When Valerie Adams gets to know that she is betrothed to the youngest billionaire in New York, just to save her father's dying company, it is two nights after she caught her boyfriend cheating on her with her best friend. She is upset with the news of the betrothal and becomes more pissed when she finally meets him. Ryan Lorenzo is the most arrogant, pompous, and cold-hearted guy she will ever cross paths with. He is less interested in keeping a woman but what he needs is a wife to satisfy his parent's desires for him to be married and considered responsible. Valerie decides to take advantage of the situation, to save her father's company and to make her cheating boyfriend jealous. She suggests a CONTRACT for their marriage and Ryan is making the RULES.
Valerie's POV
I get butterflies in my stomach a lot.
In fact, there are a lot of things that give me butterflies. It doesn't have to be love or sex that gives me that.
Clubbing does. Being with my best friend does. Being happy does.
But this news before me is definitely one of the things that doesn't give me those butterflies in my stomach, that makes me excited about something I haven't done before or something that is about to happen to me.
I never saw this coming. I never envisioned my life to be going along this path and I still find it very hard to believe because my jaws are still dropped open in shock.
"Val, we know this is coming as a shock to you but it's for the best", Mother begins, her hands touching my thighs, jerking me back to reality. Father is sitting opposite me, his face in a deep frown. He looks frailer than ever before.
"We need to save your father's dying business. We talked about it at length and we thought it's high time you knew. I think now is the time for you two to meet so you can get to know each other better."
Now I can't take it anymore. Not because I have a boyfriend. But because I don't want anyone to interfere with my life or make decisions for me.
"No, mother," I say sharply, startling her. I turn to face her squarely. "I am not meeting anyone and that is final."
"Valerie", Father calls with a harsh tone. This isn't about them, this is about me.
I am 23 years old for crying out loud. How can I be betrothed to some guy all my life without even knowing about it? I have a boyfriend. I have a life that I love. A life that gives me the right butterflies.
I am not doing this.
"Dad, I am not doing this", I voice out sincerely. "This is my life and I can choose to get to meet my so-called betrothed or not. I have a boyfriend for crying out loud!"
I didn't mean for my voice to be raised at my father but here I am doing that.
"I won't let you speak of my husband that way, you silly girl", Mother scolds me harshly, her hands leaving my thighs.
Did she just defend her husband? Last night, they were at each other's throats and I didn't even bother to ask what the problem was.
That is their shit, not mine and I have no reason to interfere in their affairs.
Ever since Father's company went bankrupt, he has been having issues with my Mother. Mother is finding it very hard to get accustomed to this new lifestyle he is offering us.
It was hard for me at first but I get used to new things or new places easily. Getting myself accustomed to being middle class is one of the easiest things for me.
"Really?" I peer down at her with a scoff.
"Really. Is this the lifestyle you want for yourself? When was the last time we went shopping, uhn? When was the last time we threw a huge party like we used to? I know this isn't what you want..."
"No", I laugh. This is definitely not what I want. This is what my Mother wants and she wants to use me to continue living that life.
What I want are butterflies. Always being present.
What I want is for Fred to stop cheating on me. Getting married at this age and to some strangers is not one of the things I want.
"You need to help your father, princess", she begins to use that tone on me. That soft, alluring tone she always uses whenever she wants me to comply. "Your father needs this help. The Lorenzos won't help us until we fulfill our promise of having you married to their son. You will like him, just try..."
"I have a BOYFRIEND, mother!" I shout, rising from the sofa in anger, my chest heaving up and down. "I have a boyfriend, for Goodness sake."
"The same one who is always cheating on you with other girls?" She retorts back sharply, standing up to my height.
What? How did she know about Fred's cheating?
He promised to change and I gave him another chance but I caught him again, two nights ago but this time it was with someone I know. She is one of those who give me those butterflies and who makes me happy.
She was fucking my boyfriend. I caught them in the act at a party I was invited to by the same girl who I caught with my boyfriend.
I told them I was running late and I guess they took the clue to get to the act before I was around. They must have been doing this for a very long time.
It broke me.
I cried.
But I am a strong girl. Fred always comes back to apologize and I was waiting all night for his calls. It never came until yesterday morning when his text came in.
He apologized for his mistake.
Brenda has always been a seductress and I am sure she seduced him. I don't want to have anything to do with Brenda ever again but I will make sure she regrets having sex with my boyfriend.
Fred is still my boyfriend. What happened two nights ago didn't change that fact. Because he was with my best friend doesn't mean I will let him go. I won't let her have him. Fred and I are still a thing and I am patiently waiting for him to summon up the courage to come to beg me.
Here.
"That idiot that keeps hurting you?" My mother's voice is raised. "Do you even know what you are doing? He always cheats on you yet you keep accepting him back?"
Who told her this? I ask within me, tears threatening to fall down my eyes.
Was it Brenda? Brenda is my best friend but she is close to my mother too and they talk about everything and anything.
Did she tell my mother about Fred's cheating? She had always condemned him and wanted me to leave him but now I know why she is so enthusiastic about me leaving Fred.
She wants him for herself and that won't be happening.
"This is a good life we are offering you", she is still talking. "This guy is handsome and wealthy. He is the younger billionaire in New York. What more do you want?"
"What do I want?" I ask back, then point my index finger at her. "What I want is for you two to stop interfering with my life."
She is surprised that I am talking to her this way. Father is silently watching us. Sparing him a glance, I move past Mother to leave when her voice stops me.
"You are getting married to Ryan whether you like it or not, Valerie. You two were betrothed to each other since you were still a child and I won't have you make a wrong decision when he is obviously better than your cheating boyfriend."
I am tempted to go back to her and tell her how Fred makes me feel. This is not just about the butterflies. There is more to it.
I want to shout out how much I love Fred and how much of a real man he is. He might not be as wealthy as this so-called billionaire but he is a real man.
Instead of doing what I have in mind, I walk out of the living room to the front door with one intention in mind.
I am going to have him back.
Brenda won't.
Andrea Silva was forced to marry her twin sisterās supposed boyfriend after her twin sister, Camila Silva ran away. Andrea was deeply heartbroken when she found out the man she had just wedded was in love with her sister and she was just a substitute till Camila was back. Andrea thought she could make Damine Fel fall for her but what would happens when her sister comes back and want her boyfriend back? What would happen when her husband forced her to agree to a divorce? What would happen when she found out she was pregnant for him but he didnāt want anything to do with her?
Arabella finds out she is pregnant with a child for her husband, Richard Giodano. She wants to inform him about it when she hears him speaking on the phone with Eve Rogers, his ex-lover. Because of Eve's arrival back into the states, Richard wants a divorce. That has always been the plan until he finds Eve cheating on him with his best friend. Five years later, they bump into each other at a party and Richard finds out his ex-wife is not only back with a child but is also a hot sexy CEO of Eagle Homes and Interiors. Even when she pretends not to know him, he vows to stop at nothing to chase after and win her back.
When Jasmine Cooper runs into a drunk rapist, a man saves her. It is Xavier Ravarivelo, the billionaire Mafia whose bride left him at the altar. Jasmine Cooper looks just like his run-away bride, Andre, who was being forced to walk down the aisles with Xavier. Jasmine has the same look and tattoo as Andre but different hair color and personality. Taking her against her will; he forces her to marry him. He wants revenge for the humiliation he got after his supposed bride left him at the altar but Jasmine is hell-ass sure she never abandoned anyone at the altar. How will Xavier find out that Jasmine is different from his runaway bride? How long will it take for Xavier to note the difference between Jasmine and Andre?
"He is not yours!" She affirms with a confident and unwavering look. "Whose child is he, then?" I question, my eyes wandering to the boy with piercing blue eyes like mine. Celine narrows her eyes with her hands clenched. "He is mine!" "What about his father? Who is he?" I drop my hands lazily and watch her intensely. "That is none of your business." She says defensively. "It means he is mine and I am taking him", I conclude with a smile and walk past her to pick up the child who is already dozing off. "No, no, no!" Celine chants, blocking my way. "Please, don't take him. I beg you!" **** After realizing she was pregnant which was not part of the deal she made with Billionaire Bryan Martinez, Celine left his mansion before the end of the contract. When they meet again and he discovered the secret she was hiding from him, he decided to punish her by taking custody of the child. What will happen when the baby wants his mother close to him? Will this reunion blossom the love between them before her departure? How sweet will Bryan's revenge be for Celine?
It Is a one-night stand for a 24 years old college girl, Annabelle. With no strings attached. When she sees her baby father on the cover page of a magazine tagged as a billionaire and a Casanova, her mother is set on using him to change their poor status. Aidan is a 26 years old billionaire with a high sexual urge, ever since the night with Anna. He is less interested in keeping a woman and having a baby is totally out of it. When confronted with the news of Anna's pregnancy, he denies it until her mother threatens to tarnish his image. Will Aidan agree to the marriage? Will Anna keep the pregnancy even after the rejection? Will she be able to take his insults and the fact that he finds her unwanted?
Isabella needs a huge sum of money for her aged grandmother's surgery. She has nowhere to go for help and she decides to seek help from her Billionaire boss, Jayden. Jayden doesn't believe in marriages and happily ever after but he needs a wife so his mother would stop pestering him when he eventually proves to her that marriage isn't for him by getting divorced after a year. Isabella comes to him for help at the right time; a contract is signed and there will be no strings attached. After a year, they will both go their separate ways. What will happen after a night of drunken passion between them? Will Isabella be able to endure his cruelty for just one year or leave before the stipulated time for their marriage to end? Will Jayden find Isabella or let her go with his seed growing inside her?
"Miss Brown, I am the butler here at your service," the butler replied. "My master wants to buy the baby in your belly." "What?!" Does that mean the abortion didn't take place? Did they kidnap her from the operating table just to buy the baby? But why her? "You..." Alice was about to ask a question, but the man in front of her calmly continued, as if he had expected her question, "You're pregnant with his child, and he needs a child. That's all I can tell you." Alice was forced to sign a surrogacy contract and eight months later gave birth to two healthy babies. Fortunately, the man was unaware of her daughter's existence. It wasn't until five years later that fate brought them together again...
Life was perfect until she met her boyfriend's big brother. There was a forbidden law in the Night Shade Pack that if the head Alpha rejected his mate, he would be stripped of his position. Sophia's life would get connected with the law. She was an Omega who was dating the head Alpha's younger brother. Bryan Morrison, the head Alpha, was not only a cold-blooded man but also a charming business tycoon. His name was enough to cause other packs to tremble. He was known as a ruthless man. What if, by some twist of destiny, Sophia's path were to intertwine with his?
Jennifer Bennett, the rightful heiress to the Bennett legacy, fought hard for her family's recognition, only to be eclipsed by an impostor. Faced with false accusations, bullying, and public humiliation, Jennifer eventually gave up trying to win their approval. Vowing to rise above the injustice, she became the bane of those who wronged her. The Bennett family's efforts to break her only fueled her success, leading her to heights her rivals could only dream of. Someone asked, "Do you feel let down by your parents?" With a calm smile, Jennifer said, "It doesn't matter. In the end, power prevails."
āDrive this woman out!ā "Throw this woman into the sea!ā When he doesnāt know Debbie Nelsonās true identity, Carlos Hilton cold-shoulders her. āMr. Hilton, she is your wife,ā Carlosā secretary reminded him. Hearing that, Carlos gives him a cold stare and complained, āwhy didnāt you tell me earlier?ā From then on, Carlos spoils her rotten. Little did everyone expect that they would get a divorce.
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.