For years, Erin has grappled with guilt since her high school classmate passed away. Under the influence of the friends she trusted, Daryl was challenged, resulting in his tragic demise. Seven years later, Erin did not expect that fate would punish her further. In her stepfather's will, he decided that all their wealth would go to the Arvesso family, the same family that had lost a member before. Erin now found herself caught up in this arrangement. Perhaps that was her punishment-to be the wife of Orion, someone who harbored intense resentment towards her. She believed he would let go of the past once they were married. However, it turned out that before becoming her husband, he had played the role of a protective brother. He agreed to the marriage to torment her.
Erin tossed all her belongings into her room, breaking and smashing them. Exhausted, she quietly wept in a corner.
Her body shook with profound disappointment upon discovering that the man she had loved for years had toyed with her emotions. He had only granted her a few months of solace before delivering the final blow of punishment.
The accusations from people, pointing fingers at her for a sin she didn't commit, persisted. She had borne the weight of guilt since high school, which continued without relief. When would she ever find her justice?
She sobbed as her lips trembled.
"Erin!" Orion's voice echoed as he pounded on the penthouse door. She had already changed the security code, preventing him from entering.
"Erin! Hear me out. Please... Erin!" His voice quivers audibly from the other end.
But her emotions are weary. Her chest felt drained. It isn't easy to love someone who doesn't love you back.
Erin raised the phone to call security and remove the man from outside her door. Tears streamed down her face. She had anticipated Orion hurting her severely, but not in this manner.
She grabbed the cell phone with a cracked screen, and despite her tear-blurred vision, she called the person she knew would keep her safe.
While sobbing, she uttered the words, "Let's get married."
***
[Two years ago]
"I wish to extend my gratitude to everyone who has shown me love, especially my daughter, Erin. I'm entrusting my car to our driver, Cardo Dalyas, and placing the mansion in the capable hands of Isadora Reyes, who dedicated her life to my family for several years. I will pass down the penthouse in White Garden to my daughter, Erin Villaverde.
"My friend, Niel Arvesso, will oversee all my shares in the Yurich Group until my daughter Erin becomes a part of their family through marriage. I grant Arvesso and Erin two years, effective today, to strengthen our relationship. If they fail to fulfill my final wish, transfer all my shares to the Yurich Group."
It felt as if every part of Erin's body froze, and her lips were left hanging open in response to Attorney Tuazon's concluding words. Even her head appeared to swell.
"That's everything Mr. Lawrence stated in his last will," the lawyer said.
"Are you saying Dad left me nothing except for his penthouse in White Garden?" Erin rose from her seat, her face a blend of disbelief and concern.
'How could this be?'
Two months ago, her stepfather succumbed to diabetes-related complications. His kidneys had weakened to the point where he collapsed in the hospital and ultimately passed away.
"The last will specifies that he leaves all his shares in the company to the Arvessos within two years, contingent upon your full integration into their family through marriage. Failure to fulfill his final wish will result in his shares reverting to the company itself."
It means that after two years, the shares her dad owned in the company will go to his cousin, Uncle Roger. She turned to look at the man and his daughter Jenna, who was smirking.
"How much is his net worth in the company?" Erin asked.
"Two hundred and fifty million," her uncle answered with a grin.
"You've got two years, Erin. You have nothing to worry about if your relationship with the Arvessos is solid." The lawyer glanced at Mr. Niel Arvesso, who sat quietly in the corner.
"That's the problem. She hasn't been getting along well with them!" Jenna, her cousin, said amusingly.
"Why?" Erin blurted out. 'Why with the Arvessos?'
Despite her desire to confront them openly, she held back, particularly with the man's presence. That was perplexing! Her stepfather appeared determined to burden her with punishment for the rest of her life. Wasn't seven years of guilt enough?
"I think we've heard enough! We're leaving!" declared Uncle Roger, who happened to be a cousin of her stepfather.
"Good luck, Erin! I must congratulate my dad; the task is hard," Jenna said with a sarcastic tone, casting a look at Niel Arvesso.
Erin shot her with an indignant look. At that moment, she wanted to slap Jenna. Although they were close in high school, her betrayal of Erin's boyfriend made her realize who to avoid.
Individually, each person rose from their seat and left the room. The household staff also departed, their expressions subdued, even though they, like the others, were beneficiaries of monetary support from her father. Though they yearned to revel in the windfall, the somber reality of their master's recent death cast a shadow over their hearts.
"This is quite a revelation," Mr. Arvesso said, holding the tears welling up in his eyes. "I'll excuse myself too. Miss Villaverde, call me when you're prepared," he conveyed before exiting, leaving her in the lawyer's company.
"I will file a petition. I have a stronger claim to the shares than letting Uncle Roger take them!" she declared, her irritation evident. The urge to cry welled up within her. She was determined not to let the two hundred and fifty million end up with them. She adamantly opposed allocating her parents' money to Jenna's family.
Her mother had passed away during her high school years due to a heart attack. Part of the two hundred and fifty million belonged to her mother. It was her rightful inheritance! Since Mr. Lawrence was her mother's husband, everything seemed natural to go to him, especially considering she was still a minor then.
"I apologize, Erin. Only Mr. Lawrence's biological daughter can perform that action."
"What?!" Not even her last name changed when her parents married; she still carried her mother's surname.
"It's true that Mr. Lawrence was your legal guardian back then. But you are twenty-four now, Erin. It will be difficult if you petition for what you'd inherit, especially since there's no blood relation between you."
"But to marry into the Arvesso family?!"
"As far as I know, your dad and Mr. Arvesso were friends. You saw him earlier. I don't think he had any objections. For me, marrying into the Arvesso family seems easier than submitting a petition."
That's what she aimed to uncover. To her knowledge, his family held contempt for her. She hadn't seen Mr. Arvesso in over seven years. Even her mother couldn't bear the guilt of what she had done, resulting in her heart attack.
"I'm going as well; I'll handle everything your dad left behind."
Erin covered her mouth. She quivered with anger, sadness, and a multitude of reasons!
Unfamiliar with office work due to her modeling job, she still expressed willingness to work at Yurich and assume her father's position if necessary rather than letting it go to his cousin.
She wouldn't allow what rightfully belonged to her in Jenna's family to slip away.
Erin was already ten years old when her mother married her stepfather. She didn't see Mr. Lawrence as a stepfather; to her, he was her birth father, and he treated her as such.
Her mother got Erin during her maidenhood, and the lack of knowledge of her biological father might explain her happiness in experiencing fatherly care from Mr. Lawrence. Even when her mother passed away seven years ago, she felt an even stronger sense of nurture from him.
Erin was the one who ended the friendship between Niel Arvesso and her father. She understood why her father continued to include her in their lives up to that point. Maybe her father wished to test the enduring friendship she shattered during high school.
However, Erin only knew one thing: she was not responsible for Daryl's death-the youngest son of Niel Arvesso.
'No, Erin! You are guilty!'
Tears began to flow down her cheeks.
Daryl's loss became a tragedy for the Arvesso family. In turn, Erin lost her mother, who followed Daryl just a day after the incident.
"Did you ever, even once, imagine yourself loving me?" Sarah posed a hopeful question to Philip. “Don’t make me laugh, Sarah. Everything between us has been purely about pleasure and business.” Sarah had harbored feelings for Philip ever since she first saw him in a sports magazine. When his fiancée abandoned him at the altar to elope with another man, Sarah selflessly offered herself as a replacement bride to spare his embarrassment. After enduring three years of a loveless and toxic marriage, Sarah finally summoned the courage to divorce Philip, who was still pining for his former fiancée. She vowed to herself that she would find another man who would love, trust, and worship her like a queen. This is what she sought if she were to marry a second time. A year later, their paths crossed again. Philip confronted Sarah in a ladies’ restroom, demanding, “Do not let other men touch you!” Sarah remained indifferent; her demeanor noticeably changed. “And what if I do?” she retorted. Philip’s tone grew menacing, “You won’t like what I’d do.” Unfazed, Sarah shot back, “Mr. Cornell, I’ve never liked what you’ve done, even in the past. There’s nothing new about that, and please stop whining like a baby,” before turning and walking away, disdainfully leaving him behind.
"Will you, Drew Walton, take Lilian Rose Martin, to be your lawful wedded wife, to share your life openly, standing with her in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, in hardship and in ease, to cherish and love, now and forevermore?" Lily believed she had no purpose within her family. She had never been treated responsibly and frequently endured physical abuse from her father and other family members. Even the housemaids showed her no kindness, considering her a nuisance. Her value only became apparent when she was forced to marry into the Walton Family. Lily was terrified of Drew, the man she was to marry, but she was bound by her duty as a Martin. On their first wedding night, Drew confessed that he didn't like her. She was unlike the women he typically dated. Who would desire someone with her limited education, slim figure, and unattractive appearance? Nevertheless, she was determined to honor her marriage agreement with Drew rather than return to the Martins, who had mistreated her. [TRIGGER WARNING: This book contains adult language and themes, including graphic violence, explicit content, and instances of violence against women that may be disturbing to some readers. This book is intended for adult readers.]
"I am flawed in every way possible," she said. "Good, I never asked for perfection," he replied immediately. When Sapphire Conrad, the wayward daughter of the Conrad Family, was called back to New York after running away from home to Gisborne, she only had a plan. Appear at the mansion, listen to whatever nonsense she had to say and say no to it, put up a strong font, then go back to her kids in Gisborne. Using her energy while trying to get revenge on all of them is a total waste of time even though they deserved to be trampled upon for what they did to her. It sounds like an easy enough plan until she got there and was asked to get into a marriage of convenience. Staying at New York was risky, she would be forced to face her ex-fiance who she had a nine years relationship with, the ex-best friend who snatched her fiance, her sister and mother who hate her with passion, and the list was longer than just that. But she couldn't leave her twin brother who is in danger there and there is this tiny little fact that Mr. Alexander Antonio Aldine, the CEO of Triple A Group definitely won't let her go.
For three years, Jessica endured a loveless marriage while her husband pretended to be impotent. His lies unraveled when a pregnant mistress surfaced. After six months of secretly collecting proof, Jessica threw him out and built her own billion-dollar empire. After the divorce, she transformed into an irresistible figure, attracting admirers. As she left her office one day, she met Kevan, her ex-husband's brother. He stepped in, confronting her. "Was I just a tool to you?" Jessica's lips curled into a calm smile. "How much compensation do you want?" Kevan's voice softened. "All I want is you."
Lucille was one of the most skilled female assassins, and on the previous night, she embarked on a top-secret mission. However, the mission's details were leaked, leading to her untimely demise at the hands of a traitorous companion. She never discovered the identity of the person who betrayed her before her death. But by some miracle, she was granted a new life, and was reborn as a girl with the same name. Determined to uncover the truth and seek revenge for her family, Lucille seized her second chance at life. She planned to avenge her loved ones. However, her plans were complicated by Joseph, an apparently frail man who was actually skilled in martial arts. And he seemed to fall for her deeply, now this newfound knowledge only added to the complications of Lucille's revenge plan...
She was hurt. She was bullied and made fun of. And the only hope that kept her going was finding her mate. She has always been weak. Weak to the world. Why? Because she was a lantern. She didn't have a wolf. That's what everyone thought about her. When she found her mate, he wanted her to be his slut and not a wife. She might be an omega, but it doesn't mean she will take disloyalty and betrayal lightly. So she did something that no one in history ever did. She rejected an Alpha. "I, Alexis Clark, reject Brandon Sterling, the alpha of Black mist pack, and consider myself a free soul until I decide so."; Were her last words before she left that torturous place and became a rogue. A rogue that everyone was fearing and finding. Why? Because she was the rogue that has become one of the biggest problems of almost all the packs in the country. She was Alexis Clark. A rogue that rejected an Alpha, stealth food, kill other rogues, and more than that was living with humans and studying with them. What will happen when her case is given to the world's most dangerous alpha, Sebastian Sinclair, who has taken it upon himself to punish this rogue. The one who hated rogues and omega to a level that was beyond understanding. Why? Because his mate was an omega, who betrayed him with a rogue before dying. How will Alexis tackle this alpha, in whose College she was studying and living under hiding for almost a year? What will Sebastian do when he finds out the new girl he had been talking to is none other than the rogue omega that he had decided to kill? "To love you with all my might was my only wish, but you were the only one who gave me endless suffering. So today, I promise myself to not fall for anyone."; A simple saying that both Alexis and Sebastian had vowed upon. Will they be able to find their love amidst all these problems?
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."
Katie was forced to marry Dillan, a notorious ruffian. Her younger sister mocked her, "You're just an adopted daughter. Count your blessings for marrying him!" The world anticipated Katie's tribulations, but her married life unfurled with unexpected serenity. She even snagged a lavish mansion in a raffle! Katie jumped into Dillan's arms, credited him as her lucky charm. "No, Katie, it's you who brings me all this luck," Dillan replied. Then, one fateful day, Dillan's childhood friend came to her. "You're not worthy of him. Take this 50 million and leave him!" Katie finally grasped Dillan's true stature—the wealthiest man on the planet. That night, trembling with trepidation, she broached the subject of divorce with Dillan. However, with a domineering embrace, he told her, "I'd give you everything I have. Divorce is off the table!"