Emma Livingston never thought she would end up in an arranged union. The twenty-four-year-old fashion and event planner, who just finished her master's programme, is heartbroken to learn that her father has signed her up to wed 30-year-old billionaire barrister Liam Henderson in order to pay off his enormous debts. Liam consents to the convenience marriage because he feels pressured by his father to provide a family-friendly image. Emma and Liam start to see surprising aspects of each other as they work through their unplanned union. Beneath Liam's cold, entitled exterior is a compassionate guy battling familial demands. Emma is unable to ignore the rising sentiments that are emerging between them, despite her initial resentment of the arrangement. With the support of their best friends, Samantha and Ryan, Emma and Liam must decide whether to surrender to the love blossoming between them or fight against the odds stacked against their happily ever after.
Emma's POV
"What do you mean I'm getting married, dad?" I question my dad, tears running down my face fast and hard. I haven't ugly cried like this in years but right now, I didn't care how ugly I looked. All I cared to understand was what my dad meant by I was to get married in two months.
"I realize how sudden and unexpected this news comes, sweetie, but it's what needs to be done," he replies me, taking gentle strides towards me.
I step back. Usually I like the comfort of being in my father's arms, but not today. Maybe not ever again. Not with what he's saying to me right now. "This is so unfair!" I shriek really loudly as I begin to pace round the living room where my mum, dad and I stood as they broke the news to me.
At this point I was livid. I don't think I'd ever been this angry before in my life, and especially towards my parents, but today I was. I was upset, confused, and especially furious at them.
"How could you let this happen, mum?" I stopped pacing and faced my mum with my hands placed on my waist and my eyebrows raised, tears still streaming down my face freely.
"Honey, there was no other option. Would you have rather your dad went prison?" She responded to my question with a face full of empathy. I knew the correct answer to that question, but in that moment I didn't care.
"Yes!" I all but said quietly. "Why couldn't he have opted to go to prison? Why did he have to sell me off to Liam Henderson?" I yelled.
"I did not sell you off, Emma. Never you repeat that statement ever again," my dad replied sharply without giving my mum a chance to respond to me. At this point he and I were in a staring contest with each other, none willing to break contact and look weak in front of the other.
Right from when I was a kid, my dad's mother had always told me I acted just like my dad did when he was younger. She'd tell me how we had similar reactions to particular situations and how we had the same temper. She'd say, "I wonder how arguments go down with you both at home". Truly she was right. My dad and I did have the same temper and today proved it.
I wasn't going to back down from the stare though, and he knew that. He eventually gave up and relaxed his shoulders. "Emma, I truly am sorry for this. I'm sorry that this is the reality of your life right now, but this wedding, this marriage, it's happening. Whether you like it or not. The deal has already been made".
"I hate you, dad. I really do".
Of course I don't and could never hate my dad but that was what I was feeling in that moment. I felt nothing but hate towards him.
"I know you don't mean that, my love," my mum said to me as she approached me and engulfed me in a tight hug. That was what I needed but didn't realize. That hug. I immediately melted in her arms and slid to the floor, clutching my stomach because I felt sick to it all of a sudden.
"I just got my first job offer, mum. I was supposed to move to New York by the end of the month. Why this? Why now?" I say in between sobs, my voice shaky. "It's not fair. I've worked really hard," I continued as I was able to get my voice back to a steady pace.
"I know, sweetie, and I promise this isn't going to be a forever thing. It's for three years and then you could get a divorce and do whatever you want with your life. I'll make sure it doesn't exceed these three years my darling. I assure you that", she strokes my hair and caresses my back as she whispers her words softly into my ear as an attempt to calm me down.
It works but my mind fixates on one part of her statement.
Three years. I'm going to be married to a man I don't know, a man I don't love, a man I have met just once in my entire life, for three years. Three good years of my life down the drain, just like that. Why me? Who did I offend? I think to myself. I'm quickly broken out of my thought cycle, however, as I feel my father's hand on my shoulder as he squats next to me on the ground.
"I blame myself completely for this, Emma, trust me, I do. I know I should've listened to your mother and my advisor, but I didn't and it fucked me up".
I shoot him a quick glance to show I heard his language loud and clear.
"Excuse my language," he continued. "I messed up and I want to make things right. My going to prison would only put you guys in a very difficult position and I don't want that. Knowing the Henderson family, especially the father, Samuel, locking me up won't be enough for him. He would make sure whatever moneys I have in any accounts would be frozen by the bank, and our assets would be seized," he ends with a tone that's supposed to sound convincing, but it of course wasn't working.
Why wasn't it working? Because my whole mind was fixated on the fact that I get married in two months, to a man I don't know, and for three years.
"There's really nothing you want to say right now that's going to make me feel any better, dad," I wiped off my tears and picked myself up from the ground. "As you've said, it's a done deal. This is my life now and I get it. But just know that I-"
I get cut off by the loud ring of my father's phone.
"Hello," he says as he puts the phone up to his ear. "It's for you," he tells me as he looks at me with an emotion I can't quite comprehend and hands the phone to me.
"Hello?" I question with my brows furrowed.
"Hello love," the person on the other end responds with a deep sultry voice I almost instantly recognize.
It's true what they say about marriage: one partner's always happier than the other. ~~~ Julie's world is shattered when her husband, Ryan, reveals that he wants an open marriage. His reason: he needs a child as they've been unable to have one. Julie reluctantly agrees to save her marriage. The next day, Ryan returns home with his secretary, confirming Julie's long-held suspicion that their affair was taking place behind her back. Julie, heartbroken and enraged, seeks solace in a bar, where she meets a fascinating stranger named Luke, who changes the game. Julie confides in Luke over drinks, and he proposes a risky plan: he will act as her "boyfriend" to turn the tables on Ryan. Julie agrees, setting off a chain of events that will challenge everything she thought she knew about love, loyalty, and herself.
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
Natalie used to think she could melt Connor’s icy heart, but she was sorely mistaken. When at last she decided to leave, she discovered that she was pregnant. Even so, she chose to quietly leave his world, prompting Connor to mobilize all of his resources and expand his business to a global scale—all in a bid to find her. But there was no trace of Natalie. Connor slowly spiraled into madness, turning the city upside down and leaving chaos in his wake. Natalie finally surfaced years later, with wealth and power of her own, only to find herself entangled with Connor once again.
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!
6 years ago, Lydia suffered a brutal betrayal orchestrated by her own husband and step-sister, who drugged her and framed her. In a twist of fate, she ended up having a one-night stand with a stranger. Don't even remember what he looked like. Later, in the throes of death, she discovered the truth about her mother's death all those years ago. In the blink of an eye, she lost everything. 6 years later, Lydia returned with her genius son, vowing to exact revenge on all her enemies! Little did she know, she encountered an incredibly familiar man at the airport! *** The man was briskly pushing open the door to the restroom, heading to the urinal. Even with such a mundane action, he did it with unparalleled elegance and grace. Lydia, following him in a daze, saw his fierce lower body and suddenly snapped back to reality. She let out a high-pitched scream, instinctively covering her eyes with her hands, her cheeks flushed, and stood there stiffly, unsure of what to do. Lambert furrowed his brows slightly but remained calm as he continued to relieve himself. The sound of water hitting the urinal made Lydia's face even redder. She angrily shouted, "You pervert!" Little did Lydia know that Lambert, seeing her in this state, had a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Memories from many years ago flashed through his mind, and his heart couldn't help but stir. It was her!
After a painful breakup with her boyfriend of two years who coldly told her to her face that he couldn't keep dating her because she was too uptight--In a moment of anger and defiance, Anna decided to throw caution to the wind for one reckless night. She headed to the wildest club in Texas, determined to lose herself in the chaos. But fate had other plans. To her shock, she ran into her ex-boyfriend at the club. Desperate to save face, she made a split-second decision and approached a stranger, pretending he was her new boyfriend. What she never anticipated was the magnetic pull she would feel towards him or the fact that she'd end up going home with this mystery man. Soon enough, the real surprise hit her--this stranger wasn't just anyone; he was her new boss. What begins as a night of rebellion spirals into a whirlwind of forbidden attraction, societal pressure and hidden affairs. And now there are so many things at stake. Find out how this story unfolds.