Ellen Bennet's world is shattered when she is jilted on the altar by her groom, Hammond Kent. Feeling betrayed, she ends up having a one-night stand with an unidentified stranger that leaves her no trail except pregnancy and a necklace. Years later, Ellen's billionaire boss, Roderick Waltz proposes a contract marriage to her for political leverage; she accepts the proposal to get revenge on her ex-fiancé, Hammond who is now a close friend of her boss. But things take a different turn when she falls in love with her boss, derailing the purpose of the contract marriage. Now, her ex-fiancé wants her back so bad. How will she navigate the complexities of Roderick's secrets and learning that Hammond jilted her to keep her from harm's way?
Ellen's POV
"Elly! Elly!" I heard my mom's voice call me as I slowly regained consciousness. "You are going to be late for your wedding." She whispered into my ears and I jumped up as the sleep instantly vanished from my eyes.
I looked at the time and it was 7 am.
"Mom! You should've woken me up earlier." I screamed as I stood up and began running into the bathroom.
" I tried my best, Elly, but I'm sure the drinks from the bridal shower last night did a good job on you." My mom muttered as she stood up from my bed and watched me running around, trying to find my towel and toothbrush.
"I didn't drink alcohol, mom. Shit! Talking about alcohol, please, help me wake my bridal train from the guest room. Thank you, mom. I love you!" I yelled at her as I ran into the bathroom to have a quick shower.
"Be quick! The make-up artists and hair stylists are already here." She screamed after me.
I had told Elfreda, my younger sister not to bring alcohol as part of the drinks for the bridal shower but she had refused and brought lot's of bottles.
"A little bit will not hurt anyone." She had said, but right now, I don't think she was right about that, because my whole bridal team was still asleep and I knew that.
Waking up late on my wedding day was already a bad omen and I felt a tinge of guilt in my heart.
I wasn't supposed to do this to the love of my life. If not anything, I should be the most punctual today.
In a few minutes, I was already out of the bathroom and rubbing lotion on my body. I put on the white underlays I had laid out the previous night before running out of my room.
"Make-up artists and hair stylists come up!" I stood up the stairs and screamed in my excitement and when I saw two ladies running up with assistance, I knew I was good.
A glance at my wall clock and it was 7:30 am already, so I sat on my seat like a molded creature and counted the seconds as both stylists did their wonderful job on my face.
"Elly! Are you with my eyeliner and lip gloss?" My younger sister, Elfreda asked as she ran into my room and I pointed in the direction of my make-up kit.
"I'm not with yours, but use mine to save time," I told her and she whispered thank you and ran in the direction I had pointed.
"And the girls?" I asked as she was about to take her flight the way she had come.
"Still dressing up, but they'll be done in time," she said and stared at me with a smile.
"What?" I asked, smiling sheepishly.
" They aren't through with you but you already look so dashing, sis." Elfreda stood at the door and commented as my smile widened.
She was my chief bridesmaid for the day and wasn't one that easily made comments or gave compliments to me, so I accepted it with all my heart knowing she was doing this because it was my special day.
" Thanks, Elfreda," I responded with a smile.
" See you soon." She said and winked at me before running out of my room.
*****
I was whispering Thanksgiving prayers by the time I got to church and my time read 9:30 am, which meant I still had thirty more minutes to calm myself down before the service commenced.
I watched the crowd I and Hammond had pulled to come to witness our wedding today and smiled inwardly. The paparazzi and newscasters were everywhere, waiting to capture the latest couple, as well as our business partners and colleagues.
Getting married to Hammond, my childhood lover, was one thing I knew my parents wouldn't think twice about, because Hammond was an independent entrepreneur who had built a powerful empire on his own, despite not having his father around.
"Elly! It's time. Are you ready?" My mom whispered and I nodded smilingly at her.
The next face I saw through the door was my dad's. He smiled proudly and gave me his hand which I held as he helped me down from the car. The photographers did their best to capture every smile and every move I made as I stepped down from the car.
"You know I'm proud of you." He whispered into my ears and I laughed.
"Thanks, Dad," I responded, smiling at him.
"Elfreda is in there and will be coming down soon." My mom said and just before she completed her statement, the door to the car behind mine opened and my childhood friends, Elfredas's friends and colleagues as well stepped down from the bus and waved excitedly at me, blowing kisses in the air and then my sister came out last.
She was in a simple white gown that hugged her curves perfectly, which made me raise my brows in thought. We had agreed she was going to wear a gold gown to compliment the color of the day, so, why the change of mind? I watched as she walked towards us.
"Are we good?" She asked and my dad nodded. I tried to meet her eyes but she refused to meet mine and instead went behind me to help arrange my long white dress and make sure it was well laid. Before I could say anything, the organ inside the church began playing and I allowed my dad to lead me into the church.
My mind left every other thing when my eyes met the handsome god that would be my husband in the next few minutes. He was smiling widely at me making my heartbeat pulmet.
"Hey babe," Hammond whispered when my dad handed me over to him and I smiled widely at him.
"Hey!" I whispered back, almost laughing.
" Has anyone told you how breathtaking you look?" He asked and I laughed.
" Now, we will commence the solemnization of holy matrimony between Mr Hammond Kent and Miss Ellen Bennet." The priest announced and the church sat down.
" You know I love you right?" Hammond whispered and I nodded smiling at him.
" I know babe, and I love you too," I told him as we faced the priest who kept talking and reading scriptures from the Bible.
"Do you Miss Ellen Bennet take this man whose right hand you now hold to be your lawfully wedded husband..."
I didn't have to wait for the priest to finish when I responded.
"Yes, I do."
The church giggled at my impatient response and my smile widened.
" Do you Mr Hammond Kent take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?" The priest said again but to Hammond this time and I sighed and closed my eyes, waiting for his response to complete my joy for the day.
" No! I don't." Hammond's baritone voice echoed around the church and my eyes snapped open as I could hear gasps from every corner. The photographers even took their videos more seriously at that moment.
"Hammond!" I whispered, praying it was a slip of the tongue.
"I'm sorry, Ellen. Believe me, I'm sorry." He said and left my hands.
I watched with a sinking heart and an embarrassed facial expression as the love of my life walked out on me on our wedding day.
If only he had walked out of the church into the street or his car, maybe, just maybe, it would've been less painful but I watched my Hammond walk up to my sister, Elfreda and took her hands in his.
Without saying a word, he led her out of the church, and all hell broke loose.
Octavia Swift's marriage to Richmond Howell was a union between two love birds. Things eventually took a downturn and and a once happy home became a living hell for Octavia because she could not birth a child. When Richmond announces his wedding plans to his secret lover, she divorces him and flees to Mexico, secretly carrying the heir he so desperately desired. There, she forged a marriage alliance with a rival billionaire in her desire for revenge, plotting her return to Miami to topple the Howell empire. Octavia's return sparks a dangerous game of cat and mouse, rekindling a forbidden passion with her ex-husband. As they navigate their secret affair, dark secrets surface, threatening to destroy everything they've built. Torn between her quest for vengeance and her rekindled love, Octavia must confront the consequences of her choices. Will she emerge victorious, or will her thirst for revenge consume her? And what other secrets lie hidden in the shadows?
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.
Due to the plight of her family, Phoebe had no choice but to embark on the path of selling herself. In an accident, she had a tangled night with Alexander. Everything began to derail, and even if she fled to the ends of the earth, she would still be found by him and entangled... *** Phoebe screamed in frustration, "What do you want from me?" What was this supposed to be? He raised an eyebrow wickedly. "What do I want? You'll find out soon enough." With that, he hoisted her up and carried her back into the office. The door slammed shut with a kick, and he cleared the desk with a sweep of his arm before laying her down on it, his body pinning hers in place, completely trapping her in his grasp. Every cell in his body was telling him he wanted her. He wanted to claim her again. This time, there would be no escape for her-he wouldn't let her slip away. Never again. If he had suffered for five years, then this woman wouldn't get off easily either!
Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..."Â But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"
RIEKA She was a naive, chubby, wolfless werewolf, maltreated by her mate to the point where she loses her sanity and womb, her crime was being chubby and less attractive than her peers. GABRIEL He was a handsome, strong willed womanizer, who happens to a hybrid ALPHA prince, the person he loves the most is his kid brother RALPH. He has searched high and low for a mate he could never find. What will happen when he finds out that his beloved brother's ex wife, happens to be his long awaited mate, who was maltreated and is currently mentally unstable? Will he forgive his brother for hurting his mate? or will blood flow?
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?"
Rejected by her mate, who had been her long-time crush, Jasmine felt utterly humiliated. Seeking solace, she headed to a party to drown her sorrows. But things took a turn for the worse when her friends issued a cruel dare: kiss a stranger or beg her mate for forgiveness. With no other choice, Jasmine approached a stranger and kissed him, thinking that would be the end of it. However, the stranger unexpectedly wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear, "You're mine!" He growled, his words sending shivers down her spine. And then, he offered her a solution that would change everything...