It's about a billionaire Sam, whose grandfather leaves an option for him to inherit the property- to get married and have an heir within the next year. He offers a contract marriage to Rose who needs money and the next few months spent together, sparks fly and the two work themselves into a real relationship.
You know you can't mess this up," Gerald says beside me, and I turn to look at him.
He grits his teeth and says nothing under my admonishing gaze. Sometimes I wonder if he even has a heart and if anything within him is still alive for anyone else except me. I stare at him for a while longer until his eyes finally soften, and he sighs.
"I know I stepped out of line. Look, I miss him as well but there are things that we have to do, and we must not let sentimentality get in our way. I loved the old man but there are vultures, and guess who the vultures are looking at now. Yes, you guessed right. They are looking at you. You're the one they must uproot," he says to me through clenched teeth.
"Everything that you're saying is based on speculation and that is not what I deal in. That is not what a businessman worth his salt deals in, especially when we don't know what our grandfather decided. All of this won't even matter depending on what we hear today, and I would prefer it if you treated this with the respect that it deserves. He was our grandfather. Now, I can tolerate this cold-blooded madness from others but not from you. Do you understand?" I say to him.
I know that he wants to argue but he looks at me then he sucks his teeth. "Yeah, I understand," he says to me, and I nod at him. I adjust my tie and we start walking into the house.
I remember all the times when I ran across the staircase as a child, all the times when I sat on them and read novels and stories, books my grandfather would give to me.
He was the greatest man I had ever known, an icon whom I hope to live up to. There are times when I wonder what sort of life he lived and the obstacles he must have faced. But he had already told them to me and I carry them in my heart.
I suppose that I already know, as everyone does, what will be in store for me. This was not a part that I could fight. There was no one else there that could take over, no one had the patience to endure his tutelage and expectations.
While they might be seeing what he gave me as a reward, I see it as a burden I must carry, one that stretched to every member of the family. Anyone who does not see it that way is simply unfit to lead or play an active role in the family.
I enter the foyer with the grand rotating metalwork and the sculptures on the wall. I used to think that when I grew up, it would finally seem a bit less overwhelming but as I stand within it, I can see that is not so. The house is still as grand as I remember.
"Samuel," a voice calls to me, and I turn to see my grandmother, Anna, standing there with her arms wide open. I walk to her and hold her in a hug. She is a tiny woman but just being in her presence is enough to make the strongest men wilt. "By God, child, have you been starving?" She asks me. The truth is that I have actually put on a lot more muscle from working out, but my grandma Anna will always seem to think I have lost weight.
"I have been eating quite well, Gramma" I say to her, and she shakes her head. "Nonsense. What you need is homemade meals, you need good food and you need lots of it. Why, I hope that you will stay longer after the will reading so you can actually eat," she says to me. I smile and nod, knowing that there is nothing I can say that will change her mind.
"Hello, Gramma," Gerald says from behind me and she looks at him with loving eyes. "Gerald," she calls him, and he hugs her. He bends so she can kiss his forehead then she tugs at his beard. "What is this madness that has come over you young men these days? Leaving all that mane to hang to your chest," she says and laughs. I dip my head in respect as she turns to greet another family member.
I walk past them and into the living room. It is a massive affair with metalwork and paintings on the wall. There is a young man, a little younger than me, at the bar island and he smiles at me.
"Hello, Anthony. I didn't think that I'd see you here," I say to him, and he beams at me, genuinely pleased that I spoke to him.
"You remember my name," he says. "Why wouldn't I? You've been here since I can remember. We used to play in the woods together," I say to him and he grins then nods repeatedly.
"Ah, Anthony. What the hell, man? It's almost like your face hasn't even aged a day," Gerald says from behind me.
"What will you be having, Mr. Oliver?" Anthony says to Gerald. "Just some whiskey would be fine. That's all that's worth drinking these days," he says. "Water," I say before he asks me. Drinking liquor is one thing that does not interest me in the slightest. "I see the golden boy is here," a voice says behind me, and immediately, my muscles tense. I force them to relax then I turn to look at her. She is tall and curvy with blue eyes and graying hair.
Aunt Linda is my grandfather's lovechild-his third child overall-with a mistress he had when he was young, and her son is a successful lawyer named Brian.
"Hello, Aunt Linda. You're looking quite ravishing today. How have you been?" I ask her and she smiles. "Hmm, you must be overjoyed. All those years of servitude and bootlicking have finally paid off."
"What do you mean?" Gerald asks from behind me. "Ah, if it isn't the little cousin. Loyal as a dog, is he not?" Linda asks. Gerald starts to move but I look at him and he stops then grits his teeth. "See? Just like a dog," she says. I can feel Gerald's anger but that does not matter now. "I imagined that we would be on good terms as a family, but you have decided to insult my cousin and me. I will not tolerate that," I say to her, and she raises an eyebrow. "I imagine I shouldn't antagonize you at this time since who knows how things may fall out and you may actually be the heir. It would be a terrible thing to be on your bad side then," she says to me with bitterness so deep that I feel it from across the room. A smile crosses my lips.
My grandfather spoke to me about this, told me of all the people that would attack me, that still I should protect them, even if it was from themselves. They were family. "Have a good morning, Aunt Linda," I say to her then turn away and whip out my phone as I take my glass of water to the window.
She stands silently behind me for a while then she turns and leaves. "That is just one, coz," Gerald says to me and I nod with a deep sigh. "Well, that is what all this is about. We take it one day at a time. Oh, it seems grandfather's lawyer is here," I say to him and he smiles. Mrs. Atkins has been a family friend for as long as I can remember, closest to my grandmother.
The fierce intelligence around her eyes and the brisk manner of her person reminds me of all the conversations we have had together and her logical and systematical way of viewing everything. I know that greeting her would not result in a reply so I just dip my head as she walks past and a shadow of a smile crosses her lips.
Everyone sits down to listen to Atkins. There is tension in the room, so strong that I almost feel how palpable it is. "The will of Jeremiah Oliver," she says and I almost laugh. She says nothing before that, no flourishes, no words to prepare for what might happen then she starts speaking.
It is all mundane. It is all normal. Houses and money go to certain members of the family. His art collections, his cars, and things that are of no interest to me or most of the family. Gerald gets fifty million and a house in Italy. He grins at me. "Finally, all my shares and holdings in the Blue Whale company, my private mansion, and all of my books and personal effects will go to my grandson, Samuel Oliver," she says, and a hush falls across the room. I knew that this would happen, but the reality is still a little scary and humbling. I look at Atkins who gives me a flat stare. "He will, however, only be able to access all these after he has taken a wife. Until then, they will be withheld from him. He has three months to take a wife else everything will be given to charity," she finishes.
A part of me knew this would come but I am still greatly disturbed by it. What I didn't think he would do was put a timeline to it. This is insane. It is then that I remember a conversation between my grandfather and I on my twenty-third birthday where he mentioned the issue of marriage. I told him that it was not something I was considering.
He simply gave me a long look and then smiled. Was this his way of forcing my hand, four years later? I look at Gerald who still has a smile on his face, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. He seems to think this is a simple case and I let him think that until everyone begins to disperse, and I walk out of the room and to the balcony. "This is great," Gerald says to me as he comes to stand behind me. "What do you mean?" I ask him. I nearly snap at him, but I control my rage. "I mean that this is truly great. You just have to arrange a wedding and stuff, and maybe by next week, we'll have this over with," he says to me. "That would be great but there are two small problems, Gerald," I reply and he furrows his brows as he looks at me.
"The first is that I don't have any interest in marriage. I never had. And the second is this: where are you going to find a girl on such short notice?" I ask him and his face darkens as he looks at me, almost like he cannot believe what I am saying, but then again, I did not expect him to understand.
"What the hell are you even...look, I understand that you are a strange man with strange and weird principles, and maybe that is why you and Grandad got along so well, but I am telling you that now is not the time to be weird. We have to be precise and fast. That is what we need now. You can find a girl at a moment's notice-you can even arrange to divorce her after some time has elapsed. Please, cousin," he says to me.
I turn to face the wide garden and the greenery, the plant sculptures that littered the garden. "He knew. He knew that I did not want this. This was the one thing that we did not see eye to eye on and he is forcing my hand. I do not like it when my hands are forced," I reply.
"Look..." Gerald starts but he is interrupted.
"Hello, Samuel," Brian says to me. I look at him. He is a short, handsome man with jet-black hair and a strong chin. "You are quite a lucky man. If you need anything, then you can talk to me. Anything at all. I suppose there will be a wedding in the family soon," he says to me. His words carry double meanings as is the manner of all lawyers. I nod and say nothing else as he walks away. "Ass," Gerald hisses, and for once, I agree.
Rebecca’s father dies and leaves with a very touching gift- a debt of one million dollars. Now Rebecca works tirelessly at a bar, trying to pay up the debt as the debt collectors are after her and will do anything to get their money. Fired from the job, she stumbles upon a job offer as a personal assistant to one of the most wealthiest billionaires who has a rude personality. Darren Walter, heir of Walt Enterprises is so close to gaining control of the empire until his grandfather places a last minute condition- for him to get married and produce an heir within the next year. Baffled by this condition- he sets out to look for someone who needed money that he could pay to be his wife and bear him an heir on contract and the new applicant for the personal assistant role fits the description….. perfectly.
Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms once at peace. The kingdom of Salem and the kingdom of Mombana... Until the day, the king of Mombana passed away and a new monarch took over, Prince Cone. Prince Cone, has always been hungry for more power and more and more. After his coronation, he attacked Salem. The attack was so unexpected, Salem never prepared for it. They were caught off guard. The king and Queen was killed, the prince was taken into slavery. The people of Salem that survived the war was enslaved, their land taken from them. Their women were made sex slaves. They lost everything, including their land. Evil befall the land of Salem in form of Prince Cone, and the prince of Salem in his slavery was filled with so much rage. The prince of Salem, Prince Lucien swore revenge. 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 Ten years later, thirty-years old Lucien and his people raided a coup and escaped slavery. They went into hiding and recuperated. They trained day and night under the leadership of the fearless and cold Lucien who was driven with everything in him to get back their land, and take Mombana land too. It took them five years before they ambushed and attacked Mombana. They killed Prince Cone and reclaimed everything. As they screamed out their victory, Lucien's eyes found and pinned the proud princess of Mombana. Princess Danika. The daughter of Prince Cone. As Lucien stared at her with the coldest eyes anyone can ever possess, he felt victory for the first time. He walked to the princess with the slave collar he'd won for ten years rattling in his hand as he walked. He reached close to her and with a swift movement, he collared her neck. Then, he tilted her chin up, staring into the bluest eyes and the most beautiful face ever created, he gave her a cold smile. "You are my acquisition. My slave. My sex slave. My property. I will pay you in spades, everything you and your father ever did to me and my people." He stated curtly. Pure hatred, coldness and victory was the only emotion on his face. .
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
Rumors claimed that Fernanda, newly back with her family, was nothing more than a violent country bumpkin. Fernanda just flashed a casual, dismissive grin in response. Another rumor suggested that the usually rational Cristian had lost all sense, madly in love with Fernanda. This frustrated her. She could tolerate gossip about herself, but slander against her beloved crossed the line! Gradually, as Fernanda's multiple identities as a celebrated designer, a savvy gamer, an acclaimed painter, and a successful business magnate came to light, everyone realized they were the ones who had been fooled.
"Mr. Evans, please maintain some dignity. Don't forget I'm your brother's wife!" Having caught her husband and best friend together in the bed, Elena wanted nothing more than to exact revenge on the people she once called family. She refused to be a pitiful divorcee and vowed to make everyone who had once looked down on her beg for forgiveness. And to start with her newfound freedom, Elena indulges in a one-night stand with a stranger. However, what was meant to be a fleeting escape turns into a nightmare when she learns that the stranger is none other than her husband's older brother! Would Elena be free from the shackles of her marriage? Or would the mysterious stranger make her life a living hell since he seemed to have a personal vendetta against his family? [The story is 18+ and involves mature content.]
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"