertwine with his?
After three loveless years, Neil's betrayal deeply wounded Katelyn. She wasted no time in getting rid of that scoundrel! After the divorce, she devoted herself to career pursuits. Rising to prominence as a top designer, skilled doctor, and brilliant hacker, she became a revered icon. Neil, realizing his grave mistake, tried in vain to win her back, only to witness her magnificent wedding to another. As their vows were broadcast on the world's largest billboard, Vincent slid a ring onto Katelyn's finger and declared, "Katelyn is now my wife, a priceless treasure. Let all who covet her beware!"
To exact revenge on her treacherous fiancé, Yvonne enticed Clayton into a liaison that promised advantages for both. Yet, when Yvonne spotted a woman resembling her at Clayton’s side, she recognized she was nothing more than a substitute. Discovering Clayton’s upcoming wedding, she departed with a generous severance sum. “Clayton, this is truly the end,” she declared resolutely. On the very day Yvonne was set to marry someone else, Clayton showed up, desperation clear in his eyes as he dropped to his knees. “Yvonne, please, don’t go through with it. Don’t marry him.”
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.