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"You've never imagined that you could be at my mercy one day. Life is weird" Margaret flipped her hair to the back and laughed so hard, waving her off with her hand. "Don't be silly. Stupid things like that only happen in dramas and movies, not in real life. That's what movie directors do to sell poor people like you the dream of having power and fame. Wake up, Elaine. I will never be at your mercy." ___________________________________________ Despite her poor background, Elaine Smith believes she is good enough to become the bride of Alexander Rogers, the CEO of the fastest growing health company in New York. Alexander has proven his love to her over and over. Their court wedding is done and all that is left is the white wedding. Everyone seems to be in support of their marriage..... Everyone except Alexander's proud mother, Margaret who believes Elaine is a terrible choice for her son, never failing to hurt and frustrate her any chance she gets. And not just her, there's also his ex-girlfriend who believes she is a better replacement as Alexander's bride, instead of Elaine. Elaine remains by Alexander's side despite everything, determined to show she is the right bride for him but.... After a dangerous threat targeting the life of her 'struggling' parents, Elaine fearfully decides to divorce Alexander, leaving him completely heartbroken and confused. Years pass by and life throws a twisted fate and they meet again.... Alexander's mother finds herself in a critical position and ONLY Elaine can give her the solution she desperately needs. What happens when two lovers meet again after a painful separation? Will Elaine choose revenge or love? What will the return of the 'new' Elaine bring?
Elaine Smith sneezed feverishly, her slightly weak body aching from the force. She pulled the large, thick blanket around her waist closer, shivering as her temperature rose higher.
Resting her back against the soft, huge bed, she stared at the white ceiling above, sighing in frustration at what her life had turned into.
"Do not marry a man if his mother hates you! You will be so frustrated. I don't want that type of life for you, Elaine."
Elaine closed her eyes in slight regret as the words of her mother echoed in her mind. Just eight months ago, her mother, Beatrice Smith, had held her hands tightly, pleading with her to dissolve her engagement to her fiance, Alexander Rogers.....
But she had gone ahead with her own plan, trying to prove to Alexander's mother, Margaret Rogers, that she was good enough for her son.
Truth be told, Alexander had been so good to her, never giving her a reason to worry about anything. He was charming, he was sweet and he was kind.
But his mother was adamant on frustrating her. She had a 'better' wife for him and couldn't wait for her to get out of the way.
Even after their court wedding six months ago, she was still indifferent to their union, refusing to accept her as a member of the Rogers bloodline. Elaine sighed, her lips curving in a sad smile. Truly, she was a miserable bride.
Less than two months into their marriage, Margaret Rogers never failed to show her how much she hated her presence in their home, their massive villa. Elaine couldn't imagine going through this for the rest of her marriage t-
"Elaine!! Elaine!!!...."
Elaine paused, snapping out instantly at the sound of her name echoing outside her bedroom door. The voice got louder with every second that passed which was proof that the owner of that voice was getting closer to her bedroom.
That voice....
Elaine threw the blanket aside and jumped to her feet instantly, almost falling over as her weak body couldn't take such a violent force. She held tightly to a table and gasped for a few seconds to steady her fast heartbeat.
Turning around, she gathered the little strength she had and walked quickly across the room.
Opening her bedroom door and stepping out, she came face to face with the angry glare of her mother-in-law who was ready to pounce on her at any moment. Elaine straightened her back and lifted her head, staring down at Margaret Rogers with an unreadable expression.
Elaine sighed inwardly, preparing for war.....
Margaret Rogers might be the wife to the biggest billionaire in New York when compared to her, the random daughter of her poor parents, but that was not enough reason for her to allow her mother-in-law bully her every single time.
Sometimes, she had to forget the differences in their financial background and speak up for herself.
"Good evening, Mrs Margaret. How may I help you? What brings you here?" Elaine mumbled stiffly.
Margaret scoffed, still glaring at her. "Are you saying I can't go anywhere I want? In my own villa? Do I have to alert you before I come over to my son's chamber?"
Elaine inhaled slowly. "You are twisting my words, Mrs Margaret. That is not what I mean. You hardly come over here when Alexander is at work"
Margaret tapped the end of her shoe on the tiled floor, getting impatient. "I told the Head maid, Priscilla to call you over thirty minutes ago. Why didn't you show up?"
Elaine looked away, remaining silent. What type of answer where you supposed to give when your mother-in-law expected you to join the maids in scrubbing the floors and doing the dishes?
There was nothing wrong in doing those chores, she had done them in the past countless times. She was not looking down on the maids, they were 'normal' human beings too. Elaine knew her mother-in-law was trying to pass across a nasty message to her, proving that she was only worthy to be a maid and not the wife of her son.
"I am talking to you, you peasant! Don't you dare disrespect me!"
Elaine thinned her lips, flinching inwardly at the sound of the word 'peasant'. She had no right to call her that.
"I beg your pardon...." Elaine muttered, the side of her lips set firmly as she felt her anger rise. "....don't ever call me that again. If you do, I'll have no choice but to believe you are insulting and demeaning my parents and I will not take that from you"
"Save your breath!" Margaret yelled, her nostrils flaring up in rage. "Who exactly do you think you are to threaten me?"
Her voice echoed across the empty hallway causing the young maids cleaning down the hall to scurry away in fear of being her next target. The head maid, Priscilla walked down the hall hastily till she reached Mrs Margaret's side.
"Is there a problem, ma?" She asked softly, trying her best to ease the tension in the hallway. "Mr Alexander and your husband will soon be back from the company. It won't be good if they come back to a chaotic ho-"
"Oh, just shut your mouth Priscilla! Are you trying to say I am causing chaos?" Margaret yelled causing the head maid to move away, settling a few steps behind.
Elaine rolled her eyes as those words echoed across the empty hallway. Why did Margaret always think everyone was trying to attack her? She really didn't want Alexander to meet her fighting with his mother....
"If there is nothing left to say, I'll take my leave now. I have to rest before my husband returns from wo-" Elaine mumbled with a low voice.
"Your husband?" Margaret burst into a loud laugh, the sound of it irritating Elaine's ears.
What exactly was funny? Elaine wondered, frowning at her mother-in-law.
"I don't care how many days or weeks you've been married to my son, Elaine! Even the sound of your name disgusts me!" Margaret huffed in anger as she rested her plump hands on her rounded hips....
"You will never be welcome into this family. Never! Nobody here really wants you. Alexander is simply blinded by your seductive charm but I will see to it that he gets rid of you. You are way below him and you will always be!"
Elaine exhaled softly, leaning against the wall behind her as her tired body could no longer stand straight.
"Alexander loves me regardless of what you think about me. His father, Mr Frederick is pleased with me. I need nothing more." Elaine whispered as she held Margaret's gaze.
She watched as her mother-in-law's nose flared in rage. "You think you can seduce my son and take over this household, right? You are nothing but a disgusting peasant! A gold digger! Your peasant parents are probably waiting...."
Elaine's head jerked up instantly and her voice moved a decibel lower "Watch what you say, Mrs Margaret! Don't ever talk about my parents that way again unless-"
".....unless what?" Margaret retorted, daring her. "Your peasant parents are probably waiting for you to return with a truckload of riches after seducing my son and stealing his money but that will never happen. Your white wedding will never take place! Go back to your wretched life!"
This was the limit. Elaine moved away from the wall, stood straight and glared at the woman in front her.....
"You're absolutely right, Mrs Margaret. But as a gold digger, we are not really different. You were also a wretched peasant before you seduced and married Alexander's father, Mr Frederick Rogers."
Lauren Gartner is betrayed, played for a fool and dies by the hands of her rich fiance, the man she thought she would spend the rest of her life with. She gets a rebirth, a second chance to fix her mistakes and find a better path. This time, she wants revenge. To get her desire, she needs the power and wealth of someone higher than her rich fiance in order to pull him down. Richard Harrison discovers he cannot take over his parents' companies completely unless he gets married. He insists he has no interest in love and proposes a contract marriage to Lauren Gartner, his new personal nutritionist. Desperate to pursue her cause for revenge, Lauren accepts the contract marriage while ignoring the instant attraction and love growing between them. Will things go smoothly as she planned? Or will she be at the mercy of a familiar enemy waiting for her downfall?
Two months after he becomes the next heir to the multi-billion dollar beauty company, Imperial Hub Limited, George Scott finds himself in a terrible car crash accident that leaves him with a damaged and scarred skin. His life takes a miserable turn and his position as the CEO is threatened too. At the same time, Arthur Reeves, father of Rachel Reeves is suddenly accused of a crime he didn't commit and is thrown in jail. Five years later, George Scott has to make a decision to get married in order to save his reputation as the "Ugly Billionaire that no woman wants". The odds are against as it seems his stepbrother, James Scott has a better chance to become the new CEO of the company. He chooses a contract marriage with the woman he has always secretly loved, Rachel Reeves. George Scott has no idea that the destruction of Rachel Reeves father and family is linked to him.
Kara Martin was known as Miss Perfect. She was a beauty with good personality and successful career. Unfortunately, her life changed at one night. She was accused of adultery, losing her job, and abandoned by her fiance. The arrogant man who slept with her did not want to take responsibility. He even threatened to kill her if they met again. What's worse, Kara was pregnant with twins and she chose to give birth to them. Four and a half years later, Kara returned to work at a large company. As the secretary, she would frequently face their notorious CEO. Kara thought it wouldn't be a problem, but as it turned out ... the CEO was the father of the twins!
Everyone was shocked to the bones when the news of Rupert Benton's engagement broke out. It was surprising because the lucky girl was said to be a plain Jane, who grew up in the countryside and had nothing to her name. One evening, she showed up at a banquet, stunning everyone present. "Wow, she's so beautiful!" All the men drooled, and the women got so jealous. What they didn't know was that this so-called country girl was actually an heiress to a billion-dollar empire. It wasn't long before her secrets came to light one after the other. The elites couldn't stop talking about her. "Holy smokes! So, her father is the richest man in the world?" "She's also that excellent, but mysterious designer who many people adore! Who would have guessed?" Nonetheless, people thought that Rupert didn't love her. But they were in for another surprise. Rupert released a statement, silencing all the naysayers. "I'm very much in love with my beautiful fiancee. We will be getting married soon." Two questions were on everyone's minds: "Why did she hide her identity? And why was Rupert in love with her all of a sudden?"
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."
In order to fulfill her grandfather's last wish, Stella entered into a hasty marriage with an ordinary man she had never met before. However, even after becoming husband and wife on paper, they each led separate lives, barely crossing paths. A year later, Stella returned to Seamarsh City, hoping to finally meet her mysterious husband. To her astonishment, he sent her a text message, unexpectedly pleading for a divorce without ever having met her in person. Gritting her teeth, Stella replied, "So be it. Let’s get a divorce!" Following that, Stella made a bold move and joined the Prosperity Group, where she became a public relations officer that worked directly for the company’s CEO, Matthew. The handsome and enigmatic CEO was already bound in matrimony, and was known to be unwaveringly devoted to his wife in private. Unbeknownst to Stella, her mysterious husband was actually her boss, in his alternate identity! Determined to focus on her career, Stella deliberately kept her distance from the CEO, although she couldn't help but notice his deliberate attempts to get close to her. As time went on, her elusive husband had a change of heart. He suddenly refused to proceed with the divorce. When would his alternate identity be uncovered? Amidst a tumultuous blend of deception and profound love, what destiny awaited them?
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."