She never liked him. Or maybe she did. Amber Kingston had always been irritated by her boss's lifestyle. She never wanted anything to do with him outside of work, but then he brought a proposition to her table. To marry him. She did it for a price, and now she is breaking his one rule. How would she tell him, she'd fallen in love with him when it was something he'd clearly warned her about?
Amber's POV
"... You have a meeting in five minutes, a newly booked appointment with CadLtd," I glanced up from my tablet to take in the man sitting in front of me, with no ounce of emotion on his devilishly handsome face. Not even a goddamn flick.
His mask was always in place, I doubt it ever slipped. What is he? A statue of a damn Greek god?
His brows raised ever so lightly and my eyes fell back to my tablet and I cleared my throat.
"Well, the CEO of CadLtd wants to meet with you and probably discuss the merging of... "
" Cancel it"
The command was low, so damn low I'd have missed it if I was breathing so loudly. What!
"Cancel it?" I asked, he tilted his head staring at me in that 'do you have a problem with it' manner. I drew in a deep breath and fucking resisted flipping off my boss.
He's an asshole, I would agree with anyone on that. He was a beautiful one at that who had the attention of both male and female and yeah, they flocked around him a lot.
"Do you have a problem with that, Amber?" he asked and I shook my head even though my blood was simmering beneath my veins.
I'd managed to put up with him for three fucking years as his PA, his attitude never gets old but it gets on my nerves the whole time.
He stood up like a predator watching his prey, green eyes fixed on me with so much intensity I almost shuddered, but I managed to pull myself together.
I don't like this one bit.
"Good. I have a meeting to attend" he said before leaving the office in smooth, long strides without sparing me another glance.
I waited for a second, glaring at his back. If I had my way, I'd have knocked some sense into his 'not dumb head'.
Getting my feet to move, I knew better than to lag around.
When he said he had a meeting to attend, he was flatly biased... because we were both attending the meeting. That's how it's always been from the start.
If I wasn't present in a meeting, it pisses him the hell off. But I knew better than to say Xavier had an obsession with me because ha! The man was a stone.
Hurrying after him, I was fast enough to see him get into the elevator. I raised a finger, silently pleading with him to hold it for me as the doors were already sliding shut.
His face was impassive and he didn't even move a muscle. The doors shut right in my face and yeah, I lost my cool.
"Asshole!" I cursed my face and ears hot from either anger or embarrassment.
Luckily, we were the only ones occupying this floor of the company. My office came before his, I was doing both the job of a Secretary and a Personal Assistant and because my boss was Xavier, it sucked.
I ran my fingers through my hair before I stiffened, my eyes almost fell out of their sockets when the elevator slid open and my eyes met with that of Xavier's.
Oh shit!
The silence hung in the air thick and heavy. What does one say after calling their bosses assholes?
I took the easier route. Cleared my throat, straightened my spine, and walked right into the elevator avoiding his hunter's eyes and pretending I did nothing wrong. Well, I didn't.
"Thank you" I muttered, expecting him to be quiet just as he'd always been, but I was in for a big surprise.
He pressed the button leading us to the second floor which had the conference and meeting room.
"Did you call me an asshole?" He asked, his voice dry and dead serious. I shifted uncomfortably on my foot.
I lowered my head a fraction.
"No sir. You probably didn't hear right" I said, staring at my shoes. I loved my job too much to lose it, well I meant the pay.
There was silence and I risked glancing at him. His broad shoulders leaned against the elevator wall, his hands tucked into the pocket of his Tuxedo pants, and...amusement danced in his eyes for a slight second before it disappeared.
I was sure I'd seen it.
" I don't have hearing issues, '' he said and I almost huffed. Everyone thought he did. I wasn't going to touch that topic.
I won't be the one telling him he had hearing issues because the man heard right.
"I doubt" it was a grumble. Under my breath, he wasn't supposed to pick on it but he did.
Of course! Psychopathic abilities.
"You think I have hearing issues? Seriously?" I closed my eyes. I'd have pinched the space between my brows to wedge off the headache that I could sense brewing.
Before I could come up with a reply, his phone rang, cutting off our awkward little chit chat and I was grateful for the interruption.
His face darkened. His eyes once held a little warmth hardened and turned into frosty green slits. His lips pulled into a hard line, tension oozing off him.
I took a step back.
I know there was a lot to Xavier Castillo, he was a beautiful surface with the deepest and darkest secrets lurking beneath.
The elevator dinged and the doors parted, I stepped out of it almost too quickly.
But Xavier remained in it, his jaws set hard, his eyes staring into nothing, and his fingers wrapped tightly around his phone that I feared for the poor phone.
Whoever had called was a trigger or an enemy or... I don't know. The doors slid shut, but not before his gaze rested on me.
I shivered, his eyes weren't as predatory as they'd been earlier... they instead looked calculative.
And a calculative Xavier was dangerous.
It could never mean a good sign.
Alessia De Luca is determined to prove to her family that she has moved on from the man who left her at the altar two years ago. Desperate to avoid their pity, she enlists her arch-nemesis Noah Wilson, a moody colleague, to pose as her boyfriend during a summer trip to Italy, where her ex-fiancé, Antonio, is getting married. But circumstances changed and she's thrown into a dilemma that almost ruins everything. However, things get more complicated when Noah plays his role a little too well, and Alessia realizes that she's falling for her perfectly 'fake' boyfriend.
Joelle thought she could change Adrian's heart after three years of marriage, but she realized too late that it already belonged to another woman. "Give me a baby, and I'll set you free." The day Joelle went into labor, Adrian was traveling with his mistress on his private jet. "I don't care whom you love. My debt is paid. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other." Not long after Joelle left, Adrian found himself begging on his knees. "Please come back to me."
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."
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."
The Billionaire Betrayed Wife follows Rachael Morgan, an orphan whose search for love leads her into the ruthless world of the Blackwood family. Betrayed by her husband and tormented by her adoptive sister, Rachael's life spirals into chaos when she's cast out and left to survive on the streets, pregnant and alone. Just when all hope seems lost, a mysterious savior from her past rescues her, giving her the chance to heal and rebuild. Years later, she returns stronger, armed with a fierce desire for revenge. With her son by her side, Rachael will stop at nothing to destroy those who shattered her trust-even if it means risking everything to reclaim her life and her power.
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
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?