Having suffered betrayal and injustice from the ones he trusted when he was most vulnerable, Michael Belsky shuts his heart from the subject of love, fully embracing a heritage of violence, affluence, and power, making him a force to be reckoned with in the business and underworld. With his rise to eminence, was also the rise of enemies. By virtue of an old agreement, Michael is compelled to take for himself a bride, but he chooses a stranger, Ivana, in defiance of his father, as she felt indebted to him. With time, Michael found himself falling helplessly for the cheerful and upbeat Ivana. But little did they both know that they both had secrets, and their lives were intertwined way before they ever met. Will their secrets and past come in between the love they've built, breaking them apart? Or will they draw strength and be even more bonded in love, facing the challenges that they encounter?
CHAPTER 1: WHO AM I?
A man slowly opened his eyes, gaining consciousness. He was lying face down on the floor. A sharp pain surged through his head, causing him to squint, groaning in pain.
He was hit with a daze of sudden dizziness, which made him unable to get on his feet as he tried to. So, he sat on the floor gently.
He placed his right hand behind his head where he felt a great deal of pain and a thick warm substance there. Bringing his hand forward, he saw that it was blood.
'What the hell! Why am I bleeding?' he reasoned within himself.
He quickly looked around to see if he would find something to tie around his head to stop the bleeding. He saw the bedsheet on a bed and hurriedly tore a piece from it, and tied it around his head.
He had to be gentle and endure the pain while he did the tying. He groaned and sighed in relief when he was done.
Finally feeling a little bit of comfort, he looked around, observing where he was. He realized he was in a luxurious room. The room was tastefully finished, with state-of-the-art items.
He got up slowly, supporting himself with the king-size bedframe. Where his hand was placed, he felt something sticky there, causing him to look to see what it was.
He saw some blood and a slight crack. He softly placed his hand behind his head, wondering if that was where he might have hit his head. But he couldn't recall.
The place seemed extremely quiet, and it made him wonder where in the world he was.
He saw the door and began walking over to it. Suddenly, he felt the room sway a bit. He reflexively reached out his arms placing them on the wall, steadying himself.
'What was that? An earthquake?' he reasoned within.
'No. It can't be.'
He continued to the door when it got stable and opened it. He saw that there was a staircase leading upwards, so he went up the staircase and arrived at what looked like the living area.
But looking through the glass walls, he saw that he was on the lower deck of a boat, and beyond the glass walls, he could see that the boat was surrounded by water. The boat was brought offshore.
"How the hell did I get here? Where the heck am I?" he asked with a seriously perplexed look.
A surge of pain ran through his head once again, causing him to wince in pain, squinting his eyes as he bent his head.
Lifting his head, he jerked, startled at the sight of a redhead lady.
He noticed she seemed a bit afraid. He could only furrow his brow slightly due to the pain he felt, as he looked at her.
"Hon- Honey. Are you okay?" the lady asked, fidgeting.
He hesitated a bit from responding. He could see a bit of fright in her, but she was also doing her best to conceal it. He also noticed a side of her face was reddish, as though she was hit.
"Do we know each other?" he asked in response.
The lady furrowed her brow, a bit puzzled at his question.
"You mean you don't recognize me?" she inquired. But the man remained silent, observing her. He tried to read her, being a bit cautious.
"We're married. I'm Clarice, your wife," she revealed. "Don't you recognize me?"
"You're my wife?" he asked with wide eyes of surprise, and confusion all at once.
"How don't I remember you?" he asked further.
"You don't?" Clarice asked, furrowing her brow, as she inched towards him slowly.
"No," he answered. "I woke up from the floor with a concussion behind my head, and I didn't know where I-"
"Hey buddy!" a man said walking in on the duo, interrupting them.
Clarice's husband looked at him. One could tell he wondered who the man who walked in on them was.
"Uh- You look, pale man. And why do you have your head tied with that cloth thingy?" the man asked, with a concerned look.
"Do you know me?" Clarice's husband enquired.
"He'll yeah! I'm your best friend, Dan. Don't you remember?"
"No. He doesn't," Clarice replied. "He had a concussion and seems to have lost his memory."
"Jeez! When? How did that happen?" Dan said approaching him. He looked behind and saw his bloodied head.
"Oh my God! You need a doctor," Dan said with a sense of urgency. Clarice quickly grabbed her phone as she put a call across to someone.
"Mmm. Careful there," Clarice's husband groaned, moving his head from Dan's grip.
"Sorry man. But how are you still alive after such impact?"
Clarice's husband didn't give much thought to Dan's question. His head felt heavy so he sat down on the "C" shaped couch.
"The doctor will meet us right when we dock," Clarice said and sat beside her husband. She went ahead to touch his neck, checking his temperature.
"My goodness! You're burning up," she said with concern.
"Who am I?" Clarice's husband asked softly.
"You're Michael. Michael McAlister."
Clarice then looked and reached for a wallet beside her, and pulled out something.
"Here's your ID," she said, handing it to him.
He looked at the ID, and indeed, it was him in the ID. The name Clarice called matched what was in the picture.
"Also have a look at this," she said, handing him her phone.
He looked at the screen and saw that it was a picture of their wedding. They were both smiling generously in each other's arms.
She flipped to the next, and it was also a picture of their wedding, and he saw that Dan was his best man.
Flipping through a couple of more photos of them on vacation and other occasions, Michael was finally convinced that they all did know each other.
"You're my wife," he said, turning towards her.
"And I'm your best friend," Dan playfully added, laughing softly.
"How could I have forgotten everything? Forgotten you?" Michael asked, feeling a bit distressed.
"I don't know honey. But what matters is we're here with you. And we'll be fine," Clarice said hugging him affectionately.
As they broke their hug, Michael looked at her and asked a question.
"Why do you seem scared of me? Was I in any way responsible for the mark on your face?"
Clarice looked away, gulping.
It wouldn't be out of terms to say that the life of the billionaire playboy, Trevor Munroe, was rudely interrupted on a fateful night, by a stranger. But falling in love with that stranger was the least thing he could ever imagine, even in his wildest fantasy. But such was the complication he found himself in. And being given an ultimatum by his father, he is left with no choice but to dance to the tone he had set. With time, secrets gets revealed and truths are laid bare. Will this love stand the test of time as loyalties are tried? Was all this but just a game? And did fate bring them together to tear them apart?
Discharged from the military, Ray Lee finds himself as the bodyguard to the daughter of a wealthy man. He meets a lady whom he discovers he shares a similar past. Will they join forces to avenge their past predicament, or will they choose to move on?
Abandoned as a baby, Trevor Rowe is no stranger to rejection, but he hits rock bottom when he finds out his partner's betrayal. Just trying to get by, he encounters a stranger, and his life turns around for good. Or for bad? Will his new found life and fortune be his undoing, or will he rise above it all and thrive?
A scorned and timid son-in-law of a small family, loving and pampering his wife, was all he wanted to do. Acknowledgement and care from his wife and family, was all he needed and wanted. What did he do when he didn't get what he needed? He endured, all because he was sold off to marriage but had to deal with it. One night, he stumbled on his wife and foster brother and saw what was meant to be kept hidden, but do they really want to keep their acts hidden? He became lost and felt betrayed, he wandered around and finally got to the only place he finds solace. After that night, he changed. He became stinkingly rich and divorced his wife. Wondering how this is a fairy tale? But it was no fairy tale, because with riches came it's tribulations. He had to hone his skills and became extremely cold hearted, controlling the largest mafia group in New York, with a chain of legal businesses. He became a killing machine, trampling his enemies and his ex-wife, wanting to find peace but he couldn't find peace. It was a completely new life for him. What happens when a new ray of light, shines on to his dark world? Will he embrace it? Or will he remain cold-hearted?
It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wife’s countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. “Let’s get married again.”
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.
Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins—a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. “It's time to reveal your true identity, darling.”
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?
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?"
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!