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"This marriage is nothing more than a business deal so don't expect anything from me" Those were the words he uttered as soon as we were married. How do you make your arranged marriage work when your husband has a mistress threatening to kick you out just few weeks into your wedding? Hazel Reyes finds her world turned upside down when she is told that her father is currently on his death bed and she must return home. She rushes back home and discovers that her father had arranged for her to be married out of fear that she may not be able to survive the capitalist world alone as she would be an orphan when he is gone. Unable to refuse her father's dying wish, Hazel finds herself married to the King of the capitalist world, Atticus Hayland. Atticus Hayland, the youngest billonaire and the most brutal force of the business world gets an offer to marry Martin Reyes only daughter in exchange for thirty percent shares and manangemt right of his construction business which is the largest in the country. As a business man, that is an offer he can't refuse so he accepts with the intention of marrying the young girl just for name sake and tossing her aside but he is surprised to see that she would not allow herself to be tossed aside. Hazel is determined to make Atticus hers only and make sure he gets ride of his ex fiancee who is also his current mistress as she threatens to do everything in her power to make sure Hazel doesn't remain Atticus wife. Would Hazel succeed in becoming the only woman in Atticus's eyes or would she be unable to severe the relationship he already shares with his mistress?
I was having an amazing time in Paris, and I was determined to let it last. I graduated from the university three months ago, and this was my well-deserved break from spending four years studying business administration instead of Art.
Dad has tried to get me to come back home multiple times in the last year, but I refused. I slaved my way through university and graduated Valedictorian, so I was going to be selfish with this vacation.
But on the other hand, could I call it a vacation if I had spent my last three months in Paris in the comfort of my hotel room?
I went sightseeing and did a lot of shopping in the first few weeks I came here, but I got bored quickly, and I didn't have any friends to bring with me.
I didn't do friendships. There was a lot of dramatics and baggage involved that I would rather not deal with, and I had yet to meet someone who genuinely liked me and wasn't after me because of what they could get from my father.
Today, however, was going to be a different day from the last few since I planned to attend an exhibition that was held not too far from the hotel I was staying at.
For someone who had been here for a little over three months, I didn't know shit about this place. All I did was spend time on my balcony people-watching while sipping my coffee, and I'm sure the people who could see me would think I was obnoxious.
I took one final look at the scenery in front of me before heading back inside the room and jumping on the soft bed that bounced with my action, making me chuckle.
From the corner of my eye, I saw my phone light go off, and I picked it up to see I had a missed call from Duke, our butler.
"Not today, Duke", I muttered to the phone, "I'm not going to listen to you try to convince me that I should come home again. I'll come home when I am ready"
I dropped the phone on the bed and decided to get ready since I had just an hour left before the exhibition started.
It was a small exhibition, so I decided to wear a simple yellow dress. I had a small debate on whether I should go with my phone before I decided to leave it behind since no one called me except Duke and my dad.
The exhibition venue was supposed to be close by, but when I arrived, it had already started, and the sun had gone down.
As soon as I stepped foot in the gallery, I was blown off my feet by the amazing art pieces. They were magnificent, and I was hit with instant regret that I didn't take my phone to capture them.
I was so engrossed in the pieces that I walked into someone's back who had been talking to another man.
"I'm sorry", I apologised, flustered, before rushing away from the scene.
"Mr Hayland, are you okay?"
Atticus Hayland? What was such a powerful man doing at a small exhibition like this?
I shook the thought off my head when I saw a piece that took my breath away.
Before me was a woman who was smiling so wide even though her lips had been sewn shut. I couldn't imagine how painful that must be, but there she was, staring at me with eyes glittering with excitement as tears streamed down her cheeks.
A beautiful contrast that had my heart racing and clenching painfully.
My fingers ached with the desire to draw something so mesmerising one day.
It was late before I decided to go back to the hotel. I was the last person to leave the venue because I couldn't bear to part with the pieces before me. They were so stunning I wanted them engraved into my brain.
I took a cab on the way back, and I was thankful I took my purse because I had decided to walk to the venue, which was why I arrived late.
It felt like my phone was glaring at me when I entered the hotel room, so I went to pick it up but frowned when I saw it was dead.
"That's why you look so grumpy", I scoffed, then plugged it in while I went to the bathroom to shower after I ordered room service because I was starving.
After my shower, the room service arrived, and I went to remove my phone from charging so I could call Duke back. He would be worried, and I had promised to at least call him once a day.
When my phone came on, I was stunned to see I had over fifty missed calls from both Duke and the house number.
"What the fuck" I whispered. Even though Duke loved to call me when he got worried after I didn't call or reply, he had never given me so many missed calls.
Panic gripped me as I began to go into a frenzy. This had never happened before, and my mind began to wander as I tried to think of what could have happened while I dialled Duke's number.
"Miss Hazel?" Duke's relieved voice reached me as he answered the call on the first ring.
"Duke?" I asked with a shaky voice, "What's happening? I saw so many missed calls from you and the house"
My voice was as fast as the racing of my heart. I felt fear grip me as my body started to believe that something was wrong.
"Young miss, where have you been?" Duke snapped, his relief disappearing and turning into anger "You haven't answered any of your calls for the past hours. I was so close to contacting the police over there to arrange a search party"
Damn, he was angry. Duke was one to hardly snap or yell at someone, even when he was irritated.
"I'm sorry, Duke," I quickly apologised. "I went to an art exhibition close to my hotel, and I left my phone behind. I didn't think I would be gone for this long," I explained.
I felt guilty for causing so much panic for them, especially Dad. I could imagine he was very worried, and right now, I hoped Duke would continue to talk to me and not hand the phone to my father.
"Why would you go out without your phone? We have taught you better, young miss." He scolded, "What if there was an emergency or something happened to you? You know better than to be this careless, Miss Hazel"
"I didn't think correctly," I told him "Please, don't be angry with me. It won't happen next time," I pleaded because I hated it when Duke was angry with me.
"Don't let it happen again" He snapped one more time, and I nodded my head solemnly, and when I remembered he couldn't see me, I mumbled a quiet yes.
"So why did you call? Did something happen? Where is Dad?" I asked to prevent him from scolding me more because I couldn't take any more.
And I doubted that the reason that they called me so many times was because they couldn't reach me. Something must have happened back at home.
"You need to come home on the next plane," Duke demanded, and I rolled my eyes. We've had this talk a billion times already.
"Duke", I whined and took a seat "I have told you a thousand times that I am not ready to come home. When I want to come home, I will so tell Dad that there is no need to always get you to call me and try to force me to come home"
I explained as calmly as I could so I wouldn't raise my voice because I was tired of them calling me over the same thing over and over again.
"You don't have a choice this time, you have to come home", he said again, this time with a firm tone that left no room for argument.
I would have argued, but there was something in his tone that stopped me. Something that made me believe something was wrong.
"Tell me what's wrong", I demanded, all irritation I felt fading and turning to fear "Where is Dad?"
Usually, when Duke called me, Dad would be in the background complaining about my lack of obedience, but today was different. I hadn't heard a word of complaint in the background.
And Dad had also not called me. There had been calls from Duke and the house number, but nothing from him, which was weird.
"Your father... He..." Duke stuttered as though the words were too heavy for him to say.
"What happened to Dad? Duke, talk to me," I screamed into the phone as my panic level rose and I began to sweat even under the cool AC
"He is..." He paused again, and I could no longer sit still. I stood up and began to pace the room.
"Duke, you are making me scared. Tell me," I practically screamed again. My knees were getting weak from the amount of fear that I was feeling.
"Your father is on his deathbed, young mistress" he finally spoke, and my knees gave out.
In this world, rejecting your mate is not an option,Not even when he is responsible for wiping out your entire pack and family. What can Geneva do in this heartbreaking situation? On the night of her first pack hunt, Geneva's pack is attacked by unknown wolves who wipes out her entire pack and takes her hostage. To add to her pain of losing her family, she discovers that the Alpha of these wolves turns out to be her mate. Furious at the moon goddess for bestowing her with such a harsh fate, Geneva swears to never be mated or marked by that monster even when rejection is not an option. She would take death over anything. Zion Kincaid is a man out for war until he finds his mate in his quests for revenge. He has no way to prove he isn't the monster she thinks he is but that didn't mean he would let her get away with her foolish decision of not bearing his mark. A mate wouldn't make him weak. Embark on the journey of two destined hearts at war and see how they look past their hurt to find the happiness that is meant for them.
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"
Elena, once a pampered heiress, suddenly lost everything when the real daughter framed her, her fiancé ridiculed her, and her adoptive parents threw her out. They all wanted to see her fall. But Elena unveiled her true identity: the heiress of a massive fortune, famed hacker, top jewelry designer, secret author, and gifted doctor. Horrified by her glorious comeback, her adoptive parents demanded half her newfound wealth. Elena exposed their cruelty and refused. Her ex pleaded for a second chance, but she scoffed, “Do you think you deserve it?” Then a powerful magnate gently proposed, “Marry me?”
"I heard you're going to marry Marcelo. Is this perhaps your revenge against me? It's very laughable, Renee. That man can barely function." Her foster family, her cheating ex, everyone thought Renee was going to live in pure hell after getting married to a disabled and cruel man. She didn't know if anything good would ever come out of it after all, she had always thought it would be hard for anyone to love her but this cruel man with dark secrets is never going to grant her a divorce because she makes him forget how to breathe.
Desperate to handle her grandmother's towering medical bills, Gianna agreed to a contract marriage with Tristan, the enigmatic man she'd once shared a one-night stand with. She assumed they'd fulfill each other's needs and dissolve the arrangement once the terms expired. Unbeknownst to Gianna, this marriage was a dream Tristan had clung to for ten relentless years. Certain she was just filling someone else's role, Gianna prepared to leave when that other woman returned. But Tristan, his eyes burning with unspoken emotion, seized her trembling hand and declared, "You’re mine. Now and always."
Five years ago, he upped and left his wife without informing her. He had always felt unworthy. As a result, he decided to go and become a better man. It took him five whole years of daily hard work. When he was satisfied, he returned as a powerful and honorable man. He intended to start a family with his wife. But he got back to meet the greatest shocker of his life. He actually had a daughter!
6 years ago, Lydia suffered a brutal betrayal orchestrated by her own husband and step-sister, who drugged her and framed her. In a twist of fate, she ended up having a one-night stand with a stranger. Don't even remember what he looked like. Later, in the throes of death, she discovered the truth about her mother's death all those years ago. In the blink of an eye, she lost everything. 6 years later, Lydia returned with her genius son, vowing to exact revenge on all her enemies! Little did she know, she encountered an incredibly familiar man at the airport! *** The man was briskly pushing open the door to the restroom, heading to the urinal. Even with such a mundane action, he did it with unparalleled elegance and grace. Lydia, following him in a daze, saw his fierce lower body and suddenly snapped back to reality. She let out a high-pitched scream, instinctively covering her eyes with her hands, her cheeks flushed, and stood there stiffly, unsure of what to do. Lambert furrowed his brows slightly but remained calm as he continued to relieve himself. The sound of water hitting the urinal made Lydia's face even redder. She angrily shouted, "You pervert!" Little did Lydia know that Lambert, seeing her in this state, had a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Memories from many years ago flashed through his mind, and his heart couldn't help but stir. It was her!