'His words weren't mere rules, but the laws.' Julia Sanchez wants to be a drama writer. But life took a strange turn for her when she was told to marry the most influential businessman, Marimo Martinez. However, there exists a problem. Marimo Martinez has been in a vegetative state for four years. His chances of survival are limited, yet Julia is forced to marry him. On the wedding day, Julia waited for Marimo to come on a wheelchair. To her surprise, Marimo came in a black tuxedo and was on the aisle, waiting for her. His features were breathtaking and stole her heart in a second. ****** "Wifey, let's make this night beautiful," Marimo said as he advanced to her. Julia gulped and slowly took backward steps. Her breath hitched when her back hit the pillar of the poster bed. Before she could run away, her petite figure landed on the soft mattress and those icy blue orbs fell onto hers. "Mr. Martinez, we don't know each other yet. Could you please-" she paused when she felt his cold fingers on her leg. The next second, she kicked him and Marimo fell to the floor with a loud bang.
"Julia, we provided you everything, yet you cannot do this for us!" Victoria Sanchez asked her youngest daughter, who was seated on the couch of the living room, Julia Sanchez.
"Mom, I am only 20. How can you expect me to marry at this age? I have not even completed my studies," Julia Sanchez complained and glanced at her elder sister, Sofia Sanchez.
"Sister Sofia is supposed to marry. Then, why am I being told to marry in her place?" Julia could not help but question her mother.
"Julia, when there was no one for you, we gave you shelter, we adopted you and provided you with every privilege of being a daughter," Victoria said.
Yes, Julia is the adopted daughter of the Sanchez family. When she was seven, she saved Sofia from an accident when Sofia's father decided to adopt Julia as his second daughter.
Julia looked at her father, Andres Sanchez, who was quiet. She decided to ask him. "Dad, I am a mere 20 year old girl. Do you really want me to get married to this businessman, whom my elder sister is supposed to marry?" She knew that her father would say a complete 'No' to this.
"I would have married him if he was not in a vegetative state," Sofia said nonchalantly when Victoria hit her arm.
Julia was shocked to hear that. Vegetative state!?
That was why they were forcing her to marry this unknown man.
"Julia, does his vegetative state matter to you? No, right? He has the fortune of his forefathers. Vast estates run in his name and he owns the top businesses in our country. You have seen how much your father struggled to raise you both." Victoria started to manipulate Julia, who scrunched her brows.
"Julia, if it was not for your father's business then we would not have asked you to marry him," she finally affirmed.
"What do you mean?" Julia asked and again gazed at her father.
Andres took a deep breath. "Julia, I work in Martinez Corporation as the General Manager. I have known them for over thirty years. The person whom you are supposed to marry is Marimo Martinez, who got into a terrible accident four years ago. That's why he's in a vegetative state. They want their son to get married despite being in that state and asked for the hand of one of my daughters." Andres explained everything to Julia, who was totally dumbfounded.
"You can refuse then. You can tell them that none of us want to marry their son," Julia suggested to her father.
"If it had been this easy, then we would not have asked you to marry Marimo," Victoria said. "This time, your father's job is at risk. We aren't provided any option," she stated.
"Why are you scared, Julia? You only need to marry Marimo. Since he's in a vegetative state, he will die soon. You will inherit a huge estate in your name and also, you can pursue your dreams. You are in a win-win situation," Victoria opined. Sofia agreed with her mother and started to convince Julia.
"Is my life nothing to you?" Julia's eyes filled with tears. "How could you tell me to marry him? It's not about money, mom," she asserted and looked at his father. "Dad, I did not expect this from you." She was disappointed in her father.
Julia stood up to leave when she heard Victoria say,
"It is about money, Julia. We adopted you. We provided you everything." Victoria also rose to her feet. "It is your time to repay us. Everything we did for you. When I told you that your father's job is at risk, you turned a blind eye to it. If we hadn't given you this family name, would you ever be able to reach this level?" Victoria's words seemed to Julia that she was merely a tool for them which they now wanted to use.
"Marry Marimo Martinez, else you are not welcome in this house. Before leaving this house, put every single penny we spent on you if you still refuse to marry Marimo," Victoria put forward a condition before Julia. Tears poured down her cheeks and her jaw clenched.
"Victoria, don't be harsh on her." Andres interrupted in their conversation.
"Honey, you need to stay quiet. I didn't say anything when you brought her home. I let you adopt her. I have told you that blood relationships matter. See, today she refused to help us." Victoria said in a fit of rage.
"Julia, I will not force you to make this decision. However, I have heard from their family doctor that Marimo will wake up soon," Andres stated, forcing a smile on her lips so that Julia would not feel bad.
"Dad, in 99% cases a vegetative person dies in that state. If he had even a 10% chance to survive, then I would have married him with no hesitation. Though, I am ready to marry his younger brother," Sofia said and smiled brightly.
"Shut up, Sofia!" Andres raised his voice at her.
"Honey, don't raise your voice on my daughter. You should scold Julia for not agreeing to us. Even a dog is better. At least, he is faithful to his master," Victoria taunted Julia, whose facial expressions were almost blank now.
Julia gazed at her father, who provided her everything, the same way he did to his first daughter, Sofia. Never once he let her feel low. He truly gave the love of a family to her. She didn't want to become selfish. If he had not adopted her, her life would be different from what it was now!
"I will marry Marimo Martinez," Julia pronounced, shocking three of them.
"Really?" Victoria asked as her eyes grew big.
"Yes. I will marry Marimo. This is the last thing I can do for you all. Since you all gave me everything, I am ready to repay it. If this marriage saves Dad from getting fired, then I am ready to become the sacrificial lamb." Her last words are a taunt to three of them. However, Victoria and Sofia hardly cared about it. The only thing they wanted was to get rid of Julia.
Sofia walked to her and hugged her tightly. "You are such a lovely sister," she said and pulled away.
"Honey, go and tell them that Julia is ready to marry Marimo," Victoria said with a broad smile on her lips and embraced her. She caressed Julia's head and thanked her for saving them.
"When will the marriage be?" Julia asked.
"They have not decided yet. I will talk to them first and let you know," Andres said as he got up from the couch. He excused himself to talk with the elder of the Martinez family.
Julia looked at her so-called mother and sister, who were dancing in happiness. So, she's a sacrificial lamb all these years for them. Julia was furious at her father as well, but because he took care of her, she stayed quiet.
After a while, Andres returned to the living room.
"They said the wedding will be held tomorrow in a private ceremony," Andres informed them. The colors from Julia's face had blown away and she found herself falling into a never-ending pit.
"Undress!" Valerian commanded. Liliana trembled at his voice. As she turned around, Valerian emerged from the shadows and stood before her. "I-I can't," Liliana stammered, her lips quivering. "Why? Aren't we married now?" asked Valerian. "We are, but we don't love each other," Liliana said. He gripped her face tightly, boring his penetrating gaze onto hers. "You won't ever receive love for me, Lily! What your family did to me, you will pay for it– through your body and soul!" Valerian spat at her with a blazing gaze. In an instant, he threw her onto the bed, the fabric of her dress tearing under his force. **** Liliana Rossi's life turned miserable after her father and stepmother died in a deadly car accident. She worked as a maid in her own house in the hope of inheriting her grandfather's inheritance on turning 22, so that she could use to start her life afresh. Unbeknownst to her, Liliana's stepbrother sold her to the most cruel and ruthless Mafia King of their country to clear his debts. Not only that he forced Liliana to marry the Mafia King. Valerian D'Amato is the most feared man on earth. He is the living nightmare to many. Everyone bows to him as if he's the KING OF THE UNDERWORLD. He gets married to Liliana Rossi to settle his old score with the Rossi Family, but he never imagined that a day would come when he will fall for this woman. "You are my slave, not my wife," Valerian declared and the next second, he crashed his lips above hers. Thus begins the story of a Mafia King and his slave.
Adolphus Osbourne, the Alpha and the Crown Prince of Arcaria Kingdom was cursed by a witch while attempting to take the forbidden moon crystal from her. The curse forbade him from finding his mate. However, when Iris Vinsant crossed his path, he could not stop from getting close to her irrespective of the consequences that were awaiting for him. Iris, a human, who was abused by her stepmother for 15 years decided to run away on one dark night. She forgot that going to the dark forest was forbidden for humans and she was captivated by a werewolf. Her life turned upside-down when she was told to serve the werewolves in the palace. But fate took a strange turn when she caught the attention of a cold and dark pair of eyes, which were of none other than Adolphus Osbourne. ~~~~~ Iris' back pressed against the cold wall as Adolphus' tall figure hovered over her. Her petite, small body was caged between his arms. "You took time to return, Iris," he uttered. The smell of the wine fell on her nostrils. "His Highness is drunk. I shall take my leave," Iris said softly. "You are the reason for my drunkard state," Adolphus answered and their eyes met. Flickering her eyelids, she said, "Me?" Adolphus nodded. "The way you smiled at my younger brother; the way you handed the drink to him, made me think to kill him," he affirmed, which terrified Iris. "I never—" she couldn't complete her words as Adolphus' pointer finger rested on her lips. "So, it was my younger brother. Shall I kill him for smiling at my woman?" A smirk appeared on Adolphus' lips as he posed the question before her.
In their three years of marriage, Chelsea had been a dutiful wife to Edmund. She used to think that her love and care would someday melt Edmund's cold heart, but she was wrong. Finally, she couldn't take the disappointment any longer and chose to end the marriage. Edmund had always thought that his wife was just boring and dull. So it was shocking when Chelsea suddenly threw divorce papers at his face in front of everyone at the Nelson Group's anniversary party. How humiliating! After that, everyone thought that the formerly-married couple would never see each other again, even Chelsea. Once again, she thought wrong. Sometime later, at an award ceremony, Chelsea went onstage to accept the award for best screenplay. Her ex-husband, Edmund, was the one presenting the award to her. As he handed her the trophy, he suddenly reached for her hand and pleaded humbly in front of the audience, "Chelsea, I'm sorry I didn't cherish you before. Could you please give me another chance?" Chelsea looked at him indifferently. "I'm sorry, Mr. Nelson. My only concern now is my business." Edmund's heart was shattered into a million pieces. "Chelsea, I really can't live without you." But his ex-wife just walked away. Wasn't it better for her to just concentrate on her career? Men would only distract her—especially her ex-husband.
When they were kids, Derek saved Norah's life. Years later, after Derek ended up in a vegetative state from a car crash, Norah married him without a second thought and even used her medical knowledge to heal him. For two years, Norah was devoted, seeking his affection and looking to settle her life-saving debt. But when Derek's first love returned, Norah, faced with divorce, didn't hesitate to sign. Despite being labeled as forsaken, few knew of her true talents. She was a race car driver, a famed designer, a genius hacker, and a renowned doctor. Regretting his decision, Derek begged for her forgiveness. Just then, a charming CEO intervened, embracing Norah and declaring, "Back off! She's my wife!" Taken aback, Norah blurted out, "What did you say?"
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
Vanessa was about to get engaged when she discovered that her groom-to-be was cheating on her with her own sister. Instead of creating a scene, she went to the club and hired the most desirable gigolo she found. After a wild night of passion, she gave him a generous check. "Thanks. I may require your services in the future." The gigolo was mad at her for being heartless, but Vanessa dismissed his words as an attempt to get her attention. It was only later, when she had to seek out the renowned Mr. Fuller to help with her business, that she realized the man she had slept with was no gigolo at all.
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
Alcohol and heartbreak are definitely not a good combo.Too bad I learnt that a little too late. I’m Tessa Beckett and I painfully got dumped by my boyfriend of three years.That led me to getting drunk at a bar and having a one-night stand with a stranger.Before he would see me as a slut the next day,I paid him for the sex and deeply insulted his ability to please me. But this stranger turned out to be my new boss!