Living her simple life, Alexa, the woman who never experienced being in love, was tested when a CEO offered her proposals she could not resist. To her surprise, she found herself accepting all those terms that she needed to follow- one of them was to never fall in love with Charles Milley who loved someone else. Gone were those days she followed the rules, she found herself loving someone she knew who could not love her back. Love. Hatred. Jealousy. Betrayal- how could she conquer them all? Will she fight? Or will she just flee from the detested affection?
"HE IS still in the bleacher. Jesus, he looks so hot!"
After our professor announced the deadline for our business proposal, I looked at my friend, whose cheeks were about to explode. I laughed and pretended not to care about what she said.
Focus, Alexa, he was just a distraction! That billionaire was a distraction! A temptation, in other words!
"Hey!" my friend called me, slapping my ass as we exited our room. Honestly, I felt exhausted after all the classes we had taken, but hearing that man was in our university bleacher waiting for me was too much to handle!
Many students were surely now gawking at him because he's also a damn public figure! I didn't know him much. Besides being the hottest billionaire here in our community, I just heard that he was also building his own music production company.
"I am not interested! Please, stop bugging me!" I said to my friend with awe because she looked surprised. I turned around in confusion, only to notice Charles Milley wearing his official uniform. His black suitcase completed his appearance.
I was still wondering why he was following me. I could almost entitle him as my "stalker".
"Have you considered my proposal?" he asked in a baritone voice; it did sound natural and very masculine to the point I almost forgot I should avoid and hate him, unlike what I was doing now that I seemed to undress him mentally!
"Can we just talk somewhere? Not here because," I gulped, "many are watching us."
He nodded and turned around. His broad back faced my face. He walked gorgeously, like he owned the floor. Okay, he literally did as he's one of the major investors in this university! This meant I should keep in mind that he was such a blessed man regarding money and looks!
He walked to the back of the Engineering building. I cursed myself when I forgot to bring Gina, my friend, along with me.
"About what you said," I stuttered. Damn. "I am not interested in working in your company. Besides, I am still studying in my business course and-"
"You are hired."
My eyes widened. "I said I never agreed to be your employee!" I could not help but to raise my voice. Well, he should not blame me, as he was becoming unreasonable! Yes, he's hot-like what everyone says – he's damn rich, came from a wealthy family, and had an excellent background in his music career, but he should not use all of them to allure me! Because definitely, he's tempting me!
"How much do you need as your monthly salary?" he asked with a raised brow, looking so serious as if he would not stop following me if I disagreed. "Our company can give you more benefits or whatever. Just name your price, lady."
I let out a deep sigh. No, I should not let his deep-set eyes charm me! I should not let his sculpted jaw and messy hair break the fence I built! Like I said, I was still studying. I did not want to work, as I was not yet ready.
"What's up to you?" I asked in annoyance. "What do you need from me? You have been following me for weeks, yet I rejected you."
"That is why I am here again."
"I said I am not yet ready."
"Our team can help you with that."
"And mostly, I am not interested!"
How many times should I repeat myself?
"This is for your own sake."
My brows tugged up. I did not know if I would just believe him or not. He's a stranger to me. I just started stalking him on social media when he first approached me at the gate after our lunch last week. It's been a week, but the image of me being surprised and hypnotized lingered still in my mind.
Who would not feel shocked, anyway, when you met a man for the very time who offered you a job and told you that you would regret it for the rest of your life if you resisted his offer?
"For my own sake? What do you mean by that?" I looked down at my watch five minutes before the start of our next class. I should say goodbye to this man.
"I can offer my house . . ." he said, making my jaw drop. "Just work with us."
"That's crazy!"
"I am serious."
"Do you like me? Or are you in love with me? That is why you are being this way?"
He did not answer. His jaw clenched like he was suppressing himself in explaining deeper.
"Again, please, after this talk, do not bother me again," I begged. "I know you are attractive, and someone like you is too impossible to like someone like me. Or maybe you are just playing around. Maybe I am your next victim. That is why you are all laying down all your cards," I suspected.
And for the words I ranted, he just laughed a little, amusement playing in his orbs. "Wow," he mouthed, smirking. "I am sorry to stop your happy thoughts, but I do not like you."
This man was a fucking disrespectful! He's the one who badly needed me, yet he dared to talk to me like that! "Then, back off and never come back again, hot stranger!"
He laughed again. He was tall and could easily tower me, so when he stepped closer, I ran out of breath, not only because his body was near mine but also because I was trapped against this damn cement; there was no other way I could escape. Damn this man!
"I should go! There are still classes for me! I reasoned out, which was also the truth. "Hey, one more step, I will punch you!"
But he did not listen.
"I am damn serious! I may be an innocent-looking girl, but I have punched many maniacs!"
That stopped him. I checked my chest. My heart was still beating so fast.
"Maniac? Do you see me as one?"
Yes, he was a maniac, a very gorgeous and intimidating one. But of course, all those compliments should stay only in my mind, for I did not want him to think I liked him.
"This is actually the first time someone called me a maniac," he shared, though he did not sound and looked disappointed at all. But like what he always did, he maintained his calm face. "But do not worry, bully me anytime and anywhere you want, but nothing can change the fact that one moment will come and you'll contact me asking for the job I have offered."
I bit the insides of my cheeks in irritation.
"... And one day, you will see yourself working with me as my secretary."
"OKAY, WHAT happened? Did something happen between you two? Like, you kissed- '' I swatted Gina's arms. Good thing our next professor had not arrived yet, so we had little time to chit chat.
"Lower down your voice. Someone might hear you." Embarrassed, I closed my eyes. "We both know from the very start I do not like to get attached to him and his proposal, right? He is a stranger!"
"A hot one."
I rolled my eyes. "He offered me lots of his assets. I do not know if he's crazy or what. How come a man can put all his assets down just to have me as his secretary?"
"So, he wants you to be one? If I were you, I would accept his offer. It's for your own good."
I sighed again. "How do you say so, girl? I do not need more money. Besides, I am fine with the amount I have."
I could say he's blackmailing me because earlier, when we were still talking to each other, he threatened me about cutting all my scholarships!
That alerted me because scholarships were ones I also depended on. They were such a big help for me to graduate.
I told my friend all that he said. After witnessing how I became dumbfounded because of his threat, I even included his irritating exit.
"So, what are your plans now? You know he is a serious type of man. He can make his warnings true."
I closed my eyes. My friend was right. I should never underestimate his power, as he's sleeping under his dollars.
"Being a secretary is not part of my dream, you know that," I uttered, annoyed and puzzled. "I want to graduate and have my own coffee shop."
Gina did not look at paying attention to my problem. She's busy blushing, so she must remember that billionaire's god-like face.
"Hey, Gina!" I pouted.
She laughed and tapped my back. "There is nothing wrong in trying something new, my friend. You can try the job that is being offered to you. Besides, you should be excited as you are going to be with a sizzling billionaire and musician!"
No way!
In the previous life, Maggie Johnson was so cowardly, gullible and stupid that she was coaxed by her fiance and stepsister and then broke her legs and lost everything including her fortune, love and even life. However, she was so lucky that she was reborn in the year before everything happened. Since her life restarted, how could she repeat a previous tragedy? Therefore, in this life, she took the opportunity to improve herself and take revenge on the ones who had ever insulted her. Facing the people who had humiliated her previously, she became smart and experienced to break their frames and tricks that had caused her to hurt in the previous life. Finally, no one could stop her pace to amaze the world any more.
"Never let anyone treat you like shit!" I learned that the hard way. For three years, I lived with my in-laws. They didn't treat me as their son-in-law but as a slave. I put up with everything because of my wife, Yolanda Lambert. She was the light of my life. Unfortunately, my whole world came crashing down the day I caught my wife cheating on me. I have never been so heartbroken. To have my revenge, I revealed my true identity. I was none other than Liam Hoffman—the heir of a family with trillions of dollars in assets! The Lamberts were utterly shocked after the big reveal. They realized what fools they had been for treating me like trash. My wife even knelt down and begged for my forgiveness. What do you think I did? Did I take her back or made her suffer? Find out!
Her fiance and her best friend worked together and set her up. She lost everything and died in the street. However, she was reborn. The moment she opened her eyes, her husband was trying to strangle her. Luckily, she survived that. She signed the divorce agreement without hesitation and was ready for her miserable life. To her surprise, her mother in this life left her a great deal of money. She turned the tables and avenged herself. Everything went well in her career and love when her ex-husband came to her.
Ivy Rosalia Jones, a young and beautiful doctor working at a suburban hospital, is determined to marry a man she met through a blind date, even though he is paralyzed. Actually, the marriage was meant to be symbolic, with both of them intending not to interfere in each other's affairs after the wedding. However, Ivy never expected that she would end up marrying the most influential man in the world. Shawn Dyxon Tate, Ivy's husband, has no intention of letting his beautiful wife go. Once she entered his life, he made a decision to spoil her and gave her the world she never had.
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."
"The entire wealthy circle in Seattle knew how much Stella Carlson loved Aaron Malone. People watched the childhood sweethearts grow from inexperience to maturity, finally getting married in a grand wedding ceremony. On the day of the wedding, despite the alliance between the Carlson and Malone families, the groom ran away. Stella knew that Aaron had rushed to L.A. to take care of his ex-girlfriend, who had attempted suicide. Unwilling to become the laughingstock of all Seattle, she gritted her teeth and dialed the number of her adversary, her tone almost commanding, "Ethan, come and marry me now. This is your only chance for revenge." On the other end, Ethan Powers raised an eyebrow as he gripped his phone, staring at the floor littered with cigarette butts. "Did the groom run away?" he asked. "My darling."