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"I'm done with you, Lila; you and I know that there's no chemistry between us." Grey Shun, the CEO of Bintex Ltd., one of the leading textile companies in the city of New York, told Lila Sims with his face devoid of any remorse. Lila Sims has been living in depression since the first day of her three-year-old marriage. She had done all she could to please Grey, but the more she tried, the more she kept getting depressed. Young, talented, and beautiful career woman, Lila Sims gave up everything for the sake of her marriage with Grey, turning her into a shadow of herself. A marriage she worked hard to keep moving ended like a flash of light on a day she least expected-her twenty-fifth birthday dinner! Lila Sims was ready to accept the divorce in good faith and let go of everything, until she discovered Grey's mystery mistress, who has been the cause of her misery in marriage. She vouch to take her revenge to the fullest. Lila conspired with Brian, Grey's ex-rival, to ruin Grey's life, but Brian wants more from her; he wants a relationship with her. Will Lila risk her heart for love again to get her revenge the way she planned, or will she give up on her revenge plans to avoid being heartbroken a second time?
Chapter 1
Divorced on my birthday
"Honey, you've not said anything since we got here. You neither compliment my dress nor comment on my food," Lila said.
Grey kept mute, as though she were talking to a ghost, not even lifting his eyes and looking at her.
"I suppose today should be my happy day. You brought up the idea of us coming here to spend some time alone, and now you're staring at me without a word? Are we doing a retreat?" Lila was losing patience with the serene environment.
"You would have allowed me to party with friends rather than with this attitude you're giving me now."
"Enough of the talk already, Lila!" Grey yelled at her, dropping his spoon on the table.
"In fact, I'm done! I'm done with you. You and I know that there's no chemistry between us." Standing up, he ducked his hands into his pocket, brought out a piece of paper, and handed it over to her.
"Ensure you go through those papers and sign the divorce. If there's anything you don't understand, you can contact my lawyer." With his face devoid of any remorse, he gently moved closer, giving her a kiss on the forehead. He whispered to her, "You should be grateful I endured you bearing the title 'my wife.' But now, I have to go for the person I love, someone more deserving."
Lila was dumbfounded; everything sounded like an audio series of a video clip to her. Her silver jubilee turned into the worst day she could ever imagine.
"Is this really the man I married? Handling me a divorce on my birthday?" Lila questioned herself unstoppably. She tried to control her tears to maintain her make-up so that no one would notice something wrong with her, but she couldn't; the pain was unbearable.
Even though she had never known what it means to be happy and loved in marriage, she was always ready to be patient with Grey, keeping to her promise of "till death do us part" made at the altar, hoping for a better Grey with time. The meal she took four hours to prepare was not half eaten by her soon-to-be ex-husband.
Lila was every man's dream back then, in high school. Over ten men were ready to marry her if only she said yes, but she made her choice of Grey, following the way he presented himself to her as one who could not hurt a fly. Little did she know that all the humility was because of his poor financial condition, which she mistook for being nice.
She had never talked about her miserable marriage to anyone, not even her parents.
"Besides, I was never my parents' favorite; I would rather die with my pains than involve them." She told herself.
She tried all she could to put on a smile whenever she had visitors.
Her hands became stiff as she held the papers, tears rolling down her succulent cheeks. She lost her appetite immediately.
"Why did he bring me here only to break me into pieces? What have I done to deserve this?" She asked questions, but no one was there to give an answer. She was still weeping when a call rang on her phone. She ducked her hands into her pause and brought out her phone; it was Eucharia calling.
"Oh, my God! Eucharia!" She was astonished. Eucharia was her childhood friend, born with a silver spoon, with whom they did primary and secondary education together. As the only daughter of her family, her wealthy dad sent her to study abroad; hence, they lost contact for over ten years.
She ignored the call because, from the tune of her voice, even a deaf man can deduce that she's miserable. She needs to save herself from being mocked.
Her phone rang consistently, and she finally picked up the call.
"Hello, Charia, sorry I missed your calls." She said it with an unfriendly tone, which doesn't sound nice for a person one has missed for over a decade.
"Yo girl, Happy birthday! I'm in town already, purposely to celebrate your birthday. Please, when and where are we hanging out?" Eucharia asked with so much joy, as she couldn't wait to set her eyes on her friend.
"I'm sorry, dear; I didn't plan for any celebrations." Lila said.
"Lila, I know it has been long since we heard each other's voices, but this doesn't sound like you on an ordinary day, not to talk of a special day like this. Don't you miss me at all? Eucharia was bothered because that doesn't sound like her friend.
Lila texted her the address, and Eucharia headed straight to the location.
"Baby girl, I'm here." Eucharia shouted with joy as she went and exchanged hugs with her friend.
"Oh, my dear, I'm sorry I missed your wedding. That's why I just have to try my best to surprise you on your twenty-fifth birthday." Charia kept talking without taking a keen look at Lila's face.
"Thank you for coming, my dear. I'm happy to see you again," Lila responded.
"Oh my God, Lila! Are you crying? Why are your eyes red and bulky? Besides, today is your birthday; where is your husband? I mean, why are you all alone here putting on a moody face, but I'm seeing two plates here?" Eucharia has a million and one questions she needs answers to.
Lila didn't say a word because she didn't know which of the questions to answer. She quietly handed over the papers to Eucharia.
"I think this can provide all the answers you need." Her eyes were full of tears, and she carried her white handkerchief and wiped her face off.
"Oh, my gosh! This is unbelievable. You mean your husband served you with a divorce on your birthday? This is heartless!"
"I'm sorry, my dear. Let's get going. You need to rest," Charia suggested.
"Sorry to say, but that husband of yours must be an ingrate! Lila, all our colleagues in school can attest to the fact that you were the best-behaved girl in our clique. And now this? That man must surely regret it. I hope you're not planning to just sign this divorce and let go of everything." Charia reacted, feeling bad for her friend.
Emerald Scott is a woman endowed with beauty and wealth. She lacks nothing except one thing that her money couldn't buy, 'TRUE LOVE.' But everything changed when she met the only man that ever showed her sincerity in love, Dennis Spencer. Even though he was rejected by her family, Emerald didn't hesitate to say 'Yes' to Dennis at the altar and sacrificed everything she had to transform him from a broke ass into a billionaire CEO. Everything was perfect, until their third anniversary, when Dennis returned home with his ex-girlfriend, who was pregnant with his second child, and threw divorce papers at Emerald. "You have two hours to sign this divorce and get the hell out of my life. I'm way out of my league now, Emerald. Besides, Sylvia here is pregnant, and I'm sure you won't advise me to cling to a barren soul like you, right?" he declared coldly without a surge of remorse. She pleaded with tears, but she was still thrown out of the home she built without a pin of belonging. She lost everything!*************"Marry me, Emerald, and I'll give you everything you ever desired," Adrian Taylor requested. He is the youngest business mogul, who turned out to be Dennis's top and most influential client. "Yes, I'll marry you, but under one condition: you'll destroy everything that Dennis has and turn him into a street beggar." Emerald replied with a determined voice. ****************** "Emerald, I can't believe that you chose to be a shameless gold digger instead of getting a cure for yourself!" Her ex-husband said with his reddened and regretful eyes when he lost everything. "Are you starting to regret your actions now, Mr. Dennis?" "Orādo you have more to say? How about you call me a gold maker? Because I'm back to take every good thing I've ever brought to your life," she declared with a smug smile.
"This marriage is null and void! The wedding of Dan Miller and Lucia Ray is null and void." A man from behind shouted as he stepped into the entrance of the church, breathing heavily, just as the priest was about to pronounce Dan and Lucia 'husband and wife'. Dan Miller, the CEO of Miller's Production Enterprise, hurriedly planned a wedding with his fiance, Lucia Ray, whom they've dated for only two months. His plan was to outsmart his father, who had signed a contract with his friend, Dantes. The moment young Miller set an eye on those papers, he had been looking for a way to do a surprise wedding without his father's consent. "Never! Over my dead body would I forcefully marry the daughter of my father's debtor! I can never marry someone who is not my standard." He thought to himself. He was at the altar with his bride, taking their marriage vows, when his father, Mr. Morgan Miller, who was out of the country for a six-month business trip, showed up unexpectedly and put the wedding to a halt. "You either marry Clara Dantes in the next two weeks or you lose your position as the heir of the Miller's family." Mr. Miller declared. Stuck of choice, Dan vows to ill-treat Clara in their marriage till she finally decides to leave by herself. Forced to marry the arrogant son of the billionaire because of her father's debt to offset her mother's medical bill, Clara Dantes planned to get back with her ex-lover once she secured a loan and paid off the debt. As time went on, Clara and Dan realised that they had developed true feelings for each other, but they had to be strong and fight their past as their ex-lovers conspired to ruin their union
"Get your bloody self off me! After killing my son, you still have the nerves to ask for a chance to father my adopted child." Viola struggled to loosen Leonardo's grip on her when he pinned her to the wall and asked for forgiveness and a second chance to be a father to their son after decades of being apart. At the age of fifteen, Viola vowed to do anything to save her dying mother, and lucky enough, she found refuge in the hands of Mrs. Vera Vans, who accidentally hit her on the highway. A few years down the line, Viola caught the attention of the only son and heir of the Van's family, Leonardo Vans, and they ended up happily married. Mrs. Vans despised Viola's union with her son and did everything in her power to get them divorced. Losing her parents, her marriage, and her child in the same year, Viola decided to leave the country and came back after twenty-two years with her adopted son, Nicole, to take revenge on those that tormented her life, but the sharp Leonardo was quick to discover that her adopted son is the product of their union twenty-three years ago, and he came begging for a second chance. Would Viola forgive and accept him back? Then what is the fate of his mother, who masterminded their divorce? Would Nicole easily accept him as a father, remembering the sufferings he passed through in the past? What is the fate of Leonardo's wife and her children if Viola decides to get back with him?
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-wifeās countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. āLetās get married again.ā
Kaelyn devoted three years tending to her husband after a terrible accident. But once he was fully recovered, he cast her aside and brought his first love back from abroad. Devastated, Kaelyn decided on a divorce as people mocked her for being discarded. She went on to reinvent herself, becoming a highly sought-after doctor, a champion racer, and an internationally renowned architectural designer. Even then, the traitors sneered in disdain, believing Kaelyn would never find someone. But then the ex-husbandās uncle, a powerful warlord, returned with his army to ask for Kaelynās hand in marriage.
For as long as Emily can remember, she has wanted to overcome her shyness and explore her sexuality. Still, everything changes when she receives an invitation to visit one of the town's most prestigious BDSM clubs, DESIRE'S DEN. On the day she chose to peruse the club, she noticed three men, all dressed in suits, standing on the upper level, near the railing. Despite her limited vision, she persisted in fixating on them. Their towering statues belied the toned bodies concealed by their sharply tailored suits-or so she could tell. The hair of two of them was short and dark, and the third had light brown-possibly blond-hair that reached the shoulders. The dark, crimson background incised their figures, exuding an air of mystery and strength. They stood in stark contrast to the unfiltered, primal energy that pulsed through the club. Shocked by the desires these men aroused in her, she was disappointed to learn that they were masters seeking a slave to divide and conquer. She couldn't afford the fee, and she also realized that they were outside her league. Emily hurriedly left the club, feeling disappointed and depressed, unaware that she had also caught the group's attention. A world of wicked pleasure, three handsome men. Over the years, they have lived a life of decadence, their lavish lair serving as a stage for their most sinister desires. But despite the unending parade of willing subjects, one woman sticks out. A mysterious stranger with white porcelain skin and a killer body, a slave, a name with no address, the first lady to attract their eye and they will go to any length to obtain her no matter the consequences.
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
On her wedding day, Khloeās sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didnāt commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrikās cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.