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My life was going perfectly until my parents summoned me back to the motherland. My father was persistent on my return and when I finally arrive I learn that I've been signed off into an arranged marriage.
My life was going perfectly until my parents summoned me back to the motherland. My father was persistent on my return and when I finally arrive I learn that I've been signed off into an arranged marriage.
Deja
"Dad, I already said I can't make it back anytime soon." I didn't mean to raise my tone, but my parents were being overly persistent right now- more than usual.
"Dejare! I am your father and I do not need a reason to bring you back home" He coughed aggressively at the end of his rant. I could hear my mother telling him to calm down in our native tongue, Yoruba.
Home? The word sounded almost foreign on my tongue. I had stopped referring to that place as home years ago. It just didn't feel right to call it home after what happened.
"E pele sir" I apologized in Yoruba
"Don't tell me sorry, Dejare! Just come home. I didn't send you to school abroad only for you to disrespect me. Or was that a mistake?" My father asked
One thing about my father, Adebayo Bamidele. He never failed to remind me that he made my education and stay in Canada possible.
I ignored the question. "I'll think about it, Dad. I have to go now." This conversation had to end now. It's a Saturday morning and I have places to be.
"Deja don't think about it! Just make sure you come ho-" I pressed the red button and immediately turned my mobile data off
My father's anger-filled rants can wait another day. Right now my favorite pastry shop just opened for the day and there's no way in hell I'm going to fall back on my duty as Dakota's first customer.
A smile appeared on my face as I crossed the street and Dakota's beautiful shop sign appeared in my line of view.
The Pearl had become almost like a second house to me. If I wasn't at work or home, I was here; eating Dakota's amazing meat pies, donuts, and spring rolls.
Dakota and I met during my second week at university. She was also new like me and lost too. When we finally found our right class, thirty minutes later the professor made us partners for the whole of the semester.
We walked to the nearest pastry shop together to brainstorm on the assignment.
Dakota had used half our time to smile lovingly at the shop and used the other half to tell me how, one day she wants to own a pastry shop just like this but better.
To be honest, I had no interest in her pastry shop story then and it's not like I could get rid of the strange talkative girl, I was stuck with her. So, I listened to her story and prayed to whoever is up there that maybe she'd finally let us do our work if I just listen to her plan.
She didn't.
I open the door and the wide smile on my face is suddenly wiped off when something hard collides with my front.
The wet and cold feeling of iced liquid registers in my head as it drips down my shirt. I'm still trying to get over the damage to my amazing blouse when the grating voice belonging to the culprit speaks.
Oh wow, he's tall, really tall but that doesn't matter because I'm beyond pissed. "Watch where you're bloody going!" He exclaims rudely
Me? He bumped into me!
"Are you blind? You bumped into me and also ruined my clothes!" I retort angrily
He looks at my face briefly before his eyes rake the damage but he doesn't utter the apology I was expecting. Instead, he looks me in the eye and then looks down at his trousers, then he proceeds to give me a pointed look.
I'm taken aback but I don't say a word "An apology would simply fix all this. You're the one who bumped into me. So, apologize" he replied
"Are you fucking kidding me? I'm not the one who was on my phone or has my head so far up my ass I can't tell when I'm wrong. Choke on the apology, idiot" I hiss and step to the side before walking off in the direction of the counter where Dakota is supposed to be but is not.
I can feel the piercing gaze of his eyes on the back of my but I don't bother turning around.
A second later, Dakota appears from the kitchen. A huge smile appears on her face when she sees me "There's my number one customer and favourite Nigerian!"
I'm the only Nigerian she knows.
I give her a small smile as she walks around the counter to come and hug me.
She comes to a quick halt in front of me and I drop my outstretched arms "I have to tell you though, as much as I hate it you were late today for the first time and someone took your spot as number one customer." She sounded genuinely sad. And knowing Dakota, she probably is.
Well judging from the time on my watch that says eight fifteen AM, and Dakota opens shop by eight AM. I'm guessing we all know who the spot thief is. The idiot who spilled coffee on me. And if not for my parent's call I'd have been the first person in here.
"Dako-" I proceed to inform her
"Woah! Is there a new fashion trend I'm unaware of again?" She asks jokingly while reaching for napkins to clean my blouse.
I mutter a thank you "That's what I was about to tell you about"
"Don't delay! Get on with it then." I roll my eyes at her and she laughs "Miss Deja, please proceed."
I chuckle "So, just minutes ago as I was about to enter, some idiot that was too focused on his phone bumped into me and spilled coffee all over my blouse. That's not the worst part. The worst part is, he was expecting me to apologize. So disrespectful. Anyway, that's how I ended up with this. I'm surprised you didn't hear, we were a bit loud." I picked the napkin up and tried to reduce the damage done to my shirt.
I raise my head to look at Dakota, she has been quiet for too long. She's not one to stay quiet, especially for gist like this. I squint my eyes while they're on her "You're quiet. Why?"
"Okay, two questions." I nod "Was this idiot by any chance a 6'6ft hunk? And why were you late today?"
"I don't know about hunk but the idiot was tall, very tall. And I was late because Mr. Bamidele wants me to come back to Nigeria for something 'important' " I air-quoted the last word to show how I felt about the information.
"We're going to Nigeria! When?" She asked with sheer excitement
"We? No honey, not yet. I'm supposed to go to Nigeria. Just me." I drop the napkin on the table
She sighs dramatically "Shit! When will I get to finally visit the motherland?"
"Soon my love, pele." I console her in my language
"Oshe." Dakota thanks me and then smiles with pride at her Yoruba progress. Even though her pronunciation is still shaky
"Ah! You go girl!" I lift my hands to high-five her
"Thank you, thank you." She flicks her hair with pride "Okay so, back to the man who spilled coffee on you, can you describe him?"
As much as I hate it, I go back to his topic "Very tall, blue eyes, black hair, expensive suit, and watch." I give her the perfect description. And yeah, I'm very attentive.
Dakota's eyes widen "Yeah, that was my first customer. Deja, that's Maverick Wolfe"
"Mav what? Am I supposed to know him?" I get up and make my way to the hot meat pie tray. On my way, I hit my toe against the leg of the table causing me to knock over the glass of ice water all over my trousers.
"Oh my goodness! Are you okay?" Dakota exclaims and walks towards me with a chair
I take the chair "Thanks, I'm fine. My toe hurts though." Call me superstitious but my gut tells me this is a sign to book my flight tonight
"Want me to get the aboniki? I always keep one around now." I chuckle at the memory that brings up "That shit works like a miracle worker." She carefully steps over the spilled water and squats to take a look at my toe
I laugh at her "You're turning into a Nigerian at this point. And it's okay, but I need to get home and book my flight tickets. I'm going to Nigeria."
We stand together "What made you change your mind?" She asks surprisingly
"This morning my phone almost fell down the toilet, a rude man spilled coffee on me, and now I stubbed my toe and spilled iced water all over my body. Yeah, I need to go home and hear what my parents want." I kiss her on the cheek and make my way to the door
"You're so superstitious!" Dakota yells behind me
I halt and turn around "I can't help it. It's the Nigerian in me!" I yell back before crossing the road
"We still have to talk about Maverick Wolfe." She mutters a low curse word and then covers her mouth when she realizes that she let her intrusive thoughts win again in public.
I chuckle "Fuck Maverick Wolfe!"
Amaya Jones is 23 years old and a single mother to Bailey King. She used to live with her family until she became pregnant with Bailey. Her father was furious so he cut her out of their life. Aiden Carter a 28-year-old billionaire playboy and heir to his father's company is surprised when his father contacts him and says he has a beneficial deal for the company. He wants Aiden to help an old friend of his who was on the verge of bankruptcy. Aiden has no interest in helping the Jones's, but his father insists so he gives in. When his father tells him what the contract entails, he's against it at first but agrees later on. After all, a joint company means more money, which Aiden doesn't mind. Amaya's parents sign the contract without her knowledge. They didn't care about what she wanted they just hoped that when they inform her about the arranged marriage, she would accept without any fuss. Amaya declines the offer. She doesn't care if her family was on the verge of bankruptcy, they cut her off long ago. After getting bad news from her mother Amaya changes her mind and agrees to help them. All she ever wanted was to focus on her daughter but now she's stuck in an arranged marriage with a man that she detests.
Elliana, the unfavored "ugly duckling" of her family, was humiliated by her stepsister, Paige, who everyone admired. Paige, engaged to the CEO Cole, was the perfect woman-until Cole married Elliana on the day of the wedding. Shocked, everyone wondered why he chose the "ugly" woman. As they waited for her to be cast aside, Elliana stunned everyone by revealing her true identity: a miracle healer, financial mogul, appraisal prodigy, and AI genius. When her mistreatment became known, Cole revealed Elliana's stunning, makeup-free photo, sending shockwaves through the media. "My wife doesn't need anyone's approval."
After being kicked out of her home, Harlee learned she wasn't the biological daughter of her family. Rumors had it that her impoverished biological family favored sons and planned to profit from her return. Unexpectedly, her real father was a zillionaire, catapulting her into immense wealth and making her the most cherished member of the family. While they anticipated her disgrace, Harlee secretly held design patents worth billions. Celebrated for her brilliance, she was invited to mentor in a national astronomy group, drew interest from wealthy suitors, and caught the eye of a mysterious figure, ascending to legendary status.
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
"You want a divorce?" His voice was ice, sending a chill down her spine. "You'll never get it." For three years, Bellatrix devoted herself to Cillian Laurent-Miami's ruthless tycoon and her indifferent husband-hoping to earn his love. But when she's diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, she realizes the bitter truth: she was never his choice. Just a placeholder for the woman who abandoned him. and has now returned. Determined to reclaim her life, Bellatrix demands a divorce. But the man who once ignored her now refuses to let her go. As buried secrets unravel, she discovers their twisted marriage was never what it seemed. Can she break free from a love that was never hers? Or will his obsession destroy them both?
"Lucien, let's get a divorce," I said in a peremptory tone that was long overdue, the most decisive farewell to this absurd marriage. We had been married for exactly three years-three years that, for me, were filled with nothing but endless loneliness and torment. For three years, the husband who should have stood by my side through every storm, Lucien Sullivan, had completely disappeared from my life as if he had never existed. He vanished without a trace, leaving me alone to endure this empty, desolate marriage. Today, I finally received his message: "I'm back. Come pick me up at the airport." When I read his words, my heart leapt with joy, and I raced to the airport, thinking that he finally understood my love and was coming back to me. But his cruelty was far worse than I could have ever imagined-he was accompanied by a pregnant woman, and that woman was Carla, my closest and most trusted friend. In that moment, all of my previous excitement, all my hope, and all of our shared laughter and tears turned into the sharpest of daggers, stabbing into my heart and leaving me gasping for air. Now, all I want is to escape from this place that has left me so broken-to lick my wounds in solitude. Even if these wounds will remain with me for the rest of my life, I refuse to have anything to do with him ever again. He should know that it was his own hand that trampled our love underfoot, that his coldness and betrayal created this irreparable situation. But when he heard those words, he desperately clung to this broken, crumbling marriage, unwilling to let it end-almost as though doing so could rewind time and return everything to how it used to be. "Aurora, come back. I regret everything!" Regret? Those simple words stirred no emotion in me-only endless sadness and fury. My heart let out a frantic, desperate scream: It's too late for any of this!
On the night of her wedding, Evelyn Knight paid the ultimate price for trusting the wrong man-her husband murdered her with his own hands. But fate grants her a second chance. Reborn on the very day she's meant to marry Nathaniel Andrews, Evelyn wastes no time. This time, she won't be the victim. She escapes the altar and makes a bold move-straight into the arms of her husband's sworn rival. "Mr. Everett, will you marry me?" "This a surrender?" "No," she smirks. "This is a tactical retreat followed by a counterattack." What begins as a calculated alliance quickly spirals into something far more dangerous-obsession, protection, desire. Julian Everett never expected to fall for the woman who barged into his life like a storm. But now that he has her, he won't let her go. This time, Evelyn isn't just rewriting her fate-She's taking her revenge one kiss at a time.
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