"I need you to pretend as my wife," my eyes widened upon hearing those words from him. He was serious, not even a tinge of sarcasm can be seen on his face. "W-What?" I asked again, making sure if heard it right. He leaned on the swivel chair and crossed his arms while staring at me, "I'm willing to pay you any amount, you name it." ~~~~ I am Paula Edwards, a twenty-year-old girl who lives with my grandmother who is not really my grandmother. She just took me in and raised me after seeing me in front of a church back when I was still an infant. I didn't get the chance to know who my real parents are, I don't know what they look like or why they decided to leave me there. I just had an agreement with Mr. Voltaire Farusco, the Billionaire and the richest man here in New York who just lost his wife after a plane crash. I met him in a bar, that night when I decided to get drunk and be crazy after my boyfriend named Jake broke up with me. It was the same night when Mr. Farusco decided to get drunk too because of his wife. And because he thought that I was his wife, he grabbed me in the middle of the dance floor and kissed me passionately as if there was no tomorrow. And you know what happened after that. A week has passed and four men in black suits suddenly arrived in front of the University I am studying at and told me that their boss wants to see me because he has something to talk about. I agreed with his plan, I agreed to pretend as his wife because I need the money. No strings attached.
Paula's POV
"I need you to pretend as my wife," my eyes widened upon hearing those words from him. He was serious, not even a tinge of sarcasm can be seen on his face. "W-What?" I asked again, making sure if heard it right.
He leaned on the swivel chair and crossed his arms while staring at me, "I'm willing to pay you any amount, you name it."
I gulped as my mouth went agape, "P-Pay m-me?"
"Yes, you can tell me any amount that you want to receive from me and I'll give it to you once you sign the contract of our agreement." He finally stood up and walked in my direction. "Based on the information that I got, you are a college student at Gosling University which is one of the schools that I own. And also, I heard that you are currently living with your grandmother who is now confined in the hospital."
I wrinkled my brows. How can he know such personal things about me?
"Miss Edwards, I know how badly you need this money. If I were you, I will do everything for my beloved grandmother and-
"All I need to do is to pretend as your missing wife, am I right?" I looked straight at him.
"Well, yes. You need to act like her, look exactly like her, take care of the kids, make them all believe that you are her until I finally find my wife."
"How long will I be pretending?" I asked again, my voice was shaking. The man gazed at me with his deep ocean blue eyes that could melt someone if he tries to stare at them. He suppressed a sigh before he spoke,
"Until I finally find my wife."
"What if you don't find her?" I nonchalantly asked.
The man then furrowed his thick black brows, his eyes were sharp, "I will find her, no matter what it takes. I will be able to find her."
I bit my lower lip as I nodded, "O-Okay."
"Are you saying that you're already agreeing to pretend as my wife?" he was almost smiling, though it didn't reach his eyes. I gulped again while my hands were trembling, slowly, I opened my mouth as I looked at him, "W-We should have an agreement first."
His brows rose up, then he nodded, "I understand, so, do you have any conditions?"
"You should give me half of the payment first, t-that is my first condition." I retorted. He nodded as approval and so I continue speaking, "No kissing between us, no touching, no mingling with my personal real life, and no-
"No sex." He suddenly said which made me look at him. "D-Definitely no sex," I repeated.
"So, those things are your only conditions?" he asked me again.
I thought for a while then I looked at him, "And one more thing, no one in my friends or anyone who knows me should know about our agreement. We're only going to act like a couple in front of your family and in front of your children."
"I understand. Anything else?"
"N-Nothing." I shook my head. I heard him let out a sigh of relief, "Then, shall we meet tomorrow to sign the agreement?"
"Okay."
He nodded, "Let's meet here at my office, I will also transfer the money in your bank account as soon as you sign the contract."
"Okay." That's the only word that escaped my mouth. The man lay his right hand in front of me, asking for a handshake. I looked at him, then to his hand, and grabbed it. "Thank you, Miss Edwards."
"Don't thank me too early, I haven't signed the contract yet," I replied.
"I see. So, see you tomorrow?"
"S-See you tomorrow."
He even walked me towards the huge steel door of his office and opened the door for me as I stepped outside. "Thanks," I said before finally walking away from him. I called a cab to ride my way home and as soon as I got inside it, tears came flowing down my cheeks. I tried to wipe it away using my palm but it just won't stop.
"Stop crying, Paula. You will be able to pay your debts and the hospital fees now." I said to myself.
I am Paula Edwards, a twenty-year-old girl who lives with my grandmother who is not really my grandmother. She just took me in and raised me after seeing me in front of a church back when I was still an infant. I didn't get the chance to know who my real parents are, I don't know what they look like or why they decided to leave me there. I'm no longer interested in finding them anyway because I don't see any point in doing that. They already threw me away, which only means that they didn't want me to be a part of their family so why would I even bother looking for them?
And yes, as you have read in the first part of this narrative, I just had an agreement with Mr. Voltaire Farusco, the Billionaire and the richest man here in New York who just lost his wife after a plane crash. I met him in a bar, that night when I decided to get drunk and be crazy after my boyfriend named Jake broke up with me. It was the same night when Mr. Farusco decided to get drunk too because of his wife. And because he thought that I was his wife, he grabbed me in the middle of the dance floor and kissed me passionately as if there was no tomorrow. And you know what happened after that.
A week has passed and four men in black suits suddenly arrived in front of the University I am studying at and told me that their boss wants to see me because he has something to talk about. I agreed with his plan, I agreed to pretend as his wife because I need the money. No strings attached.
Winter Wesley is the most popular celebrity in New York. With her beauty and great acting skills, many people really admire her. Not until her grandfather forced her to marry a poor man named Matthew. Winter despised him so much. Her family treats him like a servant each day. But what will happen if they suddenly find out that the penniless man Winter married is none other than the son of the Wealthiest man in New York who is believed to die twenty years ago?
"I need you to pretend as my wife." His tone was emotionless as he said those words. Although he said that he needed my help, he sounded like he was making a demand. His audacity got on my nerves. I had better things to do with my time, so I wasn't in the mood to play games with him. I stood up and declined, "No, I refuse. I'm very busy now. Find someone else." "Name your price, Paula. As far as I know, you are desperately in need of money to cater for your grandmother's medical expenses. If you agree to my request, I can arrange for her to undergo the much-needed operation immediately. You want her to live, don't you?" His statement made me have a change of heart. I took a deep breath and sat back. "How long will I be pretending?" The man gazed at me with his deep ocean blue eyes that could melt someone if he tried to stare at them. He suppressed a sigh before he spoke, "Until I finally find my wife." "What if you don't find her?" I nonchalantly asked. ...... What will happen if they make a deal? What happened to his wife? Will he find her? Find them out in this story.
Paula Edwards: Because of my face, a famous billionaire found me with a deal---- pretending his wife. I didn't graduate from my university yet, but now, I have to be a mother of two kids, and a wife of someone who i don't really know? However, to pay for my debt, I accepted his insane deal. Voltaire Farusco: An air accident, I lost my wife who's the love of my life. But I surprisedly met a woman who look exactly the same like her! For our two precious twin kids, I made an agreement with her to live in our house, and asked her to pretend as my missing wife.
Sunny never imagined herself falling in love to the man in the photo that she used as her book cover one night. But she did, and she end up having a relationship with her sassy boss, Damon Furlord.; They both thought it would just be a piece of cake. They thought it would work out just because they love each other. But then things changed, new people arrived, and new secrets were found. Will Sunny and Damon remain together no matter what happens? Or one of them will just leave and forget about anything that they’ve been through?
Vincent Hastings, the ruthless Billionaire and the most fearful Mafia King in New York. He is the boss, he can get everything that he wants whether he does it with bare hands or by force. Just like how he forced Sophie Laurens, youngest daughter of Albert Laurens, one of the richest men in New York who had an agreement with Vincent to have one of his daughters marry him. He willingly offered his youngest one, not minding what the consequences are, not minding what Sophie's future might look like.
Sunny is an aspiring writer who wants to venture into the world of writing erotic romance. One night, while she was browsing some photos to use as her book cover, she saw a picture of a very handsome man with golden blonde hair yet green emerald eyes. Sunny used the photo without knowing what awaits her after the man in the photo knew that his photo was used in an erotic novel.
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
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.
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."
Three years ago, the Moore family opposed Charles Moore's choice to marry his beloved woman and selected Scarlett Riley as his bride. Charles didn't love her. In fact, he hated her. Not long after they got married, Scarlett received an offer from her dream university and jumped on it. Three years later, Charles's beloved woman fell terribly ill. In order to fulfill her last wish, he called Scarlett back and presented her with a divorce agreement. Scarlett was deeply hurt by Charles's abrupt decision, but she chose to let him go and agreed to sign the divorce papers. However, Charles seemed to delay the process deliberately, leaving Scarlett confused and frustrated. Now, Scarlett was trapped between the consequences of Charles's indecision. Would she be able to break free from him? Would Charles eventually come to his senses and face his true feelings?
After being kicked out of her home, Harlee learned she wasn't the biological daughter of her family. Rumors had it that her impoverished biological family favored sons and planned to profit from her return. Unexpectedly, her real father was a zillionaire, catapulting her into immense wealth and making her the most cherished member of the family. While they anticipated her disgrace, Harlee secretly held design patents worth billions. Celebrated for her brilliance, she was invited to mentor in a national astronomy group, drew interest from wealthy suitors, and caught the eye of a mysterious figure, ascending to legendary status.
Melanie married Ashton out of gratitude, but she quickly found herself entangled in a web of relentless challenges. Despite these struggles, she stayed true to her commitment to the marriage. In the hospital room, Ashton indifferently attempted to draw her blood, disregarding her discomfort. This callous act was a harsh revelation for Melanie, awakening her to the grim reality of their relationship. Resolved to prioritize her own welfare, she decided to sever ties. With newfound resolve, Melanie filed for divorce. In the process, she unveiled her concealed identities, leaving everyone in shock. Throughout these turbulent times, Melanie realized that Derek, Ashton’s uncle, had been discreetly protecting her all along.