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Ava Taylor was born into an extremely wealthy New York family, but endured a miserable childhood witnessing her parents' toxic, loveless marriage. Eventually going into business herself, she swore off romance after seeing how it destroyed her mother. Liam Parker had a vastly different upbringing, having to hustle on the streets of Brooklyn just to survive until a teacher helped him turn his life around and earn a scholarship to an elite university. When Ava and Liam first meet at a Manhattan bar, she's initially put off by his brash advances. But Liam's charisma and seeming depth intrigue Ava enough to let down her guard. However, unbeknownst to her, Liam is perpetrating an elaborate lie - he accepted a dare from friends to try making a wealthy woman like Ava fall for him, just to win a lavish vacation. Using coaching from a friend, Liam completely constructs a fake persona of a sophisticated, successful businessman to woo Ava with extravagant dates and an air of wealth. She becomes smitten, convincing herself to keep things casual to protect her heart. Just as guilt is threatening to make Liam confess, a bombshell emerges - Ava will only inherit her father's fortune if she marries before age 27 in six months. Desperate, she propositions Liam to enter a marriage of convenience, offering him $10 million from her inheritance. Despite knowing it's wrong, Liam's greed and faint hope of somehow earning Ava's love override his conscience. They hastily marry under false pretenses of his lies. But Ava's unhinged ex soon begins sabotaging their union, revealing Liam's deceptions as part of a larger, murderous scheme to inherit Ava's fortune himself. When the truth finally explodes, Ava is devastated by Liam's betrayal. However, Liam proves his feelings became real when he risks his life to protect Ava from her psychopathic ex's attack. In the traumatic aftermath, they're able to rebuild from honesty, cherishing the profound connection that improbably bloomed from deception.
"Another deal closed," Ava muttered under her breath as she marched out of the conference room. The familiar thrill of victory coursed through her veins, tempering the relentless drive that had propelled her this far.
At only twenty-five years old, she had already earned a lot of respect in the tough corporate world of Malicon Oil and Gas Company. Her sharp mind and total professionalism came from dealing with really difficult personal challenges when she was younger. Those tough experiences had made her quite cynical and unwilling to get caught up in romantic relationships.
As she headed back to her office, her colleague Jake teased her, "Time for celebratory drinks? Or are you still swearing off all men these days?"
Ava shot him an annoyed look. "As if I have time for either of those things," she scoffed, tucking a loose strand of her chestnut brown hair behind her ear.
"You can't keep that icy wall around your heart up forever, you know. And remember all work no play make Ava a dull girl," Jake just grinned at her
Ava let out a dismissive snort but didn't slow down. While Jake meant well, his constant attempts to set her up on dates only reminded her of how bad she was at romance and relationships. Not after what she had witnessed growing up in her family.
The memories still felt raw and painful, like they had just happened yesterday, her mother's suitcases sitting by the door, the bitter screaming echoing through the huge halls of their mansion. Ava had been 12 years old, old enough to understand the devastating truth that true love was just an illusion, a pretty fairy tale sold to naive people.
Over a decade later, the lessons from her parents' toxic divorce had turned into an unshakable cynicism about romance inside her. Success was her one driving pursuit, an empire she could command through sheer willpower and hard work.
Ava headed straight to her luxurious corner office with its sleek furniture and amazing views of the New York City skyline. She took off her blazer and loosened her silk blouse, finally allowing herself a moment to relax after another grueling day of tough business negotiations.
Her eyes landed on the framed photo on her desk - a candid shot from her college graduation, with her parents standing stiffly beside her with frozen, fake smiles. Even back then, the hostility between them had been obvious, like the tension of a ticking time bomb beneath their hollow act of being a unified family.
With a tired sigh, Ava turned away from the unpleasant reminder of her past. She didn't have time to dwell on those ghosts, not when her future at Malicon looked so promising. Landing that huge Crestotech business acquisition had been a major career achievement, cementing her reputation as a heavy-hitter in the marketing world.
A sharp knock on her office door interrupted her thoughts. "What is it?" she called out, exasperation creeping into her voice.
The door opened a crack to reveal her anxious assistant, Riley.
"Sorry to bother you, Miss Taylor. Your mother is on line two. She says it's, um...urgent," Riley stated with her head bowed.
Ava's brow furrowed as a knot of dread formed in her stomach. The word "urgent" was never a good sign when it came to her mother Elaine.
Bracing herself, she picked up the phone with a resigned sigh. "Hello, Mother. What is it this time?"
Her mother's familiar clipped tones came through the line. "Is that any way to greet your own mother, Ava? Honestly, I don't know where you get this prickly attitude from. I am your only mother remember," she added.
Ava rolled her eyes up to the ceiling. Here we go again.
"Sorry, you're right. I've just had a really long day. What did you need to discuss?"
"Well, if you must know, I've finally decided to take that European river cruise I've been talking about forever. Luxury accommodations, private tours, the whole experience as you know we only live once," Her mother's voice took on a wistful, dreamy tone. "But I'll need someone to keep an eye on the Laptons estate while I'm away, make sure the staff doesn't let the place go into total disrepair, I can trust you with that," she added.
Ah, there it was. The real reason for her call was poorly disguised as casual mother-daughter chit-chat.
"Mother, you know I barely have time to take care of my own apartment, let alone a massive estate hours away," Ava said through gritted teeth, trying to control her frustration. "Why don't you just hire someone for once? It's not like money is ever an issue for you."
A disapproving cluck came through the line. "And leave my home in the hands of total strangers? When I have a daughter. Don't be ridiculous, Ava. This is a family matter."
Those last two words family matter, gnited a spark of irritation inside Ava's chest. As if their family wasn't shattered into a million dysfunctional pieces already, barely held together by money and a sense of obligation.
"We haven't been a real family in years," she blurted out before she could stop herself.
A heavy, loaded silence fell between them, thick with years of unspoken resentments and emotional wounds. Ava instantly regretted her harsh words hitting so close to the truth, but a bigger part of her stubbornly refused to take them back.
"Well." Her mother's voice was strained, clipped, and brittle with barely restrained emotion. "If that's how you really feel, then I suppose I shouldn't burden you any further."
The line went dead, leaving Ava clutching the phone receiver as a storm of conflicting emotions: anger, guilt, frustration, swirled inside her chest. Those messy, tangled feelings were all too familiar these days when it came to her broken family ties.
With a weary sigh, she set down the phone and raked her fingers through her hair, her scalp tingling with stress and fatigue. So much for unwinding and feeling satisfied after her big career win earlier. Leave it to her mother to find a way to suck all the joy and pride out of the moment with her endless demands and emotionally manipulative mind games.
Pushing back from her desk, Ava crossed the room to the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the glittering New York skyline. She had fought like hell to claw her way into this life, to escape the toxic dramas and empty comforts of the ultra wealthy elite world she had been born into.
Yet no matter how high she climbed in her career, no matter how many impressive achievements and accolades she racked up, the deep emotional scars from her traumatic childhood refused to fully heal. The same inner critical voices, laced with ruthless self-doubt and bone deep cynicism, haunted her at every turn.
You're better off alone forever. Love is just a lie to be exploited.
Gritting her teeth, Ava spun away from the view, her jaw clenched with renewed determination. She didn't need romantic relationships or messy emotional entanglements slowing her down and holding her back. All she truly needed was her own unstoppable drive and relentless work ethic, a razor-sharp focus on climbing the mountain of success to drown out the echoes of her parents' legendary failures.
The city that never slept spread out before her, pulsing with infinite possibilities and potential conquests waiting to be seized. And Ava was more determined than ever to conquer it all, one massive business deal at a time.
She would show her mother, she would show them all, that she didn't need an intact family unit, or a husband, or any of the trappings and comforts of conventional domestic life in order to find purpose and fulfillment. Her own hard earned power and ever growing achievements in the business world would be more than enough for her.
This fast paced, cutthroat corporate life was hers now. And she wouldn't let anything or anyone jeopardize the gleaming empire of wealth and success she was so singlemindedly building for herself, not her emotionally draining mother, and certainly not the fragile, treacherous illusion of romantic love.
For Emma Montgomery, life as the pampered daughter of Manhattan's elite carried the weight of impossible expectations. Groomed from birth to lead her family's corporate dynasty, genuine love seemed an elusive dream amid the superficial trappings of wealth. That is, until a shocking proposal opened doors to an unexpected future. When her father arranges for Emma to enter a marriage contract with James Reynolds, the charismatic heir to a powerful political family, she sees it as an escape from her turbulent past. But neither Emma nor James could foresee the firestorm of passion and betrayal that would be sparked by their convenient union. As the one-year countdown on their sham marriage begins, Emma finds herself falling for James's unexpected depths and charm. But James has his own demons - bound by duty to fulfill his father's Machiavellian ambitions while his own heart belongs to another. As cordial pretenses melt into smoldering intimacy, their worlds collide in a maelstrom of corporate greed, political ambition, and star-crossed desire. In this sumptuous tale of love among New York's upper echelons, Emma and James become delicious pawns in a high-stakes game they never imagined playing. With every blistering secret revealed, every heart-wrenching choice posed, they must decide whether to surrender to the inescapable lure of power and privilege, or burn it all to the ground for a love too intoxicating to deny.
"I've warned you from the beginning. Don't marry him, but you won't listen." She stood close to me and smiled with concern. "You are not a woman worthy of a man as handsome, rich, smart, and virile as Blaze." My whole body trembled at her words. "Have you no shame?" I asked in a quivering voice. "Take a good look at yourself, Heather." She looked at me in the mirror. "You can't even look at your ugly face. Do you think Blaze can endure a lifetime of looking at that face?" Heather Bailey had a surprise from her husband that night: a divorce agreement. After a year of marriage and facing ups and downs, she couldn't believe Blaze intended to divorce her. But she was devastated when she saw him gazing lovingly at another woman because that person was closest to her. Shortly after she put her signature on their divorce papers, shock waves caught her up. Her flower shop was severely burnt, beyond repair. Her father's company collapsed, and her parents blamed her. She struggled to rebuild her life from the ground up and became more successful than ever. Having many customers who came from influential families, she started her action against Blaze. She won the very thing he wanted. But that was just the beginning.
Melanie married Ashton out of gratitude, but she quickly found herself entangled in a web of relentless challenges. Despite these struggles, she stayed true to her commitment to the marriage. In the hospital room, Ashton indifferently attempted to draw her blood, disregarding her discomfort. This callous act was a harsh revelation for Melanie, awakening her to the grim reality of their relationship. Resolved to prioritize her own welfare, she decided to sever ties. With newfound resolve, Melanie filed for divorce. In the process, she unveiled her concealed identities, leaving everyone in shock. Throughout these turbulent times, Melanie realized that Derek, Ashton’s uncle, had been discreetly protecting her all along.
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
Lucia Balstone thought she had chosen the right man to spend the rest of her life with, but he was the one who ended her life. Their ten-year marriage seemed like a joke when her husband stabbed her with a dagger. Fortunately, God is never blind to people's tears. Lucia got a second chance. She was reborn at the age of 22, before all the terrible things had happened. This time, she was determined to avenge herself and let those who hurt her pay! She made an elaborate list of her goals, and the first thing on her list was to marry her ex-husband's enemy, Alonso Callen!
June Rivera was divorced by her husband after three years of marriage because he wanted to be with her sister who was pregnant for him. Kicked to the curb with a divorce and rejected by her parents,she struggles to make ends meet and get a job until she saves Luis Ambrose from an accident - the only child of Rafael Ambrose, a widowed man and the CEO of Ambrose Corporation. When little Luis asks to have her as a nanny, and Rafael's mother pressures him to get married, they draw a contract. To be Luis's nanny and his fake wife for one year in exchange for 50 million dollars!
Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..."Â But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"