New! Blurb: How does it feel to be engaged to the cause of your problems? Zaria Sterling, after being ripped off of her family's fortune is forced to fend for herself. This is until she comes across A ruthless billionaire whom she had no idea she was in a relationship with. This is the reality Zaria faces as she realizes that she has signed her life and freedom into the hands of the devil, The one and Only Christian Ace. Title: Billionaire's Pawn Genre: Romance Trope: Marriage of convenience. Setting: 21st century. The USA. Theme: Love, Disgust, Anger. CHARACTERIZATION Zaria Sterling(23)- A 5ft2 young zealous woman, with brown hair and green eyes, working to make means for herself and her family, especially her little brother Zane, after her family land and assets were seized. In desperation she agreed to a marriage that she might regret. Christian Ace(Male lead): The most feared man in the Ace family. After a time-range task was assigned to him, Christian had to find a way to fulfill it. And fast. He is 6ft2, brown hair and eyes and 32yrs of age. Amanda Ace (side character): The most influential woman and head of the Ace family is a no-nonsense woman and doesn't take no for an answer, at least that is how she is to the outside world. But she treats her grandchildren better than anything because she adores them. She has kept the family name so high no other can attain that. Her children doubled the standards and revenue under her strict watch. But tragedy is about to strike. It doesn't faze Amanda Ace and she had made peace with that already. But she must keep the legacy running even in her absence. She devises then a plan. Lily Thompson(Villain): A 5ft8 tall lady with blonde features and blue eyes and 28years old. She is the only daughter of the Thompsons, a family competing against the Ace family. PLOT Exposition: Zaria reluctantly agreed and applied to a famous company to relieve her financial burden. During said application, she had no idea the owner of the company interviewed her. She got the job and few weeks in developed a relationship with someone she thought was an employee. Inciting incident: A few months later the relationship turned serious and though Zaria was scared, she continued the relationship until he proposed marriage to her. She was then asked to sign a contract that would warrant her leaving the marriage after a year. Rising Action: In a twist, during an unexpected visitation she embarked on to surprise her husband, she discovered what led her to believe that her marriage was built on lies and she was used as a pawn for her husband to get what he wanted. Plot Twist: Lily Thompson, the daughter of Ace's rival family decided to make advances on Christian and over throw Zaria. And he's grandmother was suddenly fueling her plans unknown to her. But unfortunately she dies. Climax: A stunning discovery revealed that her husband was not an employee but the owner of she company she worked at and also his family was the reason her father lost his land as his parents had used their influence to take it away from him, which led her to become a desperate enough to agree to the marriage. And also found out that she must have known him a few months prior to their official meeting as they met in the bar she visited months ago and slept together while drunk. But sadly due to family circumstances, she had to stay with him. Denouement: The strong bond Zaria and Christian had developed over time was strong enough to overcome what was between them including Lily who tried to sabotage their relationship. After reconciling, they decided to make their marriage official by having a wedding and surprisingly Zaria was a few weeks pregnant.
Chapter one
"You could have turned it in since, you are stalling at this point" Marie poked her head into the kitchen while I was in an apron and pressing down on the pancake. "Even if your are rejected at least you tried."
"I can't, that will dim my ego"
"Oh, so New York trip is out of the story then?" my eyes widened at her as she said that. "Your ego would probably sponsor us"
"It's a Mega-Company you are talking about" I avoided looking at her. "I can't just carelessly apply because I want too."
"So? What's the worst that can happen?" she shrugged, walking towards me.
What's the worst that can happen? I whispered to myself as I entered the elevator to the top floor. The cool air attacked my bare legs as I tried going through the protocols again.
Fifth floor.
Wait at the reception with your required documents.
I almost panicked for a thousandth time fearing I had forgotten an important document at home.
The elevator pinged open, startling me because this wasn't the floor I picked. My fear was short-lived as I saw a group of people men, and women, waiting to enter the elevator and my anxiety went up because I tried greeting them but it came out as a whisper and they all ignored me.
Finally I was at the fifth floor, I strolled to the receptionist with my file on the fifth floor, I strolled to the receptionist with my file in my hand.
"Good morning," I said shyly.
"Good morning ma'am, please take a seat we will get back to you"
I nodded and went to sit. I scrambled through my files again to make sure I had everything in order. I was so deeply engrossed that I didn't notice time had passed until I sat up to adjust myself.
"Erm...sorry, I came for an interview" I walked to the receptionist to enquire. "How long am I to wait for?"
"Ms Sterling?" she looked up at me and then back to her laptop.
"Yes, Zaria Sterling" I puckered my lips.
"There was a slight change in the interviewing policy but you can go to the second door at your right when you walk through this hallway" she pointed towards the hallway. "And knock, We apologize for the delay" She then smiled widely at me.
I returned the smile and nodded my head, taking my file with me, and followed her directions.
When I got there, I knocked on the door and waited for a response. I didn't know if I was supposed to open it or wait until someone answers me. I raised my hand to knock again before a deep voice interrupted me.
"Come in"
I shivered a bit before opening the door.
"Good day Sir," I said when I entered the office.
The color palette of the room was dull and sexy, black, grey, and white all painted in ways that made the room alluring. A part of the room was painted completely black but splashed with white adorning it like a wild animal's claw.
The seats were arranged in a U-shape at one end of the room opposite where he was seated with a desk in front of him and a chair in front of the desk.
"Have a seat ma'am" I sat down immediately. There was just something about him that screamed that he wasn't to be disrespected.
He gestured for my documents and I gave them to him. He swiftly went through them.
"Zaria Sterling, apply for an assistant position" he read out loud.
I nodded. "Yes sir"
"So what makes you think you are perfect for this job" he asked making intense eye contact with me.
I couldn't even look at him, my eyes were wandering about but I tried to focus on his tie.
"I have good listening skills and I follow Instructions quite well. Also, I am good at multitasking. My mother almost always spanked me whenever I did different tasks at the same time. "
I smiled at the memory. "She said it could cause brain damage, I don't know who told her that but I believed and tried to stop."
"Did you?" he questioned, writing on his notepad.
"Well, I did it unconsciously. I couldn't help it."
He nodded.
"You currently work?"
"Yes. At a bakery" I noticed that his eyes lingered on my face a little longer.
"And how do you think they would describe you there?"
My mind wandered back to Ms. Patty, the owner of the bakery I worked in, and how she would scold us like children, and when we were alone she would tell me how good of a job I was doing.
"Hardworking, like I said because of the way I completed multiple tasks at once I gained Ms. Patty favors."
He nodded once more still jotting on his notepad.
"Ms. Zaria, It was nice doing this interview with you" There was a way he pronounced my name, I don't know what it was but I liked it.
"You will receive an email to know if you can proceed or if your journey ends here" he thinned his lips while offering me a hand.
As I grabbed his hand for a handshake he stood up, ultimately carrying me up with him. His hands swallowed mine and I looked petite standing in front of him.
I awkwardly smiled at him as she shook my hand before escorting him outside.
"Oh my goodness Marie" I called her the moment I stepped out of the building before I flagged a taxi. I was shaking after we bade ourselves goodbye, the interviewer and I, and I came out the way I went in.
"What is the excitement about?" she laughed.
"I just completed my interview"
"Look at you go, weren't you shivering at the thought of it before"
I scoffed. "I am still shivering, not because I completed it but -"
"But what? Don't leave me hanging girl. A fine-ass man asked for your number?"
"Even better"
"Tell me, I'm gonna die if suspense if you don't"
"So, during my interview, the interviewer who is a-" mid-sentence I realized my phone had gone off.
I caused. I really wanted to tell her, now I have to wait u til she visits me or I power my phone.
The taxi came to a stop few blocks from my house, just where I told him to stop.
"Thank you" I said to him before walking away towards my house.
In the mystical land of Elaria, a young warrior named Kael is thrust into a battle between celestial beings and mortals. Armed with a cursed blade and guided by the mystical vision of the Fallen Queen, he must navigate treacherous alliances and face his darkest fears to prevent the worldās catastrophic destruction.
Maria is sold to Leonardo after her father begs her to play along and act like it is against her will so that she can spy on the Sanchez family. She agrees and marries Leonardo who she has heard many terrible things about. He tortures her in many ways and she despises him. she tries to spy on him and find out his secrets but along the way she finds things thatāll traumatize her and change her view on everything. Leonardo collects Maria as a slave just so he could punish her father not knowing the entire thing was planned. Maria is kidnapped and after Leonardo saves her, she falls in love with him and they realise their feeling for each other.
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?"
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!
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancƩ cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."
After three loveless years, Neil's betrayal deeply wounded Katelyn. She wasted no time in getting rid of that scoundrel! After the divorce, she devoted herself to career pursuits. Rising to prominence as a top designer, skilled doctor, and brilliant hacker, she became a revered icon. Neil, realizing his grave mistake, tried in vain to win her back, only to witness her magnificent wedding to another. As their vows were broadcast on the world's largest billboard, Vincent slid a ring onto Katelyn's finger and declared, "Katelyn is now my wife, a priceless treasure. Let all who covet her beware!"
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"