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"Does she make you feel this way?" Maya heard the familiar voice as she walked towards the door. "Never, not even close," the second equally familiar voice moaned. "You're the one I love, and Maya means nothing to me-nothing at all." Tears streamed down her eyes as she cupped her mouth with one hand, suppressing the surprised gasp that had threatened to escape the minute she pushed the door halfway. "How could they?" She thought to herself as she watched her best friend and boyfriend, whom she had trusted explicitly, make out behind her back. **** Broken hearts take time to mend. After being betrayed by her boyfriend of five years and her best friend, Maya Brown loses all hope in love. Yet her decision to heal and stay away from the love field is bridged when her parents step into the picture. She is coaxed into an arranged marriage with the handsome and desirous billionaire Kai Larson for the purpose of strengthening both families' alliances. Will she find love, or will it also be another failed attempt?
"Does she make you feel this way?" "Maya means nothing to me, absolutely nothing." Maya tossed and turned in her sleep as the memory of those words echoed in her ears. It had been three years, yet those very words still found a way to haunt her soul. So, when her alarm went off, she got up groggily from her bed and decided to go for a run. It wasn't her usual morning routine, but with the way things were going, she was sure she would have a rough day ahead. She returned from her morning run at around 8 a.m. to find her parents having breakfast at the dining table.
She didn't speak to them but rushed upstairs to freshen up. Being one-six meters long, she was the perfect height for the short white mid-tight dress that she threw on, accessorizing it with the pale blue silver heart necklace that accentuated her sky blue eyes. She packed her brown hair into a neat ponytail above her head, and then she inserted her feet into her cherry-laced pumps, which her mother had gifted her for her twenty-second birthday the year before. She loved them, and they sat perfectly on her full, chubby feet. Maya was not the typical slim girl, nor was she fat; her size was perfectly round and awesomely curved. It made a lot of people envious of her; her face was a total sellout; her best features were her full lips, which she laced with red lipgloss; her straight nose; and her striking blue eyes. Immediately after she was done dressing, she went downstairs to grab breakfast. One thing the heartbreak had done for her was give her an appetite she didn't know she had and an appreciation for her weight. "Hey, darling," her mother said when she noticed her. "Good morning, Mum, good morning, Dad," she said, planting a kiss on both cheeks. "Went for a run?" He asked, and she nodded. "Mm-hmm," she replied, her mouth fully stuffed with bread. "Easy on the eggs, darling, how are you feeling?" Her mother asked. "I'm okay, just a slight headache, but it'll be fine," she replied, taking a seat opposite her mom. She was her mother's duplicate; she only took her father's deep blue eyes, but her full lips were those of her mother's. "You know your mother is just worried about you," her father, Lucas Brown, said. The Browns family started as mid-rich but went up quickly in the elite society due to Lucas Brown's hard work, which was how he raised the company, Brown's Pharmaceuticals, to the top in just ten years. "I know, dad. I'm sorry. I won't make you worry. I'm actually okay," Maya replied. She knew where their worry stemmed from. This was coming just after her ex-boyfriend, Mark Wallace, announced his engagement to her then-best friend and rising actress, Lucy Mitchell. It had been three years since she caught them smooching and backstabbing her in their chemistry classroom. How ironic, she had thought, having chemistry in chemistry class. Now, she could smile about it, but back then, it was the worst thing to have happened to her. Everybody had heard of it, and everybody knew her story. That was the perk and downs of being a part of the elite society. "I have to go, Dad. I need to get an early start on that research." After studying biochemical engineering in college, Maya began working with her father as a medical device researcher in their pharmaceutical company. "Oh, that's great; I'll join you later, you know; no rush," he joked, and she laughed in return. It was a popular joke they often made; they all knew that soon enough he would retire and hand over the company to Maya, but only one thing stood in the way: Maya. "Alright, darling, have a great day. Don't forget dinner tonight," her mother called out. "Alright, Mum," she said, picking up her phone and leaving the house. Meanwhile, the LARSONS GROUP of companies was having a tough day. The new CEO of LARSONS GROUPS was returning, and everything had to be in place. A convoy of black Range Rovers filed outside the airport, waiting as the private jet landed on the runway set in the middle of the field. Men suited in black lined up outside each car door, waiting for the boss to arrive. As the jet landed, a handsome, one-eighty-meter-high man with jet black hair, forest green eyes, and thin lips in his mid-twenties got off the jet with his assistant, Oliver Branson. Strutting with grace, he got into one of the waiting cars, which was to drive him to the company's location. At the company, everyone anticipated his arrival: Kai Larson, the only son of Waylon Larson, CEO of the LARSONS GROUP OF COMPANIES. The upper management employees gathered in the lobby, waiting to welcome him. "Welcome, sir," the line of employees greeted him as he walked past them. He sauntered into the elevator with his assistant and two bodyguards, heading for the fifty-first floor, where the board meeting was to be held. His father, Mr. Waylon Larson, was already seated waiting for him. "Father," he said in his deep, regal voice. "Son, am I glad to see you? Welcome back," Waylon said, rising up to hug his son. "Kept the place running great, I see, Father," Kai complimented. "Well, I did my best, and with you back in town, I can finally retire peacefully," Waylon said confidently. "I appreciate your confidence, Father," Kai replied with modesty, and Waylon patted his back approvingly. "The board members would be here shortly to discuss the handover procedures, but I wanted to have some time with you first." Waylon said. "Okay, I'll start going over the company's listings and share documents. I already reviewed the activities and financial turnovers for the last three years." Kai said. "Great son, do what you must, but don't forget, we have to be done in time for dinner with the Browns tonight; we don't want to upset your mother," Waylon said, picking up a folder from the table in front of him. "The Browns?" Kai asked, wondering what his father was talking about.
To the public, she was the CEO's executive secretary. Behind closed doors, she was the wife he never officially acknowledged. Jenessa was elated when she learned that she was pregnant. But that joy was replaced with dread as her husband, Ryan, showered his affections on his first love. With a heavy heart, she chose to set him free and leave. When they met again, Ryan's attention was caught by Jenessa's protruding belly. "Whose child are you carrying?!" he demanded. But she only scoffed. "It's none of your business, my dear ex-husband!"
"I've warned you from the beginning. Don't marry him, but you won't listen." Darcy stood close to me and smiled with concern. "You're not a woman worthy of a man as handsome, rich, smart, and virile as Blaze." My whole body trembled at her words. "Have you no shame?" I asked. "Take a good look at yourself, Heather." She stared at me in the mirror. "You can't even glance at your ugly face. Do you think Blaze can endure a lifetime of gazing at that scar?" Heather Bailey got a surprise from her husband: a divorce agreement. After a year of marriage and facing ups and downs, she couldn't believe Blaze intended to divorce her. She was devastated when she saw him gazing lovingly at another woman. After signing the divorce papers, shockwaves caught her up. Her flower shop was burned to the ground. Her father's company collapsed, and her parents blamed her. She struggled to rebuild her life from the ground up and became more successful than ever. Having many customers from influential families, she started her revenge on Blaze. She won the very thing he wanted, but that was just the beginning.
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
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.
Elena, once a pampered heiress, suddenly lost everything when the real daughter framed her, her fiancé ridiculed her, and her adoptive parents threw her out. They all wanted to see her fall. But Elena unveiled her true identity: the heiress of a massive fortune, famed hacker, top jewelry designer, secret author, and gifted doctor. Horrified by her glorious comeback, her adoptive parents demanded half her newfound wealth. Elena exposed their cruelty and refused. Her ex pleaded for a second chance, but she scoffed, “Do you think you deserve it?” Then a powerful magnate gently proposed, “Marry me?”
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?"