Two people with different agendas are forced into an arranged marriage. For Veronica Nicholas, it is to save her family's business that has been saddled with debt and on the verge of slipping into bankruptcy and for Lawrence Williams, it is to hold onto his inheritance as the only son and heir of a conglomerate family. Veronica could never leave her darling boyfriend for the infamous national playboy nor does Lawrence wish to leave her long time crush who finally accepted his feelings after many months of rejection for a stranger he barely knows. Together the two must sign a secret contract that lets them live their desired lives while being in their arranged marriage. But how long does the life they thought was best for them last? Stuck together, Veronica and Lawrence must find a way to work together to get past the struggles of their everyday lives from their never ending enemies. Hatred at first but being in the same place where they see all the good and bad sides of each other, how long would they go on before the wave of love hit them? Or would they find a reason to go their separate ways once their different agendas have been fulfilled?
VERONICA
I drove speedily in my newly acquired McLaren Artura. My father's twenty-second birthday gift to me.
The road was free as if it knew of my desire to roar through it without restrictions and with open arms it welcomed me.
The wind rushed through the open window and swept across my face soothingly. I felt like I could fly. In my own little world of adventure, I was beyond thrilled. But more than anything, the thought of where I was headed had the adrenaline inside of me pumping harder.
Being a daughter to the owner of one of the biggest companies in the town came with the advantage. I got all I wanted materially, a doting father and a loving mother. An extra of it was my super annoying sister, Matilda. Although she could be sweet when she wanted to be. And there was Vincent, my boyfriend. My Vin. What else could I have possibly ever wanted again?
Anyone could say I had an almost perfect life. So I thought too.
"Vin? Vin?" I called on getting to Vincent's house. I always preferred him getting the door so I could jump on him so I always ended up ringing the bell first even when I knew the passcode.
But there was no response after I called several times. I was forced to punch in the passcode and got into the house.
I called as I searched the house but there really was no sight of him. I made myself comfortable in one of the cushions. Retracted my phone from my purse to give him a call but got a text from him at the same time.
"I'm sorry Vero but I won't be home because of work. I promise to make it all up to you. Okay? I love you!"
I tried not to be sad after reading Vincent's text but I couldn't help it. Perhaps it was because I had imagined the many things we would do together. But it was my Vin, I knew he would make it up to me like he promised. And it wasn't unusual that he could get busy at the last minute and have his plans cancelled. Being a doctor was demanding and I hated to be a clingy girlfriend that even though I crazily wished to drive to his hospital where he works to get a peak of his pretty face, I had to stop myself.
Back in my car, I started back home. I was tempted to call the girls so we could have some girls time but waved it off.
I had suddenly lost the vibe and wanted to enjoy some alone time at home.
Only that I was met with a cold energy on getting home.
Home was unusually quiet. The atmosphere felt chilly and unsettling.
Mom sat on one of the couches in the living room sad and quiet. Dad was making several calls on the phone. His personal assistant stood beside him equally quiet.
It wasn't the first time I was seeing my parents that way. It only meant one thing. Crisis in the company. But whatever it was, I knew my parents could handle it. Like they had always done.
I headed for my room hoping to get down later and know what was wrong.
Minutes later I got out of my room. Another minute inside of my room would have left me crazy with boredom. I had to go see the girls. They were the only ones that could snap me out of the boredom. If only Vincent wasn't busy with work...
"Hey sis!" I waved to my sister Matilda as I climbed down the stairs while she was heading up.
"Hey kiddo." She waved back at me but with a smirk
I frowned, "What's funny?"
"Don't worry, you will find out soon!" She squeaked as she disappeared into her room.
I shrugged and went on. Even though I smelt something off, I felt too carefree to bother about it. Whatever her smirk meant, I was definitely sure it wouldn't hurt a fly.
We respected each other in my family. Yes, my sister could be annoying but we were different from siblings of other wealthy families. Unlike them, my sister and I had no intention of fighting over our parents' wealth.
Mom and dad had left the living room by the time I got down again but the television was still turned on loud in the living room. I glanced at it and saw the news headline.
"This spoiled Playboy again... does he ever get tired?"
I shook my head. It couldn't have been another person but the infamous Playboy. Always making the news headlines with his silly scandals. No thanks to his conglomerate family that always found a way to clean up his mess. His family's public relations sure worked hard enough. It was shameful being an acquaintance to someone like him. I wondered how his friends coped. If he had any at all.
I called my friends and they agreed to meet up. They must have been bored to hell as I was.
I had three close friends; Gail, Elsie and Tracey.
Gail was pretty, slim and had long tender legs that I sometimes felt a twinge of envy for. A harmless one. Elsie had the prettiest smile and out of the rest of us, she was the most jovial. And then Tracey was the combination of the three. Pretty, Jovial, slim, tall and moderately curvy. When we partied, Tracey was sure to have the guys drooling at the sight of her. Reasonable to say, she was the prettiest of us and the most attractive one.
Like me, my friends all came from wealthy families aside Tracey that came from a relatively average family but she never lacked anything though.
But Tracey was unlucky when it came to her love life. She couldn't get to be with the one man she had crushed on. She had always wanted one guy all her life, did all she could to get him but couldn't. Lawrence Williams was his name, the infamous Playboy.
Me, Elsie and Gail always wondered what she saw in him because to me there really was nothing cool about him. If anything, I wished he never got close to my friend as he would only end up hurting her.
My friends had already gotten to our usual reservation spot by the time I arrived.
"Hey girls!"
"You are late. What held you on the way?" Elsie asked as she sipped from her lemonade.
I collapsed into my usual seat.
"You guys ordered anything yet? Eww! Elsie, why are you drinking that? It's so eww."
I disliked lemonade so much. It never was going to taste anything better than shit to me. I would rather have whiskey than that.
She chuckled, "This is the best there is... taste it, I'm sure you would love it too..."
She offered me the glass of lemonade which I shoved away. The aroma alone made me want to puke.
"This jerk again..." Gail gritted while looking into her phone.
"Jerk? What are you talking about? Who is it?" Tracey inquired curiously.
Knowing exactly what Gail had seen, I sent her an eye signal to not let Tracey see it.
"Urh, I'm sorry Tracey but I don't think you wanna see this."
"Why can't I? Are you gossiping about me with someone? Or did my nudes leak? I mean I wouldn't mind if it would leak only to my crush's phone... Gail, let me see."
"Nope."
"Now I'm really curious..."
Before we could say Jack, Tracey snatched Gail's phone from her and peered into it.
Her face tightened the next moment.
"These bitches always make him look bad. I know he is not what the media paints him to be. It's all these cheap bitches fault!" She slammed angrily.
"Tracey, what makes you think he is as clean as you imagine him to be... he may be your crush but he..."
"But what? You seem to be on their side more than mine." Tracey snapped at me. I really wondered what exactly she saw in the playboy to trust him that much.
"Relax Tracey, Veronica is making sense here," Gail started, "I mean, think about it, he is always on the news for scandals all the time. You don't think he is always innocent and the ladies are all crazy?"
But that only fueled Tracey's anger.
"You all seem to want the media to be right so badly. Just watch me. I will make him mine soon and I will prove to you all that he is not as bad as they paint him and those lying bitches will be exposed. I will send my bill," she said and walked out.
"Oh poor Tracey... she is completely smitten..." Elsie shook her head pitifully.
"You mean she looks like she is out of her right mind. Gosh! What good does she see in the jerk?"
I felt bad seeing Tracey that way. Was she seeing something about him that we weren't seeing?
For her sake, I hoped the media really was wrong about him.
His gaze held me. Fine dark eyes. Those eyes... where had I seen them... Then it hit me. The snob at the club. What was he doing in Mr Hendricks house and in the young Master's room? Wait... Was he an old servant I hadn't met or a new man servant? I scanned him. He looked nothing like a servant. The aura from him felt nothing like the one a servant could possess. His eyes pinched and he took a step towards me. "Did you not just hear me? What are you doing in my house?" His tone was icy. His house? There was only one person aside from Mr Hendricks that could say those words... Young master, Jay Adams! I looked at him again and hell the resemblance struck me. My jaw hung open and for a moment I felt my body go numb. *********** Jay Adams was a perfect man. More like a demigod that commanded both wealth and power. Women swooned over him and wanted a taste of him but he hated women. He does not believe in love. Beneath the tough exterior, beneath his million dollar tuxedo and his coldness were his flaws. And then there was Karen, a complete opposite of him. Poor with a sick father, a sister to cater for and saddled with debts. What will happen when these two cross paths?
Tiffany let out an exasperated breath. She was right. She had been right about him all along. He was nothing but a rich arrogant prat. Unfortunately she wasn't about to waste her energy on people like him. "How about we pretend we never met and just work?" She said to him, keeping her tone cold and eyes firm. Ronald made a face. "Wait, don't tell me you are thinking I came here for something other than work?" Tiffany's eyes widened. "What?" He approached her, closing up the distance between them. "Earlier on, you seem to have so much interest in my face," he said, lowering his lips to whisper the words into her ears. "Don't tell me you are already thinking of something else to do with me other than work...perhaps..." Tiffany gulped roughly and bit down on her lower lip. "..." ********* Ronald Ryker is the heir of a well-known conglomerate and was constantly surrounded by women. But none of them moved him. Not until he met Tiffany, a single mother and older woman who immediately captured his attention. But Tiffany had no interest in him. Not in his wealth and definitely not his hot look.
“People afraid of death are greedy for life.” That was the belief of Alessandro Angelo, the Italian mafia billionaire. The one who fears no one, not even death. He lived his life everyday as if it was his last. Trained only to obey orders and keep no emotions. But what happens when he comes across a cheerful, bubbly Isabella Marco, the girl whose charm could lit up even the darkest portion of the coldest heart. Slowly and unknowingly for Alessandro, he started to want more; getting greedy for life, gradually going against his life principle. One day an order came in: “kill her or you die” Will he allow his cold self be smitten by her infectious personality or end her life as he was ordered?
Two people, different circumstances yet love found them! Losing his wife turned his heart dark, turned him an alien to love and he swore to never love again, remain celibate and only care about his two daughters the remaining days of his life. Getting pregnant for a man that loved other women but her rendered her almost never wanted by another man because of her child but no matter what, Tessa would never have anything to do with a man that wouldn't want her child. And when Eric finally came to accept only her child but not her, she thought she could venture into marriage for the sake of her son who always craved for a father figure but deep down she wanted more. She craved to be loved and she wanted to love but that is not the same with Eric. But when love came knocking in their hearts, not even aunty Stella, the one that disliked Tessa, not even Eric's past could stop their love. The flame became unquenchable! Though it had seemed impossible and in fact never considered, Tessa and Eric found love with each other again!
Candles were lighted, beautiful scented flowers were well decorated in my house and even ribbons were tied at various places on that day. Soft music played in the stereo whilst people drank, ate and made merry. Sounds of laughter rang and everyone's faces were filled with smiles until tragedy struck like lightning that before I could realize what was happening, I became the youngest cursed teen werewolf in my pack accused of killing her mother. But then I hoped for my eighteenth birthday because it is only then that I would be free to live my life and have my mate but once again tragedy came knocking... And once again, Lily's life turned around... The rejected Alpha's mate….
Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..."Â But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
I ran after I died. The moon goddess gave me another chance to live. Married to a ruthless Lycan that was rumored to be cursed by the moon goddess herself. But I was killed by his minion... behind the bars of her torment... A new story began and he battled with his demons, in a world where truth was far fetched. I was his pawn, his toy, his game...until I discovered one night, when I was soaked in blood that I regretted the day I met him. I'd given up the Lycan beast, to marry a monster. I fled from the Alpha of Bloodmoon Park, the gruesome Lycan that every person feared, to be with this man that seemed soft at first glance. It made me wonder, what if I had stayed? The gruesome Lycan might be fearsome but I never heard him pierce a woman's heart with his claw. In a world where wolves howled at the moon and the lines between man and beast are blurred, danger lurked through the shadows, after the day I married the beast that visited my bed every night. Caught in a web of betrayal and deceit, the man I had fallen in love with had become the monster I wished I could flee from. A deadly threat to my life especially when I realized he was getting married to my step sister, the same girl that made my life hell when I was an omega. I wished I could get my revenge, but how could I, when I was lying in a pool of my own blood, dead? Will the goddess grant me another chance?
For two years, Bryan only saw Eileen as an assistant. She needed money for her mother's treatment, and he thought she'd never leave because of it. To him, it seemed fair to offer her financial help in exchange for sex. However, Bryan didn't expect to fall for her. Eileen confronted him, "You love someone else, yet you always sleep with me? You're despicable!" The moment she slammed the divorce papers down, he realized she was the the mysterious wife he married six years ago. Determined to win her back, Bryan lavished her with affection. When others mocked her origins, he gave her all his wealth, happy to be the supportive husband. Now a celebrated CEO, Eileen had everything, but Bryan found himself lost in another whirlwind...
Jennifer Bennett, the rightful heiress to the Bennett legacy, fought hard for her family's recognition, only to be eclipsed by an impostor. Faced with false accusations, bullying, and public humiliation, Jennifer eventually gave up trying to win their approval. Vowing to rise above the injustice, she became the bane of those who wronged her. The Bennett family's efforts to break her only fueled her success, leading her to heights her rivals could only dream of. Someone asked, "Do you feel let down by your parents?" With a calm smile, Jennifer said, "It doesn't matter. In the end, power prevails."
The night before her engagement, Valerie was tricked by her boyfriend and stepsister into spending the night with a stranger. After the night together, the man vanished. Later, her boyfriend accused her of cheating, revealing his affair with her stepsister. Pressured by her father, Valerie married an unconscious man in place of her stepsister. Valerie exposed the scheme, sabotaged her father’s ambitions, and transformed herself. When her husband woke and chased her to the airport, she calmly refused him, saying, "It's over between us." He held her firmly. "You married me, so you must commit."